tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31974410.post5303951799700052364..comments2012-01-09T11:27:07.844+00:00Comments on Big Stitch - Little Stitch: Antarctica - unshrinkable in the face of adversityPenelope Sinclairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05448508003241880596noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31974410.post-39242158420660547892012-01-07T22:53:31.901+00:002012-01-07T22:53:31.901+00:00What a brilliant story about the penguin. Thank yo...What a brilliant story about the penguin. Thank you so much for sharing it. He is certainly a very special penguin. I look forward to seeing pictures of him on your blog.Penelope Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05448508003241880596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31974410.post-79757189813751162622012-01-07T22:37:32.322+00:002012-01-07T22:37:32.322+00:00Re. your penguins - my husband has a toy penguin g...Re. your penguins - my husband has a toy penguin given to his great grandfather by Herbert Ponting, the photographer on the Scott Expedition. Apparently, Ponting had them made when he returned. Ponting was a member of (and I think sometimes lived at) the Authors' Club in London, where my husband's great grandad was the manager.<br /><br />I will have to take a pic of him and put it up on my blog. <br /><br />I have spent some time looking at the provisions of the earlier Franklin Expedition. Ganseys were indeed, as mill records show, knitted on a commercial scale and not, as people romantically think, by mum sitting on the cottage doorstep. Or rather, the home made ones would have been outnumbered by the handknit commercially made ones, let alone the frame-knitted ones from Leicestershire, etc.<br /><br />I will try and remember to photo Ponting's penguin. I dunno how many more are in existence but this one is unique as it was actually given to my husband's grt grandad personally, by Ponting.The Knitting Genealogisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17512223918911915261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31974410.post-80063155587385190382012-01-07T18:03:32.337+00:002012-01-07T18:03:32.337+00:00I was fascinated to hear that each fishing communi...I was fascinated to hear that each fishing community in the UK originally had its own distinct gansey pattern. On a sad note this was to help identify any fisherman who might be lost overboard and later washed ashore or recovered at sea. On a plus side it has lead to a collection of beautiful designs.Penelope Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05448508003241880596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31974410.post-72296094486601563642012-01-07T17:52:30.815+00:002012-01-07T17:52:30.815+00:00Thanks for your post. I'll certainly check out...Thanks for your post. I'll certainly check out what Andy Kirkpatrick says about merino. I have worn both wool and synthetics. For me its about finding what works for me in the environment I'm operating in and also what is affordable. So for my hill and fell walking and farm work wool is good. For caving and potholing I have avoided it. As a lover of wool and all things knitted it is good to hear that there are many out there who still appreciate this great and versatile fibre.Penelope Sinclairhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05448508003241880596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31974410.post-35967519108909775622012-01-07T17:18:37.895+00:002012-01-07T17:18:37.895+00:00Even wool can become cold when wet if moisture can...Even wool can become cold when wet if moisture cannot evaporate because of what is worn on top. The early expeditions would not have modern breathable wind/waterproof outer garments, and this will have been a major contributor to the problems of cold and freezing.<br /><br />All the more modern experience of wearing layers of wool under breathable outer shells/jackets has proven that wool still works better than any synthetic at maintaining optimum thermal regulation.<br /><br />You do not say what your own experience is of wearing wool v. synthetics in extreme weather conditions. Those of us who have can testify to the effectiveness of wool in a wide variety of conditions, both in polar and mountain regions where our lives depend on having the right gear. <br /><br />I think if you look on the internet at what the likes of Andy Kirkpatrick and others say about merino, you will get a better picture.crivens42https://www.blogger.com/profile/04706106751335769713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31974410.post-18441918357809436012012-01-06T18:46:15.367+00:002012-01-06T18:46:15.367+00:00One of the real advantages of a custom "knit ...One of the real advantages of a custom "knit to fit" gansey is that if the ease is correctly worked, it will vent - eliminating the damp sweater effect. In very cold weather the venting was controlled with a comforter (scarf).<br /><br />Commercial suppliers did not knit to fit the way a wife or mother could. This is a primary reason why I think that a great many fishermen's and sailor' sweaters were knit locally, rather than by contract knitters producing product for a distant market. <br /><br />Look at Kelly Cordes' discussion of testing modern sports wear in the Jan 2012 Patagonia catalog. Suppliers for the various expeditions did not have such testers. <br /><br />However, mothers, wives and local knitters could talk to older fishermen in the fleet, and those fishermen's wives and mothers. Fisherman's and sailors sweaters were knit to designs that had been tested.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05150805906414546377noreply@blogger.com