Piecing Together a Knitting Community: the Legacy of Elizabeth Zimmermann Kathryn Parks and Colleen Mcfarland University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Piecing Together a Knitting Community: The Legacy of Elizabeth Zimmermann Kathryn Parks and Colleen McFarland University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Who Was Elizabeth EZ: The Public Face of Knitting Meets Feminism Zimmermann ((EZ)?“EZ”)? Amer ican Kn itting Knitting Outside of the Home Daughter of a wealthy As a knitting mentor and instructor, EZ British family, born in Wisconsin Designer Craftsmen brought knitting into the public sphere through 1910 Artists’ organization founded in 1916 to promote arts and crafts in Wisconsin mass media and unconventional knitting venues EZ helped knitters over- Artist trained at the EZ was a member ca. 1960-1970 come social isolation by Kunstakademie in Only knitter in the WDC membership at that ppgroviding “safe” p pyhysical Munich, Germany (ca . time and emotional spaces and 1930) Award winner in 1960 for knitted wool sweater Inviting women into friendship Nanny for European Photo Courtesy of ellenspn on Flickr nobility (ca. 1936) The Busy Knitter on PBS Originated in Milwaukee – approached by “I feel as though I am a friend, even though you Wife of Arnold Beulah Donahue, who invited EZ to appear on don’t know me.” (ca. 1981 fan letter) Zimmermann, a German Photo Courtesyyg of Meg Swansen her morning TV show brewmas ter (1937) After EZ appeared on Donahue’s show, she approached the television station about her Rejecting the Phallus Political refugee and immigrant to the United own knitting show EZ embraced and promoted circular knitting States (1937) 10 part program teaching how to make a over flat knitting with straight needles sweater Circular knitting allows the knitter the Mother of three children, Tom, Lloie, and Meg, Syndicated nationally through the early 1980s flexibility to modify patterns and create born 1938, 1940, and 1942 seamless garments Wisconsinite who formally began her knitting Knitting Camp Began in 1974 at Building Women’s Confidence career in Shorewood, a suburb of Milwaukee, and Urged women not to “blindly follow” patterns, later moved to Pittsville, a small town near Wausau UW-Extension, Shell Lake First knitting retreat offered but to have confidence to design for their own bodies and styles Knitting designer who published patterns in in the U.S. One one-week session EZ’s philosophy “There’s not a wrong way; it’s Women’s Day, Vogue, and other your way” knitting periodicals (1955-1989) gradually expanded to four one-week sessions “I had so much more freedom . [EZ ’s philosophy] Entrepreneur who founded a 2009 mar ke d the camp ’s 36th year gave me a different push in terms of my life that I mail order wool-only yarn hadn’t had before.” (Deb Olson, Knitting Camper, business and self-published 2009) newsletters (1958-1989) Publications Knitting Without Tears, 1971 TV Personality who brought Knitter’s Almanac, 1974 Research Methods The Busy Knitter to PBS stations Knitting Workshop, 1981 Oral history interviews with knitting campers nationwide (1964 - ca. 1980) Photo Courtesy of Knitting Around, 1989 Archival Research Meg Swansen The Opinionated Knitter, 2005 (posthumous) EZ Scrapbooks held by the Swansen Family “Opinionated Knitter” who continues to inspire Wisconsin Designer Craftsmen Records and knitters even after her death in 1999 “Between those lines of wisdom … is a whole Publications at the Milwaukee Art Museum, the philosophy of living which is equally inspiring. A Smithsonian Archives of American Art, and the “Knit on, with confidence and hope, through all joy of living, learning, sharing and wonder.” (ca. UW – Milwaukee Special Collections crises.” (EZ, The Opinionated Knitter) 1982 fan letter) Instructional and autobiographical publications.