Keep Your Hands Toasty Warm with Fair Isle Mittens

Now that winter is officially here, it’s time to bundle up! While stuffing your hands into your pockets might suffice, your fingers will surely thank you for a lovely pair of mittens. And since you (like us), are always looking for that next great project, why not knit them yourself? We’ve noticed that many of you are way ahead of us, and have already knitted  gorgeous Fair Isle-like mittens. To you, we say great job, and thanks for the inspiration!

Fair Isle knitting is a great traditional technique for creating patterns and incorporating multiple colors, which you’ll surely notice in these projects. While it derives its name from Fair Isle, a tiny island in the north of Scotland, it gained its popularity when the Prince of Wales (later to become Edward VIII) wore Fair Isle tank tops in public in 1921. Thank you, Prince of Wales because now, Fair Isle knitting is everywhere—including right here in the Bluprint project section. So let’s take a look at some of those Fair Isle-inspired mittens we mentioned:

First at the top left we have project called “Abby’s Mittens,” knitted by Bluprint member, Stephanieu.

Looking clockwise, the next project shows how flowers and snowflakes are incorporated into knitted mittens, as created by Bluprint member, CaseyLongenecke.

In the next pair of mittens, Bluprint user, Adriprints, fuses Norwegian and Hopi design and motif to create a unique pair of mittens.

Lastly, take a look at this colorful pair of mittens by Bluprint knitter, Kieran.

When you’re ready to knit, check out the lovely Fair Isle knitting patterns created by the wonderful pattern designers in our community. And if you’d like to dive further into Fair Isle knitting, check out Bluprint’s online knitting class The Fair Isle Vest with Mary Jane Mucklestone.