Your source for authentic hand-knitted Ganseys,
Gansey Knitting Kits, Armor Lux pure cotton
Breton shirts plus a range of quality, pure
wool, traditional knitwear from Le Tricoteur
(the original Guernsey sweater) and Armor Lux of
France.
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A
classic Filey Gansey
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Flamborough Marine
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Flamborough Marine commenced trading in
1981. Initially the stock consisted of
readily available machine-knitted sweaters
of a traditional design (for example,
Guernseys, Alderneys and Bretons). As an
antique shop was also run from the same
premises we began to receive inquiries for
‘antique sweaters’, that is, the
hand-knitted Ganseys which were once so much
a feature of the fishing communities, but
which had become generally unavailable. We
contacted a long-time resident of
Flamborough, Nora Woodhouse, who knitted our
first Ganseys (from memory) in several
different North-East Coast patterns. She had
originally been taught to knit Ganseys
before the war by her fisherman father after
her mother had been drowned at Robin Hood’s
Bay. From Nora’s Ganseys we were able to
make charts of the patterns which,
beforehand, had never normally been written
down but, rather, were passed on by word of
mouth.
A Robin Hood's Bay Gansey worn by a
Victorian Fisherman
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Our idea was two-fold. First to offer an
outlet for the sale of Ganseys once we had
recruited knitters; and second, to package a
kit containing the wool, needles, and our
own charts so that the art of Gansey
knitting could be spread even more widely
and not limited to those within our
immediate vicinity. As the first step in
this plan we advertised for experienced
knitters who might be interested in knitting
with five steel needles and showed them what
we wanted. Of the hundred initial replies
only ten decided to persevere. We supplied
these first ten with needles, wool, charts
and instructions and began to build up a
stock of Ganseys. During the succeeding
years some knitters have dropped out and
others have taken their places. One thing
however has remained constant and that is
the premises in Flamborough where the
various Ganseys are displayed. We believe
that we offer the only outlet for the
authentic finished product. Without this
outlet the knitters would have nowhere to
sell their wares and the art of Gansey
knitting (for, although a craft, the work
itself is so intricate as to be rightly
called an art form) would again be in danger
of disappearing.
Shown at right:
A Flamborough Gansey
in dappled sunlight |
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Flamborough Gansey in
Ocean Deep colour 5-ply wool |
Flamborough Gansey in
Denim colour 5-ply wool |
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An article in "Classic
Boat" magazine, which featured our Ganseys,
resulted in queries and orders from around
the world. In Bielefeld, Germany Iris Heyer
noticed the article, showed it to her
husband, and we soon received a telephone
call from Thomas Heyer, to order a
Flamborough Gansey. A few weeks after it
arrived, Thomas' brother Hans saw the Gansey
and was hooked! Hans ordered a Filey Gansey.
And here they are, proudly wearing their
Ganseys at the Rum-Regatta in Flensburg, a Regatta for traditional Sailing
boats which is held each year in the North
of Germany. The Ganseys proved to
be immensely useful, fighting cold
temperatures and wind forces up to 6 on the
Beaufort scale!
In the photograph, taken by Iris, the Filey
Gansey on the left is worn by Hans, and, at
right the Flamborough Gansey worn by Thomas.
(The photograph was kindly supplied by Hans,
who added: "It is great that you took the
effort in reviving this old knitting craft
and our admiration goes to the knitters for
their skills!") |
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In addition to
supplying Ganseys such as those above, we
also sell Gansey Knitting Kits, to knit your
own. Each Kit contains 5-ply worsted
Guernsey wool, a set of five double-ended
2.5 mm steel needles, individual body and
sleeve charts, and full instructions for the
pattern of your choice. A copy of the fully
illustrated soft-back book "Patterns for
Guernseys, Jerseys & Arans" by Gladys
Thompson is also available as an optional
extra.
Taking
advantage of this, keen knitter Brenda
Duthie has produced a beautiful example,
shown at right, using one of our Kits with
Amethyst 5-ply wool. As she noted in the
letter accompanying the photograph, "This is
a female from Fraserburgh wearing her
Fraserburgh Gansey at Fraserburgh harbour
beside a Fraserburgh boat!"
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We were
approached by Canadian film and television
actor, artist and musician, Rajiv Surendra
with a commission for a Gansey based on
little more than an old photograph in a
reference book. Using the expert knowledge
of our longest-serving knitter, Marion, we
were able to produce the exquisite garment
shown at left, worn (and loved) by Rajiv.
This stunning Gansey demonstrates what our
knitters are capable of; but, as a special
commission, this particular pattern cannot
be repeated. So successful was this first
commission, that it led to a second, shown
below. |
Not just a craft,
but a work of art.
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We offer an
extended range of beautiful colours in 5-ply
worsted Guernsey wool, including the
unusually named “Herring Girl’s Pink”, shown
at left in the Scarborough pattern,
knitted by Melanie Jones, who kindly sent
the photograph, taken on the ferry returning
from the Isle of Jura. |
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Staithes pattern
available in ribbed
welt or split welt (the patterned, split welt can be
seen on the What is a Gansey?
page)
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Polperro
Knit-Frock
While the
majority of Gansey patterns are to be found
in Yorkshire and the North-East Coast of
England, other patterns originate from
Cornwall and East Anglia. Shown at left is a
beautiful Cornish Knit-frock in the Polperro
design. |
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Hand-knitted Gansey-patterned Beany hats in a
range of colours : £35.00 each |
Hand-knitted Beany (Beanie) |
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The photograph
above shows Jack Cross of Flamborough
mending his pots. The photograph was taken
shortly before Jack and his two eldest sons
were drowned at North Landing, Flamborough
on Friday 5 February 1909 while trying to
land their catch in a gale. The photograph was
kindly donated by
the third son, the late Mr Edward Cross, who is the
small boy standing in the cottage doorway
behind his father.
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One of the most prominent features on
the East Coast of England, Flamborough Head
juts out five miles into the North Sea. It
is the most northerly chalk outcrop and the
largest sea-bird breeding colony in England.
The village, in the centre of the headland,
is exposed on three sides to the sea and to
the constant wind. It was to help protect
against these elements that the Ganseys were
first produced, hundreds of years ago. Then
they were fashioned, as they still are
today, by the knitters of Flamborough
Marine, entirely in one piece using five
steel needles.
Bempton Cliffs at Flamborough Head, site of
the Royal Society for the Protection of
Birds reserve. The chalk cliffs here are a
sheer 300 feet drop into the North Sea. |
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This
is our most detailed site, however,
we also have two separate sites, one
for Flamborough Marine in general,
and one for Armor Lux specifically,
which have been optimized for
viewing on smaller screens |
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Detailed information on our various
products is available on this
site. However, we also have a
separate Flamborough Marine web-site,
which has been optimized for viewing
on smaller screens, and is
available by clicking the image
above. |
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Information on our
Armor Lux range is available on this
site. However, we also have
a dedicated Armor Lux web-site,
which has been optimized for viewing
on smaller screens, and is
available by clicking the image
above. |
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The print at right, showing a fisherman
running through the streets of a small
northern fishing village shouting "All hands
man the Life-Boat!" is dated 26 November
1887.
The fisherman is clearly wearing a Gansey
which, upon closer inspection, is almost
certainly that of the Cullercoats Rocket
Brigade.
Over a century later, the same pattern can
be knitted, and in the same method,
all-in-one piece, on five needles, in the
finest quality 5-ply worsted wool.
If the fisherman returned today, he would
find a few things still familiar in
Flamborough, and much that was alien. The
fishing boats (known locally as "cobles")
would still be instantly recognizable, as
would Flamborough lighthouse and, if he
walked into the premises of Flamborough
Marine, upon my soul, he would find a match
for his own Gansey. |
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Download our catalogue :
Download the current
Flamborough Marine catalogue in Adobe PDF format
[file size 1.5 mb].
To download, right click
the following link:
PDF CATALOGUE
and
select [Windows]: "SAVE
TARGET AS".
Please note that, to be viewed, the
catalogue requires Adobe Acrobat Reader
(available as a free download from Adobe.com).
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