Aran You Gonna Snuggle Up In One?

We've been on a bit of a fashion history buzz here at Vagabond HQ and so I thought I would write a little something on a key aspect of Irish fashion and culture - the Aran Sweater (or jumper, as we would say back home.) I'm currently cuddled up with a cup of tea hiding from the snow (it's OCTOBER!) and I would love nothing more than to have one of these babies thrown on with leggings and some cute ankle boots.

The sweater hails from a group of islands off the west coast of Ireland, hence its moniker. It is quite a beautiful place and looks something like this:

Inis Mor, Co. Galway, Ireland.

 The original inception of the Aran Sweater was a purely functional one. Each family had their own pattern that was decidedly their own. Following accidents at sea, the intricate designs of each family's pattern was used to identify bodies washed up at shore.

The patterns have strong links with Celtic Art and are said to reference stone carvings found at the Neolithic burial site at Newgrange, Co. Meath, Ireland. Aran Sweaters often incorporate spirals, chevrons and lozenges in the knit, such as those found on the Kerbstone of the burial site at Newgrange:

Kerbstone, Newgrange, Co. Meath, Ireland.

The stitches themselves have their own names, with the Tree of Life stitch being the most noted. Representing family and unity, it incoporates the very essence of the Aran sweater.

Traditionally a hand stitched craft from the west of Ireland, the majority of Aran sweaters are now manufactured by machine rendering a genuine handcrafted piece to be a very valuable investment.