Irish Knit Sweater Love

When I was in Ireland, I hemmed and hawed 

and went back to the same store three times.

Should I or shouldn't I?

Had my time passed to own another 

Irish knit sweater?

via Deadly Vintage Sweets

There was a time when I wore nothing else.

I grew up in a small town along the sea 

and loved my Irish knit sweaters.

That was a long time ago....

My sisters and me with  Farrah Fawcett 'do' on the left

The sweater has to fit the woman and it does here....

Prada for Vogue 2010

Digby Morton for Vogue 1955

There is something romantic 

and nostalgic about Irish knit sweaters.

via Linda Clifford

The stuff that legends are made of.

via Easy and Elegant Life and Knitting-Crochet

In the end, I decided to leave well enough alone.

There are some that carry it off with ease and beauty.

I will leave it to them.

via Gastro Chic

My time has passed on the sweater, but, it has not passed

on something like this. I am in the market for a snood.

Give me the top half of this creation and I would be 

one happy gal.

via This Next

and I am thinking cashmere 

just might do the trick.

via Neiman Marcus

Then again, there is always the tea cozy 

for when you need just a little bit 

of Irish knit lovin :)

via Gliss Shanek

How about you, how do you fare on Irish knit?

My Irish Donegal Tweed

You could say I was delirious with the flu.

You could say I still am.

Mr. H said I should have stayed home to rest.

Mrs. H said 'You've got to be kidding'.

So off I went..a few days in Dublin, my first steps into Ireland.

As I sat on top of the red tour bus around the city, bundled up

against the wind, I noticed a shop out of the corner of my eye.

When we returned to the hotel, cough cough, I told Mr. H I thought

I might just take a little stroll around the corner. 

Off I went at a brisk pace, cough cough, as closing hours were upon me.

Sweet sweet dreams...I fell in love with Donegal Irish Tweed.

The shop manager was delightful and educated me to the 

beauty of Irish tweed in her wonderful thick Irish accent. 

It was music to me ears ( I could still hear at that point).

There was a flurry of activity, off and on went the coats, 

scarves and hats until I found just what I needed. 

The hat...which is not to be worn with the coat I was told.

'We do not want to 'over-tweed'.

The red scarf....

The camel scarf....

and for those  'non-tweed' occasions :)

The deed was done. 

I waltzed back to the hotel 

with a package or two. 

Happy for my time in Dublin 

and looking forward to a healthier return.

xxx :)

cough cough

More on our trip to Dublin here

images~me

Bonny Shores of Ireland

All my life, I have wanted to go to the bonny shores of Ireland.  One may ask why? Mr. H repeatedly asks why? An Irish Catholic girl growing up in Boston, with an Irish surname starting with 'O' who then marries and has four children named Patrick, Christine, Claire and Connor, might give a clue.

My father only had one demand request when I started dating. He must be Irish Catholic.  When I dated a boy with the last name O'Grady, I was the golden child.  When I eventually came home to say that I was marrying a boy who had all those good Irish qualities (like him) and even looked Irish (like him) he knew I was up to something. There really was only one small minor detail ...his surname was Portuguese. Lucky for me there were five other siblings behind me to pin his hopes on.

So..history aside, I still feel like it is something I just have to do. We are the closest we have ever been to Ireland...it is a hop, skip and a jump from England compared to when we were living in New Zealand. My children want to go, I want to go and we just need to get Mr. H to want to go.  This is going to problematic. He has already been. His answer to my insistence is 'Think New Zealand, think England and that is Ireland'.  I don't know about you, but that does not quite do it for me.

I am moving on to Plan B.

My plan is to clarify what it is that I hope to accomplish by this trip.  I am going to start with photos of Ireland and all the things that appeal to me. I am hoping over time I will be able to identify what it is I am yearning to get from this trip. 

First port of call: National Geographic

Misty morning in Dublin County..

of course...

for the B-Weller in me..

Can one ever get enough of rocks?  I can't....

So tempting...or maybe not, but still captivating..

Second port of call: One of my favourite books,  Ireland by Frank Delaney

"One evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller, the last of fabled breed, arrives unannounced at a house in the Irish countryside. By the winter fireside he begins to tell the story of this extraordinary land. One of his listeners, a nine year old boy, grows so entranced that when the old man leaves he devotes his life to finding him again. 

Ireland travels through the centuries by way of story after story, from the savage grip of the Ice Age to the green and troubled land of tourist brochures and news headlines. Along the way, we meet foolish kings and innocent monks, god-heroes and great works of art, shrewd Norman raiders and strong tribal leaders, poets, politicans and lovers. A novel of huge ambition, beautifully told, Ireland is the unstoppably readable story of a remarkable nation. From the epic sweep of its telling to the precision of its characters, it rings with the truth of a writer passionate about his own country."

Third port of call: You

I am hoping that you have been or have suggestions as to what I should consider in my quest. 

I will continue to work on this and hope to one day present a plan. If you are considering a trip yourself, just hold on, I may have a few ideas for you:)

My last request for vacation apartment rentals in Paris is coming together nicely. I hope to post on the results soon.....I just have to get the brain to move from Ireland back to France!

Image 1: 

 O'Brien's Tower on the Cliffs of Moher in County Claire. 

(Photographer-Ryan Donnell)

Image 2: 

Killiney Beach in Dublin County 

(Photographer-James OGorman)

Image 3: 

A Dublin Pub

(Photographer- Fantuz Olimpio/SIME-4Corners)

Image 4: 

Pastoral countryside 

(Photographer-Jim Richardson)

Image 5:

 County Claire's Poulnabrone 

(Photograper-Ripani Massimo/SIME-4corners)

Image 6: 

Cliffs of Moher

(Photographer-Jim Richardson)

Image 

www.harpercollins.com