The liminal space of Aran shoreland, neither completely of land nor sea, has inspired creatives for generations. Poets like Seamus Heaney have looked on the shore and meditated on the mutable nature of reality. Native knitters, meanwhile, have developed a craft that tries to safeguard their folk against the fickle moods of wind and weather as they cross those boundaries heading out to sea, developing cabled designs that both literally make for a dense, protective fabric and are metaphorically imbued with protective religious and emotional meaning. The chevron pattern, such as the one I have selected are linked with ideas of life as an aspiration towards heaven, while the cables represent both literal fisherman’s ropes and the bonds of family and belief that tether us to our version of reality.
To me, personally, chevrons are the shape of the shore. The keel of the boat, the cresting of waves on the strand, the jutting cliff, the angle of the gull’s wing outlined against a blue sky. Perhaps, the coastal knitters of Aran have felt this too, as chevrons of all types are a recurring theme in the famous Aran fisherman’s sweaters.
The cable pattern for this sock was sourced from the historical treasure-trove on Aran knitting that is “The Complete Book of Traditional Aran Knitting” by Shelagh Hollingswoth.
Aran fisherman’s sweaters are traditionally made, unsurprisingly, in aran weight yarn, usually in natural shades of cream. I’ve compromised by using the slightly thinner worsted weight to make a sock that will work as a boot sock.
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Yarn
Urth Yarns Harvest Worsted (100% extrafine merino; 225 yds [200 m]/100 g): Color Grape Leaf 1 skein.
We used almost the entire skein on the socks, so you might want to buy an extra skein just in case.
Thanks to Urth Yarns for providing the yarn for this sample and to
Needle/Hook
Size US 2 (2.75mm) circulars or DPNS
Or size needed to obtain gauge
Gauge
23 sts and 29 rows = 4″ [10cm] in St st
Size
To fit feet 7 (8, 9, 10) inches/17.5 (20.5, 23, 25.75) cm in circumference
Approx. finished circumferences: 6.25 (7.5, 8.25, 9) inches/ 15.75 (19, 20, 23) cm
Notions
Tapestry needle, stitch markers, waste yarn or spare circular needle, cable needle.
Tutorials
Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off
Pattern Notes
These socks are knit toe-up in the round and feature an afterthought heel. The instructions for the 2-stitch cables are written with the use of a cable needle, as I find I get better definition on my cables this way. They can, however, be worked as left and right twist stitches if you prefer to work them without a cable needle.
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About the Designer: Elizabeth Felgate
Elizabeth Felgate is an independent designer living in a stone cottage in rural Wiltshire in the UK, with eight walnut trees in the garden and roses around the windows. She is slightly obsessed with aquilegias and serama bantams. When not knitting she is a marketing consultant and mother of two.
She likes designing from first principles. Many of her patterns feature custom-designed lace patterns or unusual construction methods, like her gaugeless sweaters. She loves aran weight jumpers and airy lace.
Her Payhip store is here. Her Ravelry store is Elizabeth Felgate and her Ravelry username is lizjuk.
Her Instagram account can be found @elizabethfelgate.
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