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Arran Knitwear
Arran cardigans, Arran Gilets and Arran Sweaters are made from Arran wool. This Arran wool takes the name from the place where it originates, the Isle of Arran. It is the largest island in the Firth Of Clyde (430 Km2). Its highest point is at 874 meters on great fell, in the region of North Ayrshire.
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The Aran Islands
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The Aran sweater also takes its name from the islands where it originated, untold generations ago. The Aran Islands are located off the coast of Galway, on the west coast of Ireland. The Aran Islands rise up defiantly out of the relentless Atlantic. An impressive display of towering cliffs and crumbling stone walls, they are a thing of beauty, but no place for a T-Shirt.
More on Aran Knitwear and Aran Sweaters
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British Wool Marketing Board
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An organization which coordinates the collection and sale of wool from around 70,000 registered British wool producers.
www.britishwool.org.uk
Cardigan
James Thomas Brudenall, the 7th Earl of cardigan (1797-1868) created the cardigan. A woollen cardigan is like a knitted jacket. It is open down the middle at the front, so the wearer can slip his/her arms straight into the sleeves.
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Denmark
The earliest piece of surviving woollen cloth was found in Denmark. Tests show it was manufactured 3,500 years ago. Denmark, along with Norway and Sweden, form what is commonly known as Scandinavia. It is no surprise that a place this cold has a long history of wool use. The most well known knitwear from this region is the world famous Nordic wear. This Nordic Wear can be seen in all the big cities and on posh ski slopes.
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Emperor
A French ram which was transported to New South Wales in the early 1800s and single-handedly, from a male point of view, became the great, great grandparent of nearly eighty percent of the Australian flock.
More on the History of Wool
Fleece
A sheep’s outer coat. A sheep raised for its wool, to be used in the manufacture of woollen garments, is generally shorn once a year.
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Guernsey Sweater
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A fisherman’s sweater developed over 400 years ago during the reign of Elizabeth I. Traditional Guernseys are hand knitted in blue five-ply yarn to imitate the fisherman’s natural working environment.
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Hair
Wild species of sheep have a short, woolly undercoat covered by long coarse straight hair. The hair has completely disappeared in domestic breeds. Selective breeding has improved both the quality and abundance of wool.
International Wool Secretariat
The International Wool Secretariat (IWS) is the organisation which markets wool worldwide. The ‘Woolmark’, instituted by the IWS indicates that garments bearing this sign are made of pure new wool.
Jersey
A Jersey (or Sweater) is worn on the upper part of the body and is pulled over the wearer’s head. This woollen garment takes its name from the largest Channel Island. The first sweaters and woollen waistcoats knitted for fisherman were not produced on Jersey until the 15th century.
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Knitwear
Knitwear has existed in various forms for many thousands of years. There is some uncertainty about its origin, possibly Persia, Israel, or Jordan. The earliest listed findings have been of knitted socks dating back to the 3rd or 6th centuries AD, which were found in an Egyptian tomb.
More on Knitwear
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