The Gansey

A Gansey is a distinctive woollen sweater, originally

designed to provide protection for fishermen from wind

and water but which is ideal for all outdoor activity. Using a

tightly spun 5-ply worsted wool (popularly known as

"Seamen's Iron") the intricately patterned Gansey is knitted

in one piece on five steel needles. The patterning to back

and front and, in some cases, the upper part of the sleeve

provides an extra layer of protection, while the combination

of seamless construction, fine wool and tight knitting

produced a garment that is both wind and waterproof.

Indeed, every part of the garment is designed with

practicality in mind.

The wool is knitted tightly so as to "turn water"; the lack of

seams ensures greater strength and impermeability; the

underarm gusset allows freedom of movement; the lower

sleeves where most wear is sustained, are left plain so the

worn part can be unravelled and re-knitted, while the

patterning across the chest provides extra insulation. Note

that the patterning is the same, back and front. This means

that the Gansey is reversible, so that areas which come in

for heavier wear, such as the elbows, can be alternated.

Flamborough Head

Authentic hand-knitted Ganseys Gansey Knitting Kits Traditional knitwear Armor Lux Breton shirts

for Ganseys & Kits : Guernseys : Breton Shirts

Contact Information Flamborough Marine Limited The Manor House Flamborough Bridlington East Riding of Yorkshire YO15 1PD United Kingdom Telephone: 01262 850943 International: +44 1262 850943 E-mail: gm@flamboroughmarine.co.uk

Flamborough Marine Your source for authentic hand-knitted Ganseys, Gansey Knitting Kits, plus a range of quality, traditional knitwear and Armor Lux pure cotton Breton shirts We pride ourselves on our personal attention to detail. If you are at all unsure about any aspect of our products, telephone, fax, write or e-mail us with your query which will be answered promptly and, we hope, knowledgeably. We wish to ensure that you are completely satisfied before making a purchase, as well as after.

Sizing Information for machine-knits [Additional sizing information for hand-knitted Ganseys can be found here.] Size exchanges can be a nuisance but can, hopefully, be avoided if you follow our sizing guidelines. If possible, select a similar style of knitwear or T-shirt which you currently wear and feel comfortable in, and measure across the chest, from underarm to underarm, as shown in the image above. Double this measurement to arrive at the actual garment size. Then compare the measurement of your garment, in inches, to the ones shown on each product page. Please do not confuse the measurements we show on each page with a person’s body measurement; the measurements listed are the actual dimensions of our knitwear and Breton shirts. A size 44 Guernsey sweater, for example, will measure 44 inches all round, but this does not fit a 44 inch chest, it will be suitable for someone with a chest measurement of 40 or 42 inches. Please do take the time to measure your own garments before you order, to prevent size exchanges. We keep our costs to a minimum, to offer the best possible price, and will have to pass on the cost of return postage for exchanged items.

Pricing Information We are not part of the VAT (Value Added Tax) scheme. All prices shown on this web-site are NET with postage only to be added to mail orders. Details of postage charges for UK and International destinations are shown on the "Ordering" page.

Filey

Flamborough

As the Gansey is a traditional garment, with an age-old

pattern, it can never go out of fashion. For example, we

were approached by a design student who wanted to

take the basic garment and then make it ever more

eye-catching. To do this she needed a specially dyed

wool, which we were able to arrange. The result, a one-

off, was faithfully knitted in one piece to the authentic

pattern but in a striking shade and was subsequently

exhibited at the London Fashion Design Show. It is

because of our commitment to keeping the gansey

tradition alive that This England referred to

"Flamborough Marine Ltd, who now perpetuate the

north-eastern art of knitting ‘gansey’ sweaters, a

tradition which once seemed likely to die out". Note

that this Staithes pattern has a short welt with a split at

each side (not visible) in contrast to the more

traditional long ribbed welt of other designs.

Other colours available include red, green, blue, and cream which has the beneficial side-effect of showing the pattern beautifully. A fully patterned Flamborough Gansey, hand knitted in cream 5-ply wool, and featuring cables, diamonds and moss stitch is shown at left, while the distinctive Humber Keel pattern is shown below right in red.

Pictured above is a Filey Gansey, featuring cables, diamonds, ladders and herringbone. Like the Flamborough Gansey, the Filey is fully patterned from the shoulder to just above the welt. Other designs are half-patterned, providing an extra layer of protection across the chest, while the bottom half is plain.

Shown at left is Staithes pattern, which is simple yet elegant, and features a short patterned welt, rather than the deep ribbed welt of most Ganseys. In addition to the North-East Ganseys, we have also knitted the much more intricate Aran style. The one shown below was a special order which, due to its intricacy, is only available at a premium over the normal Gansey price.

Filey Pattern Detail Above is a close-up of the Filey pattern, showing the diamonds (representing nets), the cables and the herringbone which are such a prominent feature of this popular pattern. Although the knitting looks complicated, the patterning is simply a mixture of knit and purl stitches in addition to the cable. The real art of Gansey knitting is, rather, the accomplishment of using five double-ended steel needles. It is possible to use a circular knitting needle for smaller sizes but the number of stitches required for larger sizes (over 300) and the weight of wool means that only steel needles provide a satisfactory result. The other requirement is patience, for each Gansey takes a minimum of four weeks to knit.

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Flamborough Marine THE HOME OF THE GANSEY

A Flamborough Gansey in dappled sunlight

Robin Hood’s Bay pattern in dark navy

Flamborough Ganseys shown in “Denim” colour 5-ply wool at left and “Ocean Deep” at right

Flamborough Marine Ltd The Manor House Flamborough Bridlington East Riding of Yorkshire YO15 1PD

For authentic hand-knitted Ganseys, Gansey Knitting Kits, Le Tricoteur Guernseys, a range of quality Armor Lux traditional knitwear and pure cotton Breton shirts

Whitby pattern in navy