A Norwegian Cardigan Travels to the Westcoast of Ireland

I was away on holidays for a week, during which me and my boyfriend took a two-day trip to the Westcoast of Ireland. We stayed in a lovely little town called Ennis for a night and went for a hike in The Burren, a picturesque region along the coast in County Clare. We got to see the Aran Islands from the hilltops and a lot of sheep and cows on our way. We were also lucky to have very untypically Irish sunshine on both days so I finally got the chance to have my picture taken in my new Norwegian cardigan.

This cardigan has been in the making for a very, very long time - but no, not by me, I can't even knit as much as a scarf. But luckily my grandmother and mother are expert knitters. My grandmother started knitting this cardigan for me about two years ago, but before she had the chance to finish it she had an accident and can now no longer knit. After the cardigan had been lying in a bag for a good year and half my mother continued knitting the remaining sleeve and I eventually set in the sleeves and sewed on the buttons.

Norway has a long tradition of knitting and a great number of traditional designs and patterns. This cardigan was made in a style called Setesdal, named after a valley in Norway, where the design originated. The Setesdal pattern is one of the most famous and varied patterns in Norway and characterized by crosses in the design.

The knitting pattern for this cardigan is from the 1970s as you can see in the pattern illustration. I chose a 1970s pattern over a contemporary one because Norwegian cardigans and sweaters used to be worn more fitted back in the day. Most contemporary patterns are very baggy, which makes it difficult to wear them underneath a coat in the winter. Since Norwegian sweaters are incredibly warm I find a cardigan more useful than a sweater since it gives you the option of wearing it unbuttoned especially if you live in a less arctic climate than Norway.

I really cherish my cardigan, not only because I think it's beautiful but also because this was truly a three-generational family project. I have tried to wear it as often as I can this winter but as temperatures are rising I will have to put it away until next winter. So, for this season this will be the last of me and my cardigan.