For hundreds of years islanders traded with passing ships, bartering their hand knitted hosiery and fresh produce for goods they couldn't make themselves. Worn in the past to beat the bitter cold of the Antarctic and Everest, today the only source of genuine article is still the island. A small co operative - Fair Isle Crafts - produces on hand frame machines quality knitwear labelled with Fair Isle's own trade mark, either in the traditional bright colours or the natural Shetland wool shades of brown, grey, fawn and white.