Getting Started on My Fair Isle Vest
After learning about fair isle vests, I decided I wanted to make my own pattern and use yarn I already owned. I purchased this BFL Fleece (DK) by West Yorkshire Spinners a couple of years ago. I was particularly interested in making a project out of a 100% blue-faced leister yarn (BFL is a breed of sheep). I have swatched it for a couple of different projects, never quite deciding to use it. After making a swatch for this vest, I decided this would be perfect for my new colorwork vest. It is a great woolly wool for traditional stranded colorwork. It is very warm! This particularly line of yarn comes in natural colors (natural, brown, and dk. brown). I decided to use two colors, the natural and light brown.
Now to choosing a pattern. After spending a lot of time exploring Alice Starmore’s charted patterns, I eventually chose a traditional allover pattern published in the Norway section of her Charts for Color Knitting (pictured below).
In addition to using Alice Starmore’s chart, I heavily relied on her pattern advice in Book of Fair Isle Knitting to go about creating my own pattern. One problem I quickly encountered is that traditional fair isle patterns use fingering weight, and I wanted to use a DK weight yarn.
Coming to my rescue is the fabulous Mary Jane Mucklestone. She has an amazing Craftsy class called The Fair Isle Vest: Stranded & Steeked. If you join Craftsy and take the online class, the pattern is included with the class (along with other resources). This pattern is also available on Ravelry and is called Vementry Vest. Mary Jane takes you through color selection, stranded knitting technique, and steeking. The class is worth every penny and more! Her pattern uses a DK weight yarn, and incorporates some slight shaping.
Here is my vest after a few pattern repeats. You can see I messed up one row. I didn’t see this until I took the picture. I am not ripping back, I see this vest as a learning experience, not a garment that must be perfect.
Here are a few of the resources I found useful when researching the Shetland Islands and Fair Isle knitting.
Knitting Shops to buy traditional “woolly” wools
Books
The Art of Fair Isle Knitting: The History of Technique, Color & Pattern by Ann Feitelson: This book discusses history and techniques and provides garment patterns.
Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting by Alice Starmore: This book provides history, techniques, garment patterns, design advice, and a comprehensive library of knitting charts of traditional fair isle patterns.
Alice Starmore’s Charts for Color Knitting by Alice Starmore: This book provides charts for colorwork patterns from a variety of countries.
Knitsonik’s Stranded Colourwork Sourcebook by Felicity Ford: This book provides a practical approach to color selection in color work knitting.
Online Classes
Craftsy class: The Fair Isle Vest: Stranded & Steeked
Podcasts / YouTube Channels