Wool Wagon Adventure
During the summer of 2023 I studied abroad in Ireland and knit a “proper wool jumper.” I wrote several posts about the trip and the process of knitting the sweater beginning with the post “Thanks A Million!” Since March is the month of St. Patrick and the Irish, I have been recalling fond memories of Ireland, sheep, and wool (as I sip some Guinness of course!)
When the group of CUA students first arrived at University College Dublin, we were introduced to the campus through an orientation tour lead by two students. At the end of the tour they showed us a wee hand knitted sheep named Seamus. One could win a wee sheep by participating in campus activities. After the tour I mentioned to one of the guides that I like to knit and crochet and thought it might be fun to knit a sheep after I finished the sweater. She told me about a shop her mother goes to every time she visits called Winnie’s Wool Wagon. It’s a craft store and cafe! I had to check it out!
Winnie’s wasn’t open on Sundays, so I had to wait until I had a free weekday or Saturday to venture around by myself. The next free day was the day before my birthday. I was nervous about walking around the city by myself, afraid I’d get lost. But since the rest of the group was there for the beer, I had no other choice but to take a screenshot of the directions and hope for the best.
The walk wasn’t very long, only about ten minutes, so I had no need to worry. Along the way I passed a little boy on a tricycle and his grandfather who was walking a dog. As the friendly old man bent down to pick up the dog’s poop he said, “I have two charges today. Not sure which one behaves better.” I replied, “As long as the boy doesn’t poop on the ground, I bet he’s the better behaved one.” The man laughed as I continued on my way.
Outside of Winnie’s was a sheep pen and wooden sheep cutouts made to look like a sheepfold. Inside the front window were a variety of knit and crochet items. Unfortunately the cafe area was not open, but there was plenty of yarn to look at. I wandered around for at least thirty minutes before I finally decided what to purchase. (If you read the Craft Store Chaos post, then you are probably surprised at how quickly I made up my mind.) It is dangerous to go shopping close to one’s birthday. I convinced myself that it would be reasonable to treat myself to a birthday present. Obviously I justified the pricy purchase by telling myself I would make gifts for my family.
I bought five skeins of Irish wool dyed and spun in Donegal where my Irish ancestors supposedly hail from. I also bought a nice tote bag with the Winnie’s logo on it. The cashier asked, “Is this a gift? I’d love to receive a gift like this.” I replied, “It’s sort of a gift. I want to knit presents for my family so I can say they were made in Ireland.” I guess I’ll have to go back to Ireland soon to actually knit up the presents.
