Intarsia and Fair Isle Fun

Design Motif from "150 Scandinavian Motifs"

I often knit with self-striping yarns and variegated yarns. More often than not, I like to use solid colors when I knit or crochet, sometimes adding in a different color stripe or block in a project.

Recently, I've been watching my friend, Gale's Instagram feed. Gale is suddenly immersed in Intarsia and Fair Isle knitting. This is knitting designs, usually associated with Scandinavian or other folk art designs.

Gale recently co-wrote "Drop Dead Easy Knits" with Mary Lou Egan and Kristen Kapur. There's one simple hat pattern in the book that lends itself to improvisation. Gale took a Scandinavian design from Mary Jo Mucklestone's recent release, "150 Scandinavian Motifs." I was enchanted with her results!

I've been knitting since I was 7 years old. Time to try a new technique! I've been working on a hat in the lovely colors of ice blue, blush pink and chocolate brown, incorporating a few easy Scandinavian motifs. This type of knitting takes more concentration than I'm used to, but it is fun!

My first attempt

I won't be attempting any super difficult designs yet. We'll see how this little hat works out first!