I’ve always admired fairisle knitting – the patterns, the colours, the beautiful traditions behind them. And after a recent trip to Shetland and Fair Isle itself, I came back feeling even more inspired to explore this timeless style of knitting.

I know fairisle can look complicated, but traditional fairisle techniques are actually wonderfully simple once you get going. They only ever use two colours in a round, and the stitch repeats are kept to five stitches or fewer – which means it’s a perfect introduction if you’re new to colourwork.

If you’ve ever thought, “I could never knit that”, then I’d love for you to start with this Waterston Hat. It’s an ideal first fairisle project – knitted in the round, easy to follow, and (hopefully!) will show you that fairisle can be fun, calming and completely addictive.

For experienced fairisle knitters, this pattern is also a great canvas to play with. Try out different colour combinations, make it your own and let your creativity shine. I’d love to see your versions – please do share them with me!

CONSTRUCTION
Knitted in the round in one piece from the bottom up.

TECHNIQUES USED
Knitting in the round on a circular needle and double pointed needles, cast on, knit, purl, fairisle technique, decreasing.

YARN
Two 25g balls of Jamieson’s Spindrift in shade A and one 25g ball in shade B.
100% Shetland wool, 105m/114yds per 25g

SUGGESTED KNITTING NEEDLES
3mm (40cm length) circular needles,
3.25mm (40cm length) circular needle &
four double pointed 3.25mm needles.

GAUGE (tension)
27 stitches and 46 rows to 10cm square over pattern.
I obtained this gauge with 3.25mm needles.
It is important to obtain gauge so do swatch and change your needle size to achieve the correct gauge if you need to.

SIZE AND FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
To fit adult head due to the nature of the rib pattern & individual gauges the finished circumference can vary by approximately 5cm. If the knitter gets the gauge as above the finished circumference will be approx. 54cm.

NEED HELP?
I am here for you! Pop into the Skipton studio, send an email, or check out the Purl &Jane YouTube channel for tips, inspiration and guidance including handy resources like gauge (tension) guides and how to tutorials.