Knitting in the Old Way: Designs and Techniques from Ethnic Sweaters

Learn from These Master Knitters How to Create Your Own Splendid Sweaters!

"Reading this wonderful book is like taking a master class with two of the most knowledgeable, gifted, and generous teachers in the modern knitting community."

-Melanie Falick, author of Weekend Knitting, Kids Knitting, and Knitting in America, and co-author of Knitting for Baby

"If this book were a movie, it would evoke Lawrence of Arabia-an epic tale of passion, dedication, and persistence. Here the authors pursue the unwritten knitting tradition of those old-time and ethnic knitters who created well-fitting sweaters using a mental schematic instead of written instructions."

-Library Journal starred review

"When it seems there's nothing more to learn about knitting, I pick up a book by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts and I'm inspired by my craft all over again. There's nothing 'old' about Knitting in the Old Way-on the contrary, it's the book to turn to for the excitement of the new."

-Pam Allen, Editor of Interweave Knits and author of Knitting for Dummies

You've mastered the basic knitting stitches and you want to create that sweater you have in mind, or one similar to a beautiful sweater you saw. How to proceed?

Traditional knitters have created beautiful sweaters for centuries without the aid of line-by-line instructions, and now you have a guide that will help you build those same skills. Knitting in the Old Way provides you with 15 master plans, 85 design samples, and 233 charts that will help you create your own designs and make sweaters that actually fit. It also gives advice on selecting yarns, various knitting methods, and how to solve common pattern problems.

This book is also available from Echo Point Books as a paperback (ISBN 1635619580).

Author: Priscilla A. Gibson-Roberts,Deborah Robson
Publisher: Echo Point Books & Media, LLC
Published: 08/19/2025
Pages: 314
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.61lbs
Size: 11.00h x 8.50w x 0.66d
ISBN: 9781635619584

About the Author
Gibson-Roberts, Priscilla A.: - Priscilla Gibson-Roberts spent a number of years studying traditional ways of constructing sweaters and other garments, along with the associated design principles. She then created instructions to empower knitters to create original designs using time-tested methods that do not involve patterns. Knitting in the Old Way contains many lifetimes of inspiration and techniques. If you want to knit sweaters without following line-by-line instructions, Priscilla's guidance will let you do that. In addition to Knitting in the Old Way, she has given us High Whorling; Spinning in the Old Way (the revised edition of High Whorling); Simple Socks, Plain and Fancy; Ethnic Socks and Stockings; and Cowichan Indian Sweaters (formerly Salish Indian Sweaters).Robson, Deborah: - This revised and expanded edition of Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' Knitting in the Old Way, the first edition of which was published in 1985, began with Deborah Robson serving as a developmental editor. As the project proceeded, her contributions became significant enough that Priscilla invited her onto the cover as a co-author. The substance and genius of the book are Priscilla's. Its enlarged scope and vision are Deborah's. Deborah served as a book and magazine editor for a number of years, and is the fiber author of The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook and A Field Guide to Fleece.