January 03, 2009
My First Time
I have to admit it, it's my first time. Well, sort of.
To bring in the New year, I'm doing something new. New for me, anyway.
Fair Isle. Now, I have sort of done some Fair Isle in the past, but not especially well. As with the vast majority of my knitting, it was self taught, so not necessarily correct. The first project I tried was the Fair Isle Sampler Hat, from an old Interweave Knits issue. That was back in July 2005. I don't have a picture of the hat blocked and finished, perhaps because it wasn't really very good. It was puckered and uneven all over. I also knit some Fair Isle gloves from the leftovers. They turned out a little better. Both the hat and the gloves were given to my sister-in-law who has been living in the UK for just over two years, and would actually get some use out of them.
But now I'm going to knit a garment, and it has steeking (shudder) and everything. So far, so good. I've done my swatch.
I love the way it's knit up! Looking at the yarn in a pile, it all looked a little too gray to me, but I love the colours in the swatch! I'm using Knitpicks Palette, and I'm very impressed with the way the swatch softened up after a bath in some Soak.
The recommended needle was a 3mm, and I usually need to go down a size. I went down to a 2.5mm, but my tension was a little too tight, so I've cast on with a 2.75mm.
Without reswatching. I may live to regret that.
And here's the progress.
Actually, that picture is a couple of days old, I'm a little further along now. I've finished the corrugated ribbing and begun the first fair isle motifs. It's been a little slower than normal, because I've had a headache on and off since New Years Eve, but it's also slow because Fair Isle is not yet my forte.
I'm super slow at Fair Isle. Super slow. I once tried to teach myself to knit continental, but I just can't manage it. And I most definitely cannot carry two yarns in two hands. So right now, I'm dropping each yarn and picking it up again as I need to change colours. And I'm not getting the chart rhythm yet. In a lace chart, even thought there are more symbols, I can zip along, no problem. I can see the pattern forming, but not so much with the Fair Isle. I have to keep checking what I'm up to, and rechecking what's next. I'm thinking I may have to enlarge the pattern and colour in the squares if I don't get the hang of it soon!
Posted by Donna at January 3, 2009 06:41 PMComments
Happy New Year to you and your family, Donna!
Posted by: Mira at January 3, 2009 08:28 PMOh boy, this is one area I have avoided! Perhaps I will become inspired by your fair isle adventures??
Posted by: amandaj at January 3, 2009 09:15 PMYou have no idea how hard it is not to cast on for this project almost immediately.
Does a little swatch count as a cast-on?
Posted by: Ailsa at January 3, 2009 09:18 PMOh, it's gorgeous! I look forward to see it grow.
And I second Bells, do try to learn continental and then start to learn using two hands, it's so much easier to get it even!
I knit continental and the use of my right hand in knitting is very limited, but I have learned knitting Fair Isle with two hands and I don't regret it.
Oh, ever since knitting camp and my little fair isle mittens I've been thinking about a fair isle garment - good for you for doing it! It looks great so far!! Can't wait to see it growing!
Posted by: Rose Red at January 3, 2009 10:56 PMThose colours are looking really pretty, even just in the ribbing. I can't wait to see more. Good luck with the steeks. It's something I really want to try, but I am sooooo scared! I'll be watching your progress intently.
Posted by: Charmaine at January 3, 2009 11:30 PMI rather like Fair Isle. Not that I've done much of it, but it seems to go fast for me because I love watching the pattern grow. And I can't knit contenental either--but I do carry both yarns with my right hand--one coming down over the index finger as usual, and one coming down over my middle finger. I just have to remember which finger to use. But if you have problems with that--I recommend never trying double knit--it's bad enough the way I do it withoug having to pick up a different color every stitch. As well as having twice as many stitches as you actually need. On the upside, since there are no floats, you don't have to worry about the pulling in...which is why I used it--there were some awfully long floats on the design when I tried it in Fair Isle.
Posted by: Cathy at January 3, 2009 11:53 PMI knit Fair Isle the same way - and am planning on trying to knit continental this year to make it go faster. Your fair isle is gorgeous - love the colors! What pattern are you making? This really makes me want to cast on for the one I'm making this year...
Posted by: Jeanne at January 4, 2009 12:28 AMI knit Fair Isle the same way - and am planning on trying to knit continental this year to make it go faster. Your fair isle is gorgeous - love the colors! What pattern are you making? This really makes me want to cast on for the one I'm making this year...
Posted by: Jeanne at January 4, 2009 12:28 AMOh is that Autumn Rose? I love the colors you chose. Fair Isle is slow at first because you are rewiring your brain in order to do it. It will get faster, when you're finished the sweater you'll look back and realize somewhere in the project it clicked. I can't wait to see this sweater!
Posted by: Michelle at January 4, 2009 01:42 AMi love the colorway - kinda neutral but not boring and i love the soft look. happy new year!
Posted by: debbie at January 4, 2009 04:12 AMDid the workshop with Liz Gemmell help?
Your swatch looks good.
Posted by: Lynne at January 4, 2009 07:08 AMbeautiful combination of colours.
If it takes a bit longer, don't stress - it will look stunning and worth all the effort :)
I love the pinks and greys, so pretty.
This one is on my dream list.
Very pretty. I made one fair isle teddy bear sweater that needed steeks at the sleeves. It was fun except the cutting made me very nervous. It now sits on a stuffed cow on my dresser. It makes me smile when I see it. I can't believe I made it. My sister had made Dale's and other fair isles but I haven't tried again since. I think I am more of a lace knitter. I do plan on making mittens though, no cutting required.
Posted by: Suzanne at January 4, 2009 10:38 AMThe fair isle swatch looks great. I always end up hating mine as it always looks super bumpy and lumpy. I think one day I would like to learn to knit it properly.
Posted by: sue at January 4, 2009 10:51 AMI love doing fair isle... my first time was my kauni cardi... I did what you are doing too, is pick up each yarn and threw it... after a bit of practice I threw one and picked the other... it takes a bit to get used to it, but goes SO much faster afterwards! This was my first adventure with steeking too... not as scary as everyone says
;)
I can't wait to see the finished sweater!
Posted by: Vicki at January 4, 2009 10:59 AMI think steeking is the natural enemy of the Knitter. The colours look lovely together and the swatch looks great. Good liuck with the FI, I knit with colours just like you too!!!
Posted by: 2paw at January 4, 2009 11:52 AMI love the colours you chose! I've never knit such a big item using Fair Isle but one thing I've tried that helps keep my tension more even is to knit it inside out (in the round) - the floats are looser and nothing puckered!
I can't hold one yarn in each hand either, I just hold two yarns in the right hand separated by my middle finger. Can't wait to see progress photos, autumn rose is such a lovely sweater pattern.
Posted by: neek at January 4, 2009 11:04 PMMy only advice is to keep trying. It took me absolute ages to knit fair isle with both hands, but you eventually get the rhythm. I've been eyeing off that kit for a while, so now I can wait and see how well you do...
Now if only I could get your lace pace going!
Posted by: Andrea at January 5, 2009 07:24 AMYou're a braver woman than I. :) Good luck. I'll happily watch you do this.
Posted by: Terri at January 5, 2009 04:13 PM
Oh yay! I started my first fair isle project on 1 January two years ago and I thought of that this week. Good for you! I will watch with happiness how this goes.
Do try and learn continental. Seriously, if I could learn, you can. I learned and it saved my life. Watch a video on knitting help.com for the best way to do it.
Posted by: Bells at January 3, 2009 08:01 PM