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Monday evening I had the immense pleasure of learning to fair isle knit. The Selbu Modern Hat class was taught by Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osborn. Together they are the masterminds behind Kelbourne Woolens as well as the authors of Vintage Modern Knits. They are sweet, charming, incredibly knowledgeable, and very approachable. It's so much fun when you meet famous fiber people and they end up being even more delightful than you imagined! One of the mysteries that Courtney and Kate solved for me (and several others) was how to not twist my yarn while knitting with two colors. It may seem silly to you, but I was really nervous about if I could tackle this technique. Courtney and Kate also do a great job of incorporating old techniques with contemporary style in their designs. I simply adore that!
One reason I wanted to learn Fair Isle was its history. I love history. For example, when I recently picked up my copy of Jane Austen Knits at yarn-love I was torn between scanning the patterns and reading the articles. I love knowing the evolution of various knitting traditions. If you want an interesting history lesson on Fair Isle click here. A tidbit I found fascinating was that stranded knitting actually helps to increase the warmth and waterproof abilities of the knitted item. Because their are multiple strands of yarn the finished objects also wear better. No wonder places like the Shetlands and Scandinavia are known for their colorwork! It wasn't just fancy knitting it was practical!!
If you haven't noticed Fair Isle and cabled knitting are making big comebacks. The newest addition to Cascade's 60 More Quick Knit project books focuses on sport weight and includes loads of awesome {and I don't use that word lightly} patterns with cables and Fair Isle. I honestly don't think there is an ugly pattern in the book. Another book that many of you are delighting in is Weekend Hats. Packed with 25 hat patterns that are easy to accomplish in a weekend this book will have you making hats for strangers. So give yourself a knitting treat, stop by yarn-love and snag a copy of one or all of these books and get knitting. Your fingers will thank you!
Off to knit in Fair Isle while scanning my books to see what my next project will be!
~Kristin |