Beth Brown Reinsel

My thanks to Netgalley, F + W Media, and Beth Brown-Reinsel for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What is a gansey? A gansey is a type of knit sweater that is knit in the round so that it is seamless and has a simple square shape with dropped shoulders. Fishermen loved these roomy sweaters because they weren’t restricted when doing their jobs and they lasted longer because there was less rubbing of fabric They use a heavier yarn and the sweaters come out with a heavy and dense fabric show more that protect you from the elements. They are made with beautiful patterns of knit, purls and cables.

This books is beautifully shot and has gorgeous patterns. But it is not only a pattern book. Beth Brown-Reinsel has really done her homework. She offers you so much information about the history of ganseys, what kind of yarn and tools to use. Bu the major bulk of the book offers a complete, piece by piece, section by section deconstruction of the garment. For example she will take the underarm gusset. She explains the shape, the function, and how it is knit. There are always diagrams that the illustrate step by step instructions. Then she offers a sampler, a small piece that you can knit yourself so you can understand how it all works and fits together. She doesn't’ just leave it there. She then offers maybe ten different variations of gussets with charts and diagrams that will make your mind explode. By breaking down each part of the garment and offering such detailed instructions, with visual diagrams and charts, and then a wide variety of options she is offering you the tools you need to create your own gansey. It is like opening a jar of beads, big ones, small ones, shiny ones, plain ones, all ready to string up into a necklace of your own design. It stirs up your creative juices because the guesswork has been taken out of it. But, if you choose to only dream, no problem. There are nine patterns for you to follow, step by step, with charts and beautifully shot pictures of the finished garment for you to follow.

Whether as a coffee table book, or a pattern book, or a road map to making your own gansey, I don’t think you will be disappointed in this book. Knitting books are expensive and it is nice to now that this has multi purposes. I think time and effort that it takes to invest in one of these sweaters will be well worth it when it is finished. I feel inspired and I love the idea of wearing mine on coast of Ireland with the waves crashing around me, or the moors of Scotland protecting me from the high winds. More realistically, in my backyard, walking my dog in the middle of a Canadian winter. show less

Note: I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.

Two of my hobbies are history and crafting (knitting, crochet, cross stitch, sewing). Crafting something from an old pattern, in an old technique or based on a historical object is always very cool. Even though I am intimidated by knitting an adult-sized sweater, a gansey or fisherman sweater has been on the top of my wishlist for the longest time. When the new (revised and updated) edition of show more Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel came up for review I couldn’t help myself.

I don’t know the 1993 edition, so I can’t compare both editions. My review just focusses on this 2018 edition by itself.

This book is a combination of history and patterns. The book starts with a chapter on the rich history of ganseys. The following chapters let you knit a small sampler gansey. Each chapter explains a technique in great detail, from casting on (describing several different cast-ons, in continental and English methods) to the gusset and the neckline. After working through the first 10 chapters and finishing your sampler, you have knit your first (small) gansey and have used all needed techniques. The book then continues with instructions on how to design and knit your own gansey. This chapter includes instructions on sizing, adjusting fit, charting a pattern. It even has a worksheet and special calculations to help you with your design. The book finishes with 9 patterns for complete ganseys for men and women. I especially love “alouette”, which is a gansey dress!

All-in-all this is a very complete book, that helps even the most unexperienced knitter design and knit their own gansey, all while learning about the history of ganseys. I can’t wait to start on my own gansey. Maybe one for our boy? He’s small, I’d be done quickly. Five out of five stars from me. show less

Knitting Ganseys, Revised and Updated Techniques and Patterns for Traditional Sweaters by Beth Brown-Reinsel
Wow what a treasure of information. I design my own Irish Fisherman type sweaters and afghans and really enjoyed reading this book.
Starts out with a table of contents where the chapters are broken up into what the ganseys are to all the construction phases and patterns.
Stunning high quality photos throughout this book, you can see detailed stitching. Loved learning of the history of show more the gansey and Arans and differences between them.
Loved the tools of the trade as I have some of the curved needles myself, charted variations of stitches and how they are worked.
Every picture tells a story and then some as we learn of the myth behind the fisherman sweater. Love that the ganseys used initials in the bottom section to identify who it was made for.
Also other aspects tell the difference-yarns used and colors of them along with patterns.
Loved seeing the different neck shapings and othervariaions throughtout the book. This is truly a designers resource book as it has it all and then some. Techniques are shown and explained how to do the stitching, or even casting on. That portion explains why you should one method over another and why.
There is a sample small gansey to make to give you an idea of the techniques that are being taught only using 4 oz. of yarn rather than making a full sweater-but that is also included here, the patterns, etc.
Lots of tips along the way. Tools and step by step instructions how to prepare for your own design are also included.
There are also 9 full size patterns.
Each pattern comes with a title, color photo, finished sizes, yarn suggested, needles, list of notions, guage, featured techniques and other notes.
Instructions for each of the sections along with charted gussetts.
I like that some are made for men and there is also a woman's section for the same gansey.
Measurements are also done in inches and metric. Resources and supplies list is also included. Abbreviations and also metric onverstions are included.
Dedication, acknowledgement and about the author are included at the end along with an index.
Other resource books from others are also highlighted if you wan to check further into the different techniques.
Loved reading parts and learning all new things along the way along with the designing aspect of this book. Ends with how the gansey tradition continues.
A KEEPER!
What I did not like was showing the patterns in very dark colors. I realize those are the true colors but for showing them in the book I felt they could've used lighter shades.
Received this review copy from the author via F+W Media and Interweave via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.
#KnittingGanseys,RevisedAndUpdated #NetGalley show less

Knitting a gansey has long been on my "one of these days" list, and this book may be the one that makes me cast on. The available patterns for ganseys are often adaptations, using bulkier yarns and some questionable adaptations for fashion.

In this book, Beth Brown-Reinsel provides a short history of the gansey, including some historic photos. This is followed by detailed analysis of the construction features, and guidance for designing your own gansey.

In addition to a mini sampler, the book show more includes 9 patterns for adult size ganseys. Three patterns, including a somewhat questionable A-line dress, use aran weight yarn. The others use sport weight, which will result in more wearable garments for those who don't live in cold climates.

As other reviewers have commented, my one complaint would be that so many of the photos feature dark color yarns. While navy blue is authentic for traditional ganseys, the dark colors make it impossible to see the details. show less