Fair Isle and Nordic knitting patterns – traditions, motifs and technique

“Fair Isle”, “Nordic patterns”, “Norwegian knitting”, “jacquard” – the terms are often used interchangeably. The technique behind them is largely the same: you knit with two colours in the same round and let the resting colour run along the back. But the traditions differ in motifs, choice of colours and overall look. Here we untangle the terms and show how you can use them in your own patterns.

Technique and tradition – two different things

The shared technique is called stranded colourwork, and in everyday English it is often just called colourwork. If you are new to the technique, start with our guide colourwork knitting for beginners.

Fair Isle actually refers to a specific tradition from the island of Fair Isle in Shetland, and more generally to Shetland colourwork. Over time the word has become an umbrella term for all colourwork with several colours, especially in English-speaking countries. In Denmark the technique used to be widely called “norsk strik” (Norwegian knitting), whereas many people today say Fair Isle regardless of origin.

Fair Isle: many colours, small motifs

Classic Fair Isle is usually characterised by:

• Two colours per round, but many colours overall. The colours are swapped after a few rounds, so that border after border gets new shades. Background and pattern can shift in tone, from light to dark and back again.
• Horizontal borders. Wide borders with larger motifs alternate with narrow borders of just a few rounds.
• Geometric motifs, such as the so-called OXO patterns: an “O” (an octagon or ring shape) and an “X” (a cross) that alternate.
• Short floats. The motifs are often constructed so that no colour runs far without changing.

The traditional yarn is fine Shetland wool, which “felts” together slightly and holds the floats in place.

If you want to try a Fair Isle-inspired look, you can take a simple border such as Diamonds, add narrow borders above and below, and change the pattern colour after a few rounds. In the editor you can see straight away how the colour changes work together.

Nordic colourwork: contrast and clear figures

Norway, Sweden, Iceland and the Faroe Islands have developed their own colourwork traditions. Generally speaking (with many exceptions), Nordic patterns are often knitted in two strongly contrasting colours, such as black and white or red and white, and with larger figures such as stars, roses, reindeer and fir trees.

Selbu – the eight-petal rose

Selbu in Norway is famous for its colourwork mittens, selbuvotter (Selbu mittens). The tradition is usually dated to the mid-1800s; according to local lore, Marit Guldsetbrua Emstad knitted the first pair in two colours in 1857. The best-known motif is the Selbu rose, an eight-petal star rose. The mittens often have a richly patterned palm, a prominent rosette on the back of the hand and a separate pattern on the thumb.

The eight-petal rose is one of the most widely used Nordic motifs, and it appears on everything from mittens to sweaters. Our Selbu Star template is a good starting point if you want to make your own version.

Lusekofte – the dots that keep floats short

The Norwegian lusekofte gets its name from “lus” (lice), the small single dots in a contrast colour scattered across the background colour. The dots serve the same purpose as caught floats: because the contrast colour appears at regular intervals, the floats never get too long. It is a clever construction trick that you can use in your own patterns when you want large areas of background colour.

Icelandic yokes

The Icelandic sweater, the lopapeysa, is often knitted in Léttlopi or another lopi yarn, with a yoke knitted in the round where the pattern is placed in borders between increases or decreases. The patterns are usually geometric. A yoke knitted in the round requires the pattern borders to fit the stitch count as it changes across the yoke – good practice in working with repeats.

Bohus Stickning – Swedish colourwork

Sweden has Bohus Stickning, which started in the province of Bohuslän in the 1930s and was active until 1969. Bohus garments are known for fine yarn, many colours in subtle gradations and the use of purl stitches as part of the pattern. So they differ quite a lot from the high-contrast Norwegian tradition and are closer to Fair Isle in their feel for colour.

Many Bohus patterns can be bought today as kits and in books. The originals are protected by copyright, so if you are inspired, make your own interpretation rather than copying.

Common motifs in Nordic colourwork

Some motifs recur throughout the region:

• Stars and roses – the eight-petal rose and its variations.
• Peaks and zigzags – wave shapes and sawtooth borders. See Classic Fair Isle and Waves.
• Diamonds and checks – simple geometric repeats that are easy to knit.
• Reindeer, elk and fir trees – especially popular on Christmas sweaters. See Reindeer and the guide to Christmas patterns.
• Hearts – often in narrow borders. See Hearts.

Techniques that set the traditions apart

Floats and motif size

Large figures, such as a reindeer or a Selbu rose, often mean longer stretches in the same colour. That is where you need to catch the floats. Fair Isle patterns are generally designed to avoid this. When you design your own, look for stretches longer than about five to seven stitches and consider whether you can break them up with a single dot or a filler pattern.

Knitting in the round and steeking

Traditional colourwork sweaters are often knitted in the round in one piece and then cut open for the armholes or the front opening (known as steeks). Before cutting, the stitches are secured, for example with crochet or a sewing machine. Wool yarn that felts easily is ideal for this. It is a more advanced technique, but it explains why so many colourwork sweaters are knitted entirely in the round.

Reading charts

All these traditions are based on charts in which one square is one stitch. If you can read a knitting chart, you can knit them all.

Create your own Nordic design

Nordic patterns are built from simple parts: a main motif, a few narrow borders and a background filler. You can put together your own in the same way:

1. Choose a main motif, such as a star or a reindeer.
2. Add a narrow border above and below, such as a zigzag or checks.
3. Fill large areas with dots in lusekofte style.
4. Choose two strongly contrasting colours for a Nordic look, or several closely related shades for a Fair Isle look.

Start from a template in the library or begin from scratch in the pattern editor. In the community you can see how others have combined the motifs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Fair Isle and Nordic colourwork?

The technique is largely the same. Fair Isle comes from Shetland and is characterised by many colours, small geometric motifs and short floats. Nordic patterns more often have two contrasting colours and larger figures such as stars, roses and reindeer.

Can you knit Fair Isle flat?

Yes, but it is harder because you have to work the pattern in purl on the wrong-side rows. That is why most colourwork garments are knitted in the round.

What is a Selbu rose?

An eight-petal star rose that is the best-known motif on Selbu mittens from Selbu in Norway. Today it is used in all kinds of colourwork garments.

What yarn is best for Fair Isle?

Traditionally, fine wool such as Shetland wool is used, because it has grip and holds the floats in place. Two-ply wool yarns also work well.

Why is it called a lusekofte?

The name comes from the small dots in a contrast colour, “lus” (lice), scattered across the background colour of the Norwegian cardigan (kofte).