Sure has been a while, hasn’t it?
Before leaving for Ireland, I trolled the internets for news of Irish yarn:
1. Three Irish Girls (Lovely woman, lovely yarn (she used to be local to me – there is No Reason she’d remember meeting me. I think I have some of her yarn (from early days) in stash.)
2. Knitty article (and I agree: the best yarn store I found was in Bray (The Wool Shop)
3. Crazy Aunt Purl (who also agreed with the Bray finding)
I swapped up my search terms, tried multiple links; and found: nada.
I was determined that something existed and I would find it. (That sounds as if I expected to conjure yarn out of thin air. And, in retrospect, after two weeks of tromping through sheep fields, I’m astounded that there is not yarn on every street corner.)
But … first I was in Dublin.
And on the plane, on the way over (with my TSA friendly bamboo knitting needles), I started swatching my travel knitting (more on that later). I decided I needed pointier needles. So, while Dude ran an errand (yup, that’s a story unto itself) I found Aunt Purl’s recommendation: This is Knit.
Lovely shop. Lovely people. I wish had more than 20 minutes to find the place, purchase needles, ask after local yarns, and get back to Dude.
However, they were efficient, knowledgable and pleasant. (And I was successful. And what more can you say about a yarn shop – they sold me yarn? Awesome. And I was back to Dude before he was done.)
So I dropped my new skeins in the luggage, swapped out needles and was off.
After a day of sight-seeing (Dublin in a day!) I dragged Dude to the National Museum to see the bog people.
(I think I heard that EZ had based the Bog Coat on an article of clothing (the oldest known garment?) found on Bog People. So … I heard the National Museum had bog people and I went to see.)
On the way, there was a lovely shop, Cleo Ltd, with sweaters in the window.
But we were running late and the museum was about to close so we strode past with me not taking my eyes off the windows until I was walking backwards and it went out of sight. (I feared they were handknit on machine. Or machine knit. Or NotWool. Or just plain Touristy.)
Fortunately, it stayed open after the Museum closed.
I wandered around, looking at sweaters and woolens and blankets and mittens and hats and toys (and that web site does not do it justice. The work was amazing. ) Dude sat in a hand-made wooden rocking chair and read the newspaper.
In a basket, under a table, in the basement (with the men’s tweed jackets) was yarn (And buttons made from ancient yews recovered from a bog. But I forgot to take pictures of that.):
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
On the left, unidentified blue sheepy yarn. 200 g. Unidentified yardage. (I’m thinking something for Dude.)
On the right, is a sage green boucle from Cushendale. 70% Mohair, 30% Wool (unidentified sources), 100 g, 200 m. (I’m thinking it will be a scarf.) (This is the yarn I found in Bray, on day 2. I can’t find an web site for the shop but you can’t miss it.)
The Next (and Last) yarn I found was in Dingle.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Studio Donegal. It just happens to be the same yarn I purchased at This is Knit! (10 days earlier. Ahem.)
The larger lower skein is 200 g/320 m. The top 3 are 50 g/80 m. Lower larger skein was not labeled (signage at the store but not on the skein). I did not notice it was The Same Yarn until I got home. Same dye lot (says my receipt).
The smaller skeins are for the Red Scarf Project. (Suggestions? I’ve started two patterns, unsuccessfully.)
That is the Irish Yarn. (Mr Google so doesn’t have the inside scoop on this one.)
(Yes, there’s buttons and sweaters and blankets to go. Oh my.)
