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Guernsey sweater is a seamless knitted woolen sweater, traditionally navy blue and worn by seamen made of five-ply wool and renowned for its iconic stitch pattern and durability. Its name comes from the Channel Island of Guernsey and its history combines several traditions: fisherman small town’s , the family traditions and the Great Britain craftsmanship in general. The patterns belong to families and places, and often have local names either connected with the sea or the men’s occupation.
The shape of the guernsey is definitely square – reminiscent of the short smock worn by country or farm workers years ago, and built for hard wear, with quality and good workmanship throughout.
When starting to knit a guernsey, many of the fishermen’s wives cast on in double wool, and also cast off the cuffs in the same way. This looks rather bulky, but adds to the strength of the garment.
Fortunately most of the patterns are repetitions, and if a section is memorized, the rest can be worked out. Also nearly all the patterns repeat across the front and back so that it can be worn either way, increasing the life of the jumper which, due to excessive wear, could otherwise become worn at the elbows. There are traditional patterns for the different fishing fleets and anyone well versed in the subject can tell where a fisherman comes from by the pattern of his Jersey.
While the sweaters were originally meant for fishermen since their origins that dates back as far as the 15th Century then centuries later, Guernsey jumpers are a classic piece of knitwear for men and women across Great Britain and are now produced by manufacturers around the world .
As an example Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots both owned Guernsey knitwear! It is even suggested that Mary Queen of Scots wore a pair of Guernsey stockings at her execution. Not only aristocracy, civilians and seaman but they are also worn by the military forces. Historically issued to soldiers and recommended by Nelson as a valuable article of Naval clothing in the 19th century, the classic Guernsey sweater can still be found worn by members of the British Armed Forces to this day, often forming part of an officer’s uniform.
