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Knitting satisfies two of life’s deepest needs, functionality and adornment. As with all crafts, knitting originated as a functional need to produce warm garments from readily available materials. When functionality is satisfied, a natural need of humans is to express and live in beauty. In today’s fast paced, throw away, society, people do not have the time nor do we need to make our own items. We purchase them with little personal investment. Thus, functionality is satisfied. But I feel the human spirit requires an expression of creativity to preserve its essence and to maintain harmony and balance.

Hand knitted sweaters are more unique and contain more detail and stitch depth than machine knitted garments. Some stitches, such as blackberry or trinity cannot be created on a knitting machine.

The free concept items begin with a palette selected for color, shade, texture and finish. By hand manipulating the materials - picking up, dropping and combining yarns, adding, deleting and changing stitches, I create a multi directional form that explores the many relationships that can occur with shape, space, texture, and color. After assembly, I use embroidery, beading, needle lace, crochet, appliqué, tambour or other skills to create dimension, enhance transitions and create additional color movement. Small tassels, bead fringe and other suspended elements create physical movement on the piece. Always looking for new ways to add dimension, movement and color to my work, I find the most breathtaking effects often occur when a process reserved for another medium is adapted to the knitted piece.

True to my Irish roots and the Aran tradition, my fisherman sweaters are knit of un-dyed yarn, purchased directly from local sheep and the shepherds who tend them. The colors are the natural colors of the sheep that grew the wool. The sweater shapes are simple and roomy for working and layering. Becoming softer and stronger the more it is worn, your sweater will last a lifetime.