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My Class in Castine--A Cabled Fisherman's Vest


Althea

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Here is the class I will be teaching in Castine 2015.  If you know anyone who might be interested, please feel free to pass along this information!

 

Fisherman’s Cabled Vest

 

The Fisherman’s sweater, also known as an Aran Cabled sweater, originated on the west coast of Ireland in the Aran Isles.  The many interwoven designs on these garments are not merely decorative—they are symbolic and specific to the life of a fisherman and sometimes to the family clan itself.  It is said that ill-fated Fisherman who washed ashore after a shipwreck could often be identified by the unique designs on their cabled sweaters.

 

Our Fisherman’s vest has traditional motifs including the basic cable stitch, which depict the fisherman’s ropes and represents a wish for a fruitful day at sea. The diamond pattern is a wish of success, wealth and treasure. The moss stitch, on the back of the vest, represents the seaweed used to fertilize barren fields in the hopes of producing a bountiful harvest.

 

This will be a very fun class for intermediate to advanced knitters with recent knitting experience and is an ideal portable project that can be worked on outside of class.   Miniature knitting experience is desirable but not required. Anyone who is comfortable using smaller needles (such as for sock or glove knitting) and has good hand-eye coordination will be successful though it is recommended that you practice with small needles prior to taking the class.

 

Knitting skills taught in this class include making functional inset pockets and buttonholes.  The stiches and patterns we will employ include ribbing, moss stitch, basic cable, diamond cable and garter stitch.  In addition to these techniques, I will share with the students how to create an almost perfectly seamless garment and in the few places where there are seams, how to make them nearly invisible. 

 

 

TIME: 24 Hours.  Completion is likely –students may need to do some work outside of class.

 

POWER TOOLS: None

 

SKILL LEVEL: Intermediate to advanced.  Experienced knitters will do best in this class.  The design looks complex but is fairly simple and once you get into the rhythm of it, it will be easy to do for long stretches without having to look at the pattern, making it an ideal “portable” project. 

 

MATERIALS FEE:  $50 to be collected at the school. Students will be receiving two sets of hand made double pointed stainless steel needles (4 needles in each set), cotton thread, a pattern with step by step photographic instructions, wooden buttons and a knitting bag the perfect size for this project. 

 

*Additional items to bring to class include small crochet hooks, sewing needles, beading needles, scissors and magnification.

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