The Scottish Castlemilk Morrit sheep have increased in stature among my “faves,” reaching the level of the lovely Swedish Rya (although for very different reasons).
In both instances, because of their dispositions, they aren’t all that friendly (and I really think they need a cuddle). When we visited Kate Clark at her farm on the Hill of Crodie in Scotland’s Aberdineshire, in May, we discovered that she employs the services of two “pet sheep,” a more friendly breed whose clear attachment to Kate helps herd the more reticent ones in her direction.
Kate’s pets were wildly enthusiastic about getting a nice bottle of milk and ran right to the fence to greet us. The Castlemilks remained at a bit of a distance, but because of the pets, we were able to get closer than we otherwise might have done.
Over a cup of tea we learned that Kate splits her life between teaching and farming, and that farm animals always have been a part of her life. Horses are her first love, but the sheep were added because she felt a strong desire to be a part of the sheep conservation efforts in Scotland. As it turns out, she has had the opportunity to meet one of the descendants of Sir John Buchanan Jardine who developed the breed. The family still maintains a herd as well.
Kate doesn’t market her fleece, but rather sends it to Graeme Bethune to include with the fleece of his own sheep, to produce some of the Caithness Yarns. Since the Castlemilk Morrit fleece is so dense and, in my opinion, inflexible, Graeme blends it with alpaca to give it loft and softness.
(Left) One of Kate’s “pet” lambs waiting for a bottle of milk.
Here is my finished shawl combining 100% Castlemilk Morrit and Graeme’s Morrit/Alpaca blend (lighter border). Even after washing and blocking the 100% yarn remains somewhat inflexible. This shawl is also pretty heavy, but no doubt will be warm on a cold winter night. Neither of the yarns are next-to-skin soft, but I would recommend either for a structured jacket with a good amount of ease to counteract the stiffness of the yarn (particularly the 100%). I’m even more interested now, to see if I can spin some and get a different outcome.
One of the real joys of this trip in May was connecting the dots between all of the people we met in the sheep conservation community. As we talked, we were asked if we’d met so-and-so, and when my response was “yes, we’re seeing them on Thursday,” I’d be treated to additional stories and made to promise to deliver messages and greetings.
Our trip back to Inverness from Kate’s farm took us along Scotland’s northern coast through the village of Portsoy which had all of the charm you might imagine from a 17th century harbor-side location.
The 29th annual Portsoy Boat Festival takes place beginning June 30 and over the weekend this year, with many of the nearby yarn producers and crafters from the area taking part. The festival began as a celebration of the 300th anniversary of the harbor and Scotland’s maritime heritage and now boasts some 20 bands and musical artists, and demonstrations and booths from over 30 heritage crafters. At this time of the year it must be quite spectacular there with the sun and breeze off the water. I’m anxious to hear from the yarn producers I know how this year goes after 2 years of covid-driven cancelations and virtual celebrations.
I’d also be really interested to know if many Gansey sweaters will be spotted on cool mornings and evenings. The entire coastline in that area has a rich history of Gansey knitting that has been and continues to be documented by several research groups. One of the most interesting to me is happening in the small town of Wick on the North Sea .
Gansey, Guernsey, Jersey
The name for the type of sweater commonly worn by fisherman along the coasts of the British Isles varies from location to location, but they all share the distinctive tightly knit patterns of ropes, chains, nets and waves formed solely of knit and purl stitches. They are knit in the round, so are seamless, and feature an underarm gusset that provides the wearer with added mobility. The other interesting feature are sleeves that appear to be a little short. This was done purposely to keep the lower edge of the sleeve out of the way of the fisherman while they were working. The lower sleeve was generally left plain to make it easy to re-knit when the garment became worn. Traditional ganseys were knit of 5-ply wool on fine needles to make them windproof and nearly waterproof. They had sufficient value to be handed down in families as long as they remained serviceable (or repairable).
The Wick Society (Wick Heritage Center/Museum) holds a collection of some 41,000 photographs from William Johnston, featuring residents from the period 1829-1882. Many of the men were herring fishermen, who proudly sport exquisite ganseys. Local researchers and archivists Margaret and Gordon Reid are working hard to document the gansey patterns seen in those old photos. Charting patterns from old photographs is an exacting and tedious job. You can’t be assured of 100% accuracy, but the knitted results of this gansey project are breathtaking.
Gordon Reid is the heart of Gansey Nation (as well as author and archivist). He is also an incredible knitter who, working with Margaret’s carefully executed charts, uses the Johnston collection as inspiration for his garments.
This photograph of Fergus Ferguson served as inspiration for a sweater Gordon worked on between February and April this year. He says he is a slow knitter (but clearly very determined and focused to complete such an intricate design in such a short time).
Fisherman Fergus Ferguson. Johnston Collection, with permission from the Wick Society
If you have any interest in knitting ganseys, you must visit the Gansey Nation site. Not only are there bibliographic references, there are charted patterns and a wealth of information on the ins and outs of creating these special garments. It should, at the very least, provide substantial inspiration.
Have any of you knit a gansey, complete with underarm gussets, etc.? I have the appropriate yarn, purchased some years ago from Frangipani Yarns (the Guernsey Yarn Company), but it remains in its original state. While it’s heresy to say so, I need to make mine a cardigan because all pullovers make me way too hot.
I love hearing of your travels! Thanks for sharing the vintage photos, the proud faces made me smile.