Norfolk gansey patterns

How long does it take to knit a gansey?

People often ask, "How long does it take to knit a gansey?" Well, it all depends! It depends on the size of your fishermen, your tension, how many stitches you can do per hour (including stoppages) and how many hours you wish to work. But here is a start for a ball park figure:

Size of gansey in square inches;

Chest 39 x Height 24 = 936 inches²
Collar 3 x 22 round = 66 inches²
Sleeves 19 length x 7 ave. width x 2 back and front x 2 sleeves = 532 inches² 836 + 66 + 532 = 1,434 inches²
Gauge = 12 stitches x 17 rows = 204 sts per square inch
Total = 292,536 stitches, which at a stitch per second, is...

81.3 hours

Working 1 hour a day = 81.3 days
Working 2 hours a day = 40.7 days
Working 4 hours a day = 20.3 days
Working 6 hours a day = 13.6 days

(It is said that Sheringham gansey knitters could do one in a fortnight "if they did nothing else". Mind you they seem to have been very lean fishermen, with 36 inch chests, or less.)

The national minumum wage 2023 is £10.42.

10.42 x 81.3 = £847.15 labour

The discounted price of Signature 4 ply worsted at Lovecraft = £7.22 per 100 g. You'll need 700 g = £50.54
So the price of a Sheringham gansey should be around £900.

Ha ha. Fat chance!