Gansey display and demonstration

During Chris Kirby’s exhibition, the Gansey Knitting Group will demonstrate and display the traditional craft of gansey knitting.

The group’s aim is to discover, record, and research the ganseys worn by East Anglian fishermen and the women who knitted them. Sheringham knitters were renowned throughout the twentieth century for the exceptional quality of their work, and Sheringham Museum holds excellent examples dating from 1900 to the 1980s.

Sheringham fishermen travelled widely for work, joining boats in Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Grimsby and, with the herring fleets, as far north as the Shetlands. Sheringham knitters were always keen to study the ganseys made by the Scottish Herring Lasses, who ended their season in Great Yarmouth, and whose patterns and techniques influenced local designs.

Today, ganseys attract international interest. As well as working with enthusiasts in Yorkshire, Scotland and the Netherlands, the group has shared its research with knitters at The Net Loft in Cordova, Alaska, who also distribute the Sheringham Gansey book in the United States.

Every Tuesday morning, the Gansey Knitting Group meets at Sheringham Museum to share skills and learn the traditional craft of hand‑knitting ganseys. As part of the East Anglia Gansey Group, they undertake a wide range of research and practical tasks for the Sheringham Gansey Project.

The group studies historic photographs of fishermen, charts the patterns they wore, and knits sample swatches and miniature versions of North Norfolk gansey designs. Members also knit full‑size ganseys for themselves, including the recently developed Sheringham Shoal pattern and a child’s mini‑gansey. These, along with several “travel pack” ganseys created by the group and other museum volunteers, will be on display. Visitors will be able to see the patterns and the traditional construction method first‑hand: ganseys knitted bottom‑up, without seams, on double‑pointed needles, often using a knitting sheath or belt, or their modern equivalent, circular needles.

In The Netherlands, Stella Ruhe has researched the traditional patterns from thirty or more fishing villages across the country. Her work has resulted in a number of books, one of which will be available from the Sheringham Museum website. She has also produced a video (39 minutes) on children’s ganseys which you can view on YouTube by clicking HERE.