Knitting

A Blogtour with seven chances to win.  Starting today!!

 

Six designers who contributed to Fair Isle Style are joining together with me for more than a week of give-aways!

This book was something that I’m been dreaming of putting together for years. At last fashion has caught on to the charm and beauty of Fair Isle knitting. And at long last knitters by the droves are embracing stranded knitting and having fun with it.

Putting the book together was very much an affair of friends. family and neighbors.

The Valenzi Cardigan is what I’ve been grabbing these last few days where the mornings have been chilly. Here you see it worn by my daughter Sophie. We shot the book in Maine, hoping to capture some of the feeling of Shetland. The beautiful photographs are by my friend Chris Vaccaro. We had very little time to do the shoot. Only 4 days to pull it together and 2 1/2 days to shoot. The first day poured rain. The next two were windy windy windy! Hair flying everywhere! Thank goodness for makeup artist Cheyenne Timperio, who tamed that hair into beautiful braids and other do’s.

My Morroless Socks are a personal favorite. I  love the retro feel of them. They reflect the crazy use of color once aniline dyes became widely available and people were experimenting with bold combinations. Clashing brights are toned down by the warm sheep grey and wee bit of fawn. All pure Shetland Wool. I couldn’t decide about the heels, you’ll find one is yellow and the other blue, hence the name, Morroless, meaning unmatched in Shetland dialect.

Many of the project names contain words from Shetland dialect, a language still spoken in Shetland and wonderful to listen to. I bend my ears and try and understand. It reminds me of when I first moved to Maine, there were many more people who had thick downeast accents with interesting turns of phrase…I would follow old farmers around the supermarket just so I could listen and try and decipher what was being said. They would have said the socks are “the same only different”.

L to R: Reeva Hat by Lisa Shroyer, Mushroom Kelliemuffs by Spilly Jane, Lumesadu Gloves by Nancy Bush.

Leave a comment about your own fair isle adventures for a chance to win a FREE copy of Fair Isle Style. 

Comments will close Thursday September 26 at midnight Eastern Time.

Blogtour Dates

Friday, September 20: Carrie Hoge – Peerie Weerie Booties
Monday, September 23: Norah Gaughan – Mareel Shrug
Tuesday, September 24: Courtney Kelly – Fara Raglan & Kate Osborn – Scandi Sukkalegs
Wednesday, September 25: Gudrun Johnston – Bressay Dress
Thursday, September 26: Kat Coyle – Keltin Skirt
Friday, September 27: Kirsten Kapur – Hap-Lapghan

You’ve still got time to try for Ysloda’s Fair Isle Style Giveaway, her comments close tomorrow at midnight GMT.

Thanks everyone the comments are closed!