The Aran sweater, Fair Isle, the gansey: each comes with an origin story attached. Most of those stories are later inventions. But why does this keep happening?
I found an old hand spun Cowichan sweater in a throw away pile in a thrift store in Portland, Oregon. Wearing it feels like a hug, so I totally believe there's something to this!
I did! It's one of my most treasured possessions. Thank you for the information on the collar. Once I discovered it, I really stopped wearing any other sweaters in Portland... And now I know why!
It still has the lanolin in the wool. And wool has the property of keeping you warm when it gets wet. No, I am not an expert and never seen one in real life. I've read Priscilla's book, which is excellent, will give you the history and the designs. Priscila was a spinner and a knitter, and analyzed the sweaters. I did take a class where we knit a little sample sweater. And I knit a vest in that style
Please tell me you've heard of the Loose Ends project? It demonstrates so well what you're saying about the value of the work involved in creating pieces like these. Their updates regularly bring a tear to my eye.
I have a theory about this. So many ancient fiber traditions have a spiritual component. Certain colors are thought to repel or attract types of spirits. Embroidery patterns around vulnerable areas like the throat, collar, and over the chest have a protective function. I think humans have a vestigial memory that anything decorative that takes a long time should also confer energetic or spiritual benefits. And when we see something gorgeous, time consuming, and wearable like Aran cable work, we naturally gravitate to the idea that it should have some meaning.
I always put protective energy and positive thoughts into my crochet mending patches. I just think it's a human way to think about the intersection between decoration and health and well-being. So it's easy to believe those types of stories even when they turn out to be manufactured afterwards.
Beautifully put. It’s not just the time invested, but think how clothing really was something essential for keeping us alive. As humans ventured into colder climates, having well-made fabric to protect them from the elements was a matter of life or death. I can imagine that certain embellishments were associated with offering better protection.
From a knitter’s perspective, cables and Fair Isle genuinely make a more dense, warmer fabric, so there could the improved function might actually be real.
Thank you, and absolutely, it is real! Our textile artist ancestors were nothing if not practical! I don't think they had much time to spend on things that didn't actually make a difference.
The observation that the Aran story “was designed to travel” is the key to the whole piece — Kiewe was not simply recording a tradition, he was building one that could survive export conditions. The detail about Alice Starmore dating the sweaters to post-1946 and tracing their origins to the Scottish gansey tradition feels quietly devastating for Irish national mythology, though your closing point holds: the craft does not depend on the story to be extraordinary. I find myself thinking about how this happens with textiles in general — the moment a cloth becomes associated with identity or place, the origin narrative can calcify very quickly around it, sometimes within a single generation.
Yes, I think we can take a step back and see it in the historical and cultural context, but that doesn’t mean we’re being dismissive. It’s just as interesting to think about the reasons the stories take hold.
There is a certain amount of that with Salish or Cowichan sweaters as well. See Priscilla Gibson-Robert's book.
Thanks. I have to admit I don’t know much about these sweaters yet, but I’d love to learn more. They’re really striking.
I found an old hand spun Cowichan sweater in a throw away pile in a thrift store in Portland, Oregon. Wearing it feels like a hug, so I totally believe there's something to this!
They have a unique collar design. And it’s wonderful for Portland weather! You got a find!
I did! It's one of my most treasured possessions. Thank you for the information on the collar. Once I discovered it, I really stopped wearing any other sweaters in Portland... And now I know why!
They made spinning wheels out of old treadle sewing machines, to spin a thick yarn. And it's a singles yarn, not plied. It's a unique style of sweater
It still has the lanolin in the wool. And wool has the property of keeping you warm when it gets wet. No, I am not an expert and never seen one in real life. I've read Priscilla's book, which is excellent, will give you the history and the designs. Priscila was a spinner and a knitter, and analyzed the sweaters. I did take a class where we knit a little sample sweater. And I knit a vest in that style
Please tell me you've heard of the Loose Ends project? It demonstrates so well what you're saying about the value of the work involved in creating pieces like these. Their updates regularly bring a tear to my eye.
https://looseends.org/
I have a theory about this. So many ancient fiber traditions have a spiritual component. Certain colors are thought to repel or attract types of spirits. Embroidery patterns around vulnerable areas like the throat, collar, and over the chest have a protective function. I think humans have a vestigial memory that anything decorative that takes a long time should also confer energetic or spiritual benefits. And when we see something gorgeous, time consuming, and wearable like Aran cable work, we naturally gravitate to the idea that it should have some meaning.
I always put protective energy and positive thoughts into my crochet mending patches. I just think it's a human way to think about the intersection between decoration and health and well-being. So it's easy to believe those types of stories even when they turn out to be manufactured afterwards.
Beautifully put. It’s not just the time invested, but think how clothing really was something essential for keeping us alive. As humans ventured into colder climates, having well-made fabric to protect them from the elements was a matter of life or death. I can imagine that certain embellishments were associated with offering better protection.
From a knitter’s perspective, cables and Fair Isle genuinely make a more dense, warmer fabric, so there could the improved function might actually be real.
Thank you, and absolutely, it is real! Our textile artist ancestors were nothing if not practical! I don't think they had much time to spend on things that didn't actually make a difference.
The observation that the Aran story “was designed to travel” is the key to the whole piece — Kiewe was not simply recording a tradition, he was building one that could survive export conditions. The detail about Alice Starmore dating the sweaters to post-1946 and tracing their origins to the Scottish gansey tradition feels quietly devastating for Irish national mythology, though your closing point holds: the craft does not depend on the story to be extraordinary. I find myself thinking about how this happens with textiles in general — the moment a cloth becomes associated with identity or place, the origin narrative can calcify very quickly around it, sometimes within a single generation.
Yes, I think we can take a step back and see it in the historical and cultural context, but that doesn’t mean we’re being dismissive. It’s just as interesting to think about the reasons the stories take hold.