What is a Fisherman’s Knit?

In the past, when I thought of fishermen’s knits, I pictured the cream or off white cabled and generously patterned sweaters that tourists bring home from Ireland. Then I got this book; “Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys and Arans; Fisherman’s sweaters from the British Isles“, Gladys Thompson, Dover Press, 1971; and discovered a whole new world of fisherman’s knits. The basic construction and designs came from many other island villages where fishing was the principal industry.

Beginning with the Channel Islands where the most basic form of fisherman knits originated; first I had to find out where and what the Channel Islands are. They are made up of the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey in the British Channel and are actually closer to France than to Great Britain. The Guernsey sweater was basically a square garment knit of worsted wool which still contains the natural lanolin of the sheep, and was knitted on fine needles. The result is a practical sweater which is like armor; resisting damp and wind. “Gansay” which is often used to denote any fisherman jumper(pullover) may be derived from ”Guernsey”. Sweaters from Guernsey were usually dark blue or grey, thicker, and plainer than those from Jersey according to Ms Thompson. However, she seems to use guernsey and jersey without evident distinction in captioning photographs of various examples in the book.

The body of the Guernsey was usually, but not always, of plain stocking (stockinette) stitch with the decorative stitches reserved for the yoke and top of the sleeves. Ms Thompson notes in her description of guernseys of Runswick Bay that the “true Guernsey” was knitted in stocking stitch only with ribbed shoulder straps called Rig and Fur (for ridges and furrows of a plowed field) and more ribbing each side of the armhole. However, most of the gansays illustrated in that book and others have knit and purl patterns mixed with simple rope cables on the yoke.

Where did the patterns come from? More to follow…..

BTW: Guernsey and Jersey are also each the home of a breed of cattle. Guernseys are light fawn with white markings and Jerseys are a reddish brown and were prized for the high butterfat content of their milk. I say “were” because that attribute may not be so highly prized in the present day.