I was sent this information by a store called Irish Handcrafts in Limerick City, Ireland on my Google+ page. Enjoy! :) They thought you would enjoy reading and watching a video about the Aran sweater. Irish sweaters are also known as Aran sweaters or Irish fishermans sweaters. Easily recognizable by the diversity of knitted stitches, patterns, and comfortable styles, these Irish wool sweaters are celebrated for their warmth and durability. The patterns are rich in symbolism. Prominent cables on the front represent the fishermans boat, the currach. The basket stitch wishes a first-class days fishing. It is said that particular patterns represent the wearers kinfolk, with the blueprint learned by young girls from their mothers and grandmothers. The Aran Islands are located off the west shores of Ireland, with fishing and agriculture (and tourism nowadays) being the core industries. The cold Atlantic wind and temperatures inspired the snug Irish sweater as a practical garment for the fishermen and farmers of the islands. Once wrought from native cream-colored wool, the unwashed fiber retained lanolin from the sheep, giving water-repellent features. Until perhaps 1970, Aran women spun their own wool which added bulk, filling, and heat to knitwear. Whether referred to as a jumper, or sweater, Irish sweaters have a lot of legends attached to them - legends built of adversity, cold and wild seas, and the stoutness of a people predestined to endure by using the tools at hand: Skill, artistry, and some of the best wool in the world. It is by no means agreed that the patterns in the Aran sweater have in fact been used for thousands of years, or if they were just adapted in the course of the last century or two. The most common assumption is that the Irish sweater is a variation of the Gansey, or Guernsey, sweater, which has been used around the British Isles for centuries. When the export trade began in the Aran Islands throughout the 1950s, the islanders were taught international sizing. Quickly, knitting Irish sweaters became a vital economic export. By the 1960s, all three islands and more knitters from Ireland found it hard to keep up with demand. Success brings its own problems! Today, a good number products are a result of machine knitting (also called hand-looming), which uses a finer fiber. The advantage of a hand-loomed sweater is that it is less expensive and generally available in a wider variety of designs, some of which are very elaborate. Hand-knit Irish Sweaters have tighter stitches, with well-set and recognized designs. They also have longer lasting power. Purchasing one of our heirloom hand knit Aran sweaters means a higher outlay but the reward is in the superb quality of the craftsmanship. It is estimated that the normal Irish sweater has around 100,000 stitches. Irish Handcrafts provides a wonderful array of traditional Irish Sweaters for both men and women. Please visit our website to view them for yourself...Youll find hand knitted sweaters and cardigans in our online shop, together with a large selection of modern Irish sweaters. Thanks, Irish Handcrafts! :) Sticks & String, Lori #knitting #LKnits youtu.be/5Kz-eao8vrM
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 18:00:01 +0000
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