This recently released DVD set brings to life one of my very favorite knitting books - Elizabeth's Knitting Around. In it, you'll see demonstrated all the innovative designs that have made this book so beloved -- the bonus, of course, that in so doing, you'll also be able to spend 6 hours of knitting time with Elizabeth and Meg, and (if you're old enough, like me) relive some of the "good old days" of knitting history. To say that Knitting Around with Elizabeth Zimmermann and Meg Swansen is a treat is to barely touch the surface of what watching each "garment episode" offers: I found that questions I had carried for years about how, exactly, to do a particular technique were answered, my trepedations put to rest and my creativity was inspired and renewed.

Needless to say, I hope you'll treat yourself to this long visit with Elizabeth and Meg - and that you'll find all I found and more.*

A partial list of its vast contents:

• The Moccasin Sock
• Fair Isle Yoke Sweater
• Knitted Dickies
• Knitted Moebius
• Bog Jacket
• Pie Are Square Shawl
• Norwegian Pullover
• Mittful of Mittens
• Aran Coat
• Elizabeth's "Digressions"

*Please note that all necessary charts and written instructions are to be found in the accompanying book, Knitting Around (below).

What a feast of a book this one is! There are nine of my favorite Elizabeth Zimmermann designs, clearly explained with copious photos showing every bit of technique and construction you might ever have a question about. Here is Elizabeth's final word -- and most detailed and useful explanation -- on her E.P.S. system of sweater design. And each design has multiple possible variations, as well. Why, there's even a Pablo Neruda poem, "Ode to My Socks" to accompany her Wearable Art Socks!

And then there are the Digressions, where Elizabeth talks about her life in what is to us a very different time and place. How she began in England, born 1910, in a home with maids and nannies; her homeschooling by governesses; her art education in Lausanne and Munich (we discovered that she lived about 2 blocks from where Bob lived when he was working there); her meeting with Arnold, the move to America, children and how her life as a knitter's knitter got its start.

And the photographs, paintings and drawings, taken from the full course of her life! My! It's like a tour of Europe through a time machine -- wonderful stuff!

If you don't already have this one on your shelves, keeping your other Zimmermann books company, you'll want it. A gift to both heart and hands.

Lace Style is an extraordinary collection of lace design in that the designs are not only beautiful, deliciously varied, but they are also very practical. In other words, these lacy garments range from those items you will use every day, to those you'll wear to work, or only for play, to some that you'll take out only for special occassions, when they'll shine like the sun.

I also love it that the collection is so balanced. Traditional lace design and very innovative, cutting edge designs are both at home here, and all are worthy not just of our attention, but also of our needles, yarn and time.

PLUS, and this is a huge plus, the editors have included a "Design Notebook" at the back that really covers all the basics and many not-so-basics of lace knitting (including, how to fix common errors!!).

All in all, Lace Style is a tour-de-joie, sure to make lace knitters everywhere smile and smile as they knit and knit.

The Natural Knitter is a true labor of love, each page alive with enthusiasm, bearing the author's invitation to share in her delight and wonder at nature's gifts and the knitter's craft. Barbara Albright, who passed on in 2006, was an avid knitter and knitting writer who was passionate about the value of natural fibers for knitting and for the world.

As a basic resource, The Natural Knitter is overflowing with information about each fiber Albright covers ("Alpaca to Yak" is a pretty good description). The abundance of tips on spinning, knitting, caring for these fibers, each in its own way is a marvel -- I have turned to it multiple times since our copies arrived and each time learned not only what I was seeking to know, but also much, much more of interest and of use.* If you've ever wondered about the differences of wool and camel or angora and alpaca, or would like to understand which fibers are best suited to different types of knitting and different applications, The Natural Knitter knows all and tells all. It is a treasure chest of knowledge and love for the animals and fibers.

As a palette of knitting design and creativity, you just can't do better than The Natural Knitter. Albright called together some of the most exciting natural fiber artists and designers around and clearly infused them with her vision for this book: their contributions are exhilarating, and form an array of creative and beautiful ideas ranging from felted meditation mats to masterpiece sweaters -- and everything in between. There are garments for every member of the family, some breathtaking, others wonderful in their simplicity. The Shetland Fern sweater (one of the masterpieces of the book) is a perfect match for our Elemental Affects Natural Jumper Weight (fingering) Shetland, and Darlene Hayes of Nature's Palette offers up a Modular Hat, Socks and Half-Gloves that in her plant-dyed fingering Merino that are simply wonderful.

*The single, solitary, fairly minor (so far as the book is concerned) concern I would share with you involves the chart of USDA Standards for Producing Organic Animal or Plant Fiber reproduced on page 13. I want to be clear that in the context of The Natural Knitter, this is pretty much a non-problem; in the context of the world, however, I think it is a great problem indeed and am taking this opportunity to share my concerns with you. I'm sure Albright researched this chart and equally sure that she was told by USDA authorities that it was accurate. And, it's not that it is incorrect, precisely; it is just that the real-life certification process is much more complicated and much less straightforward than this chart implies. The fact is that it is almost impossible for those wishing to produce organic fiber to get a copy of the requirements from the certifying agencies -- in large part because these agencies haven't settled upon requirements, leaving producers in the hands of whoever the individual agent is and what his or her preferences in the matter might be. In other words, capriciousness is the order of the day. The situation becomes even more haphazard when one factors in international certifications -- the standards of which range country by country from the clear and consistent standards of IFAM to a system of pay-offs to officials for permission to use the word "organic" on fibers that would otherwise never be consider as such. In other words, "organic" is not always "organic" and almost never means the same thing twice. (Can you tell I'm a little passionate about this subject?)

Stepping off the soap box and wishing you joyous knitting,
Nancy

For those of you who don't already know, Amy Singer is the person who had the beautiful idea of giving knitters everywhere a place to share their designs and patterns, talk to each other, and basically keep up with whatever's going on in the world of knitting. I personally don't know anyone who hasn't gone to www.knitty.com at least once, and I don't know anyone who was unhappy with what they found there.

I suppose we shouldn't be surprised to discover that No Sheep for You is just exactly like that - a beautiful resource filled with essential information, tips, and one succulent, inviting, must-knit design after another. Amy Singer has created another gem for knitters - this one bound between two covers!

She first delves into the secrets of non-animal fibers and shares her discoveries freely and completely. You will learn more about all these fibers, how to knit them, treat them, how to handle them (hint: not the same way you do animal fibers), love them and create with them. Then, she has called together some of the most exciting designers, had them select yarns they love and, well, the result is a bounty of good taste and inspiration that is rare indeed. Whether your cup of tea is cotton, linen or silk (or hemp, or bamboo, or, or, or . . .), you'll find something you will truly love to knit here. The instructions are crystal clear, easy to follow and the sizes offered (for those things for which size matters) go from a Small 36" to a XXL 56".

Plus, two of the designs, Amy Singer's Tuscany Shawl and Sivia Hardings Rocks in the River Scarf, feature our very own Silken. Do enjoy!

There is a beautiful generosity of heart that is evident on every page of this book - the qualities of warmth and sharing are, in fact, so remarkable that I've barely been able to set it down long enough to think of all the things I want to tell you about it.

First, the book itself is a visit, a long, luxurious visit, to Morehouse Farm where some of the most beloved Merino yarn is produced, and where the owners have themselves contributed to the husbandry and enhancement of Merino sheep. You can almost smell the fresh hay and hear the sheep baa, so immediate and fresh are the photos. The stories that go with them tell of people who love animals and wool, and of how they created a beautiful place for both at Morehouse Farm. It is a sharing that is at once expansive and intimate, as those things which we do always expand toward the world and our vision, and yet are also always intimate portraits of who we are. Frankly, what the Lohrers have achieved brings happy tears to my eyes, and that they've been willing to share themselves with us in this way warms my heart.

My own roots are in the farm country of Iowa where my uncle's farm has just been honored as a "Century Farm," that is, one that has been in the same family for 100 years or more - an all too rare possibility, alas. It was a joyous discovery for me that the Lohrers have found a way to restore the family farm into our modern world. For that story alone, the book is a treasure.

But there is more, much more. There are, scattered throughout the book, over 40 patterns for everything from pillows and blankets to lace shawls, scarves, hats and sweaters. Each is a pretty easy knit - yet yields items anyone would want to use or wear. And, of course, all the samples are knit in Morehouse Merino. Which brings me to yet another aspect of the generosity of spirit that is this book.

It would have been very easy for both author and publisher to have left the instructions for these delightful projects in terms applicable only to the author's wools. "Take 2 skeins of Morehouse Merinos 3-strand . . ." would have actually been accurate and almost certianly would have sold more of the Lohrer's yarns. Instead, each and every pattern focuses on the weight and fiber in very precise terms that translate easily to other yarns. It was so easy to try other yarns with these patterns that I immediately produced a Foularde in Hand Maiden Lace Silk. And I'm moving on to try out a shawl in Blue Face Leicester (the other softest, best wool ;-) ). In other words, Morehouse Farm Merino Knits is really for everyone, no matter what their favorite fiber. I just love that. And, I just love this book.

Receiving a pre-publication review copy of this sparkling new book is one of the happiest things that's happened to me in good long while. The last time I smiled, laughed and revisited a knitting book this much was when Cat Bordhi sent me her first Treasury of Magical Knitting. While being entirely different in it's content and purpose, Mason-Dixon Knitting is just that sort of book.

The authors have poured onto these pages and into these projects their enthusiasm for knitting, for keeping things simple, for colorful, joyful, functional things, for friends and family. To read Mason-Dixon Knitting is to find yourself surrounded by a world of smiles; it is to remember what's really important in this world (hint: it has to do with loved ones, home and joy); and, to discover some amazingly good, exciting knitting!

Here's some of what's inside that I especially love:

• dishcloths. Really. I never thought anyone would ever catch me knitting a dishcloth, but after seeing these bright, spunky models in MDK, and reading Ann and Kay's write-up on all the wonderful reasons they love knitting them and using them, well, I can hardly wait for the cotton yarn to arrive so I can always have one on the needles, too. There's a great connection to the cotton yarn manufacturer who will put as much cotton yarn as you need into your hands for less money than you ever thought possible, too.
• log-cabin knitting. These designs are every bit as addictive, versatile, and useful in knitted form as they are in quilting. And the things you can do with this technique! My. You can make rugs (step upon the courthouse steps), bedspreads (think Mondrian!), baby blankets (bright-eyed rainbows), bath mats (really, really nice ones), all in variations that range from very traditional to uptown modern. I'm also waiting for more yarn to arrive so I can get going on a bedspread -- I mean, I'm really watching and waiting. What I mean to say is that my fingers are practically tingling with impatience at having to wait to get started. That's how good these designs are.
• the bubbly curtain and linen hand towels. I'm an avoider of knitting with linen. Really I am. Now I have some on order - all because of these two projects.
• the peignoir. You may not think that ladies who extol the delights of dishrag knitting would also offer up a peignoir to die for, but they did. Just goes to show what we know about ladies who knit dishcloths, doesn't it? It's in linen, it's lovely, and it would even look good on a post-40 or -50 mom.
• calamari knitting. Discover a great way to recycle tee shirts into things you'll really like to use.
• the out-of-focus photo of Xenobia Bailey. Irresistible.
• the Moses Basket liner with Godmother's Edging. Also Irresistible.
• the back cover. It bears this inscription:
  

Remember:
No project is too ambitious if you crave the result enough.