For this blog post we knew ahead of time what we wanted to write about! One of our lovely customers and members, Stefan recently knitted a beautiful Gansey using Woolyknit's 5ply Guernsey Yarn. We all fell so in love with the yarn (and the gansey) that we decided to stock it in the shop, and write a blog interviewing Stefan and featuring this beautiful project! We hope you enjoy reading about it as much as we enjoyed watching the project unfold.
Stefan is one of our most multi- disciplined makers that I've met in the shop, so I had to ask- when did you start making things with wool?
"I remember knitting in primary school, so when I was about 9/10 years old. I then learned to crochet when I was about 10/11- I remember there was a French crochet book from my mum’s gran and I asked my mum to teach me. Which she did!"
Can you tell us what woolly crafts you participate in? Do you have a favourite?
"I knit, crochet, spin, can do some basic weaving (rigid heddle). I’ve tried the inkle loom too. I’ve dabbled with acid and natural dyes and I also do bobbin lace. I might try making some of that with my own spinning if I can make it fine enough!"
And how long have you been a customer at Wool on the Exe?
"Since November 2018 when I joined the knit night on a Tuesday and sock club on the last Thursday of the month."
What do you love most about the shop?
"Dropping in and having a cup of tea and a chat, as well as the friendly helpful encouragement I’ve had over the years as I’ve done bigger and more complicated projects. "
What would you change if you could change one thing about the shop?
"It’d be good to have a spinning night so those who spin can bring their wheel and share spinning knowledge skills. "
Which yarn is your favourite that we stock?
"Exmoor Horn Wool (though it’s taking retirement). I do also like the Merino Yak though, Opal sock yarns and WYS signature 4 ply. And the Jamieson & Smith!"
What’s your favourite fibre/ fibre blend to work with at the moment?
"Pure wool in general. I do enjoy silk too though, and spinning silk is lovely. I prefer a coarse wool generally- so hill type breeds, though I wouldn’t go as far as a Herdwick fleece! Exmoor horn, Devon closewool, Welsh black mountain are all nice to work with."
And now can you tell us all about your most recently finished knit? What yarn did you use? What pattern(s) did you use to construct it?
"A gansey made from Woolyknit’s 5ply Guernsey on 2.5mm needles. It took a long time but it’s the best jumper. It’s a bit bigger than intended but it’s a good first go. I didn’t use a pattern as such, just used some of the instructions from Elizabeth Zimmerman’s knitting workshop, some patterns from the Mary Wright’s Cornish guernseys and knitfrocks, and some guidance from Beth Brown-Reinsel’s knitting ganseys."
What was the hardest part of this project?
"When I didn’t follow the instructions properly and had to make up the shoulder straps. Also adding neck gussets because I started at the wrong end."
What was your favourite thing about it?
"Winging it and making it work. It’s also unique as I chose to use three patterns and made 'spontaneous design adjustments' as Janet (another lovely customer) calls them. (Possibly others call these mistakes)."
What’s the main piece of advice you would give to someone trying to knit a traditional gansey?
"Read all the books about them you can find, have a go and be ready to rip it out. I personally now align with Zimmerman’s sentiment about patterns, do what you like with them but preferably throw them out the window. (I’m paraphrasing here)."
Thank you so much Stefan! Such a fun and fascinating project to hear about and watch unfold- and so many skills to pick up and learn/ develop in one project!
If you feel inspired we have decided to stock this lovely 5 ply from Woolyknit, made especially with Gansey knitting in mind. It comes in 250g cones in 5 beautiful colours. Check out our website here or pop in to find out more!
We also have access to a myriad of gansey patterns on Ravelry, as well as a lovely book we usually stock (although we are out of stock as I'm writing due to it's popularity!) called The Gansey Knitting Sourcebook. This can also be found in the shop or on our website.
Thanks again Stefan, and thanks all for reading!