The Aran Sweater is a style of sweater that takes its name from the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland. It is sometimes known as a fisherman sweater. Aran sweaters are distinguished by their use of complex textured stitch patterns, several of which are combined in the creation of a single garment. Originally these Irish sweaters were knitted using unscoured wool that retained its natural oils which made the garments water-resistant and meant they remained wearable even when wet. However, today most of the Aran sweaters and Aran Cardigans are knit with a softer yarn called Merino in the natural bainin (bawneen) colour and in other colours reflective of the Irish countryside.
Each sweater comes wrapped in history and every stitch has a traditional interpretation, often of religious significance, but mostly of life’s experience and journey. The honeycomb is a symbol of the hard-working bee. The cable, an integral part of the fisherman’s daily life, is said to be a wish for safety and good luck when fishing. The diamond is a wish of success, wealth and treasure. The basket stitch represents the fisherman’s basket, a hope for a plentiful catch. Most knitting patterns were never written down just handed down from generation to generation using up to 24 different Aran stitches with infinite combinations
View our collection of womens Aran sweaters and mens Aran sweaters at our online Irish Gift store - www.blarney.com
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