Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac (1974)

Reading Elizabeth Zimmermann is like having a conversation with your best knitting pals—the ones who are more advanced than you, but who are great teachers and love sharing their knowledge. Her writing is breezy and chatty; she makes the most complicated techniques seem like a piece of cake. The Almanac is written diary style and features one project per month, all classics that may not fly for modern wearers (e.g., boxy aran sweaters). But understanding the history of a garment and fundamentals of construction give one a foundation for adaptation. I will very likely add this book to my collection (I read a library copy) to keep around for reference. ( )

The world lost a wonderful knitter and teacher when Ms. Zimmermann died. I would have loved to have the chance to meet and knit with her.

This is an excellent book for knitters of any level. Once you can knit and purl, this book can help you do pretty much anything else you may want to do :) ( )

I initially got this book because E.Z. is one of my favorite knitting authors. (And because I really, really wanted to make the January Aran Sweater). As with all of her writing, this book is clear, usable for both beginner and experienced knitters, and filled with knitting digressions that come in handy for all types of projects. ( )

I've been thinking of delving into the world of knitting design for a while now and reading this book stoked my desire to do so. Zimmerman's voice is completely her own and I appreciated the no-nonsense approach to being a "thinking knitter."

Note: this isn't really a pattern book, so if that's what you're looking for, I wouldn't recommend it. There are "patterns" but they read more like design notes than anything else. ( )