The made-in-Donegal cardigan

Offers little in terms of details, trims, or stitches, the minimal cardigan. Nothing much by way of knit-flippery at all, in fact. But, made as it is from the textural odyssey of Donegal yarn, nor does it much need them.

So, the yarn is a Donegal yarn. No Donegal-effect knock-off, this: it’s actual, made-in-County-Donegal Donegal, spun to centuries-old exactitudes. This particular variant is a mix of merino wool and cashmere, and as such is very soft and generously thick stuff. Characteristic of Donegal yarn, it has a plain base colour, and flecks of assorted tones running through it: the base here is mid-grey, and the flecks are dark grey, brown, and white. Affixing these trademark flecks is an apparently very tricky undertaking, depending on equal parts time-honed craftsmanship and ear-smoking concentration.

The garment itself is purposefully pared-down. As noted at the top, there are few details, no hem or sleeve-end ribbing — and the only stitch to be seen is a densely-woven plain one. Nor are there any buttons in plain sight. Instead, the buttons — real horn, matte tortoiseshell ones — do-up on a concealed grosgrain placket, and so are only visible when the cardigan is open. The rest of the time, they’re out of sight, and the placket sits flush.

The Donegal minimal cardigan is in the shop here, and is due to be joined by a potentially-but-not-really-recommended matching Donegal scarf in the coming weeks.