Ireland’s Aran Isle knitting shrouded in mystery

One of the most intriguing and delightful aspects of knitting is the texture one may create by passing a slip stitch over, knitting the same stitch over and over to make bobbles and nubs, making yarn overs and decreasing stitches in special ways. The Aran Isle patterns of Ireland epitomize these intricate knitting techniques, which produce garments that have been described as “sculpture in wool.”

Irish history often is shrouded in mist, yet blessed with stories to explain how things may have happened. And so it is with the origins of Aran Isle knitting.

Anthony Bluett in his book, “Things Irish,” says, “a particular [Aran Isle sweater] design could identify a given family, just as tartans were used for various clans of Scotland.” But Bridget Haggerty, in an essay posted on www.irishcultureand

customs.com, writes that the story’s roots lie in J.M. Synge’s play “Riders to the Sea,” performed in 1904 in which the sister of a not-easily-identified drowned man recognizes him, not by a sweater pattern, but by a flaw in his knitted socks – a dropped stitch.

It is believed that hand knitting was introduced to Ireland in the 17th century, but, Haggerty writes, there are no records of Aran Isle sweaters until the 20th century. In an 1893 report, she says, the only knitted items produced on the three Aran islands, which lie off the west coast of Ireland near Galway Bay, were the socks women knit for their families. Aran Isle pattern sweaters, Haggerty maintains, did not begin to appear on the islands until the 1920s and ’30s. The first Aran Isle knitting pattern was published in the 1940s by Patons of England.

Regardless of its history, the Aran Isle sweater is rightly described as “folk art of amazing beauty and versatility.”

The stitches are said to have symbolic significance. The trinity or blackberry stitch, which makes three stitches from one, and one from three, represents the Holy Trinity. The moss stitch represents seaweed, used for its medicinal properties. The trellis stitch symbolizes the stony fields of western Ireland and the nets of the fishermen. Cables symbolize the ropes used in fishing. When these stitches, and many others, are utilized by skilled knitters, the sweaters they create are handsome and mysterious enough (in my opinion) to inspire an entire volume of myth, lore and legend.

The yarn used to knit Aran Isle patterns often is referred to as Irish fisherman yarn. The color is traditionally natural, off-white, and may be roughly spun so that bits of hay and chaff from the sheep’s pasture days still cling to the fiber. The natural oils are left in the yarn, giving it water-resistant and insulating properties. Yarn colors tend to be dark and earthy in tones of tan, blue, brown and gray, or in lighter shades, such as misty blue, green and red.

Try this stitch pattern. It could be used in panels to separate other fancy stitch patterns.

Irish moss stitch: Cast on a number of stitches divisible by 2.

Row 1: K1, P1, repeat across row.

Row 2: Knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches of the previous row.

Row 3: P1, K1 across row.

Row 4: Purl.

Repeat these four rows for pattern.

Trying knitting individual squares of other Aran Isle patterns and sew them together to make an afghan, a scarf or even a sweater.

Snippets

Does anyone out there know of contemporary ways to use buttons in art or craft projects? I would like to hear from you, because I have this idea. And I’d like to hear from former members of the Bangor Button Club.

Quilters and textile artists are encouraged to apply for the Artist-in-Residence program with the National Park Service. The program includes accommodations, a stipend and use of a bicycle for exploring the park. Participants are asked to make at least one presentation to local schools that no longer have art programs. The program is offered at 29 national parks, including Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor. Visit www.nps.gov/volunteer/air.htm to learn more.

Ardeana Hamlin welcomes comments, suggestions and ideas. Call her at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.