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**UPDATE** Here is a scan of a recent Evening Echo article about Karen and the creation of the River Lee Geansaí.

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You may know me as one of the proud guardians of the wool cave we have here at Vibes & Scribes. I am also possibly the only American in Ireland with no Irish heritage to speak of. And it really is a shame that I don’t, because I am quite envious of Irish people. Everything here is imbued with such history and tradition, which we don’t have a lot of in the United States.

From the buildings to the roads to the rivers, everything in Ireland can tell a story - even clothing! Namely, the Aran sweater, one of which we at Vibes & Scribes had the great opportunity to have designed for us.

Cork City, and especially Vibes & Scribes, have welcomed me with open arms, and they are two places I am very proud to be a part of. That is why this jumper, “The River Lee Geansaí”, which tells the story of Vibes & Scribes and Cork City is so special to me.

Karen Simpson, a fellow expatriate (though an English one and possessing of that coveted Irish heritage), has made herself a happy home in Cork, and took special care to incorporate into the jumper everything that makes Cork so exceptional. I watched Karen all those months as she worked hard to create the design -- meticulously charting each stitch and cable, knitting and knitting...and ripping back and ripping back. I learned a great deal about knitting from Karen through that process, but I think I learned even more about patience. Finally, when she was finished, each unique element came together to tell a story about Vibes & Scribes and Cork City.

The history of the Aran jumper is a rich and interesting one. Different cables and stitches represented different symbols of prosperity, geography, or occupation. Aran sweaters were traditionally created to set apart one Irish family from the next, depending on the combination of stitches they chose. These patterns were guarded carefully to keep them unique to each family, and were passed down from generation to generation. And we’re very excited to now have one of our own that tells our story!

Featured on the front panel of the jumper are three diamonds, representing Cork’s three islands -- Little Island, Great Island, and Morrison’s island. Surrounding each of these islands is stitching to represent the River Lee, which we know is important enough to give Corkonians the moniker “Leesiders”.

Covering the back panel of the jumper is the double Irish moss stitch, which traditionally represents good harvest and prosperity due to the Carrageen moss that was sewn into the fields with the planting for each year. No doubt we can relate this to the prosperity Vibes & Scribes has been so fortunate to receive over the years, and we couldn’t have done it without the amazing Cork community that has always supported us. I suppose you could say ye are our Carrageen moss (and I swear that’s not meant as an insult)!

On either side of the islands diamonds is the reflective cable, regarded often as the most traditional cable stitch. The reflective cable represents the interweaving of family life with day-to-day hustle and bustle. Everything that Vibes & Scribes is all owing to the families, the community, and the growing of Cork City, so no doubt the reflective cable is tremendously appropriate.

And finally, making up the body of the jumper is the fisherman’s rib stitch, which I think requires little explanation, but represents the fishing heritage that is a part of Cork as well.

 - Katie, Vibes & Scribes