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눈물 없는 뜨개
전 세계 뜨개인들의 스승, 엘리자베스 짐머만의 뜨개 바이블이 국내 첫 출간되었다. 뜨개 기법이나 도안을 설명하는 일반적인 실용서와는 달리 짐머만의 뜨개 철학이나 뜨개인의 관점에서 보는 세상, 뜨개 하는 사람들에 대한 이야기가 곳곳에 자연스럽게 녹아 있다.
마치 할머니가 손녀에게 뜨개를 가르치듯 따뜻하고 친절하지만, 두루뭉술한 설명을 이어 나가는 느낌이라 현대적인 도안에 익숙한 독자들은 이해하기가 쉽지 않은 면도 있다. 그러나 종종 어디서도 들을 수 없는 뜨개 조언들이 보석처럼 숨어 있다. 수십 년이 지난 지금도 이 책이 전 세계 뜨개인들에게 사랑받으며 반드시 소장하고 싶은 고전으로 남은 이유이기도 하다.
마치 할머니가 손녀에게 뜨개를 가르치듯 따뜻하고 친절하지만, 두루뭉술한 설명을 이어 나가는 느낌이라 현대적인 도안에 익숙한 독자들은 이해하기가 쉽지 않은 면도 있다. 그러나 종종 어디서도 들을 수 없는 뜨개 조언들이 보석처럼 숨어 있다. 수십 년이 지난 지금도 이 책이 전 세계 뜨개인들에게 사랑받으며 반드시 소장하고 싶은 고전으로 남은 이유이기도 하다.
212 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
About the author
Elizabeth Zimmermann
15 books132 followersAn influential knitting pattern designer, teacher, and writer, Elizabeth Zimmermann advocated knitting techniques to speed progress and simplify pattern creation. She enthusiastically championed Continental knitting, where the working yarn is carried in the left hand, as opposed to the English or American style where the working yarn is carried in the right hand. She also advocated knitting in the round on circular needles rather than back and forth on straight needles. Zimmerman encouraged knitters to understand the mathematical and geometric concepts inherent in knitting.
Zimmermann and her family moved from the UK to New York, eventually settling in Wisconsin. There, she established Schoolhouse Press, arguably the most important knitting publisher of the 20th century. Zimmermann's daughter Meg Swansen took up the reins of Schoolhouse Press upon her mother's death.
Zimmermann and her family moved from the UK to New York, eventually settling in Wisconsin. There, she established Schoolhouse Press, arguably the most important knitting publisher of the 20th century. Zimmermann's daughter Meg Swansen took up the reins of Schoolhouse Press upon her mother's death.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 195 reviews
July 5, 2015
Niche review time! I wish it weren't so niche, actually - I think KWT has an awful lot to recommend it, and not just to knitters.
I have read Knitting Without Tears cover-to-cover twice in the four-ish years since I got my own copy of it. I dip into it every few months; it's dog-eared and scribbled in, and I've lent it out to at least two other new-ish knitters (usually just after I've taught them to knit for themselves). This is because it is fantastic, in every respect. Clever, readable, fearless.
Knitters - social knitters, at least - know Elizabeth Zimmermann. Born in the UK, swiftly relocated to the US, EZ (as she is affectionately known) revitalised knitting, and especially the genre of books associated with getting better at it. Largely self-taught, she invented or discovered or otherwise put together an astonishing number of techniques, patterns, and recipes for garments - which wouldn't be particularly unusual, except that what makes Zimmermann different is that she wrote a load of them down. What is even more unusual is her writing style: where most vintage patterns resemble nothing so much as the Rosetta Stone, EZ wrote clearly, wittily, engagingly. When you read her books, you feel like you can do anything.
The patterns aren't even the half of it.
"The Books don't know everything," she insists at one point. "They know a great deal, but not everything... If it doesn't make sense in your particular circumstances, pay no attention to it; seek further. There are scores of different ways of doing things in knitting, and none of them are wrong, but they are sometimes unsuitable."
She's right, of course, and the more I think about it, the more I think growing up as a knitter has shaped me as a person. Knitting makes you resourceful. It helps you conceptualize problems, and think around them. It makes you unafraid in the face of failure, because all you have to do is take the needles out, rip it back, and start again. Knitting is the skill of the autodidact: if you're not one when you start, you will be after a few months. This book is a masterclass in that. "This is almost the only measuring and deciding you will have to do for yourself," says Zimmermann, half a page into her instructions for a yoked sweater, "and it is important to do it accurately and conscientiously. Otherwise you may sup the porridge of regret with the spoon of sorrow."
She's talking about shaping the waistline for a sweater. I tell you, I would go for tea with this woman. I would be her friend, by which I mean, I would join her knitting group.
Knitting Without Tears was published in in 1971, at the height of second wave feminism. And while knitting, in Zimmermann's world, might not explicitly be a feminist act, her book certainly has not-so-subtle undertones of taking the expertise of generations of women, and making something powerful with it. She knits because she loves it, she shares information because it's intellectually satisfying, and above all, fun. She admits to borrowing ideas from other knitters when she meets them ("All right; they were going to copy my sweater; I would pick up their weaving idea. Was this resourcefulness or just plain thievery?") and my favourite thing about the whole book is the sense of history, of women doing women's work, throughout the decades and the centuries, sharing it with each other and making it better. We may, these days, have not very much idea about what a woman in 17th century Britain was doing with her day-to-day, but I don't wonder that knitters might know a little bit more than most people.
"Good rigid needles," she notes, about aluminium knitting needles. "A #6 aluminium needle has been known to furnish an excellent emergency shearpin for an outboard motor. It once saved us seven miles of paddling."
I love this book. It's a must for the knitting-conversant, and (I think) also for people with the vaguest interest in women's history. It's far more than a pattern book, although the patterns are good too. (I've made two yoked, two-and-a-half raglan, and one saddle-shouldered sweater from her instructions to date. The last is a bit dodgy at the underarm, but the raglan is one of my go-to favourites. If you're a knitter and you care about such things.)
I wish more people would pick it up, as a piece of history as much as anything else. Perhaps I can convince you.
I have read Knitting Without Tears cover-to-cover twice in the four-ish years since I got my own copy of it. I dip into it every few months; it's dog-eared and scribbled in, and I've lent it out to at least two other new-ish knitters (usually just after I've taught them to knit for themselves). This is because it is fantastic, in every respect. Clever, readable, fearless.
Knitters - social knitters, at least - know Elizabeth Zimmermann. Born in the UK, swiftly relocated to the US, EZ (as she is affectionately known) revitalised knitting, and especially the genre of books associated with getting better at it. Largely self-taught, she invented or discovered or otherwise put together an astonishing number of techniques, patterns, and recipes for garments - which wouldn't be particularly unusual, except that what makes Zimmermann different is that she wrote a load of them down. What is even more unusual is her writing style: where most vintage patterns resemble nothing so much as the Rosetta Stone, EZ wrote clearly, wittily, engagingly. When you read her books, you feel like you can do anything.
The patterns aren't even the half of it.
"The Books don't know everything," she insists at one point. "They know a great deal, but not everything... If it doesn't make sense in your particular circumstances, pay no attention to it; seek further. There are scores of different ways of doing things in knitting, and none of them are wrong, but they are sometimes unsuitable."
She's right, of course, and the more I think about it, the more I think growing up as a knitter has shaped me as a person. Knitting makes you resourceful. It helps you conceptualize problems, and think around them. It makes you unafraid in the face of failure, because all you have to do is take the needles out, rip it back, and start again. Knitting is the skill of the autodidact: if you're not one when you start, you will be after a few months. This book is a masterclass in that. "This is almost the only measuring and deciding you will have to do for yourself," says Zimmermann, half a page into her instructions for a yoked sweater, "and it is important to do it accurately and conscientiously. Otherwise you may sup the porridge of regret with the spoon of sorrow."
She's talking about shaping the waistline for a sweater. I tell you, I would go for tea with this woman. I would be her friend, by which I mean, I would join her knitting group.
Knitting Without Tears was published in in 1971, at the height of second wave feminism. And while knitting, in Zimmermann's world, might not explicitly be a feminist act, her book certainly has not-so-subtle undertones of taking the expertise of generations of women, and making something powerful with it. She knits because she loves it, she shares information because it's intellectually satisfying, and above all, fun. She admits to borrowing ideas from other knitters when she meets them ("All right; they were going to copy my sweater; I would pick up their weaving idea. Was this resourcefulness or just plain thievery?") and my favourite thing about the whole book is the sense of history, of women doing women's work, throughout the decades and the centuries, sharing it with each other and making it better. We may, these days, have not very much idea about what a woman in 17th century Britain was doing with her day-to-day, but I don't wonder that knitters might know a little bit more than most people.
"Good rigid needles," she notes, about aluminium knitting needles. "A #6 aluminium needle has been known to furnish an excellent emergency shearpin for an outboard motor. It once saved us seven miles of paddling."
I love this book. It's a must for the knitting-conversant, and (I think) also for people with the vaguest interest in women's history. It's far more than a pattern book, although the patterns are good too. (I've made two yoked, two-and-a-half raglan, and one saddle-shouldered sweater from her instructions to date. The last is a bit dodgy at the underarm, but the raglan is one of my go-to favourites. If you're a knitter and you care about such things.)
I wish more people would pick it up, as a piece of history as much as anything else. Perhaps I can convince you.
December 9, 2008
This is a great little book. A classic for a reason.
EZ's writing is chockful of anecdote and done up in a very conversational style. I love how she stresses freedom and personal choice for knitters--I mean you knit for fun, right? Why be bogged down in a lot of technical rules someone else wrote?
My favorite moment in the book is when she discusses steeking--the actual cutting open of a piece of handknitting in order to add a button placket or zipper, ie. to make it a cardigan rather than a pullover. After detailing the heretofore mystical procedure, she recommends the bold crafter lie down in a dark room for fifteen minutes to recover from the shock of partly destrpying her or his own work!
Highly recommended.
EZ's writing is chockful of anecdote and done up in a very conversational style. I love how she stresses freedom and personal choice for knitters--I mean you knit for fun, right? Why be bogged down in a lot of technical rules someone else wrote?
My favorite moment in the book is when she discusses steeking--the actual cutting open of a piece of handknitting in order to add a button placket or zipper, ie. to make it a cardigan rather than a pullover. After detailing the heretofore mystical procedure, she recommends the bold crafter lie down in a dark room for fifteen minutes to recover from the shock of partly destrpying her or his own work!
Highly recommended.
May 9, 2020
Most people have an obsession; mine is knitting...
Oh, Elizabeth. I adore thee. I like to think that we would have been friends. At the very least we would have shared the horror that is pearling.
Note:
This is not a "how-to" knit book. It is more of a conversation about knitting (with guidance and assurances that there is no right or wrong way to knit). Be creative, go with your own concepts + mostly be your own boss of knitting.
Oh, Elizabeth. I adore thee. I like to think that we would have been friends. At the very least we would have shared the horror that is pearling.
Note:
This is not a "how-to" knit book. It is more of a conversation about knitting (with guidance and assurances that there is no right or wrong way to knit). Be creative, go with your own concepts + mostly be your own boss of knitting.
November 8, 2007
For me, Elizabeth Zimmerman's writing inspires confidence. She gives you the basics you need to understand. Then she gently shoos you out of the nest to go make your own things. Her insistence that you do NOT have to follow a pattern exactly to get good results was a bit stunning to me. But it's worked, because I have branched out into putting my own "designs" together.
She has a very chatty, narrative style. It doesn't work for everyone, but I love it. She often provides what she calls "pithy directions" at the end of a chapter that are more like traditional pattern instructions. I actually prefer the narrative, because she walks you through the structure of the garment. When you've made the sweater, you understand how it goes together, how your specific measurements affect the fit, and many other things that have given me greater confidence to put my own things together.
She has a very chatty, narrative style. It doesn't work for everyone, but I love it. She often provides what she calls "pithy directions" at the end of a chapter that are more like traditional pattern instructions. I actually prefer the narrative, because she walks you through the structure of the garment. When you've made the sweater, you understand how it goes together, how your specific measurements affect the fit, and many other things that have given me greater confidence to put my own things together.
December 18, 2019
I picked this gem up at the library because I am determined to be a better knitter. The author offers gentle encouragement and makes me want to explore more knitting styles. in fact, I am taking a Portuguese knitting class in the next week to see if i can get over my fear of purling. A lovely little book that I may need to add to my personal stash.
January 5, 2012
I love Elizabeth Zimmerman! I've had this book for a few years but had never read it.
If you want easy to follow patterns, this book isn't it. But if you want to be challenged to really learn about HOW to knit, and to think about it independently, then this is your book. If you want to be the kind of knitter your grandmother probably was, this is your book. If you like old stories that make you nostalgic for an era that might even be before you were born, this is your book.
Can't wait to dig into more of her.
If you want easy to follow patterns, this book isn't it. But if you want to be challenged to really learn about HOW to knit, and to think about it independently, then this is your book. If you want to be the kind of knitter your grandmother probably was, this is your book. If you like old stories that make you nostalgic for an era that might even be before you were born, this is your book.
Can't wait to dig into more of her.
May 19, 2007
This is the book that will help you not give a shit.
January 19, 2009
Elizabeth Zimmerman is THE knitting guru. No nonsense here. Absolute classic and a total must-have if you ever intend to pick up needles.
February 20, 2009
This is a very simple book which talks about Elizabeth Zimmermann's experiences with knitting and her knitting patterns. It's an amazingly simple book (the patterns are written descriptively, and often take only a few paragraphs), but it has inspired more knitters than any other I know.
Not only does it give some very good, very basic, instruction, it seems to be able to give knitters the confidence to try new things, to experiment, and to make mistakes.
Not only does it give some very good, very basic, instruction, it seems to be able to give knitters the confidence to try new things, to experiment, and to make mistakes.
November 30, 2011
I flipped through this after finishing The Gun Seller. And I realized the writing was familiar.
This is how I write when I am condescending to someone. I use my most pretentious voice, and when reading it back, I can see my nose stuck firmly in the air.
Yeah. No thanks.
This is how I write when I am condescending to someone. I use my most pretentious voice, and when reading it back, I can see my nose stuck firmly in the air.
Yeah. No thanks.
September 5, 2017
I just picked knitting up again after many years and immediately got this book out and reread it for the dozenth time. At some time or another I made just about every one of her projects.
She's delightful to read and filled with deep wisdom about craft and creativity, and she has -- for me -- answered the age-old question of why people wear the things they do: because it makes them feel cute.
She's delightful to read and filled with deep wisdom about craft and creativity, and she has -- for me -- answered the age-old question of why people wear the things they do: because it makes them feel cute.
March 3, 2017
Fun Read! Not your average knitting book.
Want to Read
July 14, 2020requested from library
October 18, 2010
I can see why EZ was (is) considered such a badass. But today's knitting has taken EZ's plans even further, making this book somewhat dated and superfluous. That said, I like her writing style. And when I'm brave enough to try my own sweater pattern, I will certainly try her percentage method to try and create the right fit.
I learned knitting the American/British method, which was slow and cumbersome. So I took up crochet instead, then went back to knitting because I don't like the way crochet looks on garments. Taught myself continental method using some online videos, which made me hate straight needles with a passion. So I graduated to circulars and haven't looked back. I hate seaming and hate sewings things together. I prefer to work sweaters top-down (so you can try it on as you go) in the round with minimal finishing. I'm not sure who originated this method, but I learned it from stitchdiva.com (Jennifer Hanson). I'm also a huge fan of magic loop knitting, which means I don't have to be impressed by EZ's claim to have fit 1,000 stitches on a 24" circular. I generally stick to a size 48" circular and use it to knit everything, from afghans to baby hats.
This technique of top-down/seamless combined with magic loop is really just a more advanced version of what EZ proposes, and if EZ were around today, I have to think she would embrace this wholeheartedly.
I learned knitting the American/British method, which was slow and cumbersome. So I took up crochet instead, then went back to knitting because I don't like the way crochet looks on garments. Taught myself continental method using some online videos, which made me hate straight needles with a passion. So I graduated to circulars and haven't looked back. I hate seaming and hate sewings things together. I prefer to work sweaters top-down (so you can try it on as you go) in the round with minimal finishing. I'm not sure who originated this method, but I learned it from stitchdiva.com (Jennifer Hanson). I'm also a huge fan of magic loop knitting, which means I don't have to be impressed by EZ's claim to have fit 1,000 stitches on a 24" circular. I generally stick to a size 48" circular and use it to knit everything, from afghans to baby hats.
This technique of top-down/seamless combined with magic loop is really just a more advanced version of what EZ proposes, and if EZ were around today, I have to think she would embrace this wholeheartedly.
March 27, 2021
Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either.I'm sure I am wholly unique in saying that, as of March 2021, my spirit is feeling troubled. I see many more knitting books in my immediate future.
EZ's conversational style is such a breath of fresh air. Reading this book feels like sitting down next to a sharp, down-to-earth longtime knitter and hearing what's on her mind. I knew I was hooked when I read, "With all the advantages of this [knitting-on] method [of casting on], why do I stubbornly continue to use the long-tail method? I don't know." The honesty!
Why do so many of us object to purling? Is it because as children we are taught to knit first, and are then presented with purling as the second and more difficult step? Who knows? Who is willing to take a little innocent child and teach it to purl first? You must admit it is the trickier of the two.
Of course, purling is not so bad for right-handed knitters; in fact I know several who knit with the wool in the left hand and purl with it in the right hand. However, this doesn't save them time when it comes to pattern stitches involving knit and purl. This is a vale of tears and no mistake. Things are not perfect, and we wouldn't appreciate it if they were.
August 20, 2021
The joy of this book for me is how passionately opinionated Elizabeth Zimmermann is, yet how quick she is to tell you to find your own way in knitting. Seriously, what a refreshing personality. Why can’t we have more of that today, and in worlds beyond knitting? She says she is the boss of her knitting—I *love* that. A classically feminine chore turned into an act of self-empowerment. That is my new aspiration, to feel like I am able to do whatever I want and just be *me* in my knitting.
Now, will I return to this book again and again? Probably not. I picked it up because it is a classic, and finished it because EZ is a delight, but some of the tips are no longer novel (nor do we worry about flammable celluloid knitting needles these days! such interesting historical tidbits in this book), and the internet is an infinite resource. I am sure a few decades ago this would have been constantly at my side. Even so, I know her amiably chatty voice will stay with me during my knitting a while yet.
Now, will I return to this book again and again? Probably not. I picked it up because it is a classic, and finished it because EZ is a delight, but some of the tips are no longer novel (nor do we worry about flammable celluloid knitting needles these days! such interesting historical tidbits in this book), and the internet is an infinite resource. I am sure a few decades ago this would have been constantly at my side. Even so, I know her amiably chatty voice will stay with me during my knitting a while yet.
November 4, 2019
I can't imagine how I didn't get this on my "Read" list. It was the first knitting book I ever owned - given to me by the woman who taught me to knit. My original copy was an older one but I lent it out and never got it back. This is my current edition.
Although Elizabeth Zimmermann concentrates on explaining circular, seamless garments, she's not above teaching about straight and double pointed needles in knitting. It's just that she's all about the elegant, simple solutions to tangled knitting problems. If you want to show off with tiny double points, though, she doesn't mind at all because her lessons place making knitters comfortable above all other considerations. Her patterns are comfortable, basic (yet adaptable to fancy techniques) and so common sense.
Buy this book! Use it! Give it away to other beginning knitters!
Although Elizabeth Zimmermann concentrates on explaining circular, seamless garments, she's not above teaching about straight and double pointed needles in knitting. It's just that she's all about the elegant, simple solutions to tangled knitting problems. If you want to show off with tiny double points, though, she doesn't mind at all because her lessons place making knitters comfortable above all other considerations. Her patterns are comfortable, basic (yet adaptable to fancy techniques) and so common sense.
Buy this book! Use it! Give it away to other beginning knitters!
August 6, 2010
I loved this book! It was so inspiring that I pulled some yarn out of my stash and knit Emma a sweater before I even finished reading it.And unlike some previous attempts, this sweater fit! I love how EZ shares the basics about garment construction then sends you off to try it out. Her methods helped me to feel free of that terrible "pattern anxiety" and left me wanting to do my own thing and trusting that I knew enough to be successful at it. Plus, as she reminds gently, you can always rip out what doesn't work!
* As a side note...this was the ugliest knitting book I've ever picked up! No color photos, and the dorky cover didn't get me excited to read it. I was hooked after the first page though. EZ had a knack for writing as well as knitting.
* As a side note...this was the ugliest knitting book I've ever picked up! No color photos, and the dorky cover didn't get me excited to read it. I was hooked after the first page though. EZ had a knack for writing as well as knitting.
October 18, 2019
Okay, Elizabeth Zimmerman will become your friend through the pages if you would like to learn to knit. This is not paint by number or some kit that has fool proof instructions for generic replicas of things that Elizabeth made. (There are a few patterns but still....) she becomes instead your creative partner saying, Oh! You are doing it this way! Let me show you a better way! You have to do a little arithmetic, you have to think about what is going on. You have to follow directions very carefully when she says so or else you won't get what you want out of it. You even have to try and fail a little bit. It's part of learning, but Elizabeth keeps it fun and offers encouragement and plenty of dry humor.
November 29, 2012
I've never understood why people rave about this book (or Elizabeth Zimmermann). She didn't reinvent the wheel or invent knitting, and it gets really tiring to listen to some knitters go on and on about her. More often than not, in her attempts to remind people that they're in charge of the knitting, not the other way around - a noble cause, I must admit - she just ends up being condescending. (Why she jumps to the conclusion that everyone else besides her is necessarily afraid of their knitting is baffling.)
June 14, 2016
When I started listening to knitting podcasts and reading knitting blocks I quickly discovered Elizabeth Zimmermann, or EZ as she's often referred to, and the high esteem everyone held her in. I only wish I had picked up her books sooner. Knitting Without Tears is a classic for a reason, EZ is ingenous, smart, and absolutely hilarious. I ended up reading long passages to my husband and he laughed almost as hard as I did. Even if you're not a knitter I would recommend it (although I would have to warn you, you might end up wanting to pick up your own set of needles).
December 31, 2019
As a new knitter this was one of the first books I checked out of my local library. At first I was really disapointed-it was all black and white-no helpful illustrations in color to show me how the stitches are formed. I realized it really isn't really that type of book. A month later after reading about 15 books on knitting I picked it up again and read it cover to cover one night. This time even though I still am a beginner I got so much more out of it.
It's a wonderful book full of helpful wisdom. I give it 3.5 stars at this time.
It's a wonderful book full of helpful wisdom. I give it 3.5 stars at this time.
June 24, 2007
Elizabeth Zimmermann is known in knitting circles for seeing patterns in ways that no one else does, for being able to create things that while at first glance seem as if they simply won't work, ultimately end up being very cool projects. She's known for knitting in the round, and lots of these patterns are in the round. She is conversational and witty in this book and provides lots of helpful advice and patterns. It's a must read for knitters; I'm glad I finally looked at it.
August 11, 2008
My first EZ book, this one remains a treasure. I learned more from this book than any Learn-To-Knit book; it made me the fearless knitter I am today.
Before I had even knit my first sweater, EZ explained the basics in a way that left me confident and brazen. Her percentage system is explained in detail and has helped me design numerous sweaters.
My desert island knitting book, because although it's low on patterns, it's big on attitude, commen sense and companionable conversation.
Before I had even knit my first sweater, EZ explained the basics in a way that left me confident and brazen. Her percentage system is explained in detail and has helped me design numerous sweaters.
My desert island knitting book, because although it's low on patterns, it's big on attitude, commen sense and companionable conversation.
July 9, 2009
Elizabeth Zimmermann is a knitting icon and in reading her book, it's easy to see why. Very conversant in style, which can bother some, but I found it to be a pleasant, easy read. I learned many tricks from her book and she's given me a new confidence in how I approach projects, mistakes, and re-writing patterns. This is not a beginner's book and assumes that you've had knitting experience. It's a classic.
March 26, 2018
i'm in the apparently very small group of people who do not like elizabeth zimmerman. for someone who is supposed to be writing something to explain or to teach, she is not just opinionated but condescending, pretentious, hypocritical, and arrogant. this was a slog for me to get through. she's like... the queen bee of the knitting police and if ayn rand wrote about knitting, it would probably read a lot like this, only be 1000 pages longer per book.
May 13, 2019
While EZ is a compelling, entertaining writer, there wasn't much in this book I hadn't already learned via knitting podcasts. Because apparently, EZ is ubiquitous like that. Her influence is everywhere in the North American Knitosphere. (Not so much in Europe? I'd never heard of her before listening to knitting podcasts—but I admittedly live in a cave. Under a rock. With wifi.)
I think I want to revisit this book before I attempt to knit myself a sweater—or after I have done so. :P
I think I want to revisit this book before I attempt to knit myself a sweater—or after I have done so. :P
September 2, 2021
This was one I wanted to have read, if that makes sense, because so many knitters I talk to talk about it as a classic, not to be missed. I'm glad I read it, as there was some helpful info and it is at times funny, but as far as learning new skills, I honestly will probably have more success asking a friend (or the ladies at the LYS) or watching a good video--that's down to how I learn and not a dig at the book. But hey, now I can say yes, I've read Elizabeth Zimmerman. :)
October 29, 2008
Incredible lady. The title says it all. This is a new edition, but the ideas are the same. Put your work on circular needles, and if you want a cardigan, cut the opening up the front. This book gave me the courage to knit anything, with or without a pattern. Oh, and yes, I still make things that flop, but most do not if I do as Elizabeth says.
November 12, 2016
Far beyond my current knitting capabilities but certainly something to aspire to! The writing is wonderful. Who ever thought that a knitting book coukd be so thoroughly delightful? Reading this book you feel as though you're sitting with a pleasantly sharp-tongued friend intent on infusing you with knitting confidence. Patterns be damned! You can design your own sweater!
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