Traditional Knitting

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Traditional Knitting

• Sweaters of Britain

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A look at three Islands

• Guernsey
• Aran
• Fair Isle
• All around Great Britain
• Different culture, different sweaters

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Guernsey
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Background

• These sweaters date back to the sixteenth century
• Originally made for fisherman who needed
  something warm while out at sea
• In 1805 it was adopted as the uniform of the
  Royal Navy
• All one color

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The Yarn

• Traditionally blue
• Many strands spun very tightly to keep in warmth
• Because of the thinness of the yarn the sweaters
  had to be knit tightly which added to the
  durability

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Guernsey Fisherman
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Aran Sweaters
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History

• Created on the Aran Islands off the coast of
  Ireland
• Also was created for use while fishing and
  farming
• However, different stitches symbolized different
  things
• All one color

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Honeycomb Stitch

• Reminder of the hardworking bee

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The Cable

• Wishing for safety and good luck while fishing
• Is the most common in almost every Aran sweater

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The Basket stitch

• Represents the fishermans basket
• Its made in hopes to bring in a large and
  profitable catch

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The Diamond stitch

• This stitch is knit in wishes of success, wealth,
  and treasure

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Aran
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Fair Isle

• No cables, no variation in stitches
• Color is introduced
• Even though it looks hard only use one color at a
  time

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Henry VIII

• He displayed his richness with his clothes
• He wore rich colors such as red, green, gold, and
  bronze
• He later inspired this sweater

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• No cables
• Shows vibrant colors
• Looks like a tapestry

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Another Fair Isle design

• This pattern was inspired by Mary Tudor
• Its the same type as Henry VIII, but varies a
  lot in color and pattern