Work-in-Progress: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Color Pattern Practice Hat



So I have been lying to myself. For a few years it seems. I have been telling myself that I am not interested in learning to do colorwork. The thing I like most about knitting is it's portability and when you starting using multiple balls of yarn it becomes quite a pain to stuff in your purse and knit on the go while keeping tracking of a parcel of children. So I thought I never paid any attention to color patterns.

Enter Elizabeth Zimmermann. I picked up her DVD Knitting Workshop from the library and started watching it as I was working on other knitting projects. And when we were just at lesson 3 she introduces color work. AND MADE IT LOOK SO EASY! I thought, "I have got to try that." So I stopped the video, grabbed my rabbitbrush yarn and went back to the beginning of the series. As my husband would probably report, I came up for air about 3 days later. It is really addicting. It opens up a whole new world of knitting. I can now knit English and Continental style. I can now knit pictures. I can now knit those Norwegian mittens that are so amazing (in theory not practice. yet).

Yarn: Cascade 220
Pattern: Color Pattern Practice Hat

But you know what? I must have subconsciously really want to learn color work because I already had this little piece of running awesomeness, these Gnomes, and these most adorable sheep in my Ravelry queue. And now I can knit these sled dogs and these Norwegian style mittens. The possibilities are endless now. 

I am a complete convert to Elizabeth Zimmermann now. I love her. Hilarious. Her straight forward, complete honesty reminds me of my sweet old German neighbor in California, Ann. You always knew exactly how she felt about everything. Whether it was your parenting, your weight ("you are losing too much weight, you have no boobs anymore" (I wish that was true now! -- the weight part, I still don't have boobs), or the other neighbors. I am reading Elizabeth's book, Knitting Around, now and am loving her little digressions about her life in the early 1900's. Parts are very Downton Abbeyish. Makes me wish I had a maid and a nanny. 

Go see more projects with Nicole, Ginny, and Tami.





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