Harrison in Shetland wool

“It was a bright day, with layers of clouds building and shifting across the spaces of the sky, some of them stretched out as thin as a mist, others as thick and dense as flesh with their own bruised colours.”

Threads-The Delicate Life of John Craske. Julia Blackburn.

From the Olive and George collection, drawing inspiration from the Norfolk Fishermen’s Gansey jumpers of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Harrison 100% Shetland is a modern interpretation of a traditional Gansey. Crafted in Nottinghamshire from authentic 100% Shetland wool.

This limited edition knit comes in 2 sizes (S/M and M/L) and in one colour; Sky Blue which evokes the Norfolk skies on a bright autumn day. This jumper can be worn by men or women, a cosy over-size go-to piece to pull on when the coastal breeze picks up. It is knitted with an open crew neck with a chunky folded rib trim. The top half of the body is knitted in the original “hailstone” stitch taken directly from the original Ganseys on both the front and back body with a neat central shoulder seam and chunky rib trims. The body is generous and boxy and is gently curved towards the front. The sleeves are slightly long and can be worn turned back with a ribbed cuff which can be pushed up to scrunch, or pulled down to cover the knuckles. Reverse knit panels run down each side seam – just like on the original Ganseys, this jumper is intentionally simple in pattern and form to complement the beauty of the stitches.

This authentic Shetland wool comes from Shetland breed sheep who live on the island of Shetland, this makes the wool highly sought after. The handle of the wool is slightly dryer than the British wool I chose for the rest of my collection. The intensity and gradations of colour found in each thread are unique to this wool, traditionally used in “colour work” or Fairisle knitting, something I’ve not found anywhere else in the world.

The Harrison is named after Jimmy “Buttons” Harrison , who was the coxswain or helmsman of the Cromer lifeboat the “Louisa Heartwell” between 1902 and 1909.