"Of all the different knitting traditions in the world," Alice Starmore once wrote in Fishermen's Sweaters, "the technique of knitting fisher ganseys entirely in the round is the most technically and visually sophisticated." It's a bold claim—and once you've seen a proper gansey up close, you might agree.
The Story of the British Gansey: Artist Talk & Exhibit
I love how PieceWork authors often share their love of craft and their incredible talents with their communities. Linda Perry, most recently featured in our Fall 2026 issue, is the latest to do it in style. Through August 15, she's presenting a gansey exhibition and sweater sale with our friends at Halcyon Yarns in Bath, Maine. Linda offers a wonderful opportunity to learn more about this knitting tradition and to see some ganseys in person. The exhibit features more than thirty handknit, adult-sized ganseys, all designed and knitted by Linda herself. She's stayed true to traditional gansey construction and patterning, but with a twist: lighter-weight yarns and contemporary color palette, creating a fashion forward feel.
Some of Linda's sweaters displayed at the Story of the British Gansey exhibition. Photo courtesy of Halcyon Yarns
The Humble Gansey
If you've ever wondered how a humble fisherman's sweater became such a fixture of coastal textile history, Linda's exhibition, and her talk on August 6th, will explain it all. She traces the gansey's origins and regional variations, its role as a practical working "uniform" for fishermen, and details some classic design features. Linda opens a window into fishing village life in Scotland between 1860 and 1920, where family, superstition, hard labor, and community tradition were knitted into every garment. She'll share human interest stories about the people who made and wore the ganseys that she discovered in her research travels to the Sheringham Museum in England.
Vintage photo of fishermen wearing ganseys, courtesy of the Sheringham Museum
Want to Knit One Yourself?
Join Linda for a hands-on gansey sweater workhsop. You will knit a small-scale project designed to teach the essential techniques behind the iconic gansey in a "Knit Your Own Mini Gansey Sweater" class at Halcyon Yarns, Saturday, October 3, 1:00–4:00 p.m.
You can read more about Linda’s personal journey of discovery in "Ganseys in Wonderland" and get the pattern for her gorgeous Gansey Sampler Throw in PieceWork's Fall 2026 issue.
Happy knitting,
Karen