Traditional Fair Isle Knitting

Situated far to the north of the Scottish mainland, the Shetlands are famous for the dampness of their climate and the excellence of their wool -- a pair of distinctions that fostered the development of a vibrant form of patterned knitting. Fair Isle's unusual technique employs two colors in each row; the wool not in use is stranded along the back in short loops, resulting in an extremely warm and weatherproof double fabric.