I've finally bit the bullet and pulled out the Seahorse. This beautiful Gansey is knit in Rowan Denim. Color: Nashville, a deep indigo. The gansey is made larger than desired. Then it's washed. It shrinks and fades like its namesake. The yarn is harsh to work with and the dye leaves residue on my hands as I work. The indigo color is almost imposible to see so I'm working during daylight hours.
The pattern book is full of wonderful old photos of Yorkshire fishermen sporting their ganseys. A gansey or guernsey is named for the Island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. It a classic shaped sweater designed with a straight neck so that the sweater could be worn reversed. The sweaters were practical, working garments. The original gansey began as a plain sweater. As the popularity of this sweater spread, intricate embossed patterns were added to the design. Knitters would memorize the patterns and pass them down through families. Most of the stitch motifs were inspired by the everyday objects in the lives of fishing families. Things like ropes, nets, anchors and herringbone are often found. The weather also influences design with shapes representing waves, hail or lightning.
Seahorse is a Filey pattern of zig-zags representing lightning, combined with moss stitch representing hailstones.
Here is some of the knitting I've done over the past two months:
Aspen Cable Shrug, a super fast and easy project:
Finished the Swallowtail Shawl:
Two Big Mexiko Hats:
Open Lace work Cardi done in Noro Silk Garden. This was a fast and fun project.
