Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac (Dover Knitting, Crochet, Tatting, Lace)

This book is like a chat with your neighbor who loves to knit. So approachable and real. Pattern directions are in both shorthand and fully written out.

Calling all HKers! This book, Knitter’s Almanac (KA), is a 150-page paper-back-sized book, first written in 1974 (and with necessary corrections made in stitches and patterns in later editions like this 1981 edition), by Elizabeth Zimmermann (EZ). KA is actually a calendar filled in with 12 HK projects – 1 per month.KA, along with The Opinionated Knitter (TOK [Please read my review: https://www.amazon.com/Opinionated-Knitter-Elizabeth-Zimmermann/dp/0942018265/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 The Opinionated Knitter ])and the Knitting Workshop (KW [Please read my review: https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Zimmermanns-Knitting-Zimmermann-1981-12-01/dp/B017MYPOCA/ref=cm_cr_srp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop by Elizabeth Zimmermann (1981-12-01) ]) make up a mighty triad of great knitting books by the late maven, master knitter EZ. This book, like her others, sprinkles in parts of her own life with her husband (whom she affectionately calls ‘Old Man’) and her 3 children in a 1-room schoolhouse in Wisconsin (after the couple immigrated to the US from Europe right before WWII). TOK and KW give a lot more details about their lives.KA lays out a great 1-year curriculum for creating 12 knitted projects. This book contains some black and white photo and pattern-stitch graphics, but much less so than those in TOK and KW.At the end of KA, is a 6-page Appendix, with black and white stitch – needle graphics. There is also a 2-page Index following this section.As with the patterns/ lessons learned in KW, EZ set up her patterns and curricula and also arranged them in KA, from simple to complex.The 12 patterns/ chapters of this book are: 1. A Aran Sweater; 2. Some Babies’ Things; 3. Difficult Sweater (Not Really); 4. Mystery Blanket – Weaving; 5. Mittens for Next Winter; 6. Borders, Small Stuff for Summer Knitting – 3 Hats; 7. A Shawl: Good Travel Knitting, One-Row Buttonhole; 8 Christmas Fiddle-Faddle in the Wilds; 9. Nether Garments; 10. Open-Collared Pullover; 11. Moccasin Socks; and 12. Hurry-Up Last Minute Sweater (my favorite pattern in this book).This book, plus TOK and KW, should be on the bookshelves of all HK and EZ enthusiasts – as an integrated book about HK, but also a highly interesting book by a knitting genius who wants every HKer to ‘play’/ experiment, themselves, to develop their own new stitches and patterns.

This little book of a pattern for each month is the best money any knitter can invest in a knitting book. Good gift item for a new knitter or a secret sister in your knitting club, that is if your knitting pal does not already own it! (check her Ravelry page!)Some of these patterns have been adapted into other patterns by other designers for their techniques. The Pi Shawl (July) is an innovative way for designing a circular or half circular shawl based on the mathematical pi. It is one of those "Ah ha" moments when you read the instructions. And then you realize that knitting a round circular shawl does not have to be that difficult.Another favorite is the February Baby Sweater. As a baby sweater, it is a cute quick knit. This has been adapted for an adult pattern, and is a favorite on the knitting website Ravelry.For a long time, I discounted the EZ philosophy, but once I started reading her down to earth writing and instructions, I realized that this is what knitting was about. It is a practical art. Knitting should not be made so hard as to cause anyone heartburn. EZ was all about taking a lot of the mystery and complications out of knitting with her frankness and honesty.

Elizabeth Zimmerman is a master who encourages new projects. This book provides instructions on every level of knitting but absolutely achievable. She gives clear directions and options. There's a bit of humor as if you are sitting with her enjoying a cup of tea.

Elizabeth Zimmerman is one of the pioneers of knitting as an art and a craft and helped develop knitting in the round and knitting from the top down as a construction method. Her witty prose that covers not only the knitting but her travels, opinions on crochet, the laundry methods of daughter in laws and wool are interspersed with the twelve projects that comprise this knitter's year.I bought this book to make the famous February Baby Sweater and this is the only place the pattern is available. It isn't even available from Schoolhouse Press, the company that showcases the work and philosophy of Zimmerman and her daughter and knit designers with similar taste. The problem? I would have been better off recalculating the pattern for infant size from the adult February Lady Sweater available on ravelry. The instructions for the pattern are scattered throughout the chapter and are incomplete. Zimmerman's essays are amusing in places, but I would like the patterns and tips about pattern construction made available entirely separately from the text of the accompanying essay, which may or may not have anything to do with the pattern of the month. This was an annoyance no doubt contributed to my dislike of the book. Furthermore, unlike everyone else, I found Zimmerman's "amusing" commentary often drifted toward the smug and self-satisfied end of the spectrum.In terms of instruction, the number one review for this book stated that to follow the patterns included in the Knitter's Almanac, the knitter needed to own Knitting Without Tears in addition to the almanac. This is upsetting full stop because a book should not be sold, saying it has full instructions for the patterns presented, if in fact it doesn't have those instructions.Zimmerman's top down methods are useful for the intermediate and advanced knitter and some of the patterns are indeed classics, but many of them are dated and boxy as other reviewers have stated. Nor is top down knitting and instructions to accomplish same revolutionary any longer. I know Zimmerman is a knitting pioneer and I hate to seem like I am trashing her incredible contributions to knitting, but it is annoying to buy a book for a specific pattern and find that you have to either buy a second book or spend an inordinate amount of time calculating the pattern. Then there is Zimmerman's percentage method for top down knitting - something that is in fact useful and refers to the percentage of stitches for the front(s), back and sleeves of a sweater and what percentages these entail. This should have been discussed in detail explaining the rules and the exceptions as it is useful information, instead it is mentioned as an aside, in the middle of another essay straining for sarcastic laughs and the reader is left to make inductions and deductions. Reading and applying the directions for old Victorian patterns is in some ways easier than this. In short, this is a knitting classic, there is quality information here and patterns that are useful, but the useful bits are so scattered that the reader will have to work very hard indeed to get complete patterns and information that is useful. I am willing to do this for the famous baby sweater, but I doubt I am willing to do it for any of the other patterns. If you are a huge fan of Zimmerman's, Schoolhouse Press has modern versions of many Zimmerman patterns that are JUST the pattern without the interference of the essays. I will buy single patterns for any other Zimmerman work I wish to pursue. The essays are fine as far as they go and might be more entertaining if they didn't break up the patterns and the information about the patterns.In short a book of knitting essays with some pattern information included, but the reader will have to work hard to get all of the information for each pattern collected in one place. Not an efficient book, even if it is a classic.

This ‘friend’ talks in a very homey voice about where she lives and what she sees and does from day to day. But this ‘ friend’ has the nicest way of encouraging a knitter who gets frustrated at times wondering how to improve, how to solve knitting dilemmas and best of all she tells about difficulties she has experienced while following patterns. I found my emotional tension completely vanished as I occasionally have to ‘frog’ some of my mistakes, but I just didn’t mind a bit as I sincerely want to ‘get it right’. What an encouraging book and the patterns with her explanations are super.I bought this because I treasure her ‘knitting without tears’.

Un libro da leggere, non un libro di modelli, anche se ci sono alcuni modelli da cui sviluppare poi i propri. I calzini e le mutande lunghe di lana da uomo sono mitici. Zimmermann è un pilastro nella storia della maglia, il libro risale a qualche decennio fa, ma ancora è un tuffo nell'America di Piccole donne con Jo che sferruzza nei lunghi viaggi in macchina per tutta la famiglia. Purtroppo non è tradotto.Questa è una copia che ho comprato per un regalo. Un libro del cuore

Un des livres les plus connus de la grande dame du tricot, regorge comme à l'accoutumée d'informations et de conseils très intéressants, mêlés à des tranches de vie de l'auteur. Attention, le livre est en anglais et les détails personnels peuvent en rendre la lecture assez ardue. Mais c'est également ce foisonnement de détails qui en rend la lecture délicieuse.Les patrons sont un peu datés, mais les conseils toujours d'actualité. Ce n'est donc pas vraiment un livre à acheter pour ses patrons, mais plutôt pour qui souhaiterait des conseils pour s'aventurer un peu plus loin dans le tricot, ou si l'on s'intéresse d'une manière générale aux travaux d'Elizabeth Zimmerman.Contient entre autres le patron du fameux châle Pi.

Everything I expected and very prompt. Thank you

Wunderbar geschrieben und wert immer wieder gelesen zu werden, aber man braucht schon gute Strick- und Englischkenntnisse, um wirklich damit arbeiten zu können.