Thursday, July 21, 2011

EZ Back from the Dead

I've stated here before how much I love Elizabeth Zimmermann. She was a pioneer of modern knitting, and her newsletters taught so much to so many. She really inspired thousands (millions?) to knit without tears or fears. Try something new! You never know what you'll learn. Her designs are simple and innovative, and her construction methods are unconventional and bloody brilliant. I adore reading her writings and old newsletters, her dry wit is apparent and I just ... sigh ... I just love her. About a year ago, I knit her Baby Surprise Sweater for my dear friend Paula's handsome baby boy ... this is what it looks like before you seam up the shoulders.
And here is what it looks like after.
WHO THINKS OF THAT?? A knitting genius, that's who. So imagine how excited I was when I heard that she had a new book coming out (despite having passed away in 1999) entirely based on her garter stitch designs. So as a birthday present to myself, I ordered up a copy of Knit One Knit All.
I ordered this book without having seen any of the inside, but wasn't worried ... and was not disappointed. I want to knit just about every pattern in this book, and the wonderful thing about it is that Elizabeth writes so that you can easily substitute something about the pattern that you don't care for. You can truly make them your own, using her base as a starting point. I don't want to bog you down with photos of what I want to knit from it, but suffice to say that there's PLENTY from this book coming up. If you're a knitter (beginner or not), you should purchase this book. Here's a link to the Schoolhouse Press page, but Knit Picks, Amazon, probably your Local Yarn Shop ... just go buy it. Totally worth the money.