Sam Barsky

Sam Barsky (born 1974) is an American artist and internet celebrity. He knits sweaters of landmarks, then takes selfies in front of the landmarks while wearing them. He also knits sweaters of Jewish and other holidays.

His sweaters are knitted without a pattern, freehanding them as he goes along.[1] His sweaters have been displayed in numerous galleries[2] and at the American Visionary Arts Museum.[3] As of January 11, 2022, he has knitted 155 sweaters free-handed.[4]

Background

Barsky started knitting in 1999 after he dropped out of nursing school due to health issues, and first tried to teach himself how to knit from a book he borrowed from the library. Soon after, he met the owners of a local yarn shop, who taught him.[5][6]

His first sweater was knitted in 2000 and featured a covered bridge and waterwheel.[4] Other early sweaters depicted a waterfall, lake, river, and castle. He made a Twin Towers sweater before the September 11 attacks.[7]

In 2017 an article about his sweaters was published on Imgur.[3] Originally he did not take selfies in front of landmarks, but later did.[8] He has reportedly knitted 119 sweaters for his travels.[9] Though he receives many requests, Barsky does not sell his sweaters because he says it is impossible to be a "human sweater mill."[10] However, he does sell t-shirts with prints of his designs on his website.

Images depicted on Barsky's sweaters

Landmarks

Some of the landmarks Barsky has featured are:

Holidays

Other

Barsky has also knitted items other than sweaters, including a framed picture of the Beth Am sanctuary.[13]

Personal life

Barsky was raised Orthodox Jewish, and practices today as a Conservative Jew and is a kohein.[15] He is married to his wife Deborah.[1]

He has lupus and a neurological disorder, but he says he does not let it stand in the way of his knitting.[8][16][12][2]

References
  1. "The Man Who Made Those Viral Sweaters Has One For Every Jewish Holiday". 10 January 2017.
  2. "Sam's loom with a view".
  3. "The Baltimore knitter who unraveled the internet". The Times of Israel.
  4. "Sam Barsky Tiktok - "My first freehand sweater ever"".
  5. "The man who blends into the background". bbc.com. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  6. "Gone Viral? No Sweat, Just Sweaters". jewishtimes.com. January 20, 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  7. "Sam Barsky: A sweater for every occasion". 8 June 2017.
  8. "The Baltimore knitter who unraveled the internet". The Times of Israel.
  9. "This Man Who Knits Sweaters to Match Landmarks Is the Hero the Internet Needed". Time.com. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  10. "Sweater Selfies: Man Knits His Way Around The World". NPR.org.
  11. "Pikesville knitter goes viral for destination-themed sweaters". The Baltimore Sun. January 11, 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-11-19.
  12. "Knitting". Gathered. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  13. Haaretz (January 9, 2017). "Baltimore Man's Sweaters Are Better Than Postcards". Haaretz.
  14. Barsky, Sam (2019-10-02). "My sweater of London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Made for my trip there this past summer. #sambarsky". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  15. "The Baltimore knitter who unraveled the internet". The Times of Israel. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  16. Jones, Stephen (March 27, 2017). "Ex-student's world tour stood in front of landmarks wearing jumpers he's knitted". Daily Mirror. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
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