The Life Aquatic
My best friend Heather Finn has the sea in her blood, having grown up by Galway Bay in Oranmore Castle with the sound of waves in earshot and a famous sea-faring grandfather regaling her with sailor’s stories. As a knitwear designer Heather integrates colour and pattern into wearable art-pieces, creating beautifully patterned and exotic hued shawls, tunics and sweaters in cashmere. And this spring summer she has brought the colour palette of the sea from periwinkle blue, navy and turquoise together and peppered her cashmeres with sea-faring motifs. There’s cheeky anchor knit scarves and sailor stripes inspired by her beloved grandfather- Commander Bill (William) King, a war hero and author who passed on his love of the sea, many a mariners tale and the love of a great fisherman’s geansaí to her. I had a chat with Heather at a turquoise table in her canal-side house in Dublin to find out more…
Ruaruth: Tell me how your Grandpa inspires you and your new knit collection?
Heather: My new collection was inspired by my love of the sea and my Grandpa’s seafaring life. He was the only surviving submarine Commander from WWII, he also delivered yachts around the world, sailed solo around the world and wrote books about his adventures at sea. (See one of his amazing works here)
Ruaruth: Your grandfather had an amazing life at sea and told many stories of his adventures; what was your favourite mariners tale he told?
Heather: I loved a story he always told about a great white shark attacking his boat and putting a massive hole in it’s side and how he survived. Oh and how he boxed in the Navy- he was the fittest man in the fleet according to himself!
Ruaruth: What was his favourite seafaring motto?
Heather: That he had the best eye sight west of Suez (the canal) and that it was how he survived the war.
Ruaruth: You stitched some of your Grandfather’s navy labels (see pictured below) into your collection do you know what these were used for originally and how are you using them in this collection?
Heather: I think the labels were for his uniform in the Navy. I came across them in an old sewing box and it broke my heart to find them. They are stitched into my original Sailor sweaters and striped trousers to add a little of his identity to the collection.
Ruaruth: What did living by the sea mean to your Grandpa?
Heather: Well he spent three quarters of his life at sea and the last part living beside Galway Bay. He really loved the sea and this collection was a homage to him.
Ruaruth: Tell me about the images of your Grandpa below and why you like the pictures?
Heather: This image (in the Aran jumper) is one of my favourites, he wore this Aran sweater when he sailed around the world in the 1960’s.
Ruaruth: How and where will you wear pieces from your new collection?
Heather: The new collection is quite relaxed, I love the ecru Sailor sweater and think it is prefect for cool summer evenings and windy walks on the beach. My favourite accessory is the blue anchor snood and the blue fringe snood which is a dramatic accessory and looks magic walking down a windy pier. I will style it with simple colours to show off the pattern.
You can find Heather’s beautiful sea-faring collection with anchor knits and sailor stripes galore on her website here
The Finn family also have an extraordinary holiday home next to their Castle in Oranmore on Galway Bay called The Monkey House which is available for short stays over the summer. Check it out on AirBnB here.
