Fair Isle chart by Tracey Doxey

Fair Isle chart

Knitting
May 2024
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
34 stitches and 40 rows = 4 inches
US 2 - 2.75 mm
500 - 700 yards (457 - 640 m)
chart for your size
English
This pattern is available for £5.75 GBP buy it now

This is a totally NEW worksheet with 23 New OXO Fair Isle patterns - 11 large and 12 peerie patterns and all colours included in this worksheet.
This is not a full knitting pattern but all the tools to enable you to make your own vest / pullover.

Included in this worksheet, are 2, A4 sized complete, full colour charts used in my pullover / vest. Chart 1, is my full body chart and the sleeve is chart 2. All of the, (more than) 90 colours that I used in this jumper are listed. I am giving you the tools to make your own road map for your own vest or pullover, or scarf, or hat. You can incorporate any of these 11 large Fair Isle OXO motifs and 12 peerie motifs into any of your own projects and use any colours that you have or even just use 2 colours.

The 190 row pattern charts in multiples of 24 stitch repeats, included in this work sheet, are not a jumper pattern, nor a vest pattern. What I have produced is a worksheet including the entire range of Fair Isle OXO motif bands that I have knitted. I have built them into 2 large full charts with a clear centre stitch line marked so that you too, can either replicate my jumper entirely, or move the patterns and colours around to your own taste. One sleeve of my project is knitted in traditional OXO Fair Isle patterns – the other is knitted using Aran twisting, following how I sometimes braid in my hair in French plaits. I have not included the Aran sleeve charts in this worksheet but the neck aran pattern is included.

The motifs and colours within this worksheet, are a treasure trove of endless possibilities for you to be creative and make your own vest or pullover by incorporating them into your own favourite vest or jumper pattern. Use any colours that you have, use any wool that you have, use 2 colours, or like me, use over 90 colours. I am giving you a recipe for you to enjoy and work with in whatever way you want. I am giving you the tools to make your own design. This is more than a pattern bank, I lay out how the patterns are aligned.

My jumper is knitted in Jamieson’s of Shetland spindrift using – some small lengths, some longer. These colours I have had left over from previous projects or workshops or designs. I just worked them together and alongside each other. I did swatch some colours to check how they worked, and I do recommend that you do that too. As my colour choices are not often repeated in this project, not great lengths of yarn for each motif are required. But you can knit your own project differently. Use your stash or buy just 4 colours or even 2. The choices and permutations are endless but this relies on you. It relies on being excited to try this idea and to develop your ideas. The project requires you to use your own favourite jumper or vest pattern and figure out the centre front (which in my case, mirrored my centre back) and multiples of 24 stitch pattern to fit to make sure that your motif bands align with the centre front. I have made this easy for you by outlining the centre front line. Developing your sense of colour is achieved by enjoying colour, swatching to experiment for colour combinations.

I used 2:5mm UK needles and cast on 312 stitches then knitted a K2, P2 rib for 15 rounds. I increased the amount of stitches by 24 to make 336 stitches, in total. My jumper has 14 large 24 stitch motifs in each band – making 336 stitches in each round for the body. The chart gives you the centre front to align all the motifs above each other in the correct way.