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Web-Letter, Issue 27 – La Gran Fair Isle Pillow Color! Who can resist it? Even those of us who love soft and subtle grays, taupes and ever-ready black can comfortably indulge in color projects, especially when they’re small—an orange hat for example, or a pair deep purple mitts. But even better, we can plunge in completely when it’s something we don’t have to wear at all. On my list of COLOR projects that I’d like to knit are a striped rug in random leftovers to warm up the cold tiles in the bathroom, a grass green cabled afghan to drape on my couch, and a jazzy striped tea cozy in reds, corals, and magenta. After seeing this checked pillow in bold, inviting colors, I may just have to add it to my list, too.    Joelle Meier-Roux has been rummaging through shelves of old sweaters in the CEY office, looking for things to re-use. This time around, she’s taken scissors to a 15-year old La Gran Mohair sweater. You can use an old sweater to make this pillow (we explain the seaming technique below), but if you want to start from scratch using an assortment of La Gran’s 42 colors, read on.
The Story: This is the second project in our series “Old Patterns- Reworked”.  The first was the Floral Intarsia Pillow in Web-Letter #16. This pillow is its Fair Isle counterpart for those who prefer stranded color work over intarsia (and everyone else, of course.)  As with the Floral Intarsia Pillow, I cut up an old sweater and made it into a pretty new item to beautify the home.  To make your Fair Isle experience as pleasant as possible, the pattern is knit in the round. There are only two seams—top and bottom--and those are joined using a version of grafting. (See “The Stitches” ) I strongly encourage knitters to dive into the splendid color palette of La Gran and choose the best looking color ways to match your home décor.  To me, customizing for one’s personal taste is the best part about planning a project.  In addition, it will provide the most satisfying experience, once you cuddle up against your lovely new pillow and see how well it suits the colors of your room. Happy Knitting! The Yarn: La Gran Mohair — 76½% mohair, 17½% wool, 6% nylon One of the wonderful traits of mohair is its ability to take dyes well. When placed in a dye bath with wool, mohair takes on a brighter and deeper color than the wool. The larger, flatter scales that make up mohair make for a silkier finish; this sheen then helps to reflect back the color of the dyes. The combed “fuzz” of the mohair provides the yarn with an extra halo of color. The amazing dyeing properties of mohair can be seen in the La Gran color palette. Where to buy La Gran Mohair.	The Pattern: Here's the free downloadable La Gran Fair Isle Pillow pattern The Stitches: When working a seam, it is important to think about the purpose of that seam before deciding upon the best way to close it up. For example, the top and bottom seams of the Fair Isle Pillow have been sewn together over the bound-off and cast-on edges. The bound-off edges provide for a strong, stable support for the pieces to be seamed together. This method is also good for jackets and heavy sweaters.  Learn more about seaming circular knitting.
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