The Gansey Knitting Sourcebook: 150 stitch patterns and 10 projects for gansey knits, Di Gilpin and Sheila Greenwell

The Gansey Knitting Sourcebook is a sumptuous homage to one of Britain’s most storied garment traditions. This beautifully designed sourcebook presents 150 authentic gansey stitch patterns—each once believed to carry regional symbolism or even safeguard fishermen at sea. Accompanied by ten thoughtfully curated projects, from children’s jumpers to modern accessories like cowls and mittens, the book makes this heritage both accessible and contemporary.

Structured with masterful clarity, the authors guide readers through technical details—such as underarm gussets, shoulder seams and dense gansey tension—alongside rich contextual reflections on coastal life and knitting lore. Whether you wish to honour traditional fisherman designs or reinterpret motifs in lighter gauge yarn, the book weaves craft history into hands‑on creativity, reminding us that stitch can be both solace and storytelling.

About the Author
Di Gilpin, knitwear designer and educator based in Scotland, is celebrated for her work on the Rowan Scottish Tweed yarn and collaborations with brands like Topshop Unique and Nike. She brings a maker’s precision and love for narrative stitch to this volume.

Sheila Greenwell, also a Scottish knitwear expert, co‑operates a studio and teaches traditional gansey techniques. Their combined approach honours both pattern and purpose, and both are active in heritage projects like “Knitting the Herring” with the Scottish Fisheries Museum

Publication date: 2021
Publisher: David & Charles
Pages: 168
ISBN: 9781446308516