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.

,

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

Hand Knitting a Humber Star Gansey Sweater November 29 2013

Hand Knitted Humber Star Gansey Sweater.

The ultimate Christmas Sweater. Ready for a proud son of Hull.

British 5ply worsted wool, knitted from a 500g cone. 

Harbour Flag pattern knitted across the chest in double Moss stitch.

Double thickness of yarn knitted into the first few rows of the ham

rib to give extra strength and better maintain the ribs shape.

Ladder stitch panel above the rib at the side seam.

Arm hole held on a pin ready for the sleeve to be knitted down.

Double Moss stitch panel to Gansey shoulder.

Last few rows of the rib cuff knitted on three needles.

Last job. Tying up the loose ends, carefully sewing the threads

back into Gansey.

Humber Star Gansey hand knitted in East Yorkshire by Katie Banks.

Antique Cotton Shirt November 28 2013

Vintage turn of the century cotton, British made.

Original name still visible. Hand painted on by owner.

With what looks like a hand stitched hem seam.

Front and back panels lined up ready for the collar.

Antique Mother of Pearl buttons hand sewn on.

V shaping detail at the centre back of the collar.

V shaping again at the centre of the cuffs.

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.

Tartan Neck Scarf Fishermans Muffler September 21 2013

Our latest Tartan Neck Scarf, known locally to Bridlington

Fisherman as a Muffler. Our work continues in trying to

recreate this deceptively tricky and now rare piece of kit.

Once standard issue to all men working out on the North Sea.

Brushed cotton Stewart Royal Tartan cloth, woven in Scotland.

Usually worn to prevent your Gansey sweater or heavy oil skin

waterproofs from rubbing your neck.

The tartan neck scarf measures 73cm x 73cm square.

The devils in the details, hand frayed edges instead of turned and sewn

seams to avoid the chance of any abrasion.

With a traditional fishermans neck scarf you should always

be able to wrap the neck scarf twice around the neck before 

tying off in a knot at the front.

Tanker on the horizon heading south along the East coast

with the Bridlington Coast Guard station keeping the watch.

Hull dock worker sporting his tartan neck scarf. Pictured here around 1960.

Thanks to local fishing legend Dave for all the information and

background history on the traditional fishermans mufflers.

Made to Measure Workwear September 15 2013

Suits you Sir, made to measure work shirt & jacket.

Day 1.

After a first fitting of the toile on Wednesday were good to

go on making up the final workwear jacket & work shirt in

2 shades of navy blue cotton twill in varying weights.

Collar point has been moved forward along with a reduction

in the height of the collar stand.

Pinning the rolled hem before sewing, tricky even with all those pins.

Coffee break. Hornsea pottery mug, a celebration of East Coast

Petrochemical plants, made in 1978 about 10 miles away.

With the hard work done just the buttons & final press before she's ready.

Day 2.

Up early, sure is a beautiful day. Nice Scye too. (sorry pattern cutter joke).

Front jacket panels laid out. Pockets pressed then stitched down.

Stop staring out of the window, Flamborough Head & Danes Dyke.

Workwear Jacket pressed and ready for it's new owner.

Shetland Pattern Gansey Sweaters September 09 2013

From the Archives - Island life North of the border, Och aye

Similar to the Yorkshire coast Gansey sweaters but generally hand

knitted in a finer 3 or 4 ply wool yarn.

Check back soon for more from The Shetland Isles.

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.

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.

Local Artists Mel Whitaker June 07 2013