Today we generally call them ganseys, but they are also known as guernseys or jerseys; jumpers or sweaters worn as work-wear linked to sea-faring, notably shipbuilding or the fishing industry from the late 1800's to the mid-20th century [1].
Gladys Thomson asserts that they came from the Channel Islands of the same name [2], and notes the main differences between Guernseys and Jerseys lie in the yarn (dark blue for guernseys, more colours for jerseys), and the weight of jerseys being thinner. Today's Guernseys do not share the same patterning as ganseys and tend to be seamed garments, whereas the majority of ganseys have patterning and are seamless.
Regardless of what you call them, ganseys are single-colour garments, crafted by relations of the wearer. They are also associated with the women who followed the fishing fleets around the coasts to prepare the catch for market (also known as the Herring Girls). Interestingly, is it also now thought that the women may made these garments for themselves, as ganseys in pink, pale green and raspberry colours have been discovered [3].
Ganseys
They were designed to be a warm, close-fitting and hard-wearing garment. They are traditionally knit using 2-2.75mm long-length double-pointed needles, using 100% wool (with a tight twist) to produce a garment with a close weave, which is water-repellent and helps regulate body temperature.
Ganseys were not just working garments, they were also a respectable form of dress for special occasions, including Sunday services and formal family photographs.
They were also knitted for profit; as times changed, women were later employed by larger companies to produce hand-knitted ganseys as part of a network of skilled knitters. The yarn was delivered and the knitted items collected by the knitting agent. This was an important source of income for women, whose husbands may have sought work elsewhere in the country or even overseas.
It is the design and construction of a gansey which makes them unique as a garment and defies the creation of a 'standard' pattern to cover them all.
However, they do have a recognisable construction:
knitted in-the-round
bottom up
seamless
Ganseys are knitted in the round from the bottom up and are a seamless garment. They have a false side seam (with one or more stitches) which flow into an underarm gusset to improve movement for the wearer. To add strength, cuffs were often cast on and cast off with the yarn held double. They are meant to be a snug fit and therefore are knit to fit the individual; this would reduce the chance of the garment getting in the way or catching on anything in the workplace, on land or at sea. They often have shoulder straps, which strengthens this area and the neck is picked up and knitted in the round. The sleeves are picked up and knitted from the shoulder down, with the second half of the underarm gusset decreased back to the seam stitches.
Construction of a traditional gansey
Patterns and techniques were handed down verbally from grandmothers, mothers and aunts to young family members. Girls began to knit at an early age and there was no need for written instructions. Patterns could be representative of an individual area or even family, though knitters also shared techniques as they moved around the coasts with the fishing fleet, and motifs can be seen replicated in different areas. What is known about the patterns today has come from extensive research by a number of individuals and projects (see Motifs and Patterns and References and Further Reading below).
Ganseys always feature:
welt: the bottom cuff of the gansey, sometimes created with the yarn held double for durability. Channel Island guernseys have a unique cast on with a split welt.
side seam: a false seam (a line of purl stitches running vertically along each side) to distinguish the back from the front. The origin of this detail is uncertain: it may have been decorative, giving a seamless garment the appearance of a purchased, seamed item, or it may simply have helped knitters orient themselves while working in-the-round.
gusset: beginning part-way up the main body and increasing to form a triangle -shape at the underarm, the stitches are decreased away when the sleeve stitches are picked up and knitted from the shoulder to the wrist, resulting in the diamond shape of gussets.
neck: stitches picked up from front, back and shoulder straps. They can be round, funnel, buttoned - there are a few different types of neckline common to ganseys. Scottish and Whitby ganseys most often had three button necks. Necks may also have small gussets at the join between the neck and the shoulder strap.
sleeves: stitches picked up and knitted from shoulder to cuff. They were often knit slightly short, to ensure they did not interfere with the work of the wearer. Today, however, as most ganseys are knitted for regular usage, sleeves are knit the length the wearer requires.
They can also have these features, but they are not found in every gansey:
shoulder straps: were included to strengthen a key point. If shoulder straps (sometimes called the saddle) were not included the back and front were grafted together
motifs and patterns: while the majority of ganseys contain myriad motifs forming a wide bariety of patterns, a few ganseys were plain (all stocking stitch). This lack of motifs is also a key feature of what we know as Guernseys today
definition ridge: where motifs are included, the definition ridge acts as break between stocking stitch and pattern sections on both the body and arms
initials: not always found in ganseys
Components of a traditional gansey
Want your own gansey?
If you want your very own gansey, but are not ready to knit one yet, you might want to take a look at Propagansey. Based in Whitby (North Yorkshire), I am one of several knitters who work with Deb to create fabulous commissioned ganseys!
References and further reading...
Mary Wright, Cornish Guernseys & Knit Frocks (Polperro Heritage Press)
Gladys Thomson, Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys & Arans (Dover Publications)
Also
Michael Pearson, Traditional Knitting: Aran, Fair Isle and Fisher Ganseys (Dover Publications)
Beth Brown-Reinsel, Knitting Ganseys (White River Press)
Di Gilpin and Sheila Greenwell, The Gansey Knitting Sourcebook (David Charles)
We are lucky that several projects have studied local ganseys and have captured the patterns they have found. If you want to know more, these projects are a good place to start:
The Lowestoft Gansey project (Facebook group)
The following two are valid websites, but have not been converted to https sites, so it's your choice whether to seek out and visit them:
Moray Firth Gansey Project
Gansey Nation
The Wrinkled Thistle
Ganseys and other knitted goodies.
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