Oh my word, the number of Aran sweaters I've knitted over the years! My mother taught me how to do 'cabling' with a small double-ended cable needle when I was about eight years old, and how to follow a pattern. (There are regional variations on the designs, and they're very complicated)
Beautiful things, but need careful washing by hand (we used Lux soap flakes in those days) and take ages to dry thoroughly, being extremely thick and heavy. Perhaps that's why owners of the things don't wash them too often?