Irish knitwear has been around for years; everyone is familiar with the Irish Aran Sweaters, Gloves, Scarves and Tam Hats. In recent years some would say that the traditional Irish Knitwear has run had its day and is no longer a novelty or popular but as I have discovered this is not the case.

Some of the Irish clothing companies have brought out traditional Irish clothing with a modern flare to it. One company in particular that dose this is Carraig Donn, they are known for taking the traditional designs and adding a twist to them. Even while Carraig Donn is working hard to keep the traditional Irish clothing alive many critics still believe that traditional Irish patterns and styles are dead.

Well, if one was to look at the recent London fashion week you would see that this is far from the case. In the recent London fashion week there were numerous Irish knitted items of clothing. These ranged from Sweaters to Boots; all these items were hand knit with Irish patterns and finished very well.

As I had taken a sudden interest in Irish knitting I found myself walking around New York looking specifically at peoples hats (this is due to the freezing weather). I was noticing a lot of familiar patterns around Manhattan. The real time I became sure Irish Knitting was far from finished was when I was dining at a well-known Argentinean Steak House in New York’s trendy Alphabet City. The steak house was very busy that night and the tables were right on top of each other. While me and my friend were enjoying some fine Irish whiskey and probably talking a bit louder than most, the couple at the table beside us overheard me mentioning about Irish knitting and patterns. The lady who turned out to be from Trinidad, tapped me on the shoulder and handed me her hat. After careful examination and an explanation from the lady it became clear that the hat was knitted from a traditional Irish pattern in white wool that I believe was Merino Wool. The hat was not made in Ireland but this was testimony enough to me that traditional Irish knitwear was not dead yet.

So the next time you are looking for some Irish Gifts why not take another look at some of the clothing that is available in Traditional Irish Patterns, you may be surprised at what you find.