Mastering Value Transitions in Fair Isle Colorwork - Part 1

One of the most recognizable motifs in traditional Fair Isle knitting is the XOX pattern. The “O” is a lozenge shape (rounded or diamond-like), and the “X” forms from the negative space between motifs when they’re repeated across the fabric.

This motif can be used as an all-over pattern or nestled between borders and peerie bands. In either case, color and value (lightness or darkness of a shade) are essential to how these motifs read.

To bring this concept to life, I recently created a color palette using a combination of Jamieson and Smith 2-ply jumper weight (on its way to us at Sweet Meadow as I write this!) and Jamieson’s Spindrift. Both are woolen-spun Shetland yarns beloved for their authentic texture and wide range of colors. 

Choosing Your Color Families

For my vest design, I selected two families:

• Green / Blue-Green
• Orange / Rust
• Then added Periwinkle and Yellow as accent colors.

This gave me a flexible palette of nine shades (in the end I used only three blue-green yarns), which gave me plenty of room to play with value contrast within each family and across the design.

Value Shifts: The Secret Ingredient

The photo below shows the same skeins in grayscale. Why? Because when you're designing stranded colorwork, value contrast matters as much, or even more than hue.

• The orange family offers a wide range of value, from a pale peach to a deep reddish brown.
• The green-blue family has more subtle shifts.

If I want the motif to appear clearly, I need to make sure that, say, my lightest orange and my lightest blue-green aren’t too close in value—or the pattern will disappear.

For this project, I wanted both families to shift from light to dark and back again across the rows. To make that work:

• I ensured that the lightest shade from one family contrasted with the lightest from the other. In this case the peach is lighter than the lightest blue-green.
• The same went for the darkest tones (the brown is much darker than the darkest blue-green).

I used clear tones of periwinkle and yellow sparingly to bring light to the center of the motif and prevent the overall fabric from feeling muddy or flat.

The Final Result: Balanced, and Beautiful

This pattern is an all-over XOX pattern. The horizontal bands are created only by value transitions. To avoid creating equally spaced “color stripes”, I gave more emphasis to the darker shades. This was achieved by transitioning quickly from light to dark. More value contrast in the darker bands also gives it more emphasis, or more visual weight.  

Try It Yourself

Inspired to tackle a stranded colorwork project? We have a large selection in these fingering weight yarns:

🧶 Jamieson’s Spindrift – For traditional Fair Isle colorwork with a crisp hand.
🧶 Shetland Fingering by Elemental Affects – Slightly heavier and perfect for blending modern and classic palettes.

Start by building two color families with a range of values in each. Add one or two accent colors that lift or center the design. Then swatch and use a grayscale photo filter to test your value contrast!

What’s Next?

In Part 2, we’ll explore a more complex approach:
➡️ One color family shifts from light to dark, while the second moves from dark to light, simultaneously as they converge at the center of the motif.

It’s a bit of a mind-bender but absolutely worth it when you see the result. 

Stay Tuned!