Where does Cable Knit come from?

Cable Knit comes from Aran Islands, Ireland, first documented in the 1900s.

Plate No. 158fabric

Two strands of yarn twisting over each other down the column.

First documented: 1900s
Origin: Aran Islands, Ireland, Ireland
Fiber: wool
Weave: stitches crossed to form raised rope-like cables
Family: knits

Plate No. 158 · fabric

Cable Knit

Cable knit is the raised, rope-like twist made by crossing one group of stitches over another with a short cable needle, so the columns appear to braid down the fabric. It is the signature of the Aran sweater, the cream fisherman's jumper of the Aran Islands off the west of Ireland, where dense panels of cables, diamonds, and moss stitch were knitted into heavy oiled wool against the Atlantic. The romantic claim that particular cables encoded particular family or clan identities is largely a twentieth-century story, but the cloth itself is genuinely warm, dense, and beautiful.

Named for

Named for the twisted rope or cable the crossed stitches resemble.

Common questions

What is Cable Knit made of?: Cable knit is the raised, rope-like twist made by crossing one group of stitches over another with a short cable needle, so the columns appear to braid down the fabric. It is traditionally made of wool.
Where does Cable Knit come from?: Cable Knit comes from Aran Islands, Ireland, first documented in the 1900s.
What is Cable Knit named after?: Named for the twisted rope or cable the crossed stitches resemble.