NYCO Gansey

New Years day I cast on for a traditional Cornish Seaman's gansey using
"Fisherman's Wool" (930 yd/lb.) at a gauge of 8+ spi. I have made a point of
only working on it a few hours per day as I help my wife watch movies in the
evening. (Bad movies result in the most progress. Good movies result in
errors that must be frogged, great films result in no knitting what so
ever.)

Now, I am down to the cuffs, and I expect to finish it to wear to the
Stitches event next weekend.

Anyway, the sleeves had turned into a long, hard slog. Evening after
evening, I did not seem to make much progress. (There are about as many
stitches in the sleeves as in an entire sweater knit at 5 spi.) I stopped,
and polished my steel needles, and I was back to full speed. I love freshly
polished steel needles! Other needles may be more pleasant to touch and
feel, but nothing is surer than cold steel.

This also confirms my calculation that a traditional knitter could make a
fisherman's gansey in a couple of months by working on the gansey only 2 or
3 hours a day. This would leave time for childcare and other household
duties. Thus, a fisherman's wife could knit new ganseys for her husband and
a couple of sons every year. (Fisherman's Wool knits much slower than the
more tightly spun wassit that they used.) If I had been using a tight spun
gansey yarn, the thing would be long done!

We have rain coming towards the end of the week, so I am going to block it
to shape by wearing it as I do my spring garden chores in the rain.

Aaron

Cool!!!!
I am finding Lion's Brand "Fisherman's Wool" impossible to locate locally.
I am wondering if, with the introduction of their new felting wool, they
might discontinue the Fisherman's. Or, maybe it's just my local stores.

JJMolvik

wrote in message
et...
New Years day I cast on for a traditional Cornish Seaman's gansey using
"Fisherman's Wool" (930 yd/lb.) at a gauge of 8+ spi. I have made a point
of
only working on it a few hours per day as I help my wife watch movies in
the
evening. (Bad movies result in the most progress. Good movies result in
errors that must be frogged, great films result in no knitting what so
ever.)

Now, I am down to the cuffs, and I expect to finish it to wear to the
Stitches event next weekend.

Anyway, the sleeves had turned into a long, hard slog. Evening after
evening, I did not seem to make much progress. (There are about as many
stitches in the sleeves as in an entire sweater knit at 5 spi.) I
stopped,
and polished my steel needles, and I was back to full speed. I love
freshly
polished steel needles! Other needles may be more pleasant to touch and
feel, but nothing is surer than cold steel.

This also confirms my calculation that a traditional knitter could make a
fisherman's gansey in a couple of months by working on the gansey only 2
or
3 hours a day. This would leave time for childcare and other household
duties. Thus, a fisherman's wife could knit new ganseys for her husband
and
a couple of sons every year. (Fisherman's Wool knits much slower than the
more tightly spun wassit that they used.) If I had been using a tight spun
gansey yarn, the thing would be long done!

We have rain coming towards the end of the week, so I am going to block it
to shape by wearing it as I do my spring garden chores in the rain.

Aaron

I saw some at JoAnns today, but not a lot.

Georgia

"JJMolvik" wrote in message
...
Cool!!!!
I am finding Lion's Brand "Fisherman's Wool" impossible to locate
locally.
I am wondering if, with the introduction of their new felting wool, they
might discontinue the Fisherman's. Or, maybe it's just my local stores.

JJMolvik

wrote in message
et...
New Years day I cast on for a traditional Cornish Seaman's gansey using
"Fisherman's Wool" (930 yd/lb.) at a gauge of 8+ spi. I have made a
point
of
only working on it a few hours per day as I help my wife watch movies in
the
evening. (Bad movies result in the most progress. Good movies result
in
errors that must be frogged, great films result in no knitting what so
ever.)

Now, I am down to the cuffs, and I expect to finish it to wear to the
Stitches event next weekend.

Anyway, the sleeves had turned into a long, hard slog. Evening after
evening, I did not seem to make much progress. (There are about as many
stitches in the sleeves as in an entire sweater knit at 5 spi.) I
stopped,
and polished my steel needles, and I was back to full speed. I love
freshly
polished steel needles! Other needles may be more pleasant to touch and
feel, but nothing is surer than cold steel.

This also confirms my calculation that a traditional knitter could make
a
fisherman's gansey in a couple of months by working on the gansey only 2
or
3 hours a day. This would leave time for childcare and other household
duties. Thus, a fisherman's wife could knit new ganseys for her husband
and
a couple of sons every year. (Fisherman's Wool knits much slower than
the
more tightly spun wassit that they used.) If I had been using a tight
spun
gansey yarn, the thing would be long done!

We have rain coming towards the end of the week, so I am going to block
it
to shape by wearing it as I do my spring garden chores in the rain.

Aaron

On Feb 19, 5:13 pm, wrote:
New Years day I cast on for a traditional Cornish Seaman's gansey using
"Fisherman's Wool" (930 yd/lb.) at a gauge of 8+ spi. I have made a point of
only working on it a few hours per day as I help my wife watch movies in the
evening. (Bad movies result in the most progress. Good movies result in
errors that must be frogged, great films result in no knitting what so
ever.)

Now, I am down to the cuffs, and I expect to finish it to wear to the
Stitches event next weekend.

Anyway, the sleeves had turned into a long, hard slog. Evening after
evening, I did not seem to make much progress. (There are about as many
stitches in the sleeves as in an entire sweater knit at 5 spi.) I stopped,
and polished my steel needles, and I was back to full speed. I love freshly
polished steel needles! Other needles may be more pleasant to touch and
feel, but nothing is surer than cold steel.

This also confirms my calculation that a traditional knitter could make a
fisherman's gansey in a couple of months by working on the gansey only 2 or
3 hours a day. This would leave time for childcare and other household
duties. Thus, a fisherman's wife could knit new ganseys for her husband and
a couple of sons every year. (Fisherman's Wool knits much slower than the
more tightly spun wassit that they used.) If I had been using a tight spun
gansey yarn, the thing would be long done!

We have rain coming towards the end of the week, so I am going to block it
to shape by wearing it as I do my spring garden chores in the rain.

When I used to knit them, Aaron, it would take me about six weeks to
knit
an adult size. I would knit while my son was napping and for a couple
of hours
after he went to bed.

HIgs,
Katherine

On Mon, 19 Feb 2007 17:34:06 -0800, "JJMolvik"
wrote:

Cool!!!!
I am finding Lion's Brand "Fisherman's Wool" impossible to locate locally.
I am wondering if, with the introduction of their new felting wool, they
might discontinue the Fisherman's. Or, maybe it's just my local stores.

I think that depends on the stores you're checking. At any rate.
The last time I was in a Joann I saw Fisherman's Wool. Ghetto Lobby
doesn't carry FW but does carry most other LB stuff. Michael's is
hit-or-miss on any yarn that isn't trendy. Reputedly Wally is
"shrinking" the craft section but the few times I've had a look the LB
selection was quite small and included no wools at all.

You should be able to order it directly from LB if you're desperate
and willing to pay postage.

When calculating Working schedules and trying to use this measure to
former times , one should remember that people had no cars [ thus
walking time was longer, and no all knew how to knit while walkig] ,
No phones , no washing machines , dish washers , they used out houses,
no paper trowels , etc,,, all these added HOURS of work , that could
NOT used for knitting. also they tended sick kids , elder relatives ,
etc,, All THEHE has to be taken into account when trying to decided if
people could or could not produce something in the same time a
contemporary person does it ,, ps and don`t forget that light wasn`t
as good as your`s.
mirjam

On Feb 19, 5:13 pm, wrote:
New Years day I cast on for a traditional Cornish Seaman's gansey using
"Fisherman's Wool" (930 yd/lb.) at a gauge of 8+ spi. I have made a point of
only working on it a few hours per day as I help my wife watch movies in the
evening. (Bad movies result in the most progress. Good movies result in
errors that must be frogged, great films result in no knitting what so
ever.)

Now, I am down to the cuffs, and I expect to finish it to wear to the
Stitches event next weekend.

Anyway, the sleeves had turned into a long, hard slog. Evening after
evening, I did not seem to make much progress. (There are about as many
stitches in the sleeves as in an entire sweater knit at 5 spi.) I stopped,
and polished my steel needles, and I was back to full speed. I love freshly
polished steel needles! Other needles may be more pleasant to touch and
feel, but nothing is surer than cold steel.

This also confirms my calculation that a traditional knitter could make a
fisherman's gansey in a couple of months by working on the gansey only 2 or
3 hours a day. This would leave time for childcare and other household
duties. Thus, a fisherman's wife could knit new ganseys for her husband and
a couple of sons every year. (Fisherman's Wool knits much slower than the
more tightly spun wassit that they used.) If I had been using a tight spun
gansey yarn, the thing would be long done!

We have rain coming towards the end of the week, so I am going to block it
to shape by wearing it as I do my spring garden chores in the rain.

When I used to knit them, Aaron, it would take me about six weeks to
knit
an adult size. I would knit while my son was napping and for a couple
of hours
after he went to bed.

HIgs,
Katherine

Joanne's corporate doles out yarn to stores with an eye dropper. Good luck
finding 10 skeins in a store, much less 10 skeins of the same dye lot. In
course of a year, dye lots do vary considerably.

Wait for a sale, and buy online.

The Fisherman's wool has oil on it that gradually oxidizes - so you do not
want it sitting at the bottom of your stash too long. (3 years) Buy it as
you need it.

If you are going to knit a masterpiece gansey, go get real gansey yarn. Or,
at the very least, some of that Bendigo Merino.

Aaron


"Georgia" wrote in message
...
I saw some at JoAnns today, but not a lot.

Georgia

"JJMolvik" wrote in message
...
Cool!!!!
I am finding Lion's Brand "Fisherman's Wool" impossible to locate
locally.
I am wondering if, with the introduction of their new felting wool, they
might discontinue the Fisherman's. Or, maybe it's just my local stores.

JJMolvik

wrote in message
et...
New Years day I cast on for a traditional Cornish Seaman's gansey
using
"Fisherman's Wool" (930 yd/lb.) at a gauge of 8+ spi. I have made a
point
of
only working on it a few hours per day as I help my wife watch movies
in
the
evening. (Bad movies result in the most progress. Good movies result
in
errors that must be frogged, great films result in no knitting what so
ever.)

Now, I am down to the cuffs, and I expect to finish it to wear to the
Stitches event next weekend.

Anyway, the sleeves had turned into a long, hard slog. Evening after
evening, I did not seem to make much progress. (There are about as
many
stitches in the sleeves as in an entire sweater knit at 5 spi.) I
stopped,
and polished my steel needles, and I was back to full speed. I love
freshly
polished steel needles! Other needles may be more pleasant to touch
and
feel, but nothing is surer than cold steel.

This also confirms my calculation that a traditional knitter could
make
a
fisherman's gansey in a couple of months by working on the gansey only
2
or
3 hours a day. This would leave time for childcare and other household
duties. Thus, a fisherman's wife could knit new ganseys for her
husband
and
a couple of sons every year. (Fisherman's Wool knits much slower than
the
more tightly spun wassit that they used.) If I had been using a tight
spun
gansey yarn, the thing would be long done!

We have rain coming towards the end of the week, so I am going to
block
it
to shape by wearing it as I do my spring garden chores in the rain.

Aaron

"Katherine" wrote in message
oups.com...

When I used to knit them, Aaron, it would take me about six weeks to
knit an adult size. I would knit while my son was napping and for a
couple
of hours after he went to bed.

Wow. The one and only Aran I've ever done took me months to complete, even
with me making sure to do some of it everyday. The sweater turned out very
well and I'm very proud of it. I made it as a Christmas gift for my DIL and
she loves it too.

Shelagh

With all due respect Mirjam, you have not thought this through!

A warm gansey was the single most valuable thing a fisherman's family could
own! Remember that the stitch patterns provided warmth and ventilation. If
a fisherman did not have a well knit gansey - how would he stay warm while
he was out on the water? Without a GOOD gansey, he would not be able to go
out fishing and his family would starve, or he would die of exposure while
fishing and his family would then starve. If a fisherman's wife wanted to
eat, she knit a good gansey for her fisherman (and sons). If a woman wanted
to keep her man alive, she knit him a fine gansey. She patched it when it
was torn, and she reknit when it was worn, because it was essential to the
family. For a fisherman's family, NOTHING was more important.

A man with a gansey could go out on his own boat, or he could work shares
with another fisherman that had a boat or he could sign on to work on a
schooner. A fisherman could borrow a fish net, or a fish hook, but he had
to have his own gansey. Without a gansey, he could not fish. If he could
not fish, he could not feed his family.

Ganseys were a major capital asset of the fishing industry, but history has
not recognized the huge value of that asset. Knitting ganseys was a
terrible labor that has not been recognized by history. And, it was piled
on the other terrible labors that the women bore. Women have not been given
the credit that they deserved.

Without finely knit wool ganseys, Europe would not have had fish, at least
not cod and herring. Europe would have starved. That is a bit of economics
that has been overlooked.

----------------------------------
I have lived in situations without electricity or running water, or paved
roads. I do know what it is like to cook over an open fire, and what a
nasty job it is to try and clean afterwards when soap is precious. Never the
less, women living in those conditions (and worse), knit (millions??) of
fine ganseys for fishermen. In addition to the chores that you mention,
those women sold the catch, tended flocks and gardens, mended nets, made
other clothes for the family by hand, & etc.. . . It is an accomplishment
that should rank with the building of the Pyramids of Egypt, and yet history
ignores it.
----------------------------------
I admit that I love to knit in our clear California sunshine. (In part, we
choose to live in Pleasant Hill because of its fine quality of light.) But
today is a foggy mist, and I must knit anyway.

Aaron

"Mirjam Bruck-Cohen" wrote in message
...
When calculating Working schedules and trying to use this measure to
former times , one should remember that people had no cars [ thus
walking time was longer, and no all knew how to knit while walkig] ,
No phones , no washing machines , dish washers , they used out houses,
no paper trowels , etc,,, all these added HOURS of work , that could
NOT used for knitting. also they tended sick kids , elder relatives ,
etc,, All THEHE has to be taken into account when trying to decided if
people could or could not produce something in the same time a
contemporary person does it ,, ps and don`t forget that light wasn`t
as good as your`s.
mirjam

On Feb 19, 5:13 pm, wrote:
New Years day I cast on for a traditional Cornish Seaman's gansey using
"Fisherman's Wool" (930 yd/lb.) at a gauge of 8+ spi. I have made a
point of
only working on it a few hours per day as I help my wife watch movies
in the
evening. (Bad movies result in the most progress. Good movies result
in
errors that must be frogged, great films result in no knitting what so
ever.)

Now, I am down to the cuffs, and I expect to finish it to wear to the
Stitches event next weekend.

Anyway, the sleeves had turned into a long, hard slog. Evening after
evening, I did not seem to make much progress. (There are about as
many
stitches in the sleeves as in an entire sweater knit at 5 spi.) I
stopped,
and polished my steel needles, and I was back to full speed. I love
freshly
polished steel needles! Other needles may be more pleasant to touch
and
feel, but nothing is surer than cold steel.

This also confirms my calculation that a traditional knitter could make
a
fisherman's gansey in a couple of months by working on the gansey only
2 or
3 hours a day. This would leave time for childcare and other household
duties. Thus, a fisherman's wife could knit new ganseys for her
husband and
a couple of sons every year. (Fisherman's Wool knits much slower than
the
more tightly spun wassit that they used.) If I had been using a tight
spun
gansey yarn, the thing would be long done!

We have rain coming towards the end of the week, so I am going to block
it
to shape by wearing it as I do my spring garden chores in the rain.

When I used to knit them, Aaron, it would take me about six weeks to
knit
an adult size. I would knit while my son was napping and for a couple
of hours
after he went to bed.

HIgs,
Katherine

wrote in message
. net...
With all due respect Mirjam, you have not thought this through!

A warm gansey was the single most valuable thing a fisherman's family
could
own! Remember that the stitch patterns provided warmth and ventilation.
If
a fisherman did not have a well knit gansey - how would he stay warm while
he was out on the water? Without a GOOD gansey, he would not be able to go
out fishing and his family would starve, or he would die of exposure while
fishing and his family would then starve. If a fisherman's wife wanted to
eat, she knit a good gansey for her fisherman (and sons). If a woman
wanted
to keep her man alive, she knit him a fine gansey. She patched it when it
was torn, and she reknit when it was worn, because it was essential to the
family. For a fisherman's family, NOTHING was more important.

And when it came to the end in the event of tragedy at sea, the fisherman
was identified by the pattern on his Guernsay which was peculiar to his own
family

Ophelia
Scotland