Ireland And Knitting

I'll be honest. When I read the itinerary for this trip, I was a little concerned that all the sheep and mills and yarn might be too much and it could be a dull tour. (I did understand that this was a "knitting" tour, but how many sheep did I want to see?) Thankfully I could NOT have been more wrong. It was wonderful. I learned something at every stop. Something about yarn. Something about the history of the area. Something about global economics and how these small businesses manage to survive. This part of the trip—and it was only part of what we saw—was fascinating.

The Constant Knitter, Dublin

 Aoibhe Ni, Tunisian Crochet designer

 Kieran Foley, textile artist

The Constant Knitter welcomed us into their shop

 and provided upstairs space for us to meet and learn from these designers.

 Anne O'Maille, Galway

The restaurant, Ard Bia at Nimmons, 

hosted us for lunch in a private space

before Anne O'Maille joined us. 

 

Anne O'Maille told us about her business that sells hand knit aran sweaters. 

She said the end of her business is in sight because her knitters 

range in age from their 50s to their 90s, with no younger knitters coming along.

 Cushendale Woolen Mill, Graignemanagh, Kilkenny

Philip Cushen told us about the mill that has been in his family for 6 generations.

Kerry Woollen Mill, Killarney

This mill was founded 300 years ago.

 The mill changed owners in 1904 and is now 

in the capable hands of the fourth generation of this second family/owners.

Hedgehog Fibres, Cork

The specialty of this business is hand dying 

artisan luxury yarn in spectacular colors.

Helen Stewart, knitting designer, 

Mount Juliet Estate, Kilkenny

 A pattern, appropriately named Mount Juliet, 

was designed for our group by Helen Stewart.

And yarn dyed by an indie Irish dyer, was provided for each of us.

We walked into our knitting space and each found a pattern and yarn waiting for us.

We then had a morning to cast on our shawls 

while Helen was available to answer questions about the pattern.

 Helen and me, standing in the Moongate in the walled garden at Mount Juliet.

There was also ample opportunity for yarn and wool shopping at these stops. I might have brought home some yarn. And a couple of woven shawls. And maybe shipped a couple of blankets home. All in all, I was a simple shopper. I did not require an extra bag to get my purchases home. That was my goal. But I kind of surprised myself that I managed to do it.

This tour was designed by Celtic Journeys, especially for us, a group of avid knitters and fiber enthusiasts. It was a fascinating look at the traditional woolen industry and how those businesses are woven (no pun intended) into the history of this country.

If you are interested in making your own Mount Juliet Shawl, the pattern is available for purchase now on Ravelry.