In 2017 I started knitting a gansey according to the traditional patterns found in Eriskay. The yarn was from Uist Wool – a 5-ply named ‘geòla’ (after the traditional Grimsay boat) especially spun for gansey knitting.
The Eriskay community shop had set up classes for help with starting and finishing Eriskay ganseys at Kildonan museum. I got the individual column patterns from these informal classes, but I also got help from a neighbour in Bornish (who just happens to have knitted one for Pope Francis, a process which was documented by MacTV).
At first I was knitting it on double ended needles/pins, however I found these to be really hard to work with and so the whole project was put on hold for almost a year. Eventually I bought a set of circular needles in the correct size, and then it only took a few months to complete. I even made a child-sized version, which only took me a week or so.
It turned out to be the most detailed garment I’ve made – the only part without decorative stitches are the sides of the arms. The end result turned out gorgeous, and it was worth the cost and the time put into it.
Knitting on the beach in Bornish. I was home alone and drove down to park at the church before sitting a while knitting on the grassy ledge of the beach. In the photo I’ve just knitted the underarm section – also referred to as the gusset. To the right of these stitches are a set of crossing lines, symbolising a fishing net. This pattern is used to differentiate between the body and the chest/back of the gansey.
Working on the chest section. Whereas the gansey is started in the round, the chest and back piece is knitted back and forth, then joined at the shoulders.
I used more fish net over the shoulders, where most patterns have ridges. This shoulder is also wider than many others, but I really like the pattern. Once the front and back are joined, the arm is knitted top-down. If the cuff wears it is easier to repair it this way than it would be if the sleeve was knitted bottom-up.
The child version follows almost the same pattern, but it had to be adjusted to allow for the thicker yarn (and much smaller overall size). Here modelled by Aigneas, who is the recipient of the majority of my child-sized knits.
Swedish Nonsense 