Reading to Knit (and rest)

I've been on pause from my knitting this week. I'm kind of regrouping to see what I need or want to do next. In the meantime, I've been doing some reading and trying to do some independent learning about different techniques. I've also been looking for techniques I haven't tried yet, or want to practice.

A book I have heard recommended on many occasions was Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears. So I ordered it from Amazon. When it arrived in the mail first impression was that it wasn't going to be a book I would enjoy. For a knitting book, there are very few pictures. When I noticed this, I set it aside for a few days.

Last night before bed I decided to give the book a chance. I have to say it's a great read. Zimmermann's sense of humor and her persona as an "opinionated knitter" have drawn me in and made me chuckle. I appreciate her sensibility about certain things as well as her high standards regarding others. For example, she talks about joining the same color wool and never making a knot, but making a knot when joining different colors of wool. I love that she seems to be able to laugh at herself by conceding that she's somewhat superstitious about some things.

My favorite excerpt so far is her retelling of her evolution from a traditional English knitter to a Continental knitter.

I'm excited to try some of the patterns in the book, but think I may need to write out some of the instructions for her seamless sweaters in more contemporary knitting shorthand. I'm very accustom to reading line-by-line instructions or charts, and the narrative layout of the patterns in this book could be difficult to knit on the fly for me.

All in all, I'm delighted I purchased and read the book.