FEBRUARY Fair Isle SWEATER

I knitted this FAIR ISLE sweater with all wool using size 8 and 9 16" and 29" circulars. The shoulder is 3 needle cast off. The sleeves are knit down from the shoulder. I used ALICE STARMORE'S book of FAIR ISLE KNITTING for inspiration, and did use some of her individual color patterns in the sweater. It is XL size to fit me.

The color combinations are difficult to see before they are knitted, and its a real chance thing.

The larger black pattern with the 3 color background was alot of fun, but a problem at first with the back threads being too tight. where there was no black pattern the thread had to be wrapped in back ever 4 stitches.

To decide which patterns to put next to each other is a real experience. Sometimes they look really good, sometimes they don't and you have to rip out.

The sleeves had to be decreased quite rapidly from the shoulder, decreasing 4 stitches in each row of the underarm for 5 rows, then 2 every other row to get 40 stitches for the cuff ribbing.