Fair Isle Knitting-Part 2

I don't know if it is the Celtic blood that runs through my veins (both my maternal grandparents came from Scotland), or if it was the early immersion in Scottish culture that I experienced throughout my childhood, but something keeps drawing me to the knitting styles of Scotland. So, of course, when I wanted to learn to knit with more than one color yarn, I turned to Fair Isle knitting first. I had the opportunity last February to take a class at my LYS. Our project was a Mission Falls pattern called the "Waupoos Hat". My hat isn't finished yet, but I was able to take this photo last weekend that really shows up the color work. I actually used Mission Falls wool for the project, and I am very happy with the results.

I am still working my way through the Alice Starmore book, so I don't have any more historical tidbits today. I do want to point out, though, that traditionally, Fair Isle knitting has referred to both the technique of using only 2 colors in each row and stranding one color across the back of the work while knitting with the other color, and to a particular set of motifs that were worked with this technique. More recently, any motifs worked with the technique have been called "Fair Isle". My hat is a good example of this evolution of the term. For some pictures of traditional Fair Isle knitting, check out the website of the Shetland Museum in Scotland.