This is the prototype for my pattern.

 
A friend wondered where all the names came from my patterns. Here’s the story, just in case you’re wondering, too.

Fáilte romhaibh, a Chnoitáilithe!

Caithfidh tú éirí mór ar do dhícheall féin, cibé ard is a bhí do Sheanathair
(you must grow up by your own efforts, however tall you Grandfather was)
Knitting has always been my favorite past time. I never learned how to cast on and didn’t know there were such things as instruction books for learning techniques. I just bought patterns and stumbled along as best as I could for many years. My first class was “Knit a Bohus Hat” with Sidna Farley in 1989. How fortunate I was to have my first classroom experience with her! She is the ideal mentor; full of ideas, knowledge, experience and praise. She watched me during those first few minutes and asked me what method of cast on I was using. I blushed and said “Oh, I’m sure it’s wrong. I just made it up.” Her response was “Oh no! It’s beautiful. Please show me how you’re doing that. Marta, there isn’t anything ‘wrong’ in knitting.” I nearly cried at her kindness. I was never afraid to try something new, in knitting, anyway, again.

Mothaigh d’áthas in ionad do bhrón; déan cúntas are do chairde in ionad do naimhde
(Be aware your joy instead of your sorrow; count your friends instead of your enemies)
Another breakthrough came through a co-worker. I saw Linda knitting during her lunch hour in the break room. She was whizzing along at tremendous speed. I asked her how she could knit so fast. Luckily for me, she suggested I knit a small two color project so she could show me how she knit holding the yarn in her left hand. I had never knit with more than one color in a row and was nervous but, after Sidna’s guidance, up for the challenge. I brought some grey and red sport weight wool in the next day for a pair of mittens. Linda patiently wound the yarn around both my hands, positioned the needles in my fingers and demonstrated how to knit with a color in each hand. Brilliant! I was forever hooked into the Continental style of knitting. This revelation meant I could actually knit a sweater in less than a year.

Ni chaithfidh tú críochnú a chur ar gach obair
(you don’t have to finish every job)
Several years ago my father handed me a small bundle of documents and photographs. He knew I was interested in our family history and thoughtfully compiled all the work his aunt had already completed. It was impressive. She managed to link us, through a marriage and a quasi-recognized birth, to James V of Scotland and recorded the first Clark in our family as arriving in the Colonies somewhere around 1690. By coincidence, I had been asked to construct a pair of kilthose for a friend. Of course, I would bring all these things together into the patterns in this book. I was struck with the notion that I could make kilthose meaningful by combining specific patterns from regions or symbolic meaning. Leave it to me to turn a genealogy project into a knitting project. I’ve never had so much fun designing small wearable garments.

There are truly only four basic patterns in this collection: Scarves, hats, kilthose and modern socks. Each basic pattern has a variety of stitchwork combinations detailed out for you to follow. My hope is that you once you knit the patterns, you will enjoy the basic construction of each of these to experiment and create your own stitch combinations to include in your own scarf, hat, pairs of kilthose or socks. These patterns are intended for a somewhat experienced knitter; you will be knitting in the round with double pointed needles, reading charts and constructing detailed aran stitch work.

Bain sult as!