Aran sweater

The Aran (or Arran) is a style of jumper/sweater^[1] that takes its name from the Aran Islands off the West Coast of Ireland.^[2][3]

The sweaters are distinguished by their use of complex textured stitch patterns, several of which are combined in the creation of a single garment. The word choice of "jumper" or "sweater" (or indeed other options such as "pullover" and "jersey") is largely determined by the regional version of English being spoken.^[1] In the case of Ireland and Britain "jumper" is the standard word with "sweater" mainly found in tourist shops. The word used in Irish Gaelic is geansaí, a gaelicization of guernsey which has been re-Anglicised to gansey in Hiberno-English.

Originally the jumpers were knitted using unscoured wool that retained its natural oils or lanolin which made the garments water-resistant and meant they remained wearable even when wet. It was primarily the wives of Island fishermen who knitted the jumpers.

Some stitch patterns have a traditional interpretation often of religious significance. The honeycomb is a symbol of the hard-working bee. The cable, an integral part of the fisherman's daily life, is said to be a wish for safety and good luck when fishing. The diamond is a wish of success wealth and treasure. The basket stitch represents the fisherman's basket, a hope for a plentiful catch.

Characteristics

Traditionally an Aran jumper is made from undyed cream-coloured báinín (pronounced "bawneen"), a yarn made from sheep's wool, sometimes "black-sheep" wool. They were originally made with unwashed wool that still contained natural sheep lanolin, making it to an extent water-repellent. Up to the 1970s the island women spun their own yarn on spinning wheels.

The jumper usually features 4–6 texture patterns each of which is about 5-10 cm (2–4 in) in width, that move down the sweater in columns from top to bottom. Usually the patterns are symmetrical to a centre axis extending down the centre of the front and back panel. The patterns also usually extend down the sleeves as well. The same textured knitting are also used to make socks, hats, vests and even skirts.

History of Aran

There is debate about when island residents first started making the jumpers. Some have suggested that the jumper is an ancient design that has been used on the island for hundreds of years.^[4][5] Proponents of this theory often point to a picture in the Book of Kells that appears to depict an ancient "Aran jumper".^[6] Also, many megaliths around Europe depict similar patterns to those used in the knitting, which are carved into the stone, and date back several thousand years. However it is more likely that the knitting stitches were modelled on these than that they evolved contemporaneously.

Most historians agree^[7] that far from being an ancient craft, Aran knitting was invented as recently as the early 1900s by a small group of enterprising island women, with the intention of creating garments not just for their families to wear but which could be sold as a source of income.

The first Aran knitting patterns were published in the 1940s by Patons of England. Vogue magazine carried articles on the garment in the 1950s, and jumper exports from the west of Ireland to the United States began in the early 1950s.

The development of the export trade during the 1950s and 1960s took place after P.A. Ó Síocháin organised an instructor, with the help of a grant from the Congested Districts Board for Ireland, to go to the islands and teach the knitters how to make garments to standard international sizings. He commissioned the Irish artist Seán Keating, who had spent much time on the islands, to design and illustrate marketing brochures. Knitting became an important part of the island's economy and during the 1960s, even with all available knitters recruited from the three islands and from other parts of Ireland he had difficulty in fulfilling orders from around the world.

Myths about Aran jumpers

Aran jumpers are often sold as a "fisherman sweater", suggesting that the jumper was traditionally used by the islands' famous fishermen. It is sometimes said that each fisherman (or their family) had a jumper with a unique design, so that if he drowned and was found maybe weeks later on the beach, his body could be identified. There is no record of any such event ever taking place, nor is there any evidence to support there being a systematic tradition of family patterns.

This misconception may have originated with J.M. Synge's 1904 play Riders to the Sea, in which the body of a dead fisherman is identified by the hand-knitted stitches on one of his garments. However, even in the play there is no reference to any decorative or Aran type pattern. The garment referred to is a plain stocking and it is identified by the number of stitches, the quote being "it's the second one of the third pair I knitted, and I put up three score stitches, and I dropped four of them".

There is also some doubt about whether Aran jumpers were ever widely used by fishermen and many argue that the original jumpers with their untreated yarn would not have been suitable for this use. They were quite thick and stiff, which would probably restrict the movements of a fisherman. On the other hand these garments were the only form of hardy clothing they had to weather the Atlantic Ocean storms in. Islanders can be seen wearing them in photographs taken early in the twentieth century.

Clan Aran patterns

Arising from the myth above is a widely believed misconception that Aran patterns have clan associations. The idea of clan Aran sweaters has widespread appeal to the Irish diaspora and is often used as a marketing tool. Most research concludes that there is no definitive evidence to support the concept of clan patterns, though it is possible that variations in design may have occurred in different families and regions. Anecdotal evidence varies on this point with some older knitters saying that family patterns existed and others denying it.

Aran production today

A green Aran sweater, made in Ireland

While in the past the majority of jumpers and other Aran garments were knit by hand, today the majority of items on sale in Ireland and elsewhere are either machine knit or produced on a hand loom. There are very few people still knitting jumpers by hand on a commercial basis.

Machine knit jumpers tend to use finer wool and have less complex patterns, since many of the traditional stitches cannot be reproduced this way. They are the least expensive option. Hand looming allows more complicated stitches to be used, will have more stitches to the inch and be thicker. The best quality hand loomed sweaters are almost indistinguishable from hand knit. Hand knit jumpers tend to be more tightly knit, to have more complex stitch patterns and to be longer lasting and they attract a significant price premium. By holding them up to light the difference between the machine knit and hand knit is evident.

Wool classing

Wool classing is an occupation in which people are trained to produce uniform, predictable, low risk lines of wool. This is carried out by examining the characteristics of the wool in its raw state. The characteristics which a wool classer should examine are:

Breed of the sheep: Shedding breeds will increase the risk of medulated and/or pigmented fibres. Any sheep likely to have dark fibres should be shorn last to avoid contamination. The age of the sheep will have a bearing on the fibre diameter and value of wool, too.

Chemical usage: Ensure that all rules have been followed.

Brands, jowls and shanks: Must be removed from fleeces and broken.

Stain: Must be removed from fleeces and identified in a separate line.

Wool crimp: The number of bends per unit length along the wool fiber approximately indicates spinning capacity of the wool. Fibers with a fine crimp have many bends and usually have a small diameter. Such fibers can be spun into fine yarns, with great lengths of yarn for a given weight of wool, and greater market value. Fine fibres may be utilised in the production of fine garments such as men's suits whereas the coarser fibres may be used for the production of carpet and other sturdy products. Crimp is measured in crimps per inch or crimps per centimetre. Average diameter or mean fibre diameter is measured in micrometres (microns). For generations, English wool-handlers categorized wool along the above lines estimating spinning capacity by eye and touch. This spread worldwide as the Bradford system.

Wool Strength (also known as tensile strength) determines wool's ability to withstand processing. Weaker wools produce more waste in carding & spinning. Weaker wools may be used for production of felt, or combined with other fibres, etc.

Wool color: Indicates whether wool is able to be dyed in light shades. Color may be graded depending upon the natural color, impurities and various stains present. Severely stained wool decreases prices dramatically. However, it is difficult to assess colour accurately without proper measurement, since some stains will wash out in the processing, whereas others are quite persistent.

The fleece is skirted to remove excess frib, seed and burr etc to leave the fleece as reasonably even as possible in good respects. The parts of wool taken from a sheep are graded separately. The fleece forming the bulk of the yield is placed with other fleece wool as the main line, other pieces such as the neck, belly and skirtings (inferior wool from edges) are sold for such purposes where the shorter wools are required (for example: fillings, carpets, insulation). Whilst in some places crimp may determine which grade the fleece will be placed into, this subjective assessment is not always reliable and processors prefer that wools are measured objectively by qualified laboratories. Some of the superfine wool growers do in shed wool testing, but this can only be used as a guide. This enables wool classers to place wool into lines of a consistent quality. A shedhand, known as a wool presser, places the wool into approved wool packs in a wool press to produce a bale of wool that must meet regulations concerning its fastenings, length, weight and branding if it is to be sold at auction in Australasia. All Merino fleece wool sold at auction in Australia is objectively measured for fibre diameter, yield (including the amount of vegetable matter), staple length, staple strength and sometimes colour.

Classers are also responsible for ensuring that a pre-shearing check is made to ensure that the wool and sheep areas are free of possible contaminants. They are to supervise shed staff during shearing and train any inexperienced hands. At the end of shearing classers have to provide full documentation concerning the clip.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sweater curse

Knitters use the term Sweater Curse or the Curse of the Love Sweater to describe a situation in which a knitter gives a hand-knit sweater to a significant other, who quickly breaks up with the knitter.^[1] In an alternative formulation, the relationship will end before the sweater is even completed.^[2] The belief is widely discussed in knitting publications and some knitters claim to have experienced the Sweater Curse;^[3][4][5] a recent poll indicated that 15% of active knitters say they have experienced the sweater curse firsthand, and 41% consider it a possibility that should be taken seriously.^[6]

Despite its name, the Sweater Curse is treated in knitting literature not as a superstition governed by paranormal forces, but rather as a real-world pitfall of knitting that has real-world explanations and solutions.^[3][7] Several plausible mechanisms for the sweater curse have been proposed, but it has not been studied systematically.

Gifts of sweaters are believed by some knitters to break up relationships.

Existence

No controlled studies have investigated this phenomenon, and the available evidence is largely anecdotal, which is generally of low reliability due to cognitive bias.^[8] Particularly important in this effect may be confirmation bias, as knitters may remember breakups more clearly after giving a hand-knit sweater, which represents a significant investment of money (typically over $100), effort (~100,000 stitches), time (as much as a year)^[9] and romantic imagination.^[4]

Proposed mechanisms

Although the existence of this effect remains uncertain, it is a common belief amongst the knitting population and several plausible and non-exclusive mechanisms for the Sweater Curse have been suggested within knitting periodicals and books:

• Unlucky timing. Knitting a sweater takes a long time, and the relationship dies of natural causes during its making.^[10]
• Rescue mission. The knitter senses subconsciously that the relationship is about to end, and knits a sweater as a dramatic gesture to save it.
• Catalyst for analyzing the relationship. Giving or receiving a significant gift such as a sweater may cause either the giver or receiver to evaluate the relationship.^[5] For example, the gift may seem too intimate, too domestic or too binding to the significant other. It can be seen as a signal that makes them realize that the relationship is not reciprocal, prompting them to end the relationship before it involves obligations.^[10][11]
• Aversion. The significant other may simply not want to wear anything hand-knit.^[3] A hand-knit sweater can also subject them to ridicule, either because the sweater looks bad (i.e., poorly made or unfashionable) or conveys overly domestic connotations.^[4][10][11]
• Misdirected attention. The knitter loves their sweater a little too much, and pesters the significant other about the sweater instead of working on their relationship.^[10] Alternatively, the knitter loves to knit too much, and spends too much time with their knitting instead of with the significant other.
• Delusion. The knitter imagines incorrectly that their significant other likes them, and is not disillusioned before knitting the sweater and giving it to them.

Avoidance

For many knitters, making a hand-knit gift is an emotional experience, an extended affectionate meditation on the person receiving the gift.^[4] A metaphor commonly used by knitters is, "I knit my love into every stitch."^[12] Since giving too significant a gift too early in a relationship can evoke apprehension,^[10] knitters have been advised to match the knitted gift to the stage in the relationship, beginning with scarves, socks, mittens or hats before graduating to sweaters.^[13] Many knitters wait until marriage before making a sweater for a significant other,^[5][10][13] or ask their affianced to sign a "pre-knitual agreement".^[1]

Common-sense advice to knitters is that they should determine whether the recipient would ever wear a hand-knitted sweater.^[3] For example, a sweater may not suit the intended recipient's clothing style or it could make them uncomfortably hot. More serious problems include wool intolerance,^[14] which is particularly severe in people who suffer from atopic dermatitis.^[15] Knitters have also been advised to involve the significant other in designing the sweater (e.g., in choosing its design, colors and materials) and follow their suggestions, even if the knitter objects.^[16] Several books offer practical design advice for avoiding the Sweater Curse.^[3][7]

Sweater design

Sweater design is a specialization of fashion design in which knitted sweaters are designed to fulfil certain aesthetic, functional and commercial criteria. The designer typically considers factors such as the insulating power of the sweater (and its resulting warmth for the wearer); the fashion of its colors, patterns, silhouette and style lines, particularly the neckline and waistline; the convenience and practicality of its cut; and in commercial design, the cost of its production and the profitability of its price point. Sweater designs are often published in books and knitting magazines. Sweater design is an old art, but continues to attract new designers such as Nicky Epstein and Meg Swansen.

Criteria

The aim of sweater design is a sweater that fulfils certain criteria. The primary criterion is that its intended wearer wants to wear it and, in case of commercial sweater design, is willing to buy it at a commercially feasible price point. General secondary criteria include

• the insulating power, material and breathability of the sweater should make its intended wearer physically comfortable;

• the sweater should be appropriate for the occasion in which it will be worn;

• makes its intended wearer feel fashionably attractive;

To satisfy these secondary criteria, the designer has several tools at their disposal, such as yarns, colors, patterns, textures, necklines, hemlines, sleeve shapes, style lines, pockets and embellishments, as well as the fit of the garment to its intended wearer, the silhouette.

• For commercial sweater design, the production of the sweater must also be inexpensive, lest the price point be too high and make the sweater undesirable. This is generally done by simplifying the design so that it can be made by machine; more complicated commercial designs are generally hand-knit in pieces that are then stitched together. For example, the separate pieces of the hand-knit sweaters found in stores are generally knit and assembled in different villages in China.

Despite the wealth of design techniques and studies of successful designs, the primary criterion (that the sweater be desired) is not always achieved, often due to factors beyond the designer's control including serendipity.

Functional role as criterion

Sweaters are worn in various circumstances. For example, while some sweaters are worn at fancy dress occasions, others are worn to work, to religious services, in sporting or outdoors events such as hiking and camping. Similarly, the choice of a sweater can vary with different climates and different seasons, even with different times of the day. The sweater designer will generally target a particular occasion and temperature, e.g., a bulky, cabled, long-sleeved woolen seater for camping versus a refined, elegantly simple, short-sleeved cashmere sweater for white-collar work

Comfort criterion

Comfort is paramount; the sweater should make the wearer feel at ease, in the most general sense. The temperature should be right, the fabric should "breathe" and should not irritate the skin. The sweater should hang right and not need constant adjustment; It should fit well and allow for customary motion without binding (e.g., at the armholes). Finally, a sweater should not make the wearer feel uncomfortable because of its "cut" (e.g. showing bra straps or too much cleavage) or general style (e.g., colors/patterns that the wearer feels are inappropriate).

Fitting a sweater

A simple sweater pattern with drop shoulders and cylindrical torso.

The fit of a sweater affects its comfort, its attractiveness and, sometimes, its practicality (e.g., dangling sleeves can fall into food or get caught on hooks).

The simplest sweaters (drop sleeve, cylindrical) require six measurements:

• circumference around the bust/chest (widest point)
• circumference (or width) of the neck
• under-arm length (armhole to sleeve-cuff hem)
• circumference of the arm at the sleeve-cuff hem
• back length (vertical distance from back of the neck to lower hem)
• armhole depth (vertical distance from bottom of armhole to lower hem)

Sweater with tapered torso and set-in sleeves.

A few more measurements usually produce a well-fitted sweater:

• circumference at the lower hem
• over-arm length (shoulder to sleeve-cuff hem)
• circumference of the upper arm near the armhole
• bust height (vertical distance from back of the neck to bust line)
• shoulder width (horizontal distance between bony shoulder points, measured across back)

Sweater with a waistline and set-in sleeves.

For a more tailored look, even more measurements are necessary

• slope of the shoulders (vertical distance from base of neck to shoulder-point line)
• neck-shoulder length (horizontal distance from base of neck to shoulder point)
• circumference at the waist, the point of largest inward or outward curvature
• waist height (vertical distance from back of the neck to waist line)

Ideally, these measurements will be taken directly from the intended wearer, since bodies are idiosyncratic and these measurements may vary independently of one another, e.g., the bust measurement does not determine the waist or hip measurements, just as the height does not determine the arm length or shoulder width. Alternatively, the body measurements may be estimated from clothing that fits the wearer well. As a last resort, standard measurements such as EN 13402 or US standard clothing sizes may be used.

Of course, a sweater need not conform exactly to the wearer's body. Ease may be introduced to make the sweater larger than the body (oversized), typically by increasing the circumference measurements by 2-6 inches. Different amounts of ease can be introduced at different points to give the sweater a distinctive silhouette. For example, a "Gibson-girl" sleeve is produced by adding much ease to the upper arm and none to the lower arm, whereas the reverse is true for "bell" sleeves (also called "bishop" sleeves). Similarly, the bodice can fit loosely in the bust and tightly at the waist, or the reverse. Negative ease (i.e., subtracting from the body measurements) is also possible to achieve a very close-fitting look, but more than 2 inches is not recommended.

By making the sweater match the desired measurements, an excellently fitting sweater can be made. The width of a knitted piece at a given height should equal the corresponding circumference; for example, if the desired bust circumference is 38", then the front or back width at that height should be 19" each. The width of the upper sleeve (just before the sleeve cap, if any) should likewise equal the desired circumference of the upper arm.

Having determined the size and shapes of the knitted pieces, the number of stitches in a row is given by the desired width multiplied by the knitting gauge (e.g., 5 st/inch). Similarly, the number of rows in a column may be determined by multiplying the desired height by the vertical gauge (e.g., 3 rows/inch).

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sweater

A sweater, pullover, jumper, or jersey is a relatively heavy shirt intended to cover the torso and arms of the human body (though, in some cases, sweaters are made for dogs and occasionally other animals) and typically to be worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt or other top. Sweaters tend to be, and in earlier times always were, made from wool (typically of sheep, though possibly of alpaca or other type); however, they can be made of cotton, synthetic fibres, or some combination thereof. Sweaters are maintained by washing, and the use of a lint roller.

Types and design

"Hot dog" Sweater

Navy "Wooly Pully" (woolen pullover), rib-knit.

Seaman's jumper, woolen, hand-knitted.

Look up Sweater in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The term "sweater" is a catch-all for various types of garments. A fundamental division is between a cardigan (which opens in front) and a pullover (which does not). If the sweater has no sleeves, it is generally called a vest.

Even within these groups, there is a great variety of design. All the various types of necklines are found, although the V-neck, turtleneck and the crew neck are the most popular. The waistline is typically at hip height, but can vary significantly. The sleeve length is likewise variable, ranging from small cap sleeves to short sleeves to three-quarter sleeves to full-length sleeves. The front seam of a cardigan allows for further possibilities, such as a surplice or a bolero jacket. All the hems may have various types of borders, such as picots, ribbing (knitting) and frills.

One advantage of sweaters is that they conform well to the body without requiring the tailoring as woven garments. For example, shaping such as darts, flares and gores — commonly found in woven blouses, a comparable garment — are rarely needed in sweaters, thanks to the Elasticity and drape of knitted fabrics. Even when such shaping is needed, it can be knit into the fabric itself, without requiring seams. However, this very elasticity makes it necessary to use more care when washing.

[edit] Nomenclature

If made of thick cotton, it is usually known as a sweatshirt. A hooded sweatshirt is commonly known as a hoodie. These items of clothing have been vilified in the United Kingdom as representative of a yob culture and banned from a number of shops and shopping centres.[1] However hoodies showing affliation to subjects, groups, colleges (in the case of collegiate universities) and universities themselves are common wear from students in further education. A jumper with an open front fastened by buttons or a zipper, is called a cardigan. A hockey sweater was, in the early days of ice hockey, recognisable as what people in the 2000s would call a sweater, but has since evolved into a sort of jersey. Thus, in modern-day North American usage, the shirt of an ice-hockey player's uniform is traditionally called a sweater, regardless of the style.

In British English, a sweater is called a pullover, sweater, jersey, or jumper, this last term being the most common name in British English and Australian English. In South African English, a sweater is always called a jersey. Sleeveless pullovers are known in American English and Australian English as vests or sweater vests. In British English they are known as tank tops.

Customary wear

Thin sweaters may be worn tucked in to the waistband of trousers; but otherwise, men's sweaters are to be worn untucked.

Sweaters are a versatile item of clothing, which can be worn on top of almost any outfit. Sports sweaters, especially hoodies, are often worn on tops of sports kit which travelling to or from a sports ground. As a part of the preppy style sweaters are worn with a dress shirt underneath (and optionally a tie), which has the advantage of allowing the wearer to have the option of removing the sweater when it is uncomfortably warm and still look presentable in many situations with only the shirt. In the late 20th century the sweater increasingly came to be worn as an alternative to a shirt when finer materials made them more comfortable next to the skin.

Some women's sweaters are meant to be worn belted; sometimes, a belt or drawstring is knitted into the sweater itself.

In ice hockey, the uniforms that present day players wear are sometimes referred to as "sweaters" although they more resemble the jerseys worn in other sports. This is because original uniforms were simply sweaters with the team's logo stiched on the front. However, as technology changed, so did the uniforms as actual sweaters absorbed too much moisture and became weighed down and bulky throughout the course of a game.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia