E. Z.'s Niece

The Baby Surprise Jacket and the Adult Surprise Jacket - immediately recognisable across a room.  Last Saturday, to the meeting of the Mid-Essex Guild of Spinners and Weavers, although I weave not, neither do I spin.  Instead, I drool over the inventive pieces being worked by my fellow guild members.

This time we had Tricia Holman, the daughter of Elisabeth Zimmerman's sister, giving a talk and running a workshop.

Tricia Holman

In front of her was a table laden with knitted items, all engineered in the E. Z. manner.  She told stories abou E.Z.'s life and made a brave attempt at demystifying the percentage system.  We were intrigued to learn that  E.Z.'s grandfather was a builder involved in the building of the Houses of Parliament and that Arnold was a brewer but left Germany carrying only a backpack after he had criticised a Nazi Building as looking like a public convenience.

  She encouraged people to knit steeks and cut their knitting, showing us a work in progress, steeks stitches clearly visible centre front.

Everywhere the shaping, inventive construction and patterns echoed those in "Woolgathering".  This striking sweater was said to be an interpretation of South American patterns.

A stocking cap with a variety of fairisle patterns.

And a lace stole.

Last week I made this year's crop of blackcurrants into jam.  Who would have guessed that five pounds of currants would produce so much jam?  I ran out of jars by the end, but I was glad to free up space in the freezer. 

Finally, some more examples of my husband's craft: turned bowls, the light one in holly and the darker one turned from a slice of yew.