We are always becoming

Life is the best teacher, just as it is. It is the toughest teacher. It won’t tolerate slothfulness for long. It’s always throwing some difficult problem your way and then seeing what you will do with it. ― Stephanee Killen

The Aran Sweater

Your struggles will give you everything.

Four years ago I didn’t know anything about knitting. I can say that knitting choose me. The dim circumstances that I was experiencing at that time brought me to this handcraft. I was emotionally at breakdown. I was nothing beside the things that I had lost & failed at. Sometimes the world is a dark & lonesome place with heavy clouds that no amount of tears & pain can break it down. Deep down we’re all the same; damaged and fighting battles. We just have to keep going…

I taught myself knitting (in the Portuguese way) and it came along like a second nature and a therapy.

Over the years I knit a few pieces but since last year that I decided to knit much more. Not only for challenging myself with new techniques and garments that I never made but also for another goal, which is to make sustainable garments to fill my wardrobe. All the care & effort that goes into knitting pieces with sustainable yarn choices that is intended to be worn, value and maintained for a long time is a response for a better world.

So I went to Retrosaria Rosa Pomar to take a look at some knitting books. But it was the Japanese ones that grabbed my attention. They are all in Japanese and have precious & timeless patterns. And even don’t knowing Japanese language it’s easy to follow & understand the patterns since they all charted. There are also a few sites on the web explaining a few Japanese terms/words that are important for gauge, needles, yarn and measurements. I found everything easy and natural, after all knitting is mathematical!

I bought the Aran and Gansey book by Yoko Hatta.

Aran sweaters, the Irish traditional sweaters, are something that I always love for the complex textured stitch patterns full of story & tradition. In this book all patterns are amazingly beautiful and timeless. It feature some garments for men too!

So this is my first Aran sweater, knitting flat (I do prefer seamless though), in this rusty orange wool & alpaca yarn that will be a perfect match for the next autumn.