Fair Isle knit was made famous by a prince in 1921
Fair Isle is one place: a speck of an island between Orkney and Shetland, where knitters were making variegated colourwork by the 1690s. The 1921 royal endorsement did more than start a trend, it let Shetland women sell straight to wealthy buyers for cash. The two-colours-per-row limit is what keeps the back light enough to actually wear.
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The post, as it ran
01FAIR ISLE KNITWEAR IS NAMED AFTER A REAL PLACE: A
THREE-MILE-LONG ISLAND BETWEEN ORKNEY AND SHETLAND,
WHERE KNITTERS WERE MAKING COLOURWORK BY THE 1690S.
02IT WENT MAINSTREAM IN 1921, WHEN THE PRINCE OF WALES,
THE FUTURE EDWARD VIII, WORE A FAIR ISLE JUMPER IN
PUBLIC, PHOTOGRAPHED ON THE GOLF COURSE.
03DEMAND SOARED OVERNIGHT, AND SHETLAND'S KNITTERS
COULD SUDDENLY SELL STRAIGHT TO WEALTHY BUYERS FOR CASH.
04THE TRADITIONAL RULE IS STRICT: NO MORE THAN TWO
COLOURS IN ANY SINGLE ROW, WHICH IS WHAT KEEPS
THE BACK OF THE WORK LIGHT ENOUGH TO WEAR.