Monday, August 23, 2010

Fall Quarter: Authentic Aran Sweater


-I recently had the opportunity to visit Ireland with my girlfriend and her family, who moved to the states in 1994. Traveling with natives of the isle was a great way to experience my first trip abroad, mainly because I got to see the worthwhile sights without having to resort to overpriced tourist traps. Apart from the history and the incredible food and drink, the best part of the trip was meeting the extended family, which brings me to the focus of this post: The hand-knitted Aran sweater that Grace's grandmother made for me.
-Originating in the Aran Islands off Ireland's west coast, the super chunky knits have been a part of Irish fishing culture for hundreds of years. Grace's grandmother knits hats and sweaters, which she sells for around $200 a piece, in her spare time. The past couple winters I've been looking for a similarly massive knit, and I'm lucky and grateful to have happened upon one for free. This sweater will definitely be in heavy rotation this winter, especially considering that we try to bundle up rather than pay for gas to heat our apartment. More photos after the jump.








14 comments:

Tommy V. said...

Seriously cool.

3 Column Grid said...

Beautiful sweater!

Where were these pictures taken? Looks like Vancouver/BC.

Nicora said...

i need to up my knitting game.

benijana said...

these pics are from the pac nw, right? that's not what ireland's forests look like is it?

Angelo said...

Yeah these photos are from here in Bellingham, Wa. As far as I could tell there weren't any evergreen trees in Ireland.

0101010101 said...

that sweater and your girl are keepers!!!! take good care of em both

Anonymous said...

Hi there,

I saw that you were selling that tweed jacket. I didn't know how else to contact you, so I'm leaving a message here. Do you have measurements for the shoulder to shoulder and chest, pit to pit? I'm quite interested

Thanks
D

Angelo said...

Both my tweeds have been sold, sorry!

Edward Alcantara said...

Where'd you get the jacket from?

Angelo said...

Link to post about the jacket: http://www.eyefivestyle.com/2010/05/school-supplies-white-stag-4-seasons.html

Edward Alcantara said...

Thanks, Angelo

Foster Huntington said...

if only every special lady friends family gave their boyfriend a fucking sweater like that. I will buy one for 200, seriously.
foster

Anonymous said...

I found a pretty cool vintage Aran on Etsy for 25$ and I immediately thought of this post. It's too big for me, so here's a link if anyone wants it:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/56680418/very-fine-aran-h-knit-vtg-pullover?ref=cat3_gallery_35

Angelo said...

Thanks, good looking out.