Updated March 23, 2018
I have long been a fan of Fair Isle knitting (it must be the inner preppy coming out). So a couple of years ago when I saw a couturier sweater in Fair Isle patterns in the bright colors, I ripped it out of the magazine and vowed it would become a needlepoint someday. I finally did it, as a Twinchy (2″ square needlepoint).
Looking for Fair Isle Knitting Patterns on the Internet found me mostly ones which were not charted. You want to find ones which are charts. These charts, a sample is below, look like cross stitch charts with the symbols in the grid squares. Stitch them over the intersections and it’s a needlepoint pattern.
In this type of knitting the background is one color and the motifs another, although the color used for the motif can change row by row. Far less common is Fair Isle with more than two colors in a row, although my inspiration sweater did that.
One cool way to adapt Fair Isle to needlepoint is to use an overdyed thread for the background, especially one which has shades of the same color. This adds a nice layer of texture similar to knitting with hand-dyed yarns. The solid colored motifs stand out nicely against it. You can also use several different threads in close colors, done in random lengths for a similar look.
Here’s the chart for the Twinchy. To make it easier to see, I kept the background blank. The motifs are repeated on top and bottom with the blue motif as the center. Because these motifs are narrow, I made them all one color.
Fair Isle and related techniques are considered advanced knitting techniques because you are knitting with multiple colors in the same row. But for needlepoint, it is an easy technique.
There are lots of books of Fair Isle techniques out there. Some I like include this Dover book, Traditional Fair Isle Knitting
Fair Isle is one of a number of knitting traditions which use graphic elements in horizontal stripes to make sweaters. Fair Isles come from Scotland, but there are similar traditions in Scandinavia (here’s a book of those patterns I just bought Traditional Scandinavian Knitting
There are many other books on this traditional style of knitting out there. Most books do have charts of motifs, so they are perfect to use for needlepoint inspiration.
This whole piece was so fun and so easy to do. If you like this style, you might want to stitch these motifs in white on red for a Nordic Sweater star (free instructions here).
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
Blimey, Janet – you are giving such great ideas for this month’s Twinchy, I don’t know where to start! I would never ever have thought of adapting fair aisle knitting to needlepoint, but isn’t the result fabulous. Ok, off to peruse my stash of knitting patterns…
Great idea, even if just for border inspiration. I have a few Fair Isle knitting books, I used to knit a lot.
Can’t wait to see your ornaments.
Oh, I’m so glad you ripped that sweater pattern out of the Fair Isle patterns a couple of years ago because the resulting Twinchy we see here is exceptional! I love working with hand dyed yarns so I can imagine the effect of using the overdyed thread for the background. Nicely done! Thanks for this unique idea!
– Stella
Dear Janet,
I recently bought a pump organ from 1887 with needlepoint patterns for the foot pedals which need to be completely remade from scratch. Much of the color has faded from time and almost half has been pulled through. That said, it LOOKS like a similar method as you describe here in that there are multiple colors in the same row. There is also a lot of use of diagonal lines where two colors seem to occupy the same grid space. Now I am willing to go through this pattern stitch by stitch and chart out what it should look like in the end, but I am clearly NOT the right person to be doing the needlework. I’m willing to send the originals plus the design template anywhere in the US, but I’d like your suggestion as to who could actually do the work. Every person I’ve shown in Southern California seems scarred of the task.
Many thanks,
Dave McKenna
I don’t have a suggestion for who can do this work. You need to look for someone who specializes in historic needlework. The best places to start would be Internet searches and the Royal School of Needlework in England.
Keep Stitching,
Janet
This is very interesting. I am just starting to learn Fair Isle knitting – and have had just the opposite though – of whether it might be possible to convert cross-stitch patterns to knitting…
Great question! Yes it would. You would need whole stitch charts, i.e. no partial stitches, and one symbol on the chart would be one knitting stitch. I’m not a knitter but I have been told that geometric charts work best for this. That’s because cross stitches are square while knitting stitches are rectangular. This can cause distortion.
Keep stitching,
Janet