I finally broke down and bought the PBS series Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop. She had me at the first lesson, Winding Wool. I learned something incredibly useful, how to make a center pull ball without a ball winder. This is very valuable to me since I only have a ball winder and not a swift. Winding has always been a pain. I don’t have a lampshade large enough to hold a skein, and a couple of chairs seems to allow the yarn to get tangled anyway. Apparently I should have gotten a swift first. EZ has one that she is winding from.

Her sense of humor had me in stitches. Pun intended!   She truly was the opinionated knitter, but it’s allowed. Her experience was so vast. I wish she was still on this earth.

You can hear someone, I think it is her daughter, Meg Swansen, talking in the background, prompting and helping EZ with the flow of the show. The production is not polished, but completely adequate. Of course we are used to flashy graphics and seamless editing these days, but these videos are refreshing in that they are all about the knitting.

I first saw some of the videos a couple of years ago when I was visiting Rosewood Yarns in Boerne, TX. I thought then that I must get the video, but they always seemed expensive. Now that I finally have a copy, I think they are a treasure. No matter your level of experience, I’m sure you will learn something valuable.

Happy Knitting!

Cheryl