Inspiration
The Passing of a Legend
Barbara G. Walker died a few weeks ago at age 95, leaving a huge legacy. Her independent mind and ceaseless learning and sharing are unmatched in the history of knitting.
If you’ve ever knit a top-down sweater, you can thank Barbara Walker for not liking to knit sweaters in pieces and exploring better, more enjoyable ways to knit. She single-handedly researched and preserved stitch patterns that would otherwise be lost to time, and invented over 1000 original stitches of her own. But more than that, she modeled an attitude toward knitting as an adventure, as a pursuit worthy of—and requiring—a sharp mind, and as one of life’s pleasures.
Her influence was so wide and deep that, like gravity, it might not be noticed. Almost every post on this website—or any resource for knitters—has a connection to Barbara Walker. A no-nonsense, witty personality, she seems to have been amused at her iconic status for knitters.
I was hoping—and gently nagging—for a New York Times obituary for this remarkable American. Thursday night, the Gray Lady came through. My phone lit up with non-knitting friends forwarding it to me, which made me smile.
Here is a gift link to the New York Times obituary for Barbara G. Walker.
It’s an excellent piece with great images, plus video clips from a 2011 interview.
For more about Barbara Walker, in her own words, here is a piece she wrote for Piecework Magazine in 2024: My Knitting Life: A Facet of a Life in Full.
Neither Ann nor I had the good fortune to cross paths with Barbara Walker in life, but here she is in 2009 with MDK contributor, teacher, and friend Michele Lee Bernstein.
Remembering Barbara Walker
Did Barbara Walker influence your knitting and life? We would love to celebrate her life and work in the comments.
Early on in my knitting life combined with my love of history, I started poking around in knitting’s past. Barbara Walker popped up quickly, along with Elizabeth Zimmerman, Mary Walker Phillips, Mary Thomas, and Gladys Thompson.
As a beginner, it was bewildering to look at all the stitches in her stitch dictionaries and her teaching books. It was as if it were a foreign language, which it was for me.
But as time passed and I began learning that language, her brilliance emerged, shining ever more brightly, and showed up in my knitting.
I kept following her as she grew to be a feminist writer, being a feminist thealogian myself. Her interest in Neolithic goddesses fascinated me and once again, I sat as a student at her side, absorbing her knowledge and wisdom.
She was the mentor I never met, but cherished nonetheless.
Rest in strength and peace, Barbara. You have more than earned it!
Couldn’t read anything?????
Thank you for sharing her other passion as well. I was aware of her knitting books but not her others.
Thanks for putting this out there. I had heard she had passed on last week, didn’t realize it was old news. And thanks for the NYT obituary link. I am a subscriber but somehow missed it. My only book of hers is the Mosaic knitting, a technique I really enjoy. She certainly left a large impact on knitting, with many well researched resources to use.
Thank you Barbara Walker! The more I’ve read about her, the more my appreciation for her creativity has grown. With each SSK, I marvel at her thought process in creating that decrease stitch, one I assumed had been around forever. And to make The New York Times! Hurrah! I keep returning to the photo of her with the orange afghan draped over her shoulders. Maybe that should be my next project…
I knit and designed my first sweater thanks to Barbara Walker’s books. I made delightful scarves using her stitch designs. She was a delightful inspiration
I’m in Ireland. My granny taught me to knit when I was five and I loved it. I was delighted when I found one of Barbara Walker’s books in the adult library. Libraries withdraw books if they haven’t been borrowed in a while so I borrowed that book regularly for years to keep it on the shelf. That was back when the book had a paper ticket and the librarian stamped the return date on the docket that was glued inside. I was the only person to borrow that book for years, and it introduced me to a new world: I was no longer stuck with commercial patterns I didn’t really like but could play and let my imagination have free rein. Thank you, Barbara Walker. You gave me great joy.
Thank you for keeping her book alive in the ephemeral world of libraries. As a retired librarian and know only too well how great books are weeded because they aren’t everyone’s favorite. I practiced your method of keeping books alive and on the shelf while I was working. Now I do the same as a library patron. I almost never leave the library without a knitting book even if I have checked it out before. Another secret and subversive benefit to this method is that if librarians see high circulation of books in a particular subject area they will buy more on that subject.
I learned to knit beside my mother. Would only pick it up occasionally, it wan’t the easiest for me. Just learning of Barbara Walker, amazing! I knit a Santa with my mother’s coaching never got the cloak finished before her passing. I wish I would have known of Barbara, but I will find a beginner book of hers and just maybe encourage myself to finish my Santa! Rest in Peace.
Oh! The NYT seems to have closed the opportunity for Comments… so I wrote to the Editor instead.
I did too…
I first discovered Barbara Walker in the late 1960’s at the library (along with Elizabeth Zimmerman, of course). Back then, having learned to knit from my mother at around the age of 12, I was fascinated by the idea of knitting but never really knitted anything. Nevertheless I was particularly struck by Knitting from the Top and the afghan squares book (which I thought I still owned but can’t seem to find-horrors). So when, verging on senior citizenship, I finally caught the knitting bug, I called upon both Barbara and Elizabeth (and years of Vogue Knitting issues) to inspire me to jump from mere fascination to action. Knitting in the round was already familiar to me thanks to both my mother and EZ and then Knitting from the Top by Barbara was the technique that had seeped into my subconscious decades ago and which I have gravitated to and use mainly to this day. Barbara was a genius (mosaic knitting) and we are all so grateful for her sharing generosity. Thanks so much for gifting us this wonderful NYT article!
I cherish her Treasury” books in my home library, as well as all the others I own. I love her patterns for Barbi and Ken doll clothes!
Barbara was an amazing contributor to the world of knitting. She, along with Elizabeth Zimmerman opened possibilities to knit “outside the box” and I believe made it possible for all other innovators to have a say in the years that have followed. Well done Barbara.
I learned about Mosaic knitting from an article in an Interweave Magazine in the late 1990’s . I had no idea who Barbara Walker was and was new to knitting but wanted to try making something using this method.
Years went by and I never did attempt Mosaic knitting. Then Lion Brand at their retail store offered lessons on how to knit this way. Signed up on the spot and learned how to do it. Made a pair of fingerless gloves that I wear often and always get compliments on.
My husband pulled her obit out of our paper this weekend and thank you for reminding me that it is important to know the provenance of our craft. NYT here I come. Thanks Kay.
I am honestly so touched when the non-knitters share knitting news with me. They saw the word KNIT and thought of me….
Each time a new grand baby was expected, I pulled out a particular volume of Barbara Walker’s stitch dictionary, looking for the pattern she called “Inverness Diamonds.” My family came from Inverness to settle in Niagara County before the Revolution, so I had a sentimental attachment to that one and knit many baby blankets for a generation of babies with just a wee drop of Scots blood.
When number 7 was expected, I couldn’t find that volume and had to buy a new one, which is why I have 2 copies, each one marked with a yellow post it on the page with Inverness diamonds. I’m currently downsizing for a move, but I’ll keep one copy of that book, just in case one of the 9 grands produces a great-grand baby in the forseeable future. I can’t imagine knitting any other pattern!
No question Barbara Walker was an amazing, creative, innovative and intuitive knitter. I would never take that away from her. But let’s not forget Elizabeth Zimmerman. Another giantess in knitting legend.
It was beautiful to see Elizabeth Zimmermann’s daughter quoted in the Barbara Walker obituary.
Agree, Kay. Barbara long admired both Elizabeth and Meg.
What a life! I’ve used Barbara’s first Treasury for decades and about 2 years ago I got Knitting From the Top and made my best fitting sweaters. Thanks so much for the links!
Her pattern books were the first knitting books I ever bought, I still use them. Sometimes for patterns, and sometimes just for inspirational browsing with my feet up and a cup of tea.
Her non knitting books are also worth checking out. Feminist Fairy Tales. And her book The Crone is wonderful.
I read the obituary and went to add my comment and discovered that comments are closed. I assume that they reached their limit. Well done, my fellow knitters. She truly was a treasure to us all.
P.S. Just clicked on the Michele Bernstein link. She is so much fun. I have to knit that Frog hat.
Her “Learn to Knit Afghan” book taught me to knit. It has pride of place on my bookshelf. So grateful!
I don’t even know how I acquired them, but some of Barbara Walker’s stitch pattern books were among the first in my knitting library, right beside Elizabeth Zimmermann’s, and the original Vogue Knitting book. What a treasure.
Years ago, I found a couple of her stitch dictionaries on a deeply discounted sales rack. Don’t think I even knew who she was at the time, but I was fascinated by all the possibilities! It seemed like the best format for trying out the designs was to make dishcloths and potholders out of good old Sugar and Cream cotton yarn. And so I did – over the years I have made dozens and dozens. A wonderful way to experiment with color and pattern and so much fun. Thank you Barbara!
This is wonderful. I’ve just spent a couple of hours going down knitting history rabbit holes. Such an inspiration. Thank you MDK!
She agree – and for shame it took The Grey Lady (NYT) an entire month to publish her obit.
Her knitted – and academic worth – are true legacies.
So agree
Not enough of my morning cuppa to battle auto incorrect.
Barbara Walker accepted our invitation to speak at the Greater Boston Knitting Guild annual luncheon several years ago. We were in awe of her accomplishments, her clarity of purpose, the way she could combine creativity with a scientific, almost surgical, analysis of whatever subject interested her – but also her humanity, generosity and humor.
My grandmother introduced me to the wonder of knitting when I was six. It was a joy to sit with her and make something with my own hands. Barbara Walker introduced me to the art and science of knitting when I bought her first book. From her I learned to love making swatches, spending evenings with her book by my side, knitting square after square until I learned each technique.
I feel so grateful to have had both Yia Yia and Barbara next to me throughout my knitting life.
Barbara Walker was the GOAT for knitting. I hope she and Elizabeth Zimmerman meet in knitter’s heaven and cast on something new. I often refer to her books on mosaic knitting and incorporate those stitch patterns into my projects.
Passing of a legend—I have Barbara’s Symbols and Sacred Objects and Myths and Secrets. I had loaned out the stitches dictionary —still MIA. What a remarkable person. All the gifts she left for us to carry on. ❤️
Thank you for sharing these links. These books are like bibles in my knit library. I have many little sticky notes on the pages. Just realized she is the same age as my mom. Wow, what a life she led.
Adding comment on behalf of Dana Courtney:
Does anyone recognize the orange wrap pattern that’s in the NYT obit? I searched Ravelry under both Barbara Walker and Meg Swansen but came up empty on both. It seems really familiar and I’m sure there are many riffs on the same theme, but heck if I can find one. Many thanks.
In the Comments section of the NYT obituary, there is a post from reader kbsalazar that identifies 6 cable patterns in the afghan.
The comment is nested under the post by Jan of UP who asks if anyone can identify the stitch pattern in the orange shawl. I opened the “View all replies” tab underneath that post, which showed additional replies, including the one from kbsalazar.
Tried unsuccessfully to copy the information here – sorry!
That commenter, kbsalazar, must be Kim Brody Salazar, who’s a knit designer and blogger.
Meg might know…
I don’t remember when I first read Barbara Walker—in the seventies? eighties?—but at the time I encountered her as a feminist author. She was thrilling. Years later I wondered if this knitting genius was also the feminist author I’d read ages ago, and was totally excited to find that indeed she was. What an amazing woman, and what a well-lived life!
Thank you Kay, for getting this in the NYTimes! I bought my first Barbara Walker stitch dictionary at the long gone beautiful Scribners store on 5th Ave. I still have the bookmark in it! I also had the pleasure of a chat with Barbara Walker at TNNA some years ago. It was a delightful conversation, and I may have a photo but ….
To be clear I don’t claim credit for the obit! But after her family announced her death I tagged the Times a few times indicating that I was waiting for their obituary. As I’m sure many other readers were.
Thank you for this article. Barbara was a dynamo! Unfortunately I couldn’t download the obit as I am not a subscriber. Would you be able to reprint it for us?
Hi Mary Claire,
The link in the post is a gift link, no need to be a subscriber to read.
Adding to the chorus of knitters who loved Barbara Walker’s fantastic contributions to knitting. Her four knitting pattern books have been a staple for me for years. At one time, I designed a fisherman’s knit sweater as a surprise gift for Valentine’s Day for my sweetie, now sweet husband from patterns (Tree of Life, Rapunzel’s Braid) among them, thanks to her patterns and clear instructions on twist stitches. He still wears it more than 40 years later. And so many exquisite lace patterns, plus her charts for cables are priceless. I’m so grateful to Barbara Walker for sharing her wonderful gifts with all of us who love to knit.
Thank you for your letter, Kay, and also for the link to the NYT article. Barbara Walker was an amazing lady, and it was great to learn so much more about her. I am eternally indebted to her for the top down sweater design!
“Knitting from the Top” got me designing. (I still have to get around to the pants, tho’.) Thank you, Barbara!
I had seen the NYT obituary which was excellent and was wondering if MDK would mention this amazing person. How surprising to learn that MDK was pushing for the NYT piece!!!
Thank you for helping to preserve the history and luminaries who have come before us in this incredible hobby.
I was just adding to the chorus I’m sure!
I like to think that they were ready to do it without need of encouragement; she was extraordinary.
So glad to see this posted here this morning. A non-knitting friend sent it to me yesterday, and it sent my mind drifting down the decades of all the knitting journeys. My friend, a guy who is older than me, had been a wee bit sneering when years ago he learned of my love for knitting and asked me if I made doilies and TP covers! I had to laugh! Over time though, he grew to be quite respectful of the craft, always asking if I had made the sweater/hat/whatever thing I had on that day, and even had read and forwarded the obit to me before I even realized that she had died. I have a couple of her books, and have long been amazed by her, her passion for the art and craft.
TP covers! My daughter found a book of patterns and made one of a pig for her brother’s new house – but now his 3 year old daughter wears it as a hat!
As a teenager with not much pocket money, I checked Ms. Walker’s books out of our library on a regular basis. The first blanket I knit was made of “squares” using a different one of her stitches for each section. (None of them were the same size or shape.) But I learned so much!
I met Barbara Walker at Sock Summit in Portland, Oregon in 2009. She was on the luminary panel (Cat Bordhi, Nancy Bush, Priscilla Gibson-Roberts, Judith MacKenzie-McCuin, Lucy Neatby, Deborah Robson, Meg Swansen, Barbara Walker, and Anna Zilboorg), and it was so wonderful to hear them talk about knitting. That’s where I learned that Barbara Walker invented the SSK.
And I also learned that Elizabeth Zimmerman came up with an alternate SSK (slip the second stitch as if to purl), which lies flatter. I usually prefer this, but there are times when the Walker method works better. I wrote a whole blog post and video about it: https://pdxknitterati.com/2018/05/12/lace-blocking-ssk/
I have her Charted Knitting Designs (Third Treasury), and love paging through it for design inspiration. And now I need to go read some of her non-knitting work.
Thank you Kay, for sharing this tribute.
Yes, I want to investigate her non- knitting work.
I don’t think I can list the ways that Barbara Walker influenced me as a knitter and a designer. It’s likely that she influenced the knitters who influenced me and shaped the way I think about knitting. When I heard the news of her passing, I pulled out one of my well-thumbed Treasuries, and then cast on a mosaic vest. She continues to inspire!
In early October of 2012, my soul sister and I attended an Interweave Knits conference in Manchester, NH. We were celebrating my having retired from teaching music and her retiring from being a full time pediatrician and medical school prof.
Barbara Walker was the guest speaker at the gala banquet. She was witty and charming ! That knitting trip with my dearest friend is a most wonderful memory.
I have always used Barbara’s knitting techniques SSK, mosaic knitting and top down sweaters.
We were blessed with her presence. RIP Barbara.
My sister-in-law and I co-knit the Learn-to-knit Afghan about 10 years ago, only possible because the directions and patterns were SO clear. What fun we had learning the stitches we’d never otherwise try, and the collaboration made us even closer than we already were. It’s with me now, and looks wonderful, and reminds me of her every time I wrap up in it. Thank you Ms. Walker
Thanks for this article and the links. I have found her books invaluable over the years as I’ve looked for interesting stitches to incorporate into my knitting. She was one of our knitting titans
The January/February 2010 issue of Piecework includes an article with a new stitch pattern by Barbara Walker called Diamond Basketweave. I had to go dig it out as soon as I heard of her passing. It is a lovely knit purl pattern. Someone will be getting a gift using this stitch.
Thank you for writing this. It is really important to recognize and honor who came before us. As knitters, we all have Barbara G Walker to thank for recording every stitch she could find.
May you rest in peace, Barbara.
Suzanne W
I learned so much from Barbara Walker. I loved studying her patterns and designs. I am going to miss her and she was a great teacher just like Elizabeth Zimmerman. I have been knitting for almost 40 years and I still collect plenty of patterns and read so many books to help me with my sweaters. Sometimes I get stuck on a certain stitch pattern and I end up going to Y Tube for help because I am a visual learner, or I would ask a knitting question in one of my knitting groups on Facebook for help. She will be missed and so many of us knitters will be so lost without her.
I taught myself to knit from her Learn to Knit Afghan book while I was awaiting our first child. I wasn’t very good, but I learned enough skills to enjoy the process, and now, 50 years later, I still knit nearly every day–and I’m finally good at it!
Knitting from the Top made it possible for me to have sweaters that fit decades before size inclusive was a thing in available patterns.
So sorry. Thanks for being here.
AT AGE 92 I AM A CONTEMPORARY OF BARBARA WALKER AND DID MANY OF HER PATTERNS WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE IN BOARDING SCHOOLS.
I HAVE HER STITCH PATTERN BOOKS AND REFER TO THEM OFTEN JUST FOR A NEW IDEA.
SHE CHANGED THE KNITTING WORLD AND WILL BE MISSED.
Thank you so much for gifting this article, Kay! Mrs Walker surely deserved a Times obit, and they did a good job. She and EZ together revolutionized knitting, so women like my mother could feel confident designing their own garments; I still have the fisherman’s sweater she made for me, figuring out her own cables and filler stitches, in lanolin-rich wool. I was surprised mom never acquired a Walker compendium, but she preferred to work out her own thing to spending cash for someone else’s ideas. RIP, MS Walker!
Thank you for encouraging the NYT to write and publish an obituary for her. I am sure they will be a bit surprised at the enthusiasm that is shows.
What an amazing contribution to knitting history. What a mind! Here’s my biggest (and let’s face it,only) Barbara Walker flex: in 2011 ish my book Craft Activism came out, I was the guest speaker presenting it to a knitting guild that met at MIT. (the location a flex in itself). During the book signing portion of the evening a man came up all jazzed ,saying he knew his mom was going to LOVE this book, we talked about which chapters he thought she’d be excited about and said he was buying her a copy,would I please write a message to Barbara. Then he said I probably
knew of his mom: Barbara Walker.
I have never not been a little ferklempt thinking of my
book on her bookshelf.
Barbara Walker’s Knitting from the Top Down gave me the courage and the tools to knit for myself and family, none of us are close to being standard sizes. She explained how to shape garments based on your measurements and how to shape different silhouettes, necklines, sleeves, and more all in a way that felt like it was no big deal and anyone could do it.
Her books of stitch patterns continue to provide me with inspiration as well as stitch patterns. Mine are so well used that When they were reissued, I bought extra copies for when my originals completely fall apart. I think with all the stitch patterns I have used I have found one mistake which is pretty amazing. My only complaint is that she did not discover graphs sooner but then no one can be perfect. She will be missed but I will continue to knit her into the shawls and sweaters I have designed.
I discovered BGW about the time I was becoming frustrated with knitting in pieces and thought there must be a better way to knit! I found her “Knitting from the Top” in my library, and I never looked back. I was 23 years old, and now I’m 79. I have all her books, and I treasure them. My daughter loves the knitting stitch treasuries, and she’s an amazingly skillful knitter.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, dear Barbara!!
God rest her soul. Amen
Barbara Walker most certainly influenced my knitting life. I have all of her books, I believe. She was brilliant. She was recommended to me by Elizabeth Zimmerman, another brilliant knitting mentor I never met, but have all of her books, also. They taught me how to think for myself about what I wanted to knit, and how I wanted to make it. Top down, mosaic, it’s all good!
I discovered Barbara Walker’s “Treasuries…” at the Multnomah County Library in Portland 20+ years ago… the same week I learned to knit. Vol. 4 with its charted lace squares was the code I cracked first. Then slip stitch knitting and mosaic knitting. Her influence lit the fire for me.
I was just reading your comment about discovering Barbara Walker’s “Treasuries…” in Portland 20 + years ago, anyway I live in Ohio and I was just wondering are you related to Doris and Weldon Miller, by way of Bill and Maureen Little? My name is Mary Bradford. Thank you.
Like Barbara I like knitting from top down.Rest easy Barbara your style lives on.Thankyiu x
Wow, no. My Portuguese Aunt taught me how to crochet and knit the simple stitches. I dont like to count so onlt the It’s easy peasy for me projects.
“Her influence was so wide and deep that, like gravity, it might not be noticed.”
What a brilliant & spot on way to describe her. She really was a genius on so many fronts, even beyond the knitting world.
I am so sad to learn of Barbara’s passing. I am 79 and Barbara along with E Z have been inspirational for such a big part of my life.
May she Rest in Peace and May flights of angels sing her to her rest.
The Women’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets! Wonderful book!
She made adventurous knitting more possible. You can take a volume of stitch patterns and a volume of garment patterns, and be set for months!
Ms. Walker’s books made my mother into a talented knitter…then an author. When she wrote a letter suggesting an error in a pattern, Walker wrote back defending her approach. After several letters Ms. Walker said “If you think your way is right, you should write your own knitting book.” So she did. Ms. Walker was generous with advice and introduced her editor at Scribners, who published “Reversible Two Color Knitting” in 1974. Mom always replied to her fan letters having learned the value of that from Ms. Walker.
The two of them corresponded for years. Walker’s letters were crisp, concise and wry, much as she was in person. We vacationed with them one summer and at 13 I was intimidated as I might be by a stern, talented teacher who you soon learned was far kinder and thoughtful than first impressions suggested.
We had more of Barbara Walker than many did, but she gave a lot to anyone who read her books on knitting and other subjects. She had what my father termed “a first class mind” and she shared it with all. Mom’s social media presence is 100% private so she is not commenting on the death of a mentor. But she spoke of her fond memories, some funny stories and gratitude for knowing one of the greats.
I own your mother’s book, Reversible Two-Color Knitting, and have made several blankets from the Shadow Boxing stitch. Tell her hello from one of her fans!
I have all her stitch encyclopedias and use them frequently! But not only was she an amazing knitter but she was a tarot scholar as well!
I have her deck! It’s wonderful 🙂
Thank you for sharing this. I learned about her not from knitting but as a woman’s studies minor. Her writing is phenomenal. Her way to see through the mud of life and offer a new perspective is refreshing. I revisited her Fairytales for Feminists when I heard of her passing – she was brilliant and will be missed.
I was also thinking about going through knitting from the top down and doing the swatches she recommended for increasing/decreasing stitches to know in my bones exactly which option works for my yarn/sweater/style of knitting.
Oh, yes! As a new knitter, when I discovered her stitch dictionaries, it opened up a whole world for me – you mean I could create something myself, with nothing but math and some stitch motifs to play with?? I was lucky enough to get to meet her at the first Sock Summit, where she seemed entirely bemused by the excitement and enthusiasm and respect (and even awe) her fellow knitters showed her. Her curious mind has been an inspiration to me, and, I am sure, will continue to be.
Some people pass through your life, and leave such an indelible impression, that you always remember that single word or deed for the rest of your life. Barbara Walker was one of those people. I will always be grateful for sharing a passion for knitting that has brought so much comfort and joy to so many people
From time to time I must purge my bookshelves, and several tote bags of books set off for a new journey into someone else’s life. It’s a challenge to select the keepers, but Barbara Walker’s books have always made the cut. They sit at the head of my shelf of “knitting essentials,” in good company with June Hiatt, Mary Thomas and of course EZ, among others.
Walker’s books are inspiration for pattern ideas to modify or embellish plain vanilla sweaters or scarves, or to personalize a baby blanket. The magnitude of her experiments with stitches and knitted fabrics gave us permission to experiment with our own knitting, and freed us from the limits of a pattern. Barbara Walker was a monumental contributor to our art.
Barbara Walker and her family were our neighbors growing up. One summer she recruited a bunch of kids from the neighborhood to model for one of her books. I earned $20 that day, and have never forgotten it, mostly because somehow I lost the money on my walk home.
Many years later I became a knitter and only then did I realize how brilliant she was. Up until then I just knew her family wore a lot of handmade knits!
Her Mosaic Knitting is my most treasured knitting resource. Knitting projects of one color are BORING!
Thank you so much for the gift link! Such a great obituary to a knitting legend and a very interesting article, very much enjoyed reading this.
She did influence me and I did not even know. ThNks for the great information. She must have e been an awesome woman.
Such a shattering loss! I learned how to expand my knitting prowess through materials this lovely lady prepared and published in knitting circles. She made it effortless to follow, and the finished product even better than you envisioned. 20 years later, my works of art are still adorning layettes, and blankets all over the country. Thank you Ms. Walker.
Love knitting! Great acknowledgment and tribute.
Very clever Lady.
Barbara Walker has been a constant influence. An idol really. Sweaters from the top
down and her stitch dictionaries were like aha! Moments every page. If I had a dollar for every time I used her words – nothing is worse than a tight underarm in a sweater — I would be rich today. Thank you for your post.
I have one of her books, “Women’s Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects.” I remember checking that book out from the library and studying it cover to cover before I could afford my own copy. After reading about her knitting techniques, my interest is piqued and I’ll be looking for her knitting resources. I tried to knit many years ago, and my results didn’t meet my expectations. My grandmother tried to figure out how I gained or dropped stitches, and I wonder if I was trying to create my own methods back then. But I gave up, much like Barbara did. I have collected some knitting resources, however I favored creating my own crochet (that’s a different story, especially how I switched to German overhand style, from the English/American underhand style I was taught, without realizing it). Now I will be on the hunt for Barbara’s resource legacy and maybe I will actually finish some knitted projects.
i started watching Elizabeth Zimmerman’s videos forever ago and she and daughter always gave credit to a Barbara Walker this and a BarbaraWalker that so thank you Barbara
Walker for paving the way for us newbies with your lovely improvements, inventions, insights, vision! (knitting since 2001) AND (my husband is having his knee replaced soon so i talked him into trying to knit while he mends and he’s hooked now!!! he loves it!! (won’t admit it though!!!!
A remarkable lady! I refer to her stitch patterns quite often.
Thank you for highlighting a women’s worthy research on improving a skill for thousands of women who provide for their families. Loved reading this article even when I do not knit.
Thank you for telling me about Barbara Walker. I had never heard of her and I have knitted all my life! I will look up more information on her.
This the first I heard of her, but by the looks of the garmet she had, she was vert talented. I have always had a passion for had made sweaters. I am saddened by her loss, and for her family.
Sincerly, a knitter at heart.
Bpostlewaite@ gmail.com
Thanks, Kay.
Thank You, for Your Creativity, Inspiration, and Teachings in this field of textiles. Showing us that knitting is always an exploration of new techniques.
Rest in peace. Thank you for contributing to our lives in so many ways. I never met you but reading about your journey, I wished I had know you.
I have 3 of her pattern books, they are my go to, for my projects.
My favorite book by her is The Third Treasury of Knitting Stitches with cables and lace stitches. It’s got a ton of different cables and every time I design a new beanie, it almost always comes from this book! Barbara Walker was a designer’s dream collaborator and a legend in her own time! She will be missed!
My condolences to her family your work is so beautiful
I discovered Barbara Walker in my youth! She brought my knitting spirit to life. Her stitch books provided me with years of design process and creativity. Thank you, Barbara Walker, for your love of learning and sharing.
I had an aunt named Barbara Walker. She was my favorite aunt!!
My mother loved to knit. I have a whole shelf of sweaters, scarves, and ponchos with her personalized Labels, “Made with Love by Mom” sewn into the necklines, or the afghans she crocheted. I live in FL now but I would never give away those sweaters, lovingly crafted by her hands. My mom is no longer with us, but when I find an occasion to wear one of her creations, it’s like getting a big hug from her again.
I never ever wanted to do knitting… I always thought it was a lazy person’s excuse to just sit and knit.Im going to try it!
Waoo..that’s my heroin
Never knitted and don’t wear sweaters or knit things because I am always hot, but I appreciate what she did. Up until this obituary, I had never heard of her. Good job for saving all those beautiful patterns. My grandmother loved to knit.
My mother Colene was an avid knitter. We had sweaters, hat, mittens always warm and cozy. She passed the skills on to her girls, too. Growing up she kept copies of several of Barbara Walkers books on hand close . After Colene passed I collected the books as a cherished memory and reference for my future endeavors. Barbara was indeed a great teacher. God rest her soul.
She looks like a lady i would pick as a friend
Knitters heaven. GOD Bless.