News — jamieson & smith

Everyone loves Fair Isle garments. They're beautiful and colorful, and when made with real Shetland wool, they're also durable. There are many patterns at Ravelry (some assembled here for you to use!) utilizing Shetland wools.  However, it can be intimidating (especially when just using the internet) to substitute colors for knitting Fair Isle. The demands of different patterns mean that there is no simple way to just choose colors. At Fairlight Fibers, we're always delighted to work with you if you need help selecting your colors, but we'd also like to provide a bit of inspiration. Read on! Most Fair Isle knitting...

Haps are a particularly warm and simple shawl, usually associated with the Shetland Islands. The word Hap itself is simply Scottish for shawl or wrap. While fine lace shawls are also associated with the Shetland Islands, it is the humble Hap that I think of most often when I think of Shetland shawls. Traditionally, Haps were knitted with a construction technique that began with a central square, usually knitted back and forth. From there, a border was knitted in the round, encompassing the middle square. This method of construction is still associated with most Shetland lace shawls and the more...

Now that we've added Jamieson & Smith's lovely Shetland wools, 2-Ply Jumper Weight, 2-Ply Lace Weight, Shetland Supreme Jumper Weight, 1-Ply Cobweb, Shetland Heritage Colors, and Shetland Heritage Naturals, you may be looking for a bit of inspiration! Fair isle patterns and traditional Shetland lace patterns can be intimidating, but they don't need to be. For Fair Isle, if you can knit with two colors, either in both hands or using a guide on one hand, you can make fair isle, as each row is knit with just two colors. The transitions from one color to the next on ascending rows is...