The next gansey pattern!

This traditional English fisherman's sweater is based on the oldest known published gansey pattern, printed in Weldon's Practical Mirror in 1880.  It was made available to the ladies of the area who wanted to make a charitable contribution to the local Fishermen's Mission.  Many of the traditional fishing villages had begun to decline by the late 19th century, and the crofting lifestyle was becoming more difficult for the fishing families.  

It is unclear from the 1880 article what purpose the completed sweaters served, whether to be given to fishermen who had no one to knit for them or to be sold to supplement their incomes.

The original pattern was a fun challenge to decipher!  In the style of the day it is written entirely in narrative form, with no paragraph breaks and in only one size.  The textured pattern is known as "Bird's Eye Stitch", and is found in various arrangements in Cornwall and all around the coastlines to northeast England.  The bottom edge, however, is quite unique. Called a "welt", it consists of 2 patterned flaps which, when overlapped at the sides, creates a durable and elegant edging that is a nice substitute for ribbing.

The doll-sized sampler shown here is knitted in Frangipani's 5-ply Guernsey Wool in Pistachio, a lovely soft unisex green.  My pattern will be in three adult sizes, and will be available at my farmers' market stall this fall!

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