Fingers flying, needles clicking, the fishermen’s best friends – their ganseys – took shape; warm, weatherproof pullovers with distinctive patterns that, should the worst happen, might well help bring them home.
For generations, the traditional hand-knitted sweater was the herring fisherman’s uniform. Knitted in fine yet deceptively tough navy blue, grey, dark red or cream fine 5-ply wool to defend against the biting wind and the sting of the sea spray, their elaborate patterns were not mere decoration.
The lines of twisted cables reflected the ropes that hauled their nets, moss stitch added thickness, rows of ladders, herring bones, stars, tree branches, even zig-zags to reflect the ups and downs of the waves or, perhaps, married life; the gansey’s patterns told their own stories.