Whin Sweater inspiration

Whin is Irish for gorse, a native shrub that covers so much of the countryside around my home. It grows in the field where I spent many happy days hunting with my sparrowhawk this winter. Gorse provides an important habitat for overwintering snipe and woodcock, and shelter and food for many birds and insects during the time of the year when there is not much else around.

The amazing thing about this plant is that is has probably one of the longest flowering seasons. It gave me goosebumps to enter the field on a misty morning in the early February with my sparrowhawk on my fist and see this stunning yellows shining all around me.

I found this country saying here: "When gorse is out of blossom, kissing's out of fashion". Which probably means that kissing will never go out of fashion because gorse is never out of blossom.

Yellow is what I seem to see these days a lot – the warm yellow of gorse bloom, the happy yellow of daffodils, the delicate yellow of primroses, and the gentle yellow of tulips. I feel that Whin incorporates all those shades of yellow and when I look at the pattern, it makes me think of camouflage that will help me blend in with the nature around.

I designed Whin to be like a jacket, an outdoor sweater that will protect against those sudden snaps of cold Irish weather can bring. I come from Siberia, but even though I spent my childhood in -30C, I still find Irish weather so cold at times that I tend to wear six layers to keep me warm and I end up feeling a bit weighted down. 

In Siberia we have a saying: “ A good Siberian is not the one who isn’t scared of cold, but the one who dresses warmly.” I wanted to design an outdoor garment that would keep me warm and yet leave me feeling agile and light. And so I came up with Whin – it is my six layers in one.

Whin is knit in chunky yarn and the all over pattern creates several layers of insulation, but it also allows air to circulate between the floats, making this sweater-jacket airy and light.

When we think of outdoor clothes, we often think of tech fabrics, fleece or some other synthetic lightweight material. But wool is so wonderful to wear outdoors – it is breathable, warm, waterproof, and very durable.

My spring camouflage

I love everything about this sweater and it is also quick to knit because it uses rather chunky yarn Stockholm by Apple Oak Fibre Works. I designed this sweater in sixteen sizes and if you feel adventurous, you can add length to the body to create a tunic or an outdoor dress. The knitting pattern includes all special techniques, detailed instructions, schematic and sizing table to help you pick the right size, and a pattern chart, so you will be very well equipped to create your own Whin sweater.

Happy exploring and knitting! x.