Another Fair Isle Project

Sometimes I feel like I'm never going to get through my list if I keep re-doing the things I've already completed! In addition to repeating movies and re-reading books—here's my second attempt at a Fair Isle project. I'm really happy that I took the time to redo this cowl though, I'm much happier with the second version.

The Fair Isle Project is Complete!

Well, it's finished! My first Fair Isle knitting project is officially complete, and I'm so excited to cross the first item off of the "Thirty Before 30" list!

I absolutely loved working on this project, too. Now that I've knitted Fair Isle, everything else seems so boring!

I decided on this pattern because I've really been into cowls lately. Most of the patterns out there are for loose, fun pieces—not really tighter, functional pieces. I grew up in Buffalo, so I definitely have an appreciation for functional winter wear. I've already put this piece to good use, and although it's not cold enough for a winter coat here in Atlanta, the cowl is a great with a lighter coat, and does a great job keeping the cold air out.

After finishing the piece, I've decided to modify the pattern a bit and give it another shot. I have a bunch of yarn left over, so I think I'm going to do the inverse: a pink cowl with a brown pattern. I'll be sure to post it as an amendment to this post when I finish!

Fair Isle Knitting Project

Fair Isle is a traditional knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colors. It's named after Fair Isle, a tiny island in the north of Scotland, between the Orkney and Shetland islands.

Some people use the term "Fair Isle" to refer to any colorwork knitting where stitches are knit alternately in various colors, with the unused colors stranded across the back of the work. Others use the term "stranded colorwork" for the generic technique, and reserve the term "Fair Isle" for the characteristic patterns of the Shetland Islands.

I have watched Tasha knit Fair Isle pieces for quite some time, and have always thought they were beautiful, but too complex for me to take on. I think it's time to give it a try! The piece I've chosen is a neckwarmer/cowl that's knitted as one piece in the round. Tasha and I spent an afternoon at Needle Nook, and this brown and pink yarn really caught my eye--I thought it would be more subtle than the rainbow yarn in the pattern! This is a picture of my progress, I think I'm just about done with the pattern, just have to do the brown border on the top. (It's much prettier in person! I'll take a better photo after it's been blocked)