5 stars (A MUST HAVE for all knitters) - After finally getting a copy of this book for myself, I'm sorry I wasted my money/time on the other knitting books in my collection. Elizabeth Zimmermann has a way of explaining the mechanics of knitting - even the most complicated techniques - with a conciseness & a simplicity that astounds, and her personal warmth & sharp wit come through on every page. I'd thought that I'd mastered the basics, but Elizabeth had a few IMPORTANT tricks to teach me. Her 'percentage' approach to pattern interpretation means that you will NEVER have to struggle adapting patterns for your exact measurements again. The included patterns are enduring classics that knitters have been making & remaking for decades now, & will likely continue to do so for decades to come. If you don't have a copy of this book in your collection of knitting, you MUST get one. If you don't feel inclined to get it for yourself, drop hints to your friends, lay a guilt-trip on your family - do whatever it takes. It's worth it.
5 stars (literally the only sweater book you'll ever need) - If you want just patterns that tell you exactly what to do stitch by stitch, this isn't the book for you. If you want to everything necessary to learning how to design your own garments, along with a generous helping of commentary and lots of fodder for your imagination to spin off and invent your own "knitting workshop," then GET THIS BOOK. The seven separate sleeve shapings and how they can be done on a circular needle alone are worth five times what you're going to pay. The garter stitch chapter doubles that to ten.Seriously -- get Barbara Walker's stitch collections, a fair isle chart book or two, and this. You literally do not need anything else to be knitting sweaters that you yourself designed for the rest of your life. Then, when people ask you what pattern you used, you can smile subtly and say, "Oh none, I just made it up." You and Elizabeth Zimmerman. :-)
5 stars (I use it all the time) - I am a huge Elizabeth Zimmerman fan, and I love this book. The baby garter stitch surprise jacket is an icon of knitting. Everyone who saw the first one I made went completely gaga over it. I was embarrassed at a baby shower when I gave one and everyone went nuts over it. One caveat: EZ gives the pattern in a 7st/in guage, which makes a VERY tiny sweater. I would recommend going up some needle sizes.I like the directions for the seamless shoulder shapings in this book better than the directions given in "Knitting Without Tears" because there are more of them, the pictures are front and back, and I feel the directions are more clear. Of any of EZ's books, this is the one with the most projects I want to make. I love it, and I frequently refer to it for techniques I want to use in my own projects. |
