Ruth Gilbert MPhil

Ruth Gilbert MPhil

THE KING’S VEST AND THE SEAMAN’S GANSEY: CONTINUITY AND DIVERSITY OF CONSTRUCTION IN HAND KNITTED BODY GARMENTS IN NORTH WESTERN EUROPE SINCE 1550, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO ARMHOLE SHAPING

This thesis considers knitted garments dating from the sixteenth to the twentieth century in museum collections as evidence for the techniques used in their construction. The methods used for garment armholes are of particular interest because unlikely to be chosen for reasons of fashion or cultural significance. It is proposed that the similarities between distinct types of garment made over four hundred years result from the technique of knitting and how that technique was learned, remembered and applied by knitters in specific working circumstances. This proposal rests on the technical characteristics of knitting and on the assumption that the knitters were active agents in the visualisation and making of garments.

Historical, technical and social aspects of knitting as a technique are introduced, and the learning and application of skill considered. Four principle methods of armhole construction are defined and the process of decision-making by which the form of garments was achieved is analysed. Choice of particular methods is discussed in relation to the production and use of the garments, including how consistently armhole construction relates to other features. The longevity of methods demonstrates the transmission of skill, and idiosyncratic examples show change initiated within and accommodated into a craft tradition.