Knitting Around Scotland - Weavers` Guild of Gwyntarian

Knitting Around Scotland
April 2012
Monday, April 30, 12
East Coast
Ganseys & the Herring Girls
The style of the gansey was
worn all down the east coast
following the fishing fleet
from the north of Scotland,
south - below the border
Each area had its
combination of stitches
The Herring Girls also
followed the fleet
Did they take the stitches
and styles with themselves?
Monday, April 30, 12
Who were the Herring Girls?
While the men went to the boats the women worked in a team, gutting and packing
the fish brought in by their allocated boat for the season. The women worked in
teams of three – two to gut the fish and one to pack the barrels. The herring-girls received a small sum on engagement at the beginning of the season
and were then paid per cran, or 28 stone weight of fish packed in the barrels. The
amount the women received depended on how efficiently the whole team worked and
how quickly they could fill the barrels.
They worked six days a week, outside and in all weathers, often starting at 5.00am
and continuing until all the catch was gutted and packed, sometimes late at night.
During the season, the women followed their fishing boats as the shoals of herring
migrated along the coast. They started in May in the Shetlands, Wick or the West
Highlands, then moved round to Fraserburgh and down the East coast of Scotland
and England. The herring-girls arrived in the East Anglian ports of Yarmouth and
Lowestoft in September or October and stayed there almost until Christmas before
returning home.
They often travelled between ports in special trains and their luggage was carried in
wooden or tin chests, known as “kists”. In the larger ports, accommodation was
provided for the women in dormitories near the harbour. except from http://www.foodheritage-berwick.org.uk/Local_Food_Past/Line%20Net
Monday, April 30, 12
Audible Links
• Link for Gansey Knitting Programme from
the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018grvr
• Link for life on Eriskay film
http://ssa.nls.uk/film.cfm?fid=1701
• Link for life on Harris film
this film is
silent but shows the Herring Girls
http://ssa.nls.uk/
film.cfm?fid=0136&search_term=holidaying
%20harris&search_join_type=AND&search_fuzzy=yesfid=0136&search_term=holidaying
%20harris&search_join_type=AND&search_fuzzy=yes
Monday, April 30, 12
Anatomy of a Gansey
In Scotland this an indispensable
garment which would be knitted on fine
“pins” with a wool that still has some
lanolin
The patterns would have been passed
down by word of mouth, generation to
generation
The sleeves would have been knitted
from the shoulders down for two
reasons - to enable a reknit when worn
and in children to add to as they grew
The “Herring Girls” would have shorter
sleeves, many above the elbow
The hemline often has a welt, usually in
garter stitch that is split over the hip
There are gussets at the underarms
and often at the neckline
Monday, April 30, 12
The shoulders can have a 3 needle bind
off
Many Scottish ganseys have buttons at
the neckline and/or shoulders
Seam stitches can be very decorative
Most of the stitches have meanings
that can be quite regional
These sweaters were usually of a very
dark blue and therefore very hard to
see the work
While the body of the sweater can be
plain the yoke can be very intricate
My Favourite Gansey Links
www.ganseys.com
http://www.gansey-mf.co.uk/index.html
http://www.angusmacleodarchive.org.uk/
http://knit-and-pins.blogspot.com/2011/12/gansey-sweaters.html
http://www.northeastmemories.co.uk/gutters.htm
Monday, April 30, 12
Shetland Island
Delicate Lace & Colour
A collection of islands north
of Scotland
Known for their delicate lace
Rugged countryside, hardy
sheep
Knitters inspired by their
beautiful surroundings
Monday, April 30, 12
Shetland Lace
made popular during the reign of Queen Victoria
mainly worked in garter stitch
decreases are worked as stitches together and not as directional
decreases
Knitted lace pattern is worked every row - the yo presents as a
single strand
Lace knitting pattern is worked every other row - the yo presents
as a twisted strand
Monday, April 30, 12
What makes Fair Isle, Fair Isle?
The Fair Isles are located just to the south of Shetland
and north of the Orkneys
They are known for their beautiful colour work
mainly worked in the round with “Steeks” for armholes,
necklines, etc.
only two colours are worked in any row
high and low contrast can be used to make an undulating
design
patterns are geometric in nature and can repeat both
horizontally or vertically
Monday, April 30, 12
To steek or not to steek .......
This is a very important question - this is a technique used primarily by Fair Isle
knitters and with good reason
There is a tackiness to the wool from Shetland sheep that allows the wool to be
cut - once stabilized - without unravelling
There are two different types of steeks - a wound steek and a knitted steek
Before you decide to steek you have to ask yourself two questions:
is this Shetland wool?
which steek to use, knitted or wound?
Always plan ahead in Fair Isle knitting
Best advice I can give you is to always have a treat for yourself after you steek
Monday, April 30, 12
• Link to the Open Country BBC Radio
Programme on Fair Isle Knitting
iplayer/episode/b00t5vkh/Open_Country_Fair_Isle_Knitting/
Monday, April 30, 12
http://www.bbc.co.uk/
Fair Isle
Links for Fair Isle Knitting
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/fairisle/fairisle/
index.html
http://scottishtextileheritage.org.uk/onlineresources/
articles/articlesTem2.asp?articleNo=17
http://visit.shetland.org/fair-isle
Monday, April 30, 12
Aran, Cabled or Celtic
Knitting of the West Coast
West Coast
Known for their cables
During the clearances many
Scots emigrated to Ireland
Did they bring the cabled
designs with themselves or
did they send designs back
from Ireland?
Monday, April 30, 12
Aran, Cabled or Celtic?
Is there a difference
It would depend who you asked.
The Irish claim the Aran Islands.
Alice Starmore rightly claims the Celtic work which she
created in 1992
The truth is that knitters have manipulated stitches
whether by design or mistake for a long time
Monday, April 30, 12
Gansey or Aran
They are both Fishermans’ Sweaters
There are definite differences between the East and
West Coast
East Coast Gansey is close fitting and the Aran is looser
The Gansey has gussets for ease of movement the Aran
traditionally doesn’t
The Gansey is knitted tightly on small needles, the Aran is
knitted on a medium needle with a heavier weight wool
The Gansey has subtle patterning where the Aran is bold
and strong in patterning
Monday, April 30, 12
Cables, Backgrounds & Bobbles
Where you find one...........
When you see a cable is it generally located on a
background
Background stitches can be, but are not limited to:
Reverse Stocking Stitch
Garter Stitch
Moss or Seed Stitch
Double Moss or Seed Stitch
A cable is logical, you are moving a set of stitches in front
or behind another set - note these stitches do not need to
be even in number!
Stitches like Moss can be placed inside a cable
Bobbles can be placed inside or outside of a cable
Monday, April 30, 12
Cables, Backgrounds & Bobbles
Continued
An Aran can have many cables or just one repeated
When you are working a design you must always:
Work the gauge as requested
Check your work regularly to ensure cables are correct
A designer would gauge
each cable independently
each background stitch independently
Put it together and look out for “cable flare”
Cable flare occurs because cables pull in the work and
make it flare at the bottom
I eliminate this by casting on fewer stitches and then
add stitches behind in place of the 1st cable
Monday, April 30, 12
A Little Light Reading
Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel
Fishermen’s Sweaters by Alice
Starmore
Heirloom Knitting by Sharon Miller
Celtic Knitting by Alice Starmore
Shetland Hap Shawls by Sharon Miller
Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys &
Arans by Gladys Thompson
Lerwick Lace Shawl by Sharon Miller
Fair Isle Charts by Alice Starmore
Traditional Fair Isle Knitting by Anne
Feitelsen
Traditional Fair Isle Knitting by Sheila
McGregor
200 Fair Isle Motifs by Mary Jane
Mucklestone
Charts for Color Knitting by Alice
Starmore
Monday, April 30, 12
Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle
Knitting
The Art of Shetland Lace by Sarah Don
The Complete Book of Traditional Aran
Knitting by Shelagh Hollingworth
Aran Knitting by Alice Starmore
Treasury of Knitting Patterns by
Barbara Walker