ELIZABETH ZIMMERMANN AND THE EMERGENCE OF CRITICAL KNITTING

PART 2

In the second part of  an eight-part series, Dr. Lilly Marsh helps us get to know Elizabeth Zimmermann.  We get to hear EZ’s knitting origin story, learn about three aspects of her knitting identity, and dig deeper into the terms critical knitting and cultural production.

There is an ongoing discussion on this Ravelry thread, where Dr. Lilly chimes in.  We will begin a Baby Surprise Jacket knit along in March and continue until the series concludes.

Many of you have expressed your gratitude for this in-depth exploration of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s life and your wish to make a contribution to our efforts.  A donation to the Hudson Valley Textile Project is an excellent way to honor our work and to promote sustainable textile production in the region where we live and work.

Domesticity, Professionalism, and the Artist Housewife                (with a nod to Usula Le Guin)

images provided by Dr. Lilly Marsh

Walrus Club news clipping 1957

News clipping featuring EZ decorating for Walrus Club event, probably from the Shorewood Herald

Article from Woman’s Day January 1955

Television appearance 1961 (in COLOR)

Shorewood Herald clipping about EZ knitting for her daughter, Meg

European aristocracy wedding photos….these were in EZ’s scrapbook and must have been a family she knew, perhaps worked for in the past.  But it is an excellent look into those who were employing her as an English speaking companion. –LM

with a nod to Ursula K. Le Guin

• article about Arwen Curry’s 2018 documentary The Worlds of Ursula Le Guin, which was first screened at SanFrancisco’s Litquake Festival
• The Worlds of Ursula Le Guin can be rented on Amazon

The images presented here are a very small piece of a much larger published work, and are included here for the purpose of scholarship.

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