Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac

I received this book as a gift from a friend, and it has really raised my enjoyment of knitting to another plane. I am an intermediate to advanced knitter. I know lots of different increases, decreases and pattern stitches and I have made some pretty complicated stuff-mostly by following other people's patterns like a robot. I have designed a few simple things my own, with varying results, but I would never have thought that I could design something as complicated as a sweater on my own in a million years-that's something to be left to the "experts," or so I thought. The Knitting Almanac has shown me that there is no mysterious, arcane knowledge or mystical formula required to design your own project. Knitting can be much, much more than just following a series of individual stitches row-by-row until, miraculously, you have a finished product sitting in your lap. Every project in the Almanac is visualized as a whole, and the reader comes to understand how those individual stitches are part of an overall design that gives form to the work. Zimmerman provides a rough framework for making mittens, sweaters, and other garments, along with complete directions for a finished project. This gives the reader the opportunity to follow along, keeping the larger design principles in mind, and create the garment that's pictured, but one is also encouraged to try different design choices and create something unique. The text is sprinkled with helpful techniques and valuable insights into knitting as a practical hobby, a mechanical process, and a lifelong love. The style is anecdotal, rather than technical, which has its advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it gives you insight into the design process that takes the author, one of the world's greatest knitters, from idea to finished project. It's also very readable and fun. On the other hand, the patterns are written much less formally than what the modern knit-from-a-pattern knitter is used to, and they can be vague and just plain confusing at times. At first, I found this maddening, but I realize now that to become a better knitter I need to apply what I have learned about knitting and bring my own ideas to the work. If I don't have the courage test my knowledge, skill and my creativity, I will be forever shackled to patterns written by somebody else. For knitters who are ready to stretch their wings and fly, this book is a push out of the nest into a larger world.

This book is a wonderful deal. The projects are interesting, the text is witty, and I am actually setting out to follow the Almanac for the entire year of 2002 (it is January and I am almost done with the January project). This is a knitter's paradise. HOWEVER, there are two things you should know before buying:1) I would be lost if I did not also own E Zimmerman's Knitting Without Tears. Her instructions in the Almanac are somewhat abbreviated, and I need the other book as a cross-reference. Knitting Without Tears has the pictures and the more elaborate descriptions to help me understand what she means in the Almanac.2) The binding of this book is extremely flimsy and cheap. I purchased my book new in October, and, by December, pages were already falling out! It is now not even four months old and it is full of tape (I used clear packing tape to bind the pages in so that I did not lose any of the precious instruction!)

This is a small book that packs a lot of knitting punch. The Knitting Almanac is very useful for many types of projects. The book is arranged by season as Elizabeth knits her way through the year, making warm things for her entire family. There's some fun commentary, too. Let me list some of the most useful patterns in this book:Best baby sweater. This is a lacy cardigan with a round yoke, easy to make, and so pretty. I made so many of these I can't even count. The lace stretches a bit, so the growing infant gets a lot of wear out of the cardigan. And it's easier to dress Baby with something that doesn't pull over the head.Leggings. If you want to make warm tights for babies, kids or even adults. It's HARD to find such a pattern."PI" shawl: this is a round shawl that folds into a semi-circle. Very elegant, you can add your own lace stitches to make it unique.Shirt Collar sweater--good for summer, short sleeved with an open collar. Can be made in any size. Mittens, socks, an Aran sweater, there's more. This book, packed as it is, still fits into even a small knitting bag or purse and is not expensive. This has to be the biggest bang for the knitting buck I know of. I'm on my second copy. I wore out the first one.

I'd rate this book as a must have for anyone who wants to become a better knitter. Elizabeth Zimmerman inspires knitters to look at yarn in a whole new way...to envision what the yarn can become....and not be worried about what pattern leaflets are available. I'm a large-size person, and have always been limited to the few patterns available which were written to include sizes large enough. At the same time, I have short arms, and the available patterns were never quite right. I'd learned how to "make do," by modifying the patterns which were available in large enough sizes, but this book helped me find a better approach. With Elizabeth's insights, I was able to design a sweater that was based on MY measurements, and on what I wanted. It freed me from limitations and opened up a whole new world of knitting. It's also a great book for a new knitter (although it doesn't teach how to knit). The humor is contagious, and innoculates the beginner against taking knitting too seriously.