I couldn't resist the World Cup/Soccer title even though this post doesn't have a thing to do with either soccer or the World Cup.
I like having a goal when I'm knitting. When I first started knitting, my goal was to learn to make socks. I've made a few pair now and decided that I need a new goal. Looking through my newest sock book, The Big Book Of Socks, I came across the Nordic Style Adult Sock. Holy moly those are some gorgeous socks. Here's the problem though. I'm a little bit intimidated by a fair isle pattern. I figured I'd start at the beginning and get a book for beginning fair isle knitting. I took to my handy dandy Twitter tool and asked my Twitter knitters for book suggestions on fair isle. KnittingPurls suggested a book called Alice Starmore's Book of Fair Isle Knitting, saying that it's a good book for anyone beginning fair isle. So off to Amazon I went and I ordered it so it should be in the mail today. Yay! I'd love nothing more than to make Nordic mittens for my three guys for Christmas this year and a pair of socks for myself.
So that's my goal this year, or the latter part of this year. Fair isle knitting. I'll let you know how it goes. Oh and if you have any other suggestions for me to learn how to do this, I'd love feedback.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
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Alice Starmore's book is *the* book to have on the subject -you got some good advice. Doing a swatch of the sock pattern will help increase your comfort level - I rely on the swatch when I step outside my comfort zone. I can't wait to see what you make!
Alice Starmore is a good book, I also recommend Ann Fieltson Art of Fair Isle Knitting http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fair-Isle-Knitting-Technique/dp/1596681381/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276630262&sr=8-4 ..I found it actually more use friendly then Alice Starmore's. Of course I didn't get Starmore's book until after I had already knit several items as it wasn't rereleased until fall this last year.
The best advice I can give is just don't be intimidated by it. Fair Isle is typically straight knitting and changing colors. Its not difficult it just looks difficult. I hold a color in each hand, which is really easy with circulars. But the first two-color thing I did (also known as stranded knitting) was a pair of mittens on double points and they turned out well.
just be fearless!
I've never really had an issue with coloured knitting. To me it was just like normal knitting, but you switch colours every so often. Then again my first fair isle project was a fairly easy one: the knitty fish hat. I do have two tips:
Never strand yarn for more than 5 stitches. 'Which, Basically the max amount of stitches you can do in one colour before switching to the other colour is 5. I'm not sure if this is completely applicable to all patterns, but that's what people keep telling me and it does seem to something designers keep track off in their fair isle patterns.
2. don't pull your yarn too tightly/leave enough slack in the stranded parts. Seeing as your socks are usually knit with negative easy, and you definitely don't want your sock to be pulled in too tightly, I highly recommend trying to knit a bit loose, or not pull too tightly when changing colours.
Enjoy yourself.. I am a relatively new knitter and I love Fair Isle and other kinds of colorwork.. can't wait to see your socks!
I got the book from the library once & was so in awe of everything in there its surely a book I want on my bookshelf someday. I want to learn Fair isle knitting myself.
I have been hooked on the World Cup since it started thankfully I can wait it when its replayed later on ESPN Classic because as much as I enjoy watching soccer I am not getting up at 4 A.M. PST to watch the first game lol.
The only advice I can give is don't get too stressed out it and just make sure you loosen up so its not tight! There are also Fair Isle groups on Ravelry that you may want to check out...
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