Fair Isle Knitting

After a workshop where three local knitting guild members taught us an introduction into Fair Isle knitting, it is no longer intimidating.  After four decades of knitting, I think perhaps it could become a new obsession for this old dame.
Fair Isle knitting began on the Shetlands islands centuries ago.  It is an excellent way to use up bits of yarn used for previous projects.  Very Scotch.  The Prince of Wales popularized this form of knitting when he appeared in FairbIsle vests in 1921.

On display at Shetland Museum
 
Fair Isle knitting uses only two colors per row with one of the two colors becoming the background color.  This child's jumper (termed sweater in the US) was from 1924.  It was made for a child, and as she grew, cuffs  and the bottom were lengthened by adding on more knitted rows in brown.  Again,
very economical and a method to make the most of this jumper as it could last a girl through her lllllllllll
primary years in school.
These ladies are knitting while we happened by, and were king enough to let me snap their pictures.  Shortbread had been packed for their tea.  Their shortbread was packed in the white plastic container.
After a workshop teaching us how to knit Fair Isle, manipulating two colors of yarn in one hand, I was able to produce this writer that will be turned into an iTouch holder.
We visited Doreen Brown's shop and saw these swatches on the wall for selection by the customer just in case one did not prefer what was available.