September 14, 2013
This was a fun little project, and I’m so happy to be included in the lovely Mary Jane Mucklestone’s latest book — Fair Isle Style.The subtitle of the book is ’20 Fresh Designs for a Classic Technique’, and the designs live up to that. My own is made up of classic small Fair Isle patterns, peeries (my cousin’s wife is from Shetland and calls their toddler son ‘peerie britches’ — isn’t that adorable?). Working the stranded colourwork loosely in a lace weight yarn totally changes the appearance and I really like the woven effect on the wrong side. It seems important that the wrong side of a loose cowl should look good, it’s definitely going to be seen. The Fair Isle is interspersed with bands of garter stitch, worked in the round with no purling using this fantastic technique.
The book has an excellent range of patterns for both garments and accessories. Gudrun Johnston’s Bressay dress is one of my favourites, I love the shape of the pockets and that they provide an unusual canvas for colourwork — often less flattering lower on a garment.
Carrie Bostick Hodge’s Peerie Weerie Booties are utterly adorable, and this wee kitten seems to think so too.
I’ve long admired designers Courtney Kelley and Kate Gagnon Osbourne from Kelbourne Woolens for their ability to use traditional patterns and techniques in modern, very wearable designs and they both have patterns in Fair Isle Style. Courtney’s Fara Raglan is like a very classy striped t-shirt and I love that it’s a sampler for different peerie patterns.
Inspired? Tell me which design you’d like to knit from Fair Isle Style and we’ll draw a random comment to win a copy of Fair Isle Style,signed just for you by Mary Jane. I’m jumping in a little early but look out for a blog tour from the other designers featured in the book later this month. The contest will close at midnight GMT on Friday, September 20th — good luck!
March 23, 2023
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December 09, 2021
Learn brioche with the free Daniel's Hat pattern
Tombreck - a free chevron beanie pattern
Working the brioche neck detail on the Polwarth sweater
Decorative Channel Island Cast-on
3 Easy Stretchy Bind-offs (p2tog bind-off; k2togtbl, k1 bind-off; Jeny's surprisingly stretchy bind-off)
Tubular Bind-off for brioche stitch
Paired increase methods compared
How to work into double yarn overs
Brioche stitch double decreases
How to Knit in the round using Magic Loop
How to Knit in the round using DPNs
Avoiding ears when binding off
Tighter purl stitches for neater cables and ribbing
Cabling without a cable needle
Understanding "continue in pattern"
Joining the body and sleeves on a seamless bottom up sweater
How to pick a garment without a model for you (specifically addresses finding garment patterns when your gender identity isn't represented and the styles you want to knit might not be sized to fit your body)
How does ease affect inclusive size ranges?
Identifying and fixing mistakes in lace knitting
Getting started with stranded colourwork
Understanding colour dominance
Working stranded colourwork over small circumferences
Decreases in stranded colourwork
Holding the yarn for stranded colourwork
Ladderback Jacquard (a neat way to deal with long floats)
Cabling without a cable needle
Cabling without a cable needle on the wrong side
How to knit cabled decreases
Closed ring cable increases and decreases
How to work brioche stitch in the round
How to begin your first large cross stitch project
How to finish a cross stitch project with an embroidery hoop frame
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