I have a nice tiny book about Aran sweaters that indicates that the white heavily patterned sweaters are a 19th century sort of touristy thing. Although, if you think about it - seed stitch, cables and the other pattern elements bulk up the knit in a similar way to fisherman's rib. Every book I've ever seen of traditional fishermen(not knitting books, books about fishermen) - British, Irish, Scnadinavian, German - shows navy blue or black sweaters - mostly rather plain - some in "fisherman's rib" a warm sort of double knit that is easy to make. In fact, the "traditional" sweater around Hamburg is the "Troyer" or "Helgolaender" - a navy fisherman's rib with standing collar and zipper halfway down the breast. My husband still prefers one for his outdoor work - if we would think of how much work people had to do in times past, we'd understand that the fancy patterns in the "good" ethnic pieces were only for Sunday best - and often handed down because not every generation had time to replace them. Its hard to explain, but back in the Midwest, I don't have the need for the thick, warm sweaters I wore when living behind the dikes - that damp sea air made wool a necessary defense against the weather - we often told people we kept sheep in self-defense against the climate.
Sara von Tresckow Fond du Lac, WI [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit our Web Site: http://www.woolgatherers.com Maker of DutchMaster Travel Loom Dealer for Vxabdck Looms and Weaving Accessories To stop mail temporarily mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: set nomail To restore send: set mail
