Knitting My Way To Ireland...With Guinness

My arse is going to Ireland at the end of the August and I'm so excited. Ireland is known for many things I love: pubs, U2, words (Yeats, Joyce, Oates, McCourt, Binchy) and gorgeous Aran sweaters. To get ready for the voyage, I decided to knit my own Irish fisherman sweater.

I may not be fully Irish, but I sure do appreciate the pure joy in knitting and wearing a cable knit sweater. There's something about the rich texture and cozy feel that's so appealing to me. Plus I love the fact that this beautifully crafted sweater serves a purpose and has meaning.

I've decided to knit Deirdre from Rowan's Lima Collection. I bought 17 skeins from Knitty City in an oatmeal colorway. The beautifully soft Lima yarn is made from a blend of baby alpaca, merino wool and nylon and is available is 12 natural shades including greys, greens, blues, browns and gold. The cloud-soft wool, intricate stitches and easy, swing shape will eventually turn into one extraordinary sweater.

Rowan's Lima collection

Deirdre

As you can see I still have a ways to go on knitting my sweater, but this intricate pattern really is nice to work with.

This ball of yarn will turn into something beautiful and amazing.

The start of my fisherman sweater.

Knitting and wool have enjoyed a long, rich history in many European countries and especially in Ireland where there might be as many sheep as their are pubs. Although the exact origin of the Aran sweater is unknown, there is a strong relationship between Aran stitches and Celtic art. Many Aran patterns are found on ancient Celtic stones, crosses and jewelry. The popular Irish cable knit fisherman sweater were first seen when the wives and mothers of fishermen on the Aran Islands began to knit them for their husbands and sons. The sweaters were to keep them warm through the harsh island conditions and as a way to identify them if they got lost at sea. The variety of stitches used have different meanings and each sweater is knit with a custom pattern special to each family. The off-white, natural color comes from the unprocessed, unbleached wool used. Wools that are still unprocessed contain natural sheep lanolin which makes the sweater virtually water-repellent. This obviously was ideal for the person who spends their days at sea. While many different patterns can be used, the cable is one of the most frequent because the fisherman uses cables and it represents safety and good luck.

Of course, nothing goes better with this traditional Irish sweater than a Guinness.

Shawn, Abby, Rob, Michael and I having some Guinness at Beer Around The World.

If you have ever visited Ireland and have some tips on places to visit, I would love to hear any suggestions.

Happy Monday everyone and Happy August!

Fabulous Fridays: A Day Spent With My Fabulous Mom

I spent a lovely afternoon today with my fabulous mother, the beautiful Rainie. It was full of laughter and knitting therapy. We went to Knitty City on the Upper West Side. My mom learned to knit from her mother and I learned from my mom. It's a great way to spend the day and it's one of the best things she taught me. I usually would end of with an article of clothing when my mom came in, now it's hand-dyed yarn.

We browsed the kaleidoscope of yarns, knit together and came out with two bags of more yarn. I wanted to post a picture of my new purchases, but I left the my bag in my mom's car. I hope she doesn't sneak it into her stash.

So instead, here's a picture of my mom and I wearing our matching cowls in pretty ombré shades of brown. I like the lighter color on top, whereas my mom likes to wear the darker brown closer to her face.

Me and my Mom are styling in our hand-made cowls.

The yarn we were searching for and eventually found was a superwash merino wool hand-dyed yarn by Madelinetosh to make a lacy shawl for spring. I have so many projects I'm working on that by the time summer is over I should be ready to make this in time for summer 2011. The color, named Maple Leaf, is more vibrant in person, this photo doesn't do the distinctive color justice.

My newest yarn: Madelinetosh in Maple Leaf.

After knitting, we treated ourselves to a manicure and pedicure. I selected a nail polish from Essie's new spring collection Mink Muffs. I'm digging this pretty milk chocolate shade for right now. It represents a classic yet edgy vibe and it works as a great transition color from the dark shades I like to wear in the winter to the lighter ones I have on as the temperatures begin to rise. Plus it's an overall refreshing color.

I love Essie's new Mink Muffs

Thanks for the awesome day Mom! You've created a monster.