Charity Shop Fair Isle Cardigan

We are very lucky here in Shetland to be able to find some fantastic knitwear in our charity shops.  I must admit I am not an avid charity shop hunter (I get overwhelmed by too much stuff) but my Mother in Law works in one one day a week and occasionally she comes home with some real gems.

This cardigan she bought last week has been hand knitted in natural coloured Shetland yarn.

 

The design is made up of a series of 25 stitch stars, each of which is different and panels with peerie patterns.

 

Its interesting how the shading varies on each star.

 

I love how the panel down the front at each side of the button hole bands echoes the panel down the centre of the back.

 

The cardigan has been made in the round, extra stitches made for the steek and then it has been cut up the centre to form the cardigan opening.  No reinforcing has been done before the work was cut but the extra fabric has been folded back and stitched down using the background yarn.

 

You can see the stitching a bit better on the extra fabric around the arm opening where the sleeve is joined.

In my opinion is it a beautiful cardigan which has been well thought out and is, like so many Fair Isle garments, a wearable piece of art.  We can learn so much from looking at knitwear and studying the stitches and finishing, its actually a privilege to be able to actually touch and study a garment like this closely. 

Enjoy what's left of the weekend!