Fair Isle Knitwear

Wyld, Helen; Laurenson, Sarah

Fair Isle Knitwear

Resource type

Journal article

Creator (person)

Wyld, Helen

Laurenson, Sarah

Date published

2023

Abstract

Fair Isle knitwear with its brightly-coloured geometric patterns, is known across the world today. The style has had various fashion flashpoints over the last two centuries, not least in the 1920s when the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII, was photographed looking very dapper wearing Fair Isle sweaters. It has appealed to celebrities and designers ever since. But despite the enduring fame and enthusiasm for Fair Isle, its early origins are still shrouded in mystery. This distinctive craft has its roots in the island of Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands, an archipelago to the north of Scotland. An important collection of Fair Isle knitting survives in the collection of National Museums Scotland, and new research suggests that these may just be among the earliest pieces known to survive. We hope these intriguing and unique pieces may hold some clues to the early history of this now iconic form of knitting.