Newsletter: A Lyrical Look at the Gansey
From sheep to sea.
Most mornings from my window I will often see one of the small Hastings fishing fleet bobbing out across the sea as they set off or come back, the familar ‘RX’ identification visible on the side.
In Britain and Northern Europe there is a great connected history between the fishing industry and hand knitted garments, specifically the traditional ‘Gansey’ sweater. A piece of clothing that tells us so much about the close links between the people who made them, the people who wore them and the way of life for which they were made.
Back in 2017 Daniel Day-Lewis was shown on the cover ‘W’ magaxinesporting his own traditional ‘Gansey’ sweater and menswear aficionados clamoured to uncover where this ‘sweater of a generation’ could be found.
Here is a lovely short film by Greg Dennis, based around Hannah Stocks poem ‘Cast Out With Love’ that follows the process of creating a traditional ‘Gansey’ from sheep shearing to knitting and out to sea.
