Fair Isle Dreams

This will be another knitting post so those of you non-knitters might want to look away.  Or keep reading! Hey, it could be worse.  You could be fighting traffic to get to the mall for last minute Christmas shopping...or circling the Target parking lot for a parking space...or something equally as dull and boring (and not knitting related).  I'll try to post pretty pictures to keep you interested.  hee-hee

Oh wait...coffee, gotta get another cup.

Ah. Better.  Ok, knitting.  I'm not too severe when it comes to New Year Resolutions. I usually half-ass promise myself to do something and fail miserably, so not a good idea.  But occasionally I do make a knitting promise...like to try something new, knit from the stash exclusively, etc.  Next year I'm thinking...fair isle (or stranded knitting to some)!  

What's that, ask you non-knitter types?

Here's an example:

Yeah, I cringe a little too.  The old fair isle style is very boxy shaped and all over print. Look up Alice Starmore if you want to see more.  An updated version appeals to me...more fitted (not tight but shaped) and narrower sleeves, too.  This one is toned down quite a bit as far as color goes, usually there are multiple colors (15-20 colors) and can be a bit loud and in your face.  Fair isle is usually knit in a small gauge, like fingering weight, which might sound daunting to knit a whole sweater in that weight but it actually goes quickly.  Watching the colors change and pattern emerge is a great motivator to quick finishing.  

Techniques are fun to learn and master when you do fair isle...how to hold the yarn so the color you want to pop, does and the dreaded...queue dramatic music here...STEEK! That's a section of the sweater designed to be secured and cut (yup, with scissors) to create a cardigan, neck, sleeve holes, etc.

So here are a few patterns I'm thinking about...I could change my mind in the future but it's at least a good sampling.

I've started this hat and it's been sitting for a while so it will probably be first on the list.  Mine is a bright blue and white...very wintry.

Snawheid Hat by Kate Davies

And this one Peerie Flooers by Kate Davies

Kate has a ton of fair isle hats, yoke sweater, etc.  She just came out with a book too.  I gotta get it.  Anyway back to Peerie Flooers.  Mike got me the kit; yarn, pattern and adorable bag to go with...so this one is a must for next year. I'm hoping there will be enough yarn leftover for some mitts.

Here's a sweater or two I have yarn for in my stash.

Dijon

It's stranded...two colors.  Mine are charcoal gray and bright pink.

My friend Dolly made one and used a variegated yarn for the yellow so it looked more like color work, very clever and cute sweater.  What to see it?

Cute, huh?  

And this sweater (another Kate Davies) I'll use as inspiration for my own design.  I hope.  I have some med-gray and some purples in several shades I thought this might work.  Do the color work on the body only and solid sleeves.  

And some smaller projects too. 

Lusekofte-sque Mitts

It's even a free pattern on Ravelry! Don't they look soft and warm?

And these...

Perri

(another freebie)

You might be scratching your head about now...didn't she just post a totally different list of things she wanted to knit? What about all the KALs and MKALs? 

Part of the fun of knitting is planning and queueing and dreaming....