The ‘Gansey Herrings’ were created for the Crafting History project at the Time and Tide Museum of Great Yarmouth Life, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The ‘Gansey Herrings’ celebrate the herring industry in Great Yarmouth and the fisher girls who gutted and knitted their way along the coast following the fish. Each has a unique pattern, adapted from either a traditional fisherman’s gansey design or a pattern created to reference the collections in the museum and surrounding area. Inspiration for these new patterns ranges from the nets, ropes and baskets used in the fishing industry to a butterfly bomb and off-shore wind farm.

I have released the pattern to the public, in the spirit of the herring girls sharing their stitch patterns along the coast. Feel free to make your own variations on the herring pattern, but please do not reproduce the pattern for commercial use or personal gain.

Charity Donation
The Just Giving page is now closed with an amazing £479 raised for the Marine Conservation Society - thank you all for your generosity!
Please continue to enjoy the pattern - it’s so lovely seeing all the gansey fish on Ravelry

Additional Notes
The pattern is both charted and written out in full.

It includes a full chart/instructions for a ‘Tree of Life’ gansey herring, with an additional ideas sheet for other stitch patterns.

The pattern does not include the gill slit for hanging on a speet, as the instructions are quite complex to write out, although I have tried several times. Sorry.