Super Soft Irish Cowl Neck Sweater

Our best-selling Super Soft merino sweater, now with a cozy, slouchy cable-knit cowl neck. Picture it with jeans and a down vest exploring the Irish countryside... with knit pants and our alpaca fleece socks for comfy travel… or with elegant earrings and smart slacks for a holiday party at the pub. It’s like giving the gift of a warm hug on a cold day.

Details like a narrow ribbed hem and moss stitching—a symbol of a rich harvest—along the sides and arms make this style even more welcoming to more body types than the Aran Islands fisherman sweater it’s inspired by.

• Made in Ireland
• 100% merino wool
• Hand wash
• Women’s S (4–6), M (8–10), L (12–14), XL (16–18), 1X (20)

We want you to absolutely love everything you purchase from Petalura.

If something isn’t as expected or just doesn’t suit you, you can return or exchange unworn, unwashed, unused, or defective merchandise for any reason within 120 days from the date the item ships. Please note: Items with FINAL SALE in name may not be returned or exchanged.

Exchanges and returns for store credit are always free.

For returns, a $6.95 fee will be deducted from your refund to cover the cost of shipping and restocking. We cannot refund shipping costs or offer price adjustments on previously purchased items.

How does a 1902 play still help sell thousands of sweaters?

In Irish author J. M. Synge’s one-act play “Riders to the Sea,” a young woman is able to identify her drowned brother by his knit socks that have washed ashore. This bit of poetic license gave rise to one of the most enduring and romantic stories about Aran Islands knitting—that each family on these tiny islands off the coast of Galway has its own stitch pattern, like a Scottish clan tartan.

While it’s true that there are hundreds of unique Aran stitches and each skilled knitter has her own specialty and style, Synge’s character actually recognized the socks by the dropped stitches, the mistakes that she remembered making.

Legends aside, the true story of Aran stitches is one of tradition, community, and craftsmanship. Homespun sweaters were often made for little boys on the occasion of their first Holy Communion, with intricate patterns and details befitting such an important event. Then, around the turn of the 20th century, the Irish home crafts movement emerged as a way to bring much-needed income to rural communities. That’s when the iconic Aran Islands sweater really became an Irish tradition.

Mothers and daughters, neighbors and friends gathered to knit and chat, trading stories and sharing skills. Patterns were developed and perfected: cable knits that represent the ropes of fishing boats, honeycomb stitches to evoke the rewards of hard work, basket stitches represent a plentiful catch. Returning emigrants and relatives from other counties brought outside influences that further enhanced the Aran stitch vocabulary. Moss stitch, blackberry stitch, diamond stitch, braided cables, zig-zags... More than 100 years after the craft first flourished, innovations in stitch and style ensure that Aran Islands sweaters are as sought after as ever.