Maakin = knitting in Shetland dialect
Having fully embraced the power of folding a rectangle of knitted fabric into a poncho, I have recently started to make another Fair Isle project. The first Fair Isle poncho that I made was a product of many false starts, so it is rather satisfying to be making one that is intentional. I have a framework for the entire project, although I didn't go as far as to actually write a pattern. I do have a drawing that shows the sequence of Fair Isle motifs.
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| The numbers refer to motifs from Mary Jane Mucklestone's book. |
The design is intentional and reflects traditional Fair Isle knitting in the combination of motifs. These techniques are clearly described in Mucklestone's book
200 Fair Isle Motifs, A Knitter's Directory. The same few Peerie (small) motifs alternate with larger border patterns. Also, the backgrounds alternate from light to dark. I wanted to arrange each large motif so that the Os of one motif appeared above the Xs of the previous motif. I made this task possible by choosing motifs with repeats of 7, 14, or 28 stitches. This isn't a traditional Fair Isle design element, but the border patterns get increasingly larger, ranging from 9-19 rows. One last design element: the background for the current motif is one of the colors from the center row of the previous motif.
The color choices were also intentional. I chose colors that I had on hand, and then purchased more yarn from J&S Wool Brokers.
The deep orange is the main color of the poncho. Once I finish the Fair Isle section, I'll use that color to work some basic Shetland lace. I'm about 1/3 the way finished with the Fair Isle section.
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| Each row has 206 stitches; long enough to get into a rhythm, short enough to stay engaged. |
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This shot shows the steek.
Also, the Xs of one large motif are arranged above the Os of the previous large motif.
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