Color Stories: Wild Irish November

Blustery winds, waves crashing on the coastline, damp moss covered stones, and sheep clustered on jagged hills lined with babbling brooks; this is what we experienced on the western coast of Ireland last winter when we traveled to the mill to design The Fibre Co. Arranmore. As we have just received a large shipment of Arranmore from the mill, I thought I would make my mood board reflective of our time in Donegal.

Ireland, though completely modern, still retains it’s wild and magical essence. References to its dramatic history and pagan mythology can be found everywhere you turn, from restored castles and ancient ruins, to wild ponies, fields of gorse flowers, and relief carvings of historical figures like Brian Boru. Contrary to the wild coastlines and harsh winter weather, the people are kind and warm and completely ready to welcome visitors into their toasty, peat-fire heated homes.

We think of green when we think of Ireland, and while that is true, there are so many other beautiful colors to be seen. The gray stone flecked with light and dark minerals, the yellow gorse, the warm brown grasses covering the grazing meadows, and the cold, black water are just some of the colors ever present in the landscape of the western coast.

Using the colors based on the wild Irish coastline, I would like to make Courtney’s St. Brendan colorwork yoke pullover. Above, it’s shown in the alternate colorway, which is close to the colors I’ve chosen. Below, I’ve laid out some charted colorwork examples of possible Irish color combinations.