Fair Isle Yarn – Color Palette?

Hello everyone,
I’ve always been very curious about “Fair Isle” knitting.
There are some wonderful pieces in beautiful colors. Since you knit with multiple strands, the yarn must be pretty thin—I’m thinking about 200–220 m per 50 g.
My problem is that I can’t find a German supplier for these great color gradients. It often seems to me that the yarn has a tweed-like texture? Or does it contain mohair? Or is it pure wool after all?
Does anyone know of a German supplier you could recommend to me?
I’d really appreciate any replies.
Warm regards from a snow-covered Düsseldorf (which is very rare)
Petra

Hi Petra, I also enjoy looking at Fair Isle patterns. They really come alive through the colors and the interplay of hues in the individual skeins. If I wanted to make something like that, I’d use hand-dyed sock yarns. Because they’re hand-dyed, they naturally have color variations. Just yesterday, I came across a beautiful one in a German online shop (Huasco Sock Kettle Dyes, LL 100 g/400 m). I haven’t knitted with it myself yet, though, so I can’t say what it looks and feels like in real life. But I think it must be hand-dyed yarns that bring out the special charm of Fair Isle designs.

Best regards, Ina

Hi Ina,
thank you so much for your tip. I’ll check it out right away. You’re probably right. Hand-dyed wool often has more subdued yet still multifaceted colors.
Choosing the colors will be another challenge. I can’t make up my mind that quickly.
Have a wonderful day, and warm regards from a beautiful, sunny snowy day.
Petra

Dear Petra, yes, I know—just looking at beautiful yarns is a pleasure in itself, but actually deciding which one to choose is difficult. You have to picture in your mind’s eye how the colors will harmonize. But you’ve got this. It’s a shame you can’t just walk into a store and hold the colors up next to each other in person. Then you’d know exactly what goes well together. For me, it would probably be a dark color as a base and then a few bright colors for the embellishments.

Here in Brandenburg, northeast of Berlin, we also have beautiful snow. After yesterday’s heavy snowstorm, it snowed very slowly today, almost in slow motion. And the powdery snow was easy to sweep away, since the stairs and paths have to be clear. We’re still enjoying the snow this week. How often do you get to do that?

Best regards, Ina

Hello Petra.... 
I also knit Fair Isle.... preferably with pure virgin wool. What runs really nicely over the needles is the yarn from Isager; you usually can only get it online. Another yarn I’ve knitted quite a lot with is Kauni; however, it has long color gradients, which is great for blankets and larger shawls. Otherwise I’d tend to use hand-dyed yarns, 400 m/100g..... 
You can find really great ones at "Farbwechsel"  palundu
Best, Stephanie