Aran Knitting
Aran knitting comes from the Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland. This style of knitting is made up of a variety of complex textured stitch patterns. The stitch patterns are beleived to have various significance. The honeycomb pattern is symbolic of the hard-working bee, the diamond is a reference to wealth and treasure, and the basket stitch represents the fisherman's basket and the hope of a plentiful catch. The intricate cables may be a reference to the ropes and nets that are vital to the fisherman's livelyhood, or may have religious significance as they carry a strong resemblance to the designs found on celtic crosses and in the illustrations of The Book of Kells. These sweaters were worked from wool that remained unwashed and undyed so that the lanolin remained in the wool and created a fabric that was water-repellent. This was an important quality given the harsh environment in this area.
There is some controversy regarding the true significance of Aran knitting. It is commonly beleived that Aran knitting is an age old tradition consisting of distinctive patterns that related to a particular family (much like Scottish tartans) or area so that if a fisherman drowned the body could be identified by the sweater. In truth there is absolutely no evidence to support this. In fact the earliest existing example of Aran knitting can be dated to 1930.
