Look what I found at Weaving Works last week:
Fair Isle Knitting Patterns. This 90-page spiral-bound book by Mary Macgregor is a collection of some of the charts that were collected by Robert Williamson. I'd heard about this book but had not run across a copy until I was in Seattle for a memorial service for my great-aunt Esther.
I'm a bit frustrated at the lack of specificity about the contents: The book's short introduction does not mention when Mr Williamson collected these patterns (perhaps the 1930s); the author relates that she was able to study some 60 pages of the collected patterns--a few of these are reproduced in their original 2-color stencilled format--but it's also unclear whether the book includes all the patterns in those 60 pages or a selection. I would have liked to have been told why Mr Williamson collected these patterns--were they published? when? did he gather them for personal use (but then why use a stencil)? At any rate, many of these patterns are new to me and I think this is a wonderful reference for Fair Isle knitters.
Fair Isle Knitting Patterns. Mary Macgregor. 2009. ISBN 978 1904746409 The Shetland Times Ltd. $27.95 or thereabouts
Wow it looks great. Enjoy!
Posted by: Jane | June 29, 2009 at 08:30 PM
I found a copy of this book at Needle Arts Book Shop for $27.45 (plus shipping). I ordered it on June 22nd, as was told it would ship in 2 weeks. I can't wait!!!
Needle Arts now says it's available in late July.
http://www.needleartsbookshop.com/knitting_books/Fair_Isle_Knitting_Patterns.html
(It was available directly from the Shetland Times a few months ago.)
Posted by: Nancy | June 30, 2009 at 03:39 AM
Ooo! Thanks so much for posting this! I had read about this book on the fair isle forums and planned to order it from the Shetland Times, but it is a whole lot easier to just head downtown and pick up a copy!
Posted by: Therese | July 01, 2009 at 08:41 AM
Was the provenance as ambiguous as some of those old pattern instructions? At least you can have fun speculating on his motives as you stitch the patterns.
Wasn't Pt Reyes nice? I just came back from a visit there myself. Too bad it wasn't over the hellishly hot last weekend.
Posted by: Carrie K | July 02, 2009 at 04:15 PM