The craft is said to have begun in Guernsey but the etymology of this link has been questioned. It was developed by hand knitters around the coast, and the garments have textured patterns unlike the plain Guernsey ones. Ganseys were largely synonymous with fishermen (although garments of this type did appear inland, e.g. the Yorkshire Dales) and were built as working gear. Patterns flourished around the herring fleet, it being the only one where thousands of women spent most of the year travelling from the Orkneys to Great Yarmouth gutting and packing and knitting. The demise of the British fishing industry has helped dislodge Ganseys from this traditional bedrock and consign them to the open waters of adventurous knitters/stylists everywhere, wherein some things are lost and some live on.
Garments are knitting in the round with no seams, using straight double-pointed pins and fine, worsted spun yarn that’s quite hard to find. Wool garments retain warmth when wet and the use of long fibres and narrow gauge needles, e.g. 2mm, make for a taut fabric which gives the Gansey its ability to turn water. Unlike Fair Isle and other Northern European knitting traditions only one colour is used, the pattern deriving from skilful manipulation of the basic stitches. Most Gansey patterns were transmitted directly from one person to another rather than being written down. Patterns are worked out to fit the requirements of each individual garment, knitters manipulating motifs and designs as a matter of course.
One of the most important features of the gansey is the diamond-shaped gusset knitted in under the armholes. This allowed free use of the arms while hauling nets and ropes and also made the garment much longer-lasting as it disposed of a point of tension between body and sleeves.
Another important and practical feature is that the sleeves were knitted by picking up stitches and working from the armhole to the cuff. This meant that the points which wore fastest (the elbow and the edge of the cuff) could be easily unravelled and re-knit thus saving the rest of the garment for years – you can see the evidence of this in some old photos where the lower half of the sleeves are darker than the rest as the yarn was newer and had not faded with use. Stitches used were based on knit and purl for texture and in Scotland in particular, simple rope cables also featured in many designs.
To an extent patterns were locally specific and a style would be associated with an area or even an individual but they were also fluid. Sheringham Ganseys are noted for the fineness of the stitches and the intricacy of the tesselated patterns. Channel Island Guernseys have a split welt. Scottish fleet Ganseys usually have a three-button neck and this is also a feature of Whitby Ganseys. Whilst Seafield Mills were in operation many Fife Ganseys were knitted in South Australian Merino wool. Orkney Ganseys are often knitted in a coarser wool more like handspun. The shoulder straps on some Scottish ganseys involved a great deal of mathematical accuracy as they were knitted in at right angles to the body. Also triangular neck gussets were used in some. The Eriskay gansey featured some simple openwork. This gansey was the most highly decorated style of all in the UK.
There have also been numerous initiatives to promote ganseys and gansey history:
Businesses employing two or more makers:
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