Holy Cow thought I would buy myself a nice Welsh sweater. As Curly would say Nah-Nah-Nah! I wonder if those sheep had any idea what a haircut was worth.I wanted a nice zip front Cardigan,it looked sooooooo warm.Oh well. Way out of my price range. DanL
Now if you'd said you were a Yorkshireman, Dan, I might have believed you, but Welsh - nah, surely not boyo! Anyway, mentioning Welsh and sheep in the same post might not have been a wise move given the puerile sense of humour of some people here. Notwithstanding that, Dan, it gives me the perfect opportunity to wish you and yours a Very Merry Christmas - I'm thinking of you, mate!
The last Icelandic Lopi wool sweater I bought was around eight years ago, and came direct from the Ladies who knitted it in Iceland, cost £79. http://www.handknit.is/en/user/pictures/view/0/18 I have a copy made with a similar wool from somewhere in England at a fraction of the price, and is nowhere near as warm. Different Sheep. From a street market stall last Saturday my wife bought a very nice hand made woolen sweater - tri-coloured pattern across the front - £45. Where made? Nepal. Several years ago the wifey said she wanted to make me a Gansey. Found a pattern that was generic to the Leeds and Liverpool canal folk, and bought the wool. Just the wool was £40. Nan was the best. Every Christmas she would parcel up another pair of woolly gloves made by her own fair hands.
I'll never forget my first swimming trunks Hand knitted in wool by my mother. They looked OK until you went into the water at which point they got very heavy and the elastic that held them up proved totally inadequate and I spent the rest of the day at the beach holding them up . This was in about 1946/7, so even the wool wasn't new, it was an unravelled old cardigan of my grandfather's. "Make do and mend" was the order of the day then, but at least I was lucky enough to get to the beach; many of my mates never got the chance as their families were so poor. Grateful, thanks Mum .
I nearly used the word 'gansey' in my reply above but didn't because I thought no-one would know what it was. I supposed it was a Geordie word but it's obviously more widespread than that. Gansey = Guernsey = Jersey apparently... Different climate probably. I've a jumper knitted with Herdwick wool from the Lake District. It's plenty warm for me...
In Danmark we have a common word for a "sweater" called a "Genser" and is supposed to come from "Guernsey" an island in the english canal?? Claus C
The word Gansey is also used in Shetland for a woolen sweater. Check out the links below, Jeff. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=shetland+knitwear&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Qv-oUryKC-jY7AaTiICgCg&ved=0CFEQsAQ&biw=819&bih=434 http://www.shetlandknitwear.com/Home.aspx
And Caithness. I have a varied assortment of woolen atrocities but my best and favourite is a heavy thick Hunters of Brora (no longer in business) with added leather elbow and shoulder patches. Takes some beating! I would love an Icelandic or Nordic one though, they're the only ones to rival a multicoloured Fair Isle! Alec
My ancestors came to the colonies from Leeds. My last name is Leeds and I live in New Jersey. My family owned all the land that became Atlantic City.Wish we still owned a chunk of that land. I would order several sweaters!Thank you David and I wish you the same.I have been doing well,I made drastic life style changes and have pretty much stalled the progresstion of my disease.Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all. Daniel Thomas Leeds.
Well not in every part of Denmark. I did find it in the dictionary though and my wife seemed to recall the word. When I was a kid in Australia, the word guernsey or jersey was pretty much only used for what you wore when playing rugby.
Yes, there's an Aussie connection with the word Jersey, and around our home a Jersey was generally woolen with maybe a short zip from the neck down for about six inches. Channel Island in origin, they were taken up by many fishermen and sailors all over the place. They're a good working jumper and patterns can indicate regions, villages and families of the wearers. Woolen swimming trunks! Oh dear - I do seem to remember a pair - unfortunately . . . Navy blue ones. There's a picture somewhere - and NO, I'm not posting it!
So, I was not alone in having hand knitted swimming gear!?! I think we even have evidence on 8mm film! (the old "double8" variety, using a 16mm film one had to turn around after exposure of the first half. At the factory they would (after developing it) cut the film in half lengthwise and glue the ends together). Best regards, Wim
Wim, I can envisage you now in your soggy knitted swimsuit . But that was what our dear parents had to do to afford the holiday in those days . I am eternally grateful to my parents for what they did for me, and as this will be my first Christmas as an "orphan" I will raise a glass and toast all of our departed, loved parents . Have a nice Christmas my friend. I will be in Nottingham, servicing US Medical stoves again - Steve.
Hi All Knew I had it somewhere, just took longer to find than I thought it would. Shire publication on fisherman knitting complete with knitting patterns. Incidentally, I was born in Caister on Sea in Norfolk and a good friend of mine lost his great Grandfather in the Caister lifeboat disaster of 1901. His body was washed up miles down the coast weeks later and was only able to be identified by the family "stitching" on his gansey. Regards, Jeremy
