Local
August 13 2013 – thisisknit
This past weekend, we got very excited about a grey woollen coat. This article in Irish Times Life and Style section tells of how Aisling Clancy, a graduate in textiles from NCAD, set out to make a glorious winter coat from home-grown Irish fibre, keeping the entire process as close to home as possible.
Starting with Wicklow Cheviot wool and alpaca from Kildare, the entire process happened in Ireland, with long-established mills and weavers contributing to the finished project culminating with Aisling's tailored and elegant design. You can watch a video of the entire project here. It's a really inspiring insight into the entire supply chain, as well as being beautifully directed and shot.
The renaissance of heritage breeds of sheep has been such a success in recent years, with Shetland (now with EU protected status) and Blue-faced Leicester leading the way. What if Wicklow Cheviot was next?
3 comments
Excellent! This is what a few of the ‘twitter knitters’ talked about one Sunday late last year. I do think that we can have an Irish BFL type yarn, all produced in Ireland. We did at one time have an internationally acclaimed woollen trade, why not again? Funny I had ‘researched’ the Wicklow Cheviot after the conversation we had on Twitter. Best of luck to all involved and I hope to be knitting with an Irish product soon!
I really enjoyed this video! I would love to own a winter coat the likes of that beautiful creation !
Beautiful photo – love Glenmalure (more for the yummy pints in the pub then the sheep we have to say!)