I have had Aran sweaters on the brain for ages now. A few months ago, I blogged about the Folgers Commercial where the handsome guy in the Aran sweater surprises his family by coming home for Christmas. Then AmandaLinnea posted pictures of the Aran sweater she is working on using our Aran Farmstead Yarn and I very nearly fainted.

All photos by Amanda Bock and used with her permission.

I started talking to everyone I knew about Aran sweaters (also known as Fisherman sweaters) and was told by several people- several Irish people, mind you!- that every Irish family or clan has their own distinct Aran pattern. The story goes that the patterns were used to identify the bodies of fishermen that had drowned and washed up on shore several days or weeks later. Unfortunately, further research proved this story to be a myth.

According to The Irish Path, “The drowned fisherman story came from an early 1900’s play by J.M. Synge called “Riders to the Sea”. In the play a fisherman was identified by his sister because she recognized a dropped stitch in the socks she made for him. The myth turned it into a sweater and a true story.”

Super disappointing, huh? There are shops in the Aran Islands that sell hand knit sweaters with distinctive patterns for nearly every clan name though, and it has become an Irish tradition, just not an ancient one. Obviously I won’t be ordering one because 1) I’d rather knit my own and 2) my people are Scottish, so Gibbs isn’t on the list.

There are lots of great patterns available though. Fishermen Sweaters by Alice Starmore is one of the more popular books. Traditional Aran Knitting by Shelagh Hollingworth has lots of history and detailed instructions for combing the various elements of Aran sweaters into your own unique pattern. Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys, and Arans: Fishermen’s Sweaters from the British Isles by Gladys Thompson is the bible of Aran sweater knitting but it is not a book for beginners and uses British gauge.

Now through New Year’s Day, our Aran Weight Farmstead Yarn is on sale! I’d love to hear about what you’re knitting up with it.

Click here more info on the Aran Islands and here for more detailed information on the history of knitting on the Aran Islands.

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