FAIR ISLE KNITWEAR
Fair Isle knitwear with its brightly-coloured geometric patterns, is known across the world today. The style has had various fashion flashpoints over the last two centuries, not least in the 1920s when the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII, was photographed looking very dapper wearing Fair Isle sweaters. It has appealed to celebrities and designers ever since. But despite the enduring fame and enthusiasm for Fair Isle, its early origins are still shrouded in mystery. This distinctive craft has its roots in the island of Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands, an archipelago to the north of Scotland. An important collection of Fiar Isle knitting survives in the collection of National Museums Scotland, and new research suggests that these may just be among the earliest pieces known to survive. We hope these intriguing and unique pieces may hold some clues to the early history of this now iconic form of knitting.
A.247.7, Pair of stockings, c. 1850s.
A pair of finely knitted stockings is one of the earliest datable examples of Fair Isle knitting. They came to the museum in 1858, and may have featured in the 1851 Great Exhibition held at the Crystal Palace in London. This event, which drew 6 million visitors, aimed to showcase the crafts and manufactures of Britain and the world, and it was the first time Fair Isle had been promoted as a product with a wider commercial market.
A.247.8. Yarn Samples, c. 1850s
A selection of yarn samples spun from Shetland sheep was also acquired by the museum in 1858. These represent the natural colours found in Shetland Sheep. The wool of this breed, which is native to the Shetland Islands, comes in a variety of different colours. Even in the 1850s, there was a fascination with the qualities and shades of native Shetland yarn. While we usually think of Fair Isle knitting as featuring bright, dyed colours, the presence of these different shades of yarn always lent themselves to creating pattern. From creamy ivories to greys and fawns to dark browns and black, this variety always offered knitters the potential for producing patterns that involved both subtle shading and striking contrast. Added to this, the quality of the wool – the nature of the fibres – works well with stranded knitting.
A.1967.529. Pair of Gloves, late 19th century.
During the 19th century small items like gloves, hats and stockings in Fair Isle knitting were often made for sale to tourists and visitors. Although colourful stranded knitting was a new commodity, knitted goods from the Shetland Islands had long been available to international customers. As a key point on North Sea shipping routes, boats often stopped at the islands to take on provisions for long journeys. Sources from the 1770s onwards tell of how Shetlanders rowed out to these larger ships to sell knitted goods including hats, mittens and stockings.
During the 19th century small items like gloves, hats and stockings in Fair Isle knitting were often made for sale to tourists and visitors. Although colourful stranded knitting was a new commodity, knitted goods from the Shetland Islands had long been available to international customers. As a key point on North Sea shipping routes, boats often stopped at the islands to take on provisions for long journeys. Sources from the 1770s onwards tell of how Shetlanders rowed out to these larger ships to sell knitted goods including hats, mittens and stockings.
H.RGB 21. Jumper, c. 1910.
The first Fair isle jumpers are recorded in 1902-4, when they were worn by the crew of the Scottish Antarctic Expedition. Artists and creatives were also becoming fascinated with Fair Isle, for its inspiring design and its association with the islands of the north, often viewed through a romantic lens as a ‘wild’ and windswept landscape. This “Fair Isle Jumper” was bought by the Orcadian painter Stanley Cursiter on a trip to Fair Isle in 1911, and in 1923 he painted a now well-known portrait of model Roberta Farquharson wearing it along with a fisherman’s kep. Currently on display in our Fashion and Style Gallery at National Museums Scotland, this object heralds the arrival of Fair Isle knitwear on the global stage, and the beginning of its role in contemporary fashion.
H.RGB 23 Fisherman’s cap, c. 1880s. © National Museums Scotland
The caps mentioned in these early accounts were probably similar to one donated to our museum in the 1880s. Knitted as a long tube closed at both ends, it is folded so that one end lies inside the other – creating a thick, double layer which would provide a strong barrier against the elements. The stranded knitting, with its threads carried on the reverse, added still more warmth. These caps or ‘keps’ are very similar in shape to caps worn by fishermen in other parts of Norther Europe, especially the Dutch.
H.TBA 4. Bonnet, c. 1870s. © National Museums Scotland
The origins of Fair Isle knitting are hard to pinpoint, but once the style had begun to gain popularity in the second half of the 19th century, theories abounded. A beautifully-knitted bonnet made in Shetland is one of a group of objects donated to the museum in 1870. The donor, Thomas Edmondston, noted that “These patterns, together with the secret of dyeing the woollen yarn so many and such varied and peculiar colours”, had been taught to the Islanders “by the wrecked Spaniards.” In 1588 a ship from the Spanish Armada had been wrecked in Shetland, and many of its crew lived on the islands for some months, but there is no evidence that they brought any knitting, patterning or dying methods with them. This often-repeated story has the character of an origin myth which, in the nineteenth century, added validity and even authenticity to the craft of Fair Isle knitting by establishing an exciting backstory several centuries earlier.
The first mention of colourful patterns in Shetland knitwear comes in 1832, in the diaries of a young medical student visiting the islands, who described Shetland fishermen wearing skin coats and breeches, and “large pendant caps of variegated worsted” to keep them warm on the sea. Similarly, an 1852 account describes fishermen appearing in a boat out of the mist wearing “gaily coloured woollen caps”.
Written by Dr Sarah Laurenson is Principal Curator of Modern and Contemporary History and Helen Wyld Senior Curator of Historic Textiles at National Museums Scotland
The first Fair isle jumpers are recorded in 1902-4, when they were worn by the crew of the Scottish Antarctic Expedition. Artists and creatives were also becoming fascinated with Fair Isle, for its inspiring design and its association with the islands of the north, often viewed through a romantic lens as a ‘wild’ and windswept landscape. This “Fair Isle Jumper” was bought by the Orcadian painter Stanley Cursiter on a trip to Fair Isle in 1911, and in 1923 he painted a now well-known portrait of model Roberta Farquharson wearing it along with a fisherman’s kep. Currently on display in our Fashion and Style Gallery at National Museums Scotland, this object heralds the arrival of Fair Isle knitwear on the global stage, and the beginning of its role in contemporary fashion.
H.RGB 23 Fisherman’s cap, c. 1880s. © National Museums Scotland
The caps mentioned in these early accounts were probably similar to one donated to our museum in the 1880s. Knitted as a long tube closed at both ends, it is folded so that one end lies inside the other – creating a thick, double layer which would provide a strong barrier against the elements. The stranded knitting, with its threads carried on the reverse, added still more warmth. These caps or ‘keps’ are very similar in shape to caps worn by fishermen in other parts of Norther Europe, especially the Dutch.
H.TBA 4. Bonnet, c. 1870s. © National Museums Scotland
The origins of Fair Isle knitting are hard to pinpoint, but once the style had begun to gain popularity in the second half of the 19th century, theories abounded. A beautifully-knitted bonnet made in Shetland is one of a group of objects donated to the museum in 1870. The donor, Thomas Edmondston, noted that “These patterns, together with the secret of dyeing the woollen yarn so many and such varied and peculiar colours”, had been taught to the Islanders “by the wrecked Spaniards.” In 1588 a ship from the Spanish Armada had been wrecked in Shetland, and many of its crew lived on the islands for some months, but there is no evidence that they brought any knitting, patterning or dying methods with them. This often-repeated story has the character of an origin myth which, in the nineteenth century, added validity and even authenticity to the craft of Fair Isle knitting by establishing an exciting backstory several centuries earlier.
The first mention of colourful patterns in Shetland knitwear comes in 1832, in the diaries of a young medical student visiting the islands, who described Shetland fishermen wearing skin coats and breeches, and “large pendant caps of variegated worsted” to keep them warm on the sea. Similarly, an 1852 account describes fishermen appearing in a boat out of the mist wearing “gaily coloured woollen caps”.
Written by Dr Sarah Laurenson is Principal Curator of Modern and Contemporary History and Helen Wyld Senior Curator of Historic Textiles at National Museums Scotland