The Art of Fair Isle

The Fair Isle technique of knitting is one that I have always wanted to learn how to do. There are so many beautiful patterns out there that use this kind of knitting, and I hope to someday be able to accomplish some kind of project using Fair Isle. However, some background information might be helpful, at least to me, and I also, being a history nerd, wanted to know how it came to be the respected tradition it is.

Fair Isle is part of the Shetland Islands, sold to Scotland in 1469 by Norway, and is the southernmost of that group of islands. The islands are known for Shetland sheep breed, which was the original wool used for Fair Isle knitting. Knitting as a trade was introduced as a way of getting food and other goods, and became popular in the rest of the Shetland Islands by 1910.

Originally, the term "Fair Isle" as a technique, referred to knitting with multiple colors, but never using more than two in the same row. This technique creates strands of yarn across the back of the piece, the strings you always manage to hook a toenail or fingernail on. But, the stranding makes a double layer of yarn, making for a warm and virutually weatherproof garment. The traditional Fair Isle pattern uses circular needles (no seams), and is usually symmetrical.

There are different theories surrounding how Fair Isle was spread into the modern world and how it evolved into the technique that it is today. One of those ideas is that visiting merchants brought their native textiles and weaving when they came to trade, and ended up creating a hybrid of the cultures. People living in the Shetland Islands were also known for travelling very far to find work, bringing back other patterns with them that were then incorporated into the already existing Fair Isle knitting. Each family had their own patterns that were handed down, and often evolved from the pattern being as little as two rows to as many as 30.

It's always interesting to me how knitting tells stories with patterns, and the Fair Isle knitting today is a technique that has survived to tell its story. Each family having its own patterns is similar to each clan or tribe having its own symbols that tell what they stand for, only knitting seems to have a much less violent connotation. Another cool thing about Fair Isle is that there are endless possibilities for making up a pattern, so we can add to that history ourselves. Plus, the double-stranding thing is nice to have when it's cold. I hope I can learn how to do this someday and attempt to make my own double-layered, two-color rowed project. And finish it.

Baird, Catriona. "Scottish Textiles Heritage Online." Scottish Textiles Heritage Online. Scottish Textiles Heritage Online. Web. 06 Mar. 2012. <http://scottishtextileheritage.org.uk/onlineresources/articles/articlesTem2.asp?articleNo=17>.

Sweater vest with frontband attached.

Hey! It looks like a sweater!

Hello Again

Alright. It's been a while since my last post. But it hasn't been a while since I worked on my sweater. During the month that I missed posting, I finished my two sleeves and a frontband, including sewing the frontband to the sweater. I pinned on the buttons, which are very cute, I might add, and am working on the other frontband with the buttonholes. That could be interesting. Although, as my aunt pointed out, everything that I thought would be difficult about this project has been relatively easy for me. Except the part where I actually have to get up and do it.

My goal is to finish the sweater by Christmas, which I think is pretty reasonable, seeing as I only have a frontband and the collar to finish knitting. Then sewing those pieces on, along with the sleeves, and blocking it. Oh, and the loose ends. That could take until Valentine's Day. But at least it will look like a sweater.



I haven't really encountered any problems worth going into detail about. The sleeves were pretty straight forward, although I had a hard time trying to get them to be the exact same length. Let's just hope that one of my arms is slightly longer than the other. Grafting the shoulders together was definitely tricky, and took more than one try. I think in that situation, I was too focused on it looked perfect that I forgot to remember that perfect is not my goal. Those little imperfections will give the sweater character. 



Well, I've got to go start on the next frontband. I included photos of all the pieces that I've finished, and the pieces put together to look passably like a sweater. I'm very excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel!!



All the buttons have different flowers on them.



Sweaters for Penguins

This week, I decided to do something fun for my blog post. Well, something maybe a little bit more fun than just a history lesson or knitting accomplishment. I'm almost done with one sleeve, so that's exciting, but I thought this would be more fun to talk about.

Apparently, there was a giant oil spill in New Zealand recently, and the penguins, as well as other wildlife that live in the region, are suffering from the after-effects. A yarn store in New Zealand has started a worldwide effort to help through knitting, and it sounds really cool. Knitting sweaters for penguins is a new fad, and it has great benefits for the birds. Wearing the sweaters keep the penguins from trying to clean themselves with their beaks, which can cause poisoning from the oil. And, the sweaters keep them warm while they're waiting for their turn to be clean, just like any other sweater should.

For me, this is something that I'll definitely take part in after I finish my sweater, because I know that if I start another project, I may never finish my original. I already have too many unfinished projects that I need to finish at some point or another. But I encourage anyone who is interested to go to this link for more information, the pattern, and some really cute pictures: http://jezebel.com/5851711/the-worldwide-campaign-to-knit-sweaters-for-penguins-affected

The Sweater Vest

Now that I've finished both front of my sweater, it looks like a sweater vest. I don't usually like sweater vests, so this is very motivating for me to start and finish the sleeves. However, I will say that this particular sweater vest is a nice-looking one, except that it's not sewn together yet. I'm very excited to finish all the pieces and start sewing it together, because that's when I think the project really starts to come together and look like the intended product.

To my surprise and pleasure, the two fronts look pretty much identical. I was slightly worried that one would turn out longer than the other, or the waistbands wouldn't match up, or that anything else that could go wrong would, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that not everything I make turns out lopsided. They match up pretty well, and if there are any slight differences, I should be able to fix them when I sew the whole thing together.

The rest of this project could get pretty interesting just about now, simply because of how gauge changes. Since I'm in the midst of applying for college and getting through senior year and doing everything else necessary to survive, my yarn tension may change a bit, and one of the sleeves could turn out quite a bit smaller than the other. But that would be a mistake that would probably make me laugh more than anything else, so if anything were to go wrong, I would want it to be that. Hopefully, though, I'll maintain my present level of sanity and keep the gauge close to where it is at the moment.

The History of Knitting

I have always thought that knitting began in a cold climate, most likely in Scandinavia or another northern area. But I did some research on how knitting began, and was surprised by what I found. So instead of another installment of cultural knitting studies, I'm going to share what I found out about where and when knitting began.

The first tangible evidence of knitting that historians have today was found in Egypt, of all places. Knitted socks were found in Egyptian graves, dating to the third to sixth centuries A.D. But many people believe that Egypt was not the first place for knitting to be popular. Theories exist today regarding the first knitting cultures, and many of them include countries where the climate is anything but cold. Among those included are Israel, Jordan and even North Africa.

The oldest knitting needle that has been found is made of brass and dates back to the Iron Age. Spinning wool became an art in the Mediterranean Sea area, and the Romans were the first to set up a spinning system of fabrication. In medieval Europe, hand-knitting was a popular form of making clothes, and even Peru is included in the early knitting history.

Many people today believe that knitting was spread by merchants from the Mediterranean Sea region across the world. Spain may have been of the most important hubs, as Spanish Catholics quickly spread knitting to the rest of Europe, where it has spread even further and still remains an important part of many European cultures.

I guess nearly everything in the ancient world was invented and spread from the Middle East region. I had thought that if anything didn't have a beginning in the Fertile Crescent, it would have been knitting, as it has such a strong association with Northern European culture. But I guess you learn something new every day!

Source: http://www.knittingforbeginner.com/real-history-of-knitting.php

Checked Off the List

Left Front

Even with my incredibly busy week and full to-do list I managed to finish the left front of my sweater. I'm very excited about it because now it's beginning to come together and look like a sweater, making me want to finish the whole thing even faster.

This piece didn't give me too much trouble, except picking up stitches on either side of the waistband. But for me, that's to be expected. I have one more waistband to go and I'm counting down the number of pieces of the sweater that will require me to pick up stitches from the ends of rows.

Now that one out of two fronts is done and I've started on the second, I'm getting a little worried about the pieces that may not be as straightforward and easy as the first three pieces. I have had trouble with sleeves in the past, and the collar and edging will definitely be an interesting and challenging experience. I can only hope that I won't be tearing out my work multiple times. But right now, I'll just focus on my second front and keep checking the pieces off of my to-do list.