Want a review?Wow. Just Wow. I haven't even gotten to the knitting yet.
I decided to take part of my day and delve into this book that I had promised myself when on a stroll through Barns and Noble while in the Tucson Mall. I fell in love with it there, but didn't have the money to buy it at the time. This book is not only about Aran knitting but will also edify you with a short but poignant look into the history of the Aran Isles as well as the history (surprisingly short history) of Aran knitting.
As much as I want to lay claim to a Celtic background by blood, it is thin blood indeed that a claim may be made. I am approximately 7th or 8th generation after the original crossing of my ancestors, brothers who crossed in the late 1700s from Ireland. But I think that that early desire to claim that heritage has blessed me with an insatiable curiosity about other lands, other peoples, and other cultures.
So, with that point made, here is the other. I decided to learn how to knit mainly for one reason; Aran knitting. The intricate patterns of Celtic knots, the waves of cables, and the rocky peaks and valleys of picot captured my imagination and spoke to me of far away lands and cultures.
At this point, if I got nothing else for Christmas, I would be a happy knitter/amateur anthropolgist :)
2 comments:
Great book Becky. I had it on preorder from Amazon when I knew it was being reprinted. I will have to take a look thru it again now that I am reminded I have it. I luv cables :-)
OOh - I want that book too! I love doing cables. There's a rhythm to them, much like lace, that makes them easy to remember where you are in the pattern.
My celtic ancestry is a little closer (great grandparents on my dad's side, and great grandmother on my mom's) - I think that's why I moved to Oregon. It looks a lot like Ireland, with more trees...
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