Shelagh Hollingworth - Traditional Aran Knitting

Knitting Needles

Crochet Hooks

U.K.	U.S.A.	Continental
7 mm		7 mm
6.5 mm	J/10	6.5 mm
6 mm	I/9	6 mm
5.5 mm	H/8	5.5 mm
5 mm	5 mm
4.5 mm	G/6	4.5 mm
4 mm	F/5	4 mm
3.5 mm	E/4	3.5 mm
3 mm	C/2	3 mm
2.5 mm	B/1	2.5 mm

The origin of the famous patterns of the Aran Islands is lost in antiquity but the reasons for the arrival of the fishing shirt, or sweater as it is commonly called today, may be easily understood when the geography and history of the Islands is considered.

The Islands lie to the west coast of Ireland in the mouth of Galway Bay, and to their west they are exposed to the Atlantic Ocean. This geographical position has much to bear on the condition of the landscape and the way in which generations of the islanders have made their subsistence living in the past.

There are three main islands in the group, Inishmore, the largest, lying to the North, Inishmaan (or middle Island) and Inisheer, the island to the south-eastern point of the three.

Although life could never have been said to be good on the islands, there have always been fluctuations in its population. Until about the early eighteenth century the Aran islands played a very important role in the defence of the Western coast of Ireland but later, when strategy altered, the people had to fall back on their subsistence farming and fishing with which we usually associate them. The land consisted mainly of rocky outcrops with small patches of workable soil. The islanders laboured hard and, by making dry stone walls surrounding tiny fields and, in some cases, bringing turf and seaweed to form these fields, managed to raise a few crops and rear hardy cattle on the land. With this and the fishing, which had since time immemorial provided food for the islanders and for the mainland, they were able to maintain a meagre living. Indeed, during the terrible potato famine in Ireland and at times when the mainland was heavily forested and boggy, conditions were so much better on the islands that it was easier to travel across by sea and settle on the islands.

As the mainland began to become more built up and industry developed, bringing better opportunities and living conditions, the emigration from the islands began again. Early in the twentieth century the younger folk left the islands hoping to make their fortune, not just on the mainland but as far away as the United States of America. During the decades leading up to the 1970s the population had dwindled to a quite alarming number. However, with the recent trend towards self-sufficiency, many of the islanders have begun to return to their birthplace and, hopefully, the population will begin a new ascent.

For these people their adventure is cushioned by the helpful wonders of the latest technology and they have the best of both worlds. For them there is the peace and the knowledge that they are making a proud and independent living as hundreds of islanders have in the past, together with the comfort of modern day communication and all the benefits that it provides, the speed of air travel, instant contact by telephone with the mainland and, should distraction be desired, the instant entertainment of radio, television and audio systems.

The cattle that were raised on the islands in the past were part of the income of the people; they were shipped to the mainland for a sufficiently good price to make it worth their while. Until fairly recently this shipment was quite a spectacle and of great fascination to the visitor as well as entertainment to the local people. Because there was no pier in those days on Inishmaan and Inisheer, the cattle were obliged to swim out to the mailboat (the regular caller) and to be winched aboard. Gradually this scene will disappear; a pier has been begun at Inisheer and in just a few years this will be, except for photographs, an historical oddity.

Visitors to the islands are made very welcome and tourism is quite a thriving industry. Although geographically they are relatively small, the islands offer much to see. They are steeped in history and any tourist on the west coast of Ireland should consider a visit to the islands an almost vital part of their tour while they are in the area. Arriving by air the whole pattern is laid out: the great cliffs of Inishmore, the limestone plateau and the historical sites, the famous stone forts and the remains of the monasteries and half buried churches. Visitors come from all over the world, many of them students of ancient languages, as this is part of the Irish-speaking districtthe Gaeltachtwhere the purest old Irish is still spoken. There are still the old fishing curraghs, canvas successors of the frail pre-historic skin-covered craft; still the rough cowhide pampootieshand made leather, sandal-type shoes that have to be dampened occasionally to keep them supplethe brightly coloured criosa long hand woven belt worn round the waist by the menand, of course, the Aran knitting.

Famous though the knitting is, the idea of a great cottage industry is far from a true one. Unfortunately the remuneration from hand knitting is very small related to the time taken to produce a garment; add to this the expense of importing the yarn and all that remains is a few garments to attract the tourists. The bulk of the work that is sent all over the world has to be done by workers on the mainland.

When the patterns were first discovered and admired as works of art as well as for their functional quality they earned their authenticity and rarity because the patterns had never been committed to anything but memory. Now that a generally accepted knitting notation has been formed and many of the pattern stitches and garment shapes have been recorded, it is no longer necessary to go to the Aran islands for the sweaters. They can be purchased anywhere in the world and may be hand knitted by those with the ability, but because of the skill and resourcefulness of the islanders of the past this type of work will always be known by the distinctive name of Aran knitting.