A yarn with Paul Farmer Paul Tirler from the Oberstufelshof farm in St. Michele has been knitting since he was 10 years old. Today, at 80 years old and counting, he still makes socks, traditional “Sarner” jackets, hats and gloves in pure sheep wool. A labour of love results in beautiful jackets, socks and other precious winter clothing.
P Text: Barbara Pichler Photo: Helmuth Rier
32 ALPE | Winter
Paul’s interest in knitting began at the age of ten when, on witnessing his mother’s fruitless attempts to teach his eight year-old sister to knit, he said “Teach me how to do it!” No sooner said than done: Paul’s mother taught him everything she knew and her son’s talent and, above all love, of knitting were immediately evident. His first
works were a pair of socks: Knit two, purl two… not easy by any means. “At the beginning, I preferred knitting to purling, but with a bit of practice, I even taught myself how to knit a braid cable,” he recalls. Today he laughs when he looks back on the time he spent studying a pattern to knit a pullover. At one time he signed up for a
knitting course but, as the only male in the group, he felt a little out of place. Alongside his farming life, Paul worked as a builder for nearly 30 years. “My wife wasn’t a big knitting fan. She preferred to be outside, and more than anything, she loved being with the cat-
tle. I couldn’t hold a candle to them. Throughout our married life, I was the knitter,” recalls Paul Tirler. Building works all stopped during the winter months, which gave him ample time to knit. For over 70 years now Paul has been knitting pure virgin sheep wool into socks and traditional »
Winter | ALPE 33