presents

Trusted by needlecrafters for more than thirty years

The Harmony Guides have been redesigned and updated for the

colorwork
modern knitter. These longstanding references for handcrafters offer
clear, concise instructions for stitches—perfect for the beginning
knitter but an excellent refresher for those skilled in the craft.

Harmony Guides: Colorwork Stitches showcases a jam-packed

collection of 250 classic and contemporary colorwork stitch patterns,

stitches
designs, and motifs to keep knitters constantly inspired. From simple
stripes and polkadots to more complicated Fair Isle designs, this
colorful guide features a range of swatches for knitters of every skill
level. Whether designing a man’s scarf in simple slip-stitch tartan or
a baby blanket in a chevron stripe, this volume is designed to
revolutionize the way knitters think of color.

All swatches are worked up in updated yarn, beautifully

photographed, and accompanied by easy-to-understand instructions.
Plus, Colorwork Stitches includes 25 never before seen stitches, new
250 designs to knit
to the updated Harmony Guides.

Paperback, 8½ x 8½ edited by Sharon Brant

276 pages
250 photographs
ISBN 978-1-59668-147-7
$22.95
May 2009
 inspiration
Color can be used to engage a viewer, to evoke emotions, and to
communicate meaning. Discover the joy of selecting designs and
palettes and creating a feature in your work that is completely
unique.

This new collection of stitches from the Harmony Guides
showcases patterns, designs, and motifs that keep knitters
constantly inspired. From simple stripes and polkadots to
more complicated Fair Isle designs, Colorwork Stitches
features a range of swatches for knitters of every skill level.
Whether you want to create a men’s scarf in a slip-stitch
tartan or a baby blanket in a chevron stripe, this volume is
designed to revolutionize the way you think about the
colorwork in your projects.
One of the most instantly recognizable colorwork
designs is the Fair Isle, or stranded knitting. Much mystery
surrounds the history of Fair Isle, the distinctive patterns
that take their name from the tiny island of Fair Isle, the
southernmost of the Shetland Isles. We know Fair Isle
knitting existed on the island as early as 1681 from coin
designs discovered in knitting preserved in a peat bog.
What we do not know is exactly where the design
originated. Romantic theories suggest a link with Spain,
from the shipwreck of the Spanish Armada in 1588. It is
probable that early pieces were brought to the islands from
the Baltic States where the craft of stranded knitting was
already more advanced and colour dyes readily available.
A colour explosion and rapid development of stranded
knitting in the Baltic region around 1800 coincided with an
upsurge in trade between the Baltic countries and the
Shetlands. By the 1850s the Shetlanders, with their history
of a hand-knitting industry, had come to dislike repetition.
hey took the oxo, star, tree from Russia, Estonia, and
Norway. They created lozenge shapes and circular
patterned yokes but altered them by preserving the
complexity of design while elaboration the colors in the
center. Changing colors within the design became a
hallmark of Fair Isle. The 1920s were a period of
innovation and development with the Shetland and Fair
Isle knitters continuing to experiment with patterns and
colors. In line with fundamental change in fashion after
The Great War, in favor of more practical and liberated
styles, the most important development was athe arrival of
the fisherman’s jersey or gansey as fashion garment for the
wealthy and middle classes.

6 colorwork stitches inspiration 5

 inspiration
Color can be used to engage a viewer, to evoke emotions, and to
communicate meaning. Discover the joy of selecting designs and
palettes and creating a feature in your work that is completely
unique.

This new collection of stitches from the Harmony Guides
showcases patterns, designs, and motifs that keep knitters
constantly inspired. From simple stripes and polkadots to
more complicated Fair Isle designs, Colorwork Stitches
features a range of swatches for knitters of every skill level.
Whether you want to create a men’s scarf in a slip-stitch
tartan or a baby blanket in a chevron stripe, this volume is
designed to revolutionize the way you think about the
colorwork in your projects.
One of the most instantly recognizable colorwork
designs is the Fair Isle, or stranded knitting. Much mystery
surrounds the history of Fair Isle, the distinctive patterns
that take their name from the tiny island of Fair Isle, the
southernmost of the Shetland Isles. We know Fair Isle
knitting existed on the island as early as 1681 from coin
designs discovered in knitting preserved in a peat bog.
What we do not know is exactly where the design
originated. Romantic theories suggest a link with Spain,
from the shipwreck of the Spanish Armada in 1588. It is
probable that early pieces were brought to the islands from
the Baltic States where the craft of stranded knitting was
already more advanced and colour dyes readily available.
A colour explosion and rapid development of stranded
knitting in the Baltic region around 1800 coincided with an
upsurge in trade between the Baltic countries and the
Shetlands. By the 1850s the Shetlanders, with their history
of a hand-knitting industry, had come to dislike repetition.
hey took the oxo, star, tree from Russia, Estonia, and
Norway. They created lozenge shapes and circular
patterned yokes but altered them by preserving the
complexity of design while elaboration the colors in the
center. Changing colors within the design became a
hallmark of Fair Isle. The 1920s were a period of
innovation and development with the Shetland and Fair
Isle knitters continuing to experiment with patterns and
colors. In line with fundamental change in fashion after
The Great War, in favor of more practical and liberated
styles, the most important development was athe arrival of
the fisherman’s jersey or gansey as fashion garment for the
wealthy and middle classes.

6 colorwork stitches inspiration 5

North Sea Waves Fair Isle
Rep 6 sts x 12 rows (3 colors) Rep 12 sts x 10 rows (3 colors)

21
20
18

10 10

1 1

26 colorwork stitches the harmony guides 27

North Sea Waves Fair Isle
Rep 6 sts x 12 rows (3 colors) Rep 12 sts x 10 rows (3 colors)

21
20
18

10 10

1 1

26 colorwork stitches the harmony guides 27

Knotted Twist Snowflake
Rep 34 sts x 18 rows (3 colors) Rep 33 sts x 35 rows (3 colors)

35

30

20
18

10 10

1 1

28 colorwork stitches the harmony guides 29

Knotted Twist Snowflake
Rep 34 sts x 18 rows (3 colors) Rep 33 sts x 35 rows (3 colors)

35

30

20
18

10 10

1 1

28 colorwork stitches the harmony guides 29

 presents

Trusted by needlecrafters for more than thirty years

The Harmony Guides have been redesigned and updated for the

colorwork
modern knitter. These longstanding references for handcrafters offer
clear, concise instructions for stitches—perfect for the beginning
knitter but an excellent refresher for those skilled in the craft.

Harmony Guides: Colorwork Stitches showcases a jam-packed

collection of 250 classic and contemporary colorwork stitch patterns,

stitches
designs, and motifs to keep knitters constantly inspired. From simple
stripes and polkadots to more complicated Fair Isle designs, this
colorful guide features a range of swatches for knitters of every skill
level. Whether designing a man’s scarf in simple slip-stitch tartan or
a baby blanket in a chevron stripe, this volume is designed to
revolutionize the way knitters think of color.

All swatches are worked up in updated yarn, beautifully

photographed, and accompanied by easy-to-understand instructions.
Plus, Colorwork Stitches includes 25 never before seen stitches, new
250 designs to knit
to the updated Harmony Guides.

Paperback, 8½ x 8½ edited by Sharon Brant

276 pages
250 photographs
ISBN 978-1-59668-147-7
$22.95
May 2009