Aran jumper

[creagdhubh]

The funny thing is I just received an L.L. Bean magazine in the mail like 2 days ago, never have before that either! lol



Thanks for the input guys!

HAHA! You got mate, good luck!

[English Bloke]

Nice though they are, I couldn't afford £85 for a jumper. 'Er indoors would go bonkers.

[NewEnglander]

Is THIS the L.L.Bean sweater you recommend, Kyle?

[Lyle1]

Wow, ll bean is nice.

I did find this, is it crap? lol


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=A2ZP4EHZBNY3P




I wish people wouldnt make the pictures look so fancy! haha

It looks good to me, too. If you buy it and don't like it, you can always send it back. The vendors on Amazon are good about returns, maybe because you are asked to rate the experience, and the ratings are public!

[creagdhubh]

is this the l.l.bean sweater you recommend, kyle?

Yes!

[Tobus]

While we're on the subject, does anyone know where one can find an Aran sweater (jumper) that's made in the more traditional manner? Meaning, it's heavier, with rougher wool that retains the full lanolin of the wool? I've wanted one for years but I never see one that seems to be authentic; they all seem like lightweight commercially-produced versions that replicate the look but not the performance.

[Paul Henry]

While we're on the subject, does anyone know where one can find an Aran sweater (jumper) that's made in the more traditional manner? Meaning, it's heavier, with rougher wool that retains the full lanolin of the wool? I've wanted one for years but I never see one that seems to be authentic; they all seem like lightweight commercially-produced versions that replicate the look but not the performance.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean, I grew up in Northern Ireland where it seemed absolutley normal to wear aran jumpers or cardigans or mittens. These were knitted by grannies and aunts , and as I grew older by myself as well. The wool was bought in skeins from various shops selling the traditional yarn (often from Donegal I think)
I don't remember the jumpers being especially rough, heavy perahps, but they were lovely, I've only got an old one left with a few holes , but it was I knitted myself aged about 18 , so it's got sentimental attachments. Perhaps I need to start a new one!
I've seen some of the ebay offerings and they appeared to be very similar to the ones I grew up with. Of course they all smelt of the oil/lanolin which at first was lovely but after a while we were happy when the washing began to remove some of it.

[Tobus]

I'm not entirely sure what you mean

Well to be quite honest, I'm not sure what I mean either! I'm only going by what I've read over the years (for example, here). It seems to suggest that, traditionally, they were made with rough, raw, unwashed wool and had superior water-resistance and warmth. But all the sweaters I see in this style from the usual commercial retailers seem to be made from more industrial-grade clean/processed yarn, if that makes any sense.

I could be on a wild-goose chase, expecting to find something that doesn't match what I think it's supposed to be. But I have doubts that the sweater sold by LL Bean (for example) would have the performance of an older authentic Irish fisherman's sweater. So my question was whether someone sells a sweater that has more of that rustic authenticity to it, as opposed to a modernized fashion replica.

Or am I way off base, and these commercial sweaters do have all the performance of the original hand-made ones?

[Paul Henry]

Well to be quite honest, I'm not sure what I mean either! I'm only going by what I've read over the years (for example, here). It seems to suggest that, traditionally, they were made with rough, raw, unwashed wool and had superior water-resistance and warmth. But all the sweaters I see in this style from the usual commercial retailers seem to be made from more industrial-grade clean/processed yarn, if that makes any sense.

I could be on a wild-goose chase, expecting to find something that doesn't match what I think it's supposed to be. But I have doubts that the sweater sold by LL Bean (for example) would have the performance of an older authentic Irish fisherman's sweater. So my question was whether someone sells a sweater that has more of that rustic authenticity to it, as opposed to a modernized fashion replica.

Or am I way off base, and these commercial sweaters do have all the performance of the original hand-made ones?

Ah.. I see what you mean now, I think!
There is a lot of "romance" about Aran jumpers and the knitting of them, it is very doubtful if they existed in the form they do now, and in truth they were much more of an employment relief scheme for the islanders.

Certainly there is evidence of fishermen's jumpers being worn by lots of different groups around the British Isles, e.g ganseys/guernseys, and indeed Jersey which gave it's name a generic type. Many of these did have some sort of oil dressing either natural or added, but the wool in time would have matted together and made a fairly impervious layer regarless of the grease content. I've read contemporary accounts that the fishermen wore these for best and photographs, but didn't wear them for actual work on the waves as they restricted movement and were heavy to work in, perahps for mending nets and boats duty on land.

There are several good books on traditional jumpers, one of best I know is Patterns-Guernseys-Jerseys-Gladys-Thompson
Even if you don't want to knit your own , it's a great reference book,and is regarded as an important tome

[piperdbh]

If you could find somebody who spins yarn, you could get some of it from them and ask them to not wash it, thereby preserving the lanolin in the wool. Then you'd have to get somebody to make the sweater, which is a whole lot of work. However, as paulhenry already said, it begins to smell rather sheepish after a while and you might regret the choice.