Kate Atherley, Wise Hilda
Kate took us on a trip to a tiny island in the Shetlands, called Fair Isle. The most fascinating thing was pinpointing the origin of Fair Isle Knitting to a very specific point in time, where foreign dyes were commercially available, shipping lanes were in place, and colourwork strategies were available (from the Baltic and Norwegian regions).
These pieces all came into play in the mid-1800s, and Fair Isle knitting, clearly different from other colourwork practices, popped into being.
From there, it evolved quickly into what we know as Fair Isle today.
Fair Isle is one particular type of colourwork, and a great deal of fun.
Kate Atherley, Wise Hilda
Kate took us on a trip to a tiny island in the Shetlands, called Fair Isle. The most fascinating thing was pinpointing the origin of Fair Isle Knitting to a very specific point in time, where foreign dyes were commercially available, shipping lanes were in place, and colourwork strategies were available (from the Baltic and Norwegian regions).
These pieces all came into play in the mid-1800s, and Fair Isle knitting, clearly different from other colourwork practices, popped into being.
From there, it evolved quickly into what we know as Fair Isle today.
Fair Isle is one particular type of colourwork, and a great deal of fun.