Fair Isle

Fair Isle is the stranded colorwork of the Shetland Islands, knitted by carrying two colors of yarn across each row and swapping them to build horizontal bands of small geometric motifs, the eight-point rose, the OXO, and the tiny peerie patterns between. Although a finished piece glows with many colors, the rule is strict: only two colors travel in any single row, the rest are stacked band by band. Named for the tiny island of Fair Isle, the technique stayed local until the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, wore a Fair Isle pullover in the 1920s and made it a fashion across Britain. Its palette grew from the natural browns and greys of Shetland sheep plus a few plant and madder dyes.