Touching Base with Fair Isle Part One

This question—what, exactly, is Fair Isle and how does it differ from other forms of stranded knitting?—is a bit hard to find the answer. As you might have noted, the words “Fair Isle” are now often used to define any stranded knitting designs. 

Janine Bajus wrote a short article on this subject for Interweave a few years ago (in their e-Mag Colorants). The appropriate paragraphs are pasted there:

The term “Fair Isle” is often used to describe any stranded color pattern, but Fair Isle knitting is unique. What separates Fair Isle from other types of stranded color knitting? 

Like other knitting traditions, Fair Isle knitting relies upon a profusion of patterns, some original and some borrowed from other cultures, but Fair Isle designs have a unique way of arranging colors that is instantly recognizable. This distinctive color use relies on value sequencing and mirroring within a motif to produce a luminous, three-dimensional effect. Sounds pretty complex, doesn’t it? 

Let’s break this down into four basic  elements:

#1 Value Contrast

“Value” means how dark or light a color appears. In color pattern knitting the pattern has to have enough value contrast from the background to show up. It doesn’t matter if the two colors are very different—if the value contrast isn’t there, the pattern won’t show up! 

#2 Value Gradients 

In a gradient (sometimes called a sequence), colors are arranged so that they move from light to dark (or vice verse). The use of gradients is key to the special effects of Fair Isle knitting. A Fair Isle design may move from one color family to another as long as the value sequence is preserved. 

#3 Mirroring

Fair Isle designs are generally symmetrical—that is, the pattern moves in to a center row and then reverses out of it. In other words, the pattern mirrors itself from a center turn point. Colors are used the same way: they follow a gradient in to the center row of the motif, then reverse symmetrically. 

#4 Color Families

Putting It Together

Value sequencing and mirroring combine to produce the characteristic luminous effect of Fair Isle knitting, which is emphasized by the use of a “pop” color at the very center of the motif. Although this center color is often bright, sometimes it is as subtle as a lighter or darker shade of the color that lies on each side of it. In Figure 3, the background and foreground colors both lighten in value toward the center, and the lightest value creates an accent in the center.

Fair Isle Colors

Fair Isle is home to Shetland sheep, which come in a very wide range of colors—there are at least 13 distinct colors and numberless blends. The earliest Fair Isle garments, dating from the 1850s, took advantage of these natural shades plus a limited number of naturally dyed colors such as: blues from indigo, reds from madder, and yellows from local plants and lichens. 

It is impossible to label any particular colors as “traditional.” At times certain colors have been more associated with Fair Isle knitting than others: muted shades in the ubiquitous Fair Isle yoke sweaters of the 1960s; natural sheep colors in the 1920s; bright, unexpected combinations in the early 1900s, when synthetically dyed yarn became widely available. 

Today’s knitters have several hundred colors to choose from, and designs incorporate more and more colors to produce beautiful watercolor-like effects. But beautiful and complex designs can also be created out of 4 or 5 colors. Simply changing where they are placed in the pattern changes how they appear. 

I’ve given this subject a lot of thought and I still stand with my assessment that value sequencing and mirroring are the core of traditional Fair Isle. There are some other characteristics—only two colors per round, no texture stitches, no long floats, etc—but these aren’t core design elements. 

As far as I can tell there is no such thing as “traditional” Fair Isle. Fair Isle knitting was/is, primarily, as source of economic earning power; as such it was under considerable pressure to change with fashions. Geometric patterns, fairly limited number of colors (compared to modern 14+ color garments), and repeated bands are all faster to knit than asymmetric, allover contiguous, large motif designs, so I would say that you would want to knit with such patterns if you want something that is generally traditional. 

The Art of Fair Isle Knitting by Ann Feitelson and Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting would be the books to turn to. There are other, more specialized sources, but these have good sections on history of Fair Isle designs that would help to increase understanding and skill.