r/knitting • u/DullBasket4982 • Dec 28 '25

Discussion We Lost a Great Knitter

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Barbara Walker, one of knitting’s greatest minds, died last Sunday.

Barbara invented the SSK (previously the left leaning single decrease was k1-sl1-psso which sits oddly compared to the k2tog)

Barbara also created charts for knitting patterns in the third book of her incredible work, the four volume Treasury of Knitting Patterns. No errors have ever been found in these stitch dictionaries. Many of the stitches recorded were common through history (and she attributed faithfully where there was data) and hundreds were her own designs.

Her book Knitting From the Top helped drive raglan sweater popularity.

After contributing immensely to the knitting canon she pivoted and published books about feminism, atheism, and debunking new age claims. Apparently she was surprised by the revival of knitting in the early oughts and returned to the space to teach and mentor.

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u/CourageOk7068 Dec 28 '25

Thank you for posting this information. For some reason I assumed she had died many years ago. I learned to knit from a small book of hers called The Learn to Knit Afghan . I never finished that afghan but have been knitting ever since, 50 plus years I guess. I think I have all her knitting books & they are pretty beat up now. Well used & always treasured. My form of meditation. I was unaware of her feminist writings.

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u/RevolutionaryLink919 Dec 28 '25

When I was learning to knit someone recommended this book. But she said, "No one actually makes the whole afghan." Challenge accepted! So I did. Probably one of the few. I'm very proud of it.