Customer Reviews

Magnificent Mittens & Socks: The Beauty of Warm Hands and Feet

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Anna Zilboorg pairs up with ace knitting photographer Alexis Xenakis to give knitters a truly excellent book chock full of colorful patterns.

Most knitting books feature a new technique, a dozen or so patterns, and filler at the back. Not in Anna Zilboorg's book!! Three pages of techniques and abbreviations, one page of embroidery and knitting-in beads, two pages of yarn dying recipes for the vibrantly colored yarns used in the photographs (should you desire the exact colors), a few lovely pages from Alexis Xenakis about Anna, and the rest of the book, 143 pages of heart-stopping riotous stranded colored mittens and socks.

Anna explains several new techniques for top down mittens and socks (half stranded socks is my favorite) as well as old methods. Her tone is grandmotherly; but her knowledgeable prowess as a former college professor is still very much her style.

If you think you know everything about making mittens and socks from those "one technique" books, I say, "Ha! Anna has many things to teach us." Thank you Anna, I love this book!

Anna Zilboorg has done it again - - She's created an extraordinarily beautiful knitting book that is accessible to intermediate and advanced knitters. Her original book captured the essence and beauty of Latvian mittens and her new book adds socks to the mix. Her mittens are brightly colored in wonderful combinations, always lined with angora and often with long cuffs that go several inches above the wrist. Color patterns might be orange, yellow, purple and black or green, yellow, black, purple and pink. There's a colorful surprise in store with each pattern.

I've knitted her patterns in the past and if you follow her instructions, the mittens come out beautifully. Interestingly, he mitten patterns start from the bottom up utilizing a figure-8 cast-on. It appears counter-intuitive but it REALLY does work.

Her sock patterns start from the toe up and are as beautifully patterned as the mittens. To make the sock patterns easier, Ms. Zilboorg incorporates the mitten patterns into those of the socks.

I give this book my highest recommendation both for beauty and practicality. I live in Alaska where warmth is important. I knit a pair of Ms. Zilboorg's mittens for a dog musher who has used them and 40 degrees below zero. Not only do they keep her warm, they have also lasted seven years with regular use!

I've got a lot of knitting books and magazines, and have been following charts and patterns for years now. There are books that have beautiful photos and pretty images, and books that have clear directions and well-written text; this is one of the former.

I'm taking a class at my local yarn shop using one of this book's patterns, and it's clear the directions are difficult for even the instructor to follow. Having to flip back and forth from page 35 to page 27 to page 10 and back again before starting thumb one of the first mitten is inefficient and trouble-causing. And on Ravelry, at least one knitter points out that a pattern using black and white yarns is confounding because the chart reverses those colors with no explanation (though for seasoned knitters it's understood that the "master" color is always white and the "contrasting" colors are black or grey, there is no visual key here to clarify that--just the letter A denoting black and B denoting white, though those letters don't appear anywhere in the chart text).

These are patterns for EXPERIENCED knitters, those who can spot the confusion and address it proactively. Still, there's no reason not to make things more clear for those of us who know what we're doing--it saves time and frustration and a lot of page-flipping.

Fully illustrated with full color photography and easy-to-follow knitting pattern diagrams, Magnificent Mittens & Socks lives up to its title with 42 charted mittens, interchangeable cuff charts, 13 edge finishes for cuffs, 7 embellishments for color and texture, linings, dye recipes for mitten colors, detailed instructions for socks using mitten charts, and more. An excellent resource for knitters of all skill and experience levels, highly recommended.

I purchased another edition of this book several years ago and taught myself how to do color knitting using the techniques in the book. All the mittens I made came out beautifully!! Even the first one. They are tricky but if you are patient and look at what you are doing all will fall into place and you will have mittens to die for. Also I lined every pair with baby alpaca so the wearers hands would be extra warm. The best part is if you are active outside and the mittens get wet you hands will continue to be warm which is the beauty of pure wool! If you can stand to give away what you have knitted you will also have warmed not only your own heart but that of the lucky person who gets such a magnificent gift of loving effort. Lately I purchased the newer addition with the sock patterns and will try them soon = warm hands, heart AND feet!!! The "entry level" mittens in the instructions are great! Have made countless of those to have around to walk the dog and anything else that calls for a utilitarian mitten.

This is my first exposure to Anna's work. It is lovely! The most difficult part is trying to decide which one to start with! But it is her down-to-earth discussion and introductions that are truly worth reading, including her introduction to mittens and why we should all have them. I especially like her honesty. Note her comments on the cover mittens and how one is larger than the other quite by accident, but she decided to leave them that way - they are imperfect and beautiful as we are.

The book is ideal for beginners and experts alike. It begins with very simple instructions and a simple mitten to start with. She explains her logic in the 3 different thumb designs, in case you always wanted to know why there are different placements for them. She then lets you stroll thru all of the beautiful designs and encourages you to let the project flow of itself.

She also encourages you to line the mittens with angora. I would never consider doing that, but after her explanation on why and why we should treat ourselves and this worthy project to such treatment, I feel compelled and excited to do the same.

All in all, a terrific book that differs from many knitting books - don't skip a word of it!! I look forward to a day when I might be able to see her and her work in person.

Comprehensive guide to producing amazing knitted mittens in two basic styles. The extended cuffs are optional, in case they deter a reader. Knitters should be familiar with Fair Isle and be capable of managing two color work. This is advanced technique so be prepared to put in the time to achieve the results. The best part is that the patterns and colors are not set in stone, so each knitter can create a unique look.

I'm so glad they brought this book back into print for those who really love this book. Its the only book I know of dedicated to gauntlet style gloves knitted in two colors. The author is an amazing knitter. The problem I have with these designs are that they all use fairly simple color work designs and they all follow the same basic pattern. I don't really like jewel tone colors so if you are not crazy about the color palette, lots of swatching will need to be done to get the right color scheme. Also, the cuffs don't seem to have any drape, they seem more functional rather than fashionable. I admire this author but was a bit disappointed in the book. I know there are huge fans out there for this book so I am happy that they did bring this back into print. If you are not sure about whether to buy this book I highly recommend checking out a library version first. If your local library does not have it you can always borrow a copy through inter-libary loan.

I could hardly wait to dive into this delicious pattern book! My anticipation was justified. You will go a long, long time before you find a knitting book that will inspire you with glorious colors, patterns/designs the way this book does. Please don't expect humdrum mittens and socks. The mittens and socks in this book are gloriously over the top! You will need to read the instructions in order to knit these fingers-to-cuff mittens and toe-up socks, but you will be well rewarded. In addition to providing you with hundreds of patterns that you can mix and match at your own discretion, the author gives you grid paper so you can come up with your own designs. As long as your designs fits in the provided grids, you can knit your mittens.

Anna Zilborg--what more can I say! She is always amazing and I have waited with great anticipation for this book. Anna has done it again by creating a book that inspires creativity, excellence, beauty, and, once again, reminds the world that knitting is an art form.

I am a color knitter and this book feeds my soul and hunger. The patterns are challenging and so well written--to be expected from Anna. I love that she has included instructions on how to turn the mitten patterning into socks. With all of that this book will keep me creatively motivated and knitting items from it for years.

I definately recommend this book for anyone who loves color knitting!!