Early Channel Island knitwear photos.

A fisherman's guernsey, approx 100 yrs old, on display at the Guernsey Folk and Costume Museum. It has a simple triangle border above the welt and at the top of the sleeves so is from a family in the Castel parish, possibly Cobo.

A Guernsey farm lad from the beginning of the 20th century wearing his guernsey. It looks as though it is traditional although it may have a ribbed hem and until you zoom in, which makes the image unclear, it looks as though it may have an all over vertical pattern

A Jersey fishernman from 1890 wearing his jersey. The photo was taken at Granville, Normandy. Contrary to what is commonly believed, guernseys and jerseys only have few features in common and it is shown clearly here. This jersey does not have a garter stitch welt (this is peculiar to Guernsey), or any other visible stitch pattern, but it is otherwise obviously a similar shape to a guernsey.

The Channel Islands essentially share the same 600+ year woollen goods export history but after the stocking/wastcote trade died in the 18th century, the women simply knitted for themselves and their families and the patterns diversified with time.

These are quarrymen at Bichard's quarry, Beaucette. The photo is from the early 20th century and appears in Carel Tom's book of Old Guernsey. They were quarrying Bordeaux diorite, otherwise known as "blue granite" that was mostly exported and used in roadmaking. Most of the men are wearing plain, traditional guernseys but note that the necks are unusually wide. This may have been to keep them cool? Quarrying this stone by hand was hard work! One of the men, the one with the chain over his left shoulder, looks as though his guernsey may have a cross on it which is entirely possible as this is the Vale parish symbol where Bichard's quarry is situated.

A painting, circa 1900, found in a book of the Channel Islands by A. Wimbush, of a Jerseywoman knitting a jersey(!) in the round. It looks as though she has at least seven short needles which was the usual number, around the same number that would have been used in Guernsey. This old woman has clearly been knitting like this for many years....knitting outside in daylight...sensible with such dark yarn.No knitting tools visible and her work in her lap. In earlier centuries, women even knitted like this on horseback as they went to market. Her dress is typical for the time, again similar to Guernsey costume.

Another photo, dated 1936, from Carel Tom's book showing a group at the Guernsey fishmarket. The old man in the middle has a plain guernsey and is clearly suffering from welt flip (something a guernsey/gansey knitter will understand!). The guernsey on the small boy in front of him very clearly shows an all over vertical cable pattern which may or may not have been unusual......maybe a special guernsey for a grandson?....more research needed.