New Knitting Books for Fall 2025
- Susanna
- Sep 26
- 8 min read
Colorwork, colorwork, colorwork — that's the over-arching theme of new knitting books published in Fall 2025. This season's titles take us on a trip around the Atlantic from the Nordics to the Shetland Islands and to continental America.
Nordics
All three books in this section focus on colorwork sweater patterns from the Nordics. The first on them, Nordic Sailors' & Fishermen's Sweaters by Lotte Rahbek and Gitte Verner Jensen, hails from Denmark. This book takes a look at historical seamen's outfits and re-introduces them to modern audiences with updated patterns.
Inspired by the rugged beauty and enduring traditions of 19th- and early 20th-century Scandinavian seafarers, this stunning volume offers 23 knitting patterns drawn from the photographic archives of the Maritime Museum in Helsingør, Denmark. With designs for adults and children, each pattern blends historical authenticity with modern wearability, making this a perfect gift for knitters, history lovers, and anyone drawn to the elegance of Nordic craft.
The books includes a total of 21 gender-neutral patterns for adults and kids alike. The patterns are categorized by technique, featuring stranded colorwork, cables and texture, and classic stripes, among others. In addition, the book includes photographs of historic knitwear as well as an explanation of the symbolism behind different cable and texture patterns used on these classic sailors' sweaters.
The included patterns are classified by difficulty into three groups: beginner, intermediate, or experienced. The size range is not huge: the adult sweater patterns come in 5 sizes from S to 2XL. Chest circumferences (with ease included) range from 100 to 132 cm (or 39½–52 inches), falling short of what's considered size inclusive today.
Nordic Sailors' & Fishermen’s Sweaters: Modern Knitwear Inspired by Historical Patterns comes out on October 28, 2025.
Moving on from historical knitwear, the next two books put a more contemporary spin on Nordic colorwork designs. Happy Nordic Knits by Norwegian knitwear designer Une Cecilie Oksvold is a colorful collection of over 20 garment and accessory patterns, all featuring stranded colorwork in some form.
In Happy Nordic Knits, escape to the scenic Norwegian winter wonderland that knitwear designer Une Cecilie Oksvold calls home! This stunning collection of 23 original designs features colorful sweaters, accessories, and zero-waste projects designed to keep you warm and stylish in any outdoor setting. Combining traditional Norwegian knitting techniques with bold, modern designs, these patterns are perfect for knitters of all skill levels. Whether you’re crafting a cozy sweater for a winter hike or using up leftover yarn for a fun zero-waste project, each pattern in this book is thoughtfully crafted to bring a sense of adventure to your knitting. Plus, Une Cecilie shares personal reflections about how knitting and being outdoors improve her mental health.
The book features patterns for both sweaters and accessories such as mittens, socks, or headbands — all projects knit in the round. Zero-waste projects made with scrap yarns are separated off into their own chapter. The sweater patterns are available in 10 sizes from XXS to 5X with finished circumferences ranging between 36½ and 61½ inches (ease included). The garment designs are gender neutral in the sense that there's no bust or waist shaping — they're just straight-up tubes.
While some of the colorwork motifs are fairly traditional — like the lice stitch on the Yrjar sweater above — the color use is anything but. The samples are knit in very 90s-tastic colors combining brights and pastels. Each pattern is accompanied with a handy color card where you can see all colors used in the design in one glance.
Happy Nordic Knits: Modern Stranded-Colorwork Designs from the Heart of Scandinavia will be released on October 21, 2025.
Danish knitwear designer Mie Firring goes by the moniker SPEKTAKELSTRIK online and her patterns are making a big splash. Spectacular: Modern Danish Knitting gathers some of her most popular patterns along with some never-before-seen designs within its covers.
Welcome to cult Danish brand Spektakelstrik's spectacular knitting universe, filled with striking shapes, bold colors and patterns that pop. Spectacular includes 27 gorgeous knitting patterns, with 10 core Spektakelstrik classics and 17 brand new knitting patterns specially designed for the book. The patterns range from beginner-friendly, easy projects to more advanced patterns for knitting pros, and include striped and oversized sweaters, lace-patterned dresses, bobble hats, chunky scarves, and even jumpers for your Italian Greyhound. Each pattern is explained in straightforward step-by-steps, teaching you all the tips and tricks you need to create beautiful garments to add to your wardrobe. Fully illustrated with stylish photography, this book will help you lean in to the art of slow fashion and embrace the modern maker within you.
The patterns range in difficulty from beginner to the very advanced. For instance, the cover design Wave Sweater is a fan favorite with over 600 project on Ravelry. But it's not for the faint of heart in terms of knitting simplicity if the number of questions and threads this pattern garners are anything to judge by. The bold wave design may be enticing to look at but long floats and scant, Scandi-style instructions can lead to a lot of frustration.
The garment patterns included in the book are available in a fairly limited size range — 6 sizes from XS to XXL — again falling short of the size-inclusivity standard required for today's knitting patterns. Accessories come in even fewer sizes.
Spectacular: Modern Danish Knitting: From cult patterns makers SPEKTAKELSTRIK by Mie Firring is set to launch on October 7, 2025.
Faroes & Fair Isle
Heading west from the Nordics we make land on tiny islands on the Northern Atlantic. Continuing on with the theme of colorwork, the next two books are all about traditional designs from these rugged coastal regions.
Navia is a family-owned yarn and knitting company located on Denmark's Faroe Islands. Traditional Knits from the Faroe Islands is an exploration into the rich history, traditions, and knitting culture found in these islands as well as a collection of 28 of their beloved patterns.
This stunning book is a celebration of the unique knitting heritage and timeless yet contemporary knitted designs of The Faroe Islands. From classic sweaters and cozy cardigans to stylish babies’ clothes, the 28 patterns feature clean lines, bold colors and innovative techniques - ideal for confident knitters looking for heritage designs with a contemporary flavor. Navia, a renowned Faroese yarn company, is at the forefront of preserving and promoting Faroese knitting traditions. Founded in 2004, the family-run company is dedicated to producing high-quality, sustainable yarn, inspired by the stunning landscapes and rich cultural heritage of the Faroe Islands.
Included in the book are patterns for 15 adult sweaters or cardigans, 6 kids' garments, 2 baby ensembles, and one lace shawl. The patterns employ a variety of knitting techniques such as lace, cables, and of course colorwork, such as on the turtle-necked circular yoke pullover featured on the cover.
Traditional Knits from the Faroe Islands was released on September 16 this year. The book is also available in Faroese and Danish from the Navia website.
Located southeast from our previous location are the Shetland Islands. Brimming with traditional colorwork patterns in the authentic Fair Isle style is Alison Rendall's Fair Isle Knitting Tradition.
Join author Alison Rendall, a Shetland native and lifelong Fair Isle knitter, as she leads you on a guided tour through all things Fair Isle knitting. Rendall covers the basics, from yarns and needles to stitches and color choices, bringing even the most aspirational knitters up to speed. Rendall's reputation as a Fair Isle knit designer continues to grow in the knitting community. Her work is stunningly authentic and true to the rich tradition of the Fair Isle style. Expect wonderfully drawn lessons for 14 authentic Fair Isle patterns, tips for beginners to handle gauge and sizing, and complete overviews of yarns and other materials so you can create authentic Fair Isle knits with minimal experience.
The book contains a brief look into the origins of Fair Isle knitting, an introduction of what makes this knitting style so unique, and a how-to section on traditional yarns, needles, equipment, and techniques needed for Fair Isle knitting.
The 14 included patterns are mostly accessories — such as mittens, hats, or gloves ("glivs" in the local dialect) — but there are also two garments: one sweater (or "gansey") and one vest. The release date for Fair Isle Knitting Tradition: Shetland Heritage Patterns for Stunning Sweaters, Hats, Socks, and Gloves was September 23.
United States
From Shetland we cross the Atlantic and arrive at out final destination. Nancy Bates' Knitting the U.S.A. follows the idea of her two previous books, Knitting the National Parks and Knitting California, and encapsulates each of the 50 states in a single beanie pattern.
Whether it’s a corn field in Iowa, the manatees of Florida, or the buckeye that shows up on absolutely everything in Ohio, each of the fifty states has manmade and natural landmarks, symbols, and traditions that make it unique. Now you can capture the history and wonders of America with original beanie patterns created by celebrated knitting designer Nancy Bates. The beanie patterns in this book — one for each of the fifty states in the union — celebrate all aspects of America; the projects range from simple constructions such as the flowers of Hawai'i to more challenging stitch patterns like the waterfalls of Oregon. Clear charts, easy-to-read keys, and thorough instructions help any knitter, beginner or experienced, work up these gratifying projects.
The book is divided into regional chapters such as the South, North, Midwest, and West. Within the chapter, each state is represented by one beanie pattern, such as the Washington Beanie from the West. All patterns feature some type of colorwork design, be it straightforward stranded knitting or highly detailed, highly technical landscapes such as the Maine hat (below) which uses a combination of stranded clockwork, duplicate stitching, and embroidery.
Knitting the U.S.A.: Fifty Easy-to-Follow Designs for Beautiful Beanies Inspired by Each State in America will take you on a road trip across the continent on October 21, 2025. Some of the patterns are also available individually on Nancy Bates' website under the All American Collection.
If colorwork is your thing, Fall 2025 knitting books will have you covered for a good while. Whether your needles are itching for nostalgic fisherman's sweaters, contemporary Nordic colorwork, or beanies inspired by all-American landscapes, there's something here to add to your bookshelf… and your queue!
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