Propagansey Exhibition 2015 October 04 2015

St.Stephens Old Church Robin Hood's Bay, East Yorkshire Coast.

Praise be to Deb Gillanders and her utterly fabulous Propergansey exhibition.

A real treat for any Gansey lover & a rare day trip out for some serious knitting inspiration.

With Ganseys sourced from all over British Isles from Scotland to Cornwall

even a few from over the North Sea in Holland.

Nice tonal mend to end of the collars & cuffs after much wear.

Below right, vintage hand stitched child's under shirt.

Hand printed postcards by local Filey artist Mel Whitaker.

The holy grail of Gansey wools..yes the mythical Poppleton's of Harrogate.

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Until next year.

www.propagansey.co.uk / check PROPAGANSEY on facebook for details.

Frame Knit Fishermans Sweaters January 20 2014

Coming soon..Hand frame knitted fishermans sweaters.

Based on our traditional hand knitted Yorkshire coast Gansey sweaters.

Using the same 5ply wool from British breeds sheep, knitted in Yorkshire.

To buy your own slice of British heritage email info@waysideflower.co.uk

Flamborough Sword Dance December 27 2013

Boxing Day and our yearly pilgrimage along the cliff top to Flamborough to watch the sword dance.

A cloudless sky and warm Winter sun bathing the chalk cliffs. Bridlington in the distance.

Worsted wool red hats and mini Ganseys for the juniors. Wooden swords at the ready.

Dog & Duck square Flamborough for a rousing finale to the days events.

Hand Knitted Fishermans Ganseys, white cotton trousers and cloth caps

for the men of the village.

The circle of life is complete. Another year passes and a new one begins.

Vintage Original Flamborough Gansey October 27 2013

We were fortunate enough to be able to buy this extremely rare

example of an original hand knitted Flamborough Gansey sweater recently.

It's the finest vintage Gansey we have seen. It's a real museum piece and

a beautiful example of British heritage knitwear.

Woven name label sewn neatly into the back neck.

Bought from a local auction house and originaly belonging to

Mr.D.M.Burnhill from the small village of Sewerby a couple of miles down the

coast from Flamborough Head. 

Knitted around 1940-50 in a 4ply wool, probably using the original

Poppleton's Gansey wool from Harrogate. This is a much finer yarn

then is available today. For the wearer the finer yarn means a denser

knit structure giving far better warmth and rain resistance. For the knitter  

however the finer yarn means many more hours of knitting.

The Gansey must be over 50 years old and yet it has not lost any of its

shape and hardly any of its colour. The definition of the Net Mask & Cable

patterns is staggering.

The size is now a small, washed down and shrunk a little from what was 

probably a medium when first knitted. The continuous washing by both man

and the North Sea have left the knit with a tight almost felt like structure.

It is easy to see where the phrase Fishermans Iron comes from. 

This type of traditional hand knitting really would turn water. 

Looking at the excelent condition of a Gansey this old and well made gives us

a glimpse of a time stretching away from us now. When clothes were made,

not bought and care was taken to ensure at least one lifetime of use.  

Ahh the good ol days.

Knit For Victory September 09 2013

British hand knitting patterns from 1940's. Keep warm and carry on.

Hand Knitting - Bridlidlington Gansey Sweater September 08 2013

Sunday afternoon 3rd fitting off our new hand knitted Bridlington Gansey

sweater and she's a purler.  5 ply worsted wool worked on five 2.5mm

needles, British breeds wool dyed and spun in Yorkshire.

Once finished should last a life time of even the roughest wear

plus can be worn inside out and back to front which is handy.

Close up on Kates handy work, Gansey sweater yolk panel.

Gansey pattern knitted down the arm as far as the elbow.

Then plain knit down to the 2 x 2 rib cuffs.

This Gansey is a size Medium, shown here on 38" chest stockman. 

The traditional Yorkshire Coast Gansey patterns of Love Hearts run

through the centre flanked by Betty Martin, Cable & Net Mask patterns.

Deep 2x2 rib used at the hem of Gansey with the last few rows worked in

double thickness yarn for extra strength.

Just the last sleeve of the Gansey sweater to knit down from the shoulder

again in the round using 5 short 2.5mm needles. Check back in around two

weeks to see the finished Gansey sweater.

Hand Frame Knitting Video, Part 1 September 07 2013

Down to business. Hand frame knitting our new Autumn knitwear range of

Authentic Fishermans sweater at a small local factory just down the coast.

frame-knitting-W.SIDE-1 from Wayside Flower on Vimeo.

She's making it look easy but there's thirty years of practice going into this.

First body samples coming off the machines. Not in the correct wool yet. 

This first sample is just to help work out the pattern and number of rows &

stitches needed. The finished fishermans knit sweaters will be much denser

and in Navy using 5 ply worsted wool from British breeds, spun & dyed in Yorkshire. 

frame-knitting-W.SIDE-2 from Wayside Flower on Vimeo.

Hey what does this do.. Circular linking machine for joining the side seams.

No cut & sew here all the seams are hand link finished.

Lewis model 200, vintage Union Special used for sewing on cardigan buttons.

frame-knitting-W.SIDE-3 from Wayside Flower on Vimeo.

Pressing the knit panels flat using wood pads & steam bed to flatten the knit.

It's grey outside, but not in here. Cones of 5 ply wool yarn in every hue and colour.

Brutalism from the Hessle Foreshore, homeward bound Humber Bridge.

Check back in a week or so to see the finished Fishermans sweaters with the

sleeves added ready for our store.

A Mothers Pride - Hand Knitting a Gansey Sweater August 30 2013

gansey-hd from Wayside Flower on Vimeo.

Thanks again to Ben & Lynn at Walker&Walker for the great feature and profile on

Katie Banks Gansey Knitter.

Menswear shoot Autumn 2013 August 26 2013

Wayside Flower Autumn 2013. Collection preview behind thescenes at our

studio photo shoot. British made Menswear workwear and Gansey knitwear

Photo Shoot Flamborough AW13 August 26 2013

North Landing Flamborough, home of the East Coast Gansey.

They may have taken down the moated embattlements that once isolated

this Eastermost hook of the British Isles but the people here are still a breed apart.

Tractors are used to haul the cobles ashore and up the embankment safe

from the ravages of the North Sea. A role previously belonging to donkeys.

The Emmerson family who can trace their family back through hundreds of years

on these beaches are still fishing the waters off Flamborough Head. Now along

with the occasional tourist excursion to boot.