Staithes gansey throw

A luxurious hand knitted throw based upon the intricate gansey designs found in Staithes,

A gansey is a hand knitted, woollen jumper traditionally worn by fishermen. It is a tough, weatherproof garment designed to help protect the wearer from the elements. By the 19th century fishing communities had developed their own favoured gansey designs. The patterns created were inspired by the everyday objects used by the fishermen, such as ropes, chains, ladders , sand prints, herring bones, anchors and netting. The original gansey garment can take over 60 hours to complete using several knitting needles and was knitted in the round.

Based upon an abundance of research into the traditional patterns on ganseys , I have created throws that reflect the common designs found in the fishing communities of the Yorkshire region. Each one is a historical representation of a particular area, a piece of history and talking piece to place in your home.

This gansey inspired throw was created using the traditional patterns identified from Staithes. Several narrow panels with just knit or pearl stitches separate the patterns on this design.

The throw weighs just under 1.6kg and took over 17 hours to knit by hand. It is made of 100% pure new British wool, from flocks raised to British standards , practices and animal welfare. It is undyed, reducing any environmental impact. The wool came from from the Blue Faced Leicester sheep breed which produces a lustrous fleece akin to mohair. It is a breed unique to the British Isles. The stripy yarn was woven in Yorkshire and knitted by a proper Yorkshire lass.