Features

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

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.

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.

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.

North Face x Mac3 Dog Coat September 09 2013

NEWLIFE series 1

It was his Masters favourite. Now it his too...

Recycled North Face Jacket gets a fresh set of legs.

He likes it. Feels so natural.

Made to order email info@waysideflower.co.uk

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.

St. Andrew's Fish Dock in Hull, Film 1962 September 08 2013

This film shows men working on St. Andrew's Fish Dock in Hull and the methods of their work.

It provides an interesting look at this side of the fishing industry in 1962.

Watch the film at: http://ow.ly/oFmop

A trawler (The Lord Hawke, Hull) is moored alongside the dock. Baskets of fish are transported via a series of pulleys and ropes. They swing across from the ship on to the dock where men catch them and empty the fish in to buckets. The buckets are then wheeled off in carts. This sequence provides good footage of the unloading process and the dock workers from various angles. There are close-ups of the pulleys as well as the halibut on the floor. The men wash down the metal trays and pile them up. Baskets of fish are pulled up from holes at the side of the docks. Baskets of ice are emptied into the water, and some of the fish can be seen having been dropped out of the baskets.

There are vast rows of buckets of fish, and a man in a white coat stands on top of the buckets inspecting them. On one bucket full of fish, there is a “Birdseye”, “Newington” sign. There is also a bucket with “Jackson Mills” and “Chappie Animal Feeding Stuffs” on it. On the docks, the fish are being gutted and having their bones and heads removed. A man climbs up the mast of the trawler and throws something down to a group of men in white coats. There are scenes of wolf fish being deboned and their skins being removed.

Trucks back up towards a warehouse, and one truck has “Bogg & Son Wholesale Fish Merchants” on its side. In the background another truck pulls off. A man starts to load up the trucks from the warehouse, and there are more scenes of the dock workers. The trawler and dinghy pull away from the dock, and two men can be seen on board. Several halibut are laid out, and a man drags one away. The film closes with different trawlers going by including the “H329 Somerset Maugham.”

- See more at: http://yorkshirefilmarchive.com

Pot Luck, Archive Footage of The Wayside Flower September 04 2013

Watch the video at: http://www.yfaonline.com/film/pot-luck

POT LUCK
1962

This documentary film was made by Bill Freeman in 1962. It focuses on the fishing industry in Bridlington and features the crew of the Wayside Flower as they bring in the catch of the day including lobsters and crabs.

The film opens with a sunrise over the water; a man approaches the docks and climbs aboard a fishing boat. More men arrive to board the Wayside Flower and begin to load lobster nets onto the boat. As the boat begins its journey, the docks appear to move further into the distance. Other boats are seen at sea as the boat rocks backwards and forwards on the waters. The captain of the boat is inside the steering vestal.

The fishermen pull up lobster nets from the sea and unload their catch. They begin to prepare the lobsters by tying string around the claws. Once the catch has been unloaded, the fishermen throw the cages back into the sea.

When the fishermen arrive back at the docks, they secure the boat with a series of ropes. The fishermen move barrels containing the day’s catch onto a wooden platform, which is pulled up by a crane and loaded onto the docks. There are crabs stored inside large wooden containers with rope handles marked ‘Grimsby Fish’.

When the containers are placed on the dock, fishermen unload them and start to prepare the fish that are inside. Two fishermen are working at a table, gutting into the fish and putting them into a basket. Other containers marked ‘W. SIDE’ are loaded onto the crane and placed on the docks.

Once the fishermen have unloaded their catch, they walk away from the docks towards Bridlington.

- See more at: www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com