gansey tour

    ecomodista is inculcated by propagansey & flamborough marine
    photograph below: carla breeze, Robin Hood Bay from Old St. Stephan's Church

Inspired by her Orkney trek, ecomodista decided to ramble along through the fishing vilages along the Yorkshire coast of England east of the Dales. The Cleveland Way, constructed in 1969 offers a hiking/rough cycling trail from the Yorkshire moors to the dramatic coast chiseled along the North Sea. The gansey, or fisherman's sweater is the iconic knit of this region, epitomizing not only the romance but rigor of their lives.


I flew into London to work photographing the Royal Windsor Horse Show for aRUDE, but that's another post... 

 photograph: Carla Breeze Royal Windsor Horse Show

As usual, ecomodista took the train to York, then to Scarborough, checking into the extremely pleasant Beiderbecke's Inn, suggested by Michelin which is still a valuable guide despite the usefulness of various online travel/lodging sites. Ambivalent about renting cars, as ecomodista’s preferred method of travel is train, hiking, and cycling, I was actually forced to, as per Lesley Berry's advice. There is some limited train and bus service, but since I needed to photograph and interview Deb Gillanders of Propagansy and the various fishing villages, it was unfortunately essential to travel by auto.

Photograph: Gansey designed by Sarah Hatton for Rowan

Gillanders is an amazing ranconteur, mimic, stand up comedian and brilliant gansey historian, against whom one necessarily pales compared to her vivacious personality and sharp wit. 

Photograph: carla breeze, Scarborough harbor


I intended to stay at Flamborough Manor, interview Lesley as well. A major proponent of the gansey and one of the only vendors of hand knit to order ganseys, including reconstructing a pattern worn by Daniel Day Lewis' father for the actor, Lesley mantains the Manor and Flamborough Marine in the eponymous fishing village. oh no, i must stop here and pick up and post tomorrow...since ecomodista arose every day for the past week at 4 am, going to sleep early is critical. It's not what i really would like to do, just find the long daylight, beginning early early morning unavoidably attractive, must be my Danish heritage. Below is a draft which I will modify asap.

Photograph: carla breeze, Flamborough Marine Manor

Photograph: carla breeze, North Cobble Landing where fishing boats are launched in Flamborough

Bordering the Yorkshire Dales National Park, famous fishing villages abound on the east coast confronting the North Sea. The sea crashes against Flamborough Head, far below just as it has for centuries. If one can walk the 19 miles from Scarborough, a long sit down with your knitting would be deserved, but there is transportation, other than by car. Probably simpler to walk to Filey from Scarsborough as that’s only 11 miles. If you’re not a walker, getting around on the coast by train is possible, but to really experience the charm of these small fishing villages, walking provides the ultimate experience. Be forewarned, the Cleveland Trail can be rigorous and is barely navigable on bicycle designed for trail use. One hiker mentioned that because of all of the hills and dales on the trail, one is walking much further than the stated distance. Just getting to Robins Hood Bay although only 6 miles from Scarsborough, is equivalent to walking 12 miles. 

The Esk Valley Railway connects the rural communities of the Yorkshire Moors from Middlesbrough to Whitby, and the Northern Rail runs north/south from Scarborough to Whitby and beyond. Unfortunately, the train no longer stops at Flamborough, however bus service is available. 

If possible, I would love to be in Whitby around May 17th, the Eve of Ascension in 2012, when Penny Hedge is built in memory of three hunters’ penance for murdering a monk who sheltered a boar they were hunting in Eskdale Chapel.

Every Ascension Eve the men were ordered to visit Stray Head Wood, where the Abbot's bailiff would cut sticks for the men with a penny knife. The hunters then carred the sticks back to Whitby before the following morning to plant in a row facing the harbor, a hedge sufficiently substantial to withstand three tides. To this day the hedge planting continues, 800 years after the first took place. Oh well, this has nothing to do with knitting but is a charming attraction in Whitby. If it’s lunch time, drop into the 'Cod and Lobster' overlooking the Whitby’s harbor, still a working port. Explore the quaint streets, whalebone arch, Captain Cook monument or trek over to the  ruined abbey up on the hill. 

Photograph: Carla Breeze, Whitby's harbor

I’ll try to check out Bobbins Wool Craft and Antiques, a combination that will surely entertain my partner, who is not a knitter. Relatively nearby, Willo Alpacas, owned by Tim & Denise Newey, is situated on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, 8 miles from Whitby, so if possible ecomodista will visit.

Flamborough Lighthouse is where ecomodista intends to ensconce herself with her knitting, casting on for a gansey, what could be more appropriate than to knit one in the very villages fraught with the romance and shipwrecks of a life at sea. 

Photograph: carla breeze, Flamborough Light House


Think of Henry Freeman, whose gansey can be seen in such detail used to illustrate Gladys Thompson’s classic book on guernseys, jerseys, and arans. Freeman was the only survivor of Whitby’s lifeboat crew, who, on February 9, 1861 had rowed out to ships breaking up in a massive storm. Incidentally, he was the only rescuer wearing a cork life jacket high on his chest, which probably contributed to his survival and a redesign of life jackets. One might read an incredibly exciting account of this disaster written at the time of the event. 
see: http://www.scarboroughsmaritimeheritage.org.uk/ahenryfreeman.php

A super lovely gansey kit and pattern may be obtained at Lesley Barry’s Flamborough Marine, and if you’re super lazy, she has a cadre of hand hand knitters to make one just for you. Do stay at the 18th century Flamborough Manor House, owned by Lesley as well. As she once remarked to me, “The sea is my life,” and she swims it in all seasons. Her husband is a marine historian, the perfect match. 

See: http://www.manorhouse.clara.net/knitwear/ woolkits.htm

Wool used for  Lesley’s kits is available from Frangipani, see the lovely colors available on their swatch card or visit their site. http://www.guernseywool.co.uk/

Taking Woodcock Road, Flamborough, ecomodista will pass Sixpenny Hill Plantation to the point called North Cliff (a path called 'Rotherams' locally) Walking along Flamborough’s Bempton Ciffs of startling white chalk (yes, there is a car park there...) leads to views of Filey, the high cliffs of  Whitby and Scarborough Castle. Gladys Thompson includes various stitch patterns for Filey, Whitby, Flamborough and other fishing vilages here, as well as gansey patterns. One could spend more time here, but there is an entire itinerary for trekking the Yorkshire Dales, where knitting was a way of life for centuries.

isabel marant: deconstructing the knit

American Vogue, April 2012 included a spread on the latest IT girl, but more importantly, enveloping Abby Lee Kershaw's torso was a divine marant sweater, amusingly parodying the stranding or Fair Isle technique seen in the previous year's D & G winter prêt-à-porter, being reversed in patches surrounded by stockinette. 

Marant focused on knits and jersey for her initial collections, Twen, in the late 1980's evolving into the wildly successful Isabel Marant label in 1994.

From Marant's Spring/Summer 2012 collection there were numerous sweaters embodying deconstruction:

 detail & runway images from marant's S/S 2012 collection

 

ecomodista's noro gansey pattern

Having read so much about ganseys, one of the qualities appealing to ecomodista is the same front and back,  originally designed this way so that wear could be evened out over two sides instead of one. ecomodista continues to be enamoured with Rowan's Kidsilk Haze, originally because it allowed her to use a larger needle size when combining it with another yarn, then the haze offered so much more warmth, she was smitten. The haze also softened the color transitions of Noro. This pattern is for a simple gansey without the various traditional stitch patterns. Soon another, more traditional Aran gansey pattern will be posted. If you encounter any problems, do contact me.

ecomodista’s Noro/Kidsilk Haze Gansey Pattern: 

Materials: circular needle: #6 8 skeins Noro Silk Garden Lite together w/5 skeins Kidsilk Haze Trance (color A) & 2 skeins, Ella Rae Camelino or similar yarn (color B)

Gauge: 6 stitches to the inch measured over 4 inches & 7 rows to the inch measured over 4 inches, to obtain an accurate gauge, one should knit sample in the round

Pattern below is for Small size (which is why it's short and tight on Megan above) working on Medium and Large size instructions. Thank you, Sara for mentioning the lack of sizing on first posting of pattern!

Cast on 158 stitches w/color B 

Continue color B, ribbing k2 p2 for 9 rows, then change to color A, combining one yarn Rowan Kidsilk Haze and one strand Noro Silk Garden Lite, use 2 skeins of color A mixture, so that after the first round of color in Noro,one may continue that color making stripes wider, best to carry it up the middle stitch in the back; mark sides at 1st stitch and 79th stitch; after 32 rows begin decrease by k2, SSK. Knit to last 4 stitches on front, k2tog, k2, on back k 2 SSK then knit to last 4 stitches, k2tog k 2. Decrease every 8th row. 

After 6 decreases (60 rows), knit 9 rows then begin increases next row and increase every other row (x 5) by: k 2 kk m 1 knitting in front & back of stitch, knit to last 3 stitches on front, continue increases on back of garment in same manner. Knit one more row in stockninette in the round then separate front & back, continue stockinette to shoulder stockinette, 30 rows + or -, then change to color B. There should be 88 stitches on needle, begin ribbing w/k3 p 2, k 2 p3 to last 3 stitches, k3 repeat another 7 rows, bind off in stitch pattern, repeat on back. To finish shoulders turn inside out and knit w/3 needles 25 stitches, continue across neck w/crochet until reaching 25 stitch mark, then repeat 3 needle knitting on other side for bateau neckline. 

Create sleeves by picking up stitches around arm with yarn A, and begin sleeve. after 4 rows begin decreases the same mnner as on body of sweater, every 6th row until left with 40 stitches, continue until sufficiently long (20 - 30 rows), then add ribbing of k2 p3 for 9 rows, bind off w/purl stitch.

civilized disobedience part 2

above,  Marianne Joergensen's Protest in Pink, photograph: courtesy Marianne Joergensen a World War II combat tank protesting the war in Iraq covered with 4000 pink squares knit by numerous participants in Denmark, other EU countries, and the US 

Isabel Berglund, notorious Danish artist whose collaboration with KKart is known for her whimsical knit sculptures, such as Woman's Chair and Hidden Object on a Knit (below). Guerilla knitters often criticize public policies, such as war or the lack of a coherent response to a sustainable future globally.The sterility of urban landscapes dominated by corporate advertising is a major issue that yarn bombers everywhere address. That and whimsy, such as Night Knit Pixie's work in Kilmarnock, Scotland. Knitting such statements as tiny pyramids at Giza to bring attention to an exhibition of an Egyptian mummy. NKP is so popular, that Kilamarnock's official web site includes this knitter as a local attraction. Perhaps that's why Angela Jolie and Brad Pitt visited. Anyway, ecomodista supposes the town has never had this level of publicity since the decline of the knit and felted Kilmarnock bonnet industry in the late 18th century.

above: Isabel Berglund's Hidden Object on a Knit 2009 see: http://www.isabelberglund.dk/node/8

http://www.visitkilmarnock.com/news/kilmarnock-yarnbomber-photo-gallery/

Photograph: Ute Lennartz-Lembeck
Founder of the German knitting graffiti group B-Arbeiten, Ute Lennartz-Lembeck has addressed this issue in the Westphalian town of Velbert where she teaches art. Instead of sad, B-Arbeiten decided a colorful, smiling weeping willow looks chic in a colorful sweater. Rings of multi-colored yarn hug the trunk, as one journalist described it, looks like a giant package Lifesavers. This project The Parable of the Tree, is refers to a 1924 lecture at the Jena Kunstverein when an art lecturer "compared (modern) artists with a tree, based in the world of phenomena so well that he can arrange all appearances, the flow towards him as if by the roots of a tree." Knit graffiti appears on bridges, signposts, statues, bicycles parks and rails, to name just a few options.
see: http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,763843,00.html
and Lennartz-Lembeck's site documenting her Trauerweide project:
http://web.me.com/utelennartzlembeck/utelennartzlembeck/Die_Trauerweide/Die_Trauerweide.html

Photograph: Ute Lennartz-Lembeck
Alison Kilian interviewed Lennartz-Lembeck, who was  inspired by urban art in Berlin that she decided to create projects for Remscheid, Germany, where she lives. "It's about words and art, putting art in an open space and not necessarily a museum," she says of B-Arbeiten's work. B-Arbeiten is a parody of  "bearbeiten," which means to edit or alter, perfect for their actions dressing trees, and making other sculptures.

see: http://yarnbombing.com/tag/germany

Familiar with a Knitting Nancy? In german Strickliesel, a toy to teach children knitting, and the name of  another German group of graffiti artists, Strick & Liesel was created. Concerned about nuclear power, their work has had had an impact on political figures and Parliament--this past year, the Germans decided to phase out nuclear power. Working from Dortmund, Strick & Liesel protect their identity because as we know Germany is wonderfully manicured, and such actions do constitute civil disobediance, perhaps even criminal.

for work in Malmo, Sweden see: 
Malmo, Sweden see: http://garnkonst.blogspot.com
more German yarn graffiti:

http://strickbombe.blogspot.com/2011/06/i-like-international-yarnboming-day.html

the Swedish site: 
http://stickkontakt.blogspot.com/ has wonderful documentation of yarnbombing  


a Hungarian site:   http://kovalenskotes.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.htm


and the Czech Republic see: http://www.streetartutopia.com/?p=5288#more-5288

and http://www.trutnovinky.cz/index.php?gid=31361

civilized disobedience part 1

below: one of Knit the City's projects in London, image courtesy of Lauren O'Farrell

 

The majority of knitters who practice civilized disobedience prefer anonymity, apparently officials don't distinguish between knit work embellishing a bridge and spray painted graffiti. In the UK, groups espousing knittivism or craftism, a form of militant knitting activity, use knitting in mass demonstrations or urban interventions. Knit the City Yarn Corps,  integrates knittivism with the Japanese art of amigurumi, or tiny knit figures. Comprised of Lauren “Deadly Knitshade” O’Farrell among others, the cartel operates “from a secret underground wool-lined bunker in the heart of the busy metropolis of London... In our formative days each of us were beckoned into shady underground doorways by our mysterious hooded mentor. There we were relentlessly trained in ways of the yarnstorm...” Members of the Knit the City Yarn Corps, even unaffiliated Twitter knitters gather for yarn actions, knitting a revolution one stitch at a time. Knit the City has various books, see:http://www.whodunnknit.com/books/ & www.knitthecity.com 

Magda Sayeg, the 36-year-old Texan credited with inventing yarn-bombing in 2005, may have been the first, but ever since I've lived in NYC the Gandhi statue in Union Square wears a wool scarf in winter, varying from year to year, granted it wasn't until late in the 90's that the scarf was hand knit, by whom, who knows. Anyway, Sayeg knit a yarn cozy for the front door handle of her boutique, and had such a positive response, that she conceived of using knitting to tag public spaces. "To my surprise it caught the attention of people passing by my store. So I decided to go out and tag things in the urban environment and that's when I really saw the reaction. People were getting out of their cars and taking pictures, which was really seductive for me."

Yarn bombing, graffiti, strickbombe, yarn storming, strickguerilla, has become a popular art form, and worldwide, knitters have been using this medium for aesthetic and political purposes, garnering the attention of the press and public. Marianne Joergensen's pink tank cozy protested the war in Iraq.  Even the august Economist featured an article about yarn storming actions to protest nuclear energy and nuclear power's future in Germany following the disastrous 2011 tsunami that virtually destroyed the Fukushima plant north of Tokyo. see:http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2011/04/yarn_bombing

above: yarn shop in Gothenberg, Sweden, Deisy, adorns the scaffolding with knit.below: Finnish designer, Sara Palojärvi constantly takes action such as this recent project:

Even a flicker site http://www.flickr.com/groups/1000721@N23/ devoted to knit graffitti or yarn bombing  features worldwide participants including this adorable automobile cozy see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/claudelondon/6323352698/in/pool-1000721@N23/

yarn bombing helsinki, tallinn, and points beyond

upper right Sara Palojärvi, a young knitwear artist involved with yarn installations in addition to designing knitwear; center, scarf designed by Palojärvi, knit with Finnish sheep wool; upper left, a clear winter day in Helsinki 


http://siskoneule.vuodatus.net/blog/2856095/neulegraffaaja-kavi-tallinnassa/

Sara Palojärvi's installations on the ferry between Helsinki & Tallinn

Palojärvi has trekked around the EU in search of sites for her installations; how amusing to decorate the ferry rail. The easiest method of traveling to Tallinn is simply to take the ferry from Helsinki. Tallinn and Riga are not yet served by international high speed trains, due to the differing Soviet track size, and while the rail systems are being upgraded, ferries, planes, and buses are the best option. It's common for stag and hen parties to take the ferry to Tallinn for the weekend, prices are considerably less there, but knitters also make this pilgrimage. Estonia is known for its yarns, Kauni and eVilla Art Yarn. Ruth Sørensen has designed exquisite patterns for these yarns, color patterns that capitalize on the color gradations, which run in longer streams in the eVilla. see: http://www.ruths.dk/ it is ecomodista's fervent hope to one day knit one of her designs. 

If you are on a tenuous budget, there's a great hostel in Helsinki, Eurohostel on Katajanokka Island, well one can't really discern that it's an island, and the tram is just outside the door. Replete with all the mod cons, during the winter one often has a room without share. The bathrooms have been upgraded and one of ecomodista's favs about Finland are the toilets, no there aren't bidets, however, all public toilet stalls have small sinks with nozzeled hoses for sanitation. If you  would rather stay in a more upscale hotel, the Scandic Grand Marina is nearby, and all Scandic hotels are environmentally aware, providing toiletries in large refillable containers instead of these maddening tiny plastic bottles that seem endemic these days, nothing could be further from sustainable.

hommage to de la falaise

detail of vintage Kenzo Cossack style pullover a la YSL


note to self: photograph this cossack style sweater on model. How sad to loose Loulou de la Falaise, so vibrant and such a distinct style. see Cathy Horyn's tribute: http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/05/loulou-de-la-falaise-a-muse-to-yves-saint-laurent-dies/?emc=eta1