Cornish Guernseys and Knit-frocks

In late nineteenth-century Cornwall, hand-knitting was an important cottage industry, and coastal villages developed their own distinctive patterns and names for the traditional navy blue guernsey. By the 1920s, contract knitting had died out and was almost forgotten until Mary Wright started asking old people about it. There are many delightful contemporary photographs, and detailed instructions and charts which show how to knit a Cornish guernsey incorporating one of 30 local patterns.