Knit Patterns Guide: Fair Isle, Argyle, Herringbone and Paisley
A hub guide to the classic knit patterns: Fair Isle colourwork, argyle diamonds, herringbone twill and paisley, with a styling guide for each pattern and the knitting techniques behind them.
Knit patterns are the repeating colour and texture designs worked into knitted fabric — Fair Isle's stranded colourwork, argyle's diamonds, herringbone's broken zigzag and paisley's teardrop motif. This hub routes to a guide for each pattern: what it is, where it came from and how to wear it.
Fair Isle: Colourwork from the North
Fair Isle is the stranded colourwork of one small Shetland island: small geometric motifs repeated in bands around the yoke and cuffs of a sweater, knitted with two colours per row. Start with the classic garment itself in the Fair Isle sweater guide, then move to the Fair Isle outfits guide for styling formulas for women and men.
Argyle: The Diamond Check
Argyle lays overlapping diamonds in contrasting colours, crossed by thin diagonal lines. It belongs to socks and sweaters above all, and it carries a golf-course and collegiate history that makes it the most preppy of the knit patterns. The argyle pattern guide covers its construction, its classic colourways and how to wear it without fancy-dress effect.
Herringbone: The Broken Twill
Herringbone is a twill weave whose diagonal lines reverse at regular intervals, making the broken zigzag named for a fish's bones. In knitwear it appears as a textured stitch pattern; in tailoring it is the backbone of tweed coats and suiting. The herringbone pattern guide follows it from coats and jackets to scarves and accessories.
Paisley: The Teardrop Motif
Paisley's curved teardrop — the boteh — travelled from Persian and Indian shawls to the Scottish mill town that gave it its Western name. On knits it appears in jacquard sweaters and intarsia designs; in dress fabrics it covers dresses, scarves and ties. See the paisley pattern guide and the formal paisley design definition.
Choosing a Pattern to Start With
New to patterned knits, begin where the pattern is quietest. Herringbone works as a neutral and needs no colour decisions. Argyle asks for one matching colour picked from its diamonds. Fair Isle rewards a little more care — its palette should be echoed once in the outfit — and paisley rewards the most restraint everywhere else. All four patterns have outlasted every trend cycle of the last century, so the choice is about temperament, not fashion risk: texture, geometry, colourwork or swirl.
How the Patterns Are Made
Three techniques produce most patterned knits. Stranded colourwork carries two yarns across each row, as in Fair Isle. Intarsia knitting works blocks of colour from separate bobbins, the method behind large argyle diamonds. Jacquard knits automate patterning on machines and handle paisley's curves. The knitwear construction guide explains the underlying stitches and gauges.
Common Questions
What is the difference between Fair Isle and a general patterned sweater?
Fair Isle is a specific technique and tradition: stranded colourwork with small geometric motifs in horizontal bands, traditionally no more than two colours per row, from Fair Isle in Shetland. Many sweaters borrow the look; true Fair Isle describes both the method and the motif bands around the yoke, cuffs and hem.
Is herringbone a knit or a weave?
Both. Herringbone began as a woven twill structure — the classic tweed coat cloth — and knitters reproduce the same broken-zigzag effect with stitch patterns. On this site the herringbone guide covers the woven tailoring cloth and its knitted versions together, since wardrobes mix them freely.
Which knit pattern is easiest to style?
Herringbone, because it reads as texture rather than pattern at a distance and pairs with plain pieces of any colour. Argyle is next — one diamond piece with plain separates. Fair Isle and paisley are the boldest and work best as the single patterned piece in an outfit.
More Pattern Guides
Pattern in clothing goes well beyond knits. Start with the Pattern Outfits Guide, then explore Polka Dot Outfits, Plaid Outfits, Striped Outfits, How to Mix Patterns and Color Blocking Outfits.