I was going to indulge in a bit of whinging…even thought of creating a ‘Whinge-O-Meter’ to track it. But as I thought about the state of knitting in Ireland, I found more cause for hope than despair. Now, I am not Irish…I did not live here in the 70s, 80s or 90s…my observations may be totally skewed, but here’s my own brief socio-economic review of knitting in Ireland.
I live in a land that gave the world the Aran jumper.
I live in a country where sheep are regularly featured on the surrounding hillsides.
I live in a culture where knitting was faithfully taught in primary schools.
Then why, may I ask, is it so difficult to find good yarn here?
Simply put:
Fashions have grown past the need for only Aran jumpers.
The hillside sheep are for meat and their less-than-suitable, coarse fleeces used for housing insulation.
Knitting is no longer taught in primary schools.So, what happened to all the good yarn shops?
Family wool shop owners grew older and retired with no one to take their place.
The economy of the 70s and 80s couldn’t support these small businesses.
Cheaper, disposable knit-wear began appearing in shops.
Having the home made knit jumper was not necessarily associated with new-found prosperity.Then what’s the outlook for knitting in Ireland?
In an ever-increasing stressful society, those who were taught to knit in schools are rediscovering the joy and serenity of clicking the needles.
With cool yarns and hip-and-with-it patterns in the market, younger people are learning to knit, finding an outlet for their creativity.
As more knitting communities form, they are looking for good resources for yarn.
Because of steady increase in demand, slowly but surely more good yarn shops are opening.The future is brightening to be sure. For my part, I think I need to be patient…more shops will come…supply, demand and all that. I also think I need to help the yarn market along with a personal commitment of buying more. Wouldn’t you agree? Always willing to do my share to boost the economy!
Sounds like a good opportunity for YOU Cheryl, whenever you’re legally allowed to own a business there. Seriously. . .think about it! Do you have to be an Irish citizen to own and operate a business? Or, can you start a business there without citizenship as long as you employ Irish citizens? Hmmm. . .I can see it now. . .a yarn shop/ knitting hang-out/ knitting school/ coffee shop. Maybe you could lure Barista-guy back from Canada to run the coffee part!
24 Jun 2006 at 2:06 am