Check research imagery, challenging the connotations of regularity and order through the media of photography and the ability to overlay and superimpose shape and line to form these fragmented intersections of grid like structures.
I have been sourcing some inspiring imagery for my weave exploration on Pinterest. Many of these seem complicated for the level that I am at right now and don’t necessarily fit with my warp design. Despite this it is fascinating to see the possibilities within weave and also its material realisation within garments. I am drawn to the contrast of texture, surfaces and more unexpected tactile 3d elements, particularly seen in All Roads collection of woven textiles. Another textile artist I found incredibly inspiring was the work of Aurelia Munoz, who makes truly stunning woven installation pieces that are innovative and dynamic. Her work is something I will definitely research further as it fascinates me to see practitioners taking craft methods and subverting their traditional worth.
(Top image: Geo Weaving, Cotton, jute, wool. Welded steel. 2013, Available from <http://www.allroadsdesign.com/textiles/neongeoweaving>)
Here are a few of my favourite examples so far:
For my final knit samples I wanted to create a collection of samples that express an interest in form, tactile elements and colour. From my previous sampling experimentation, I reflected on these successes to develop my final pieces. In order to combine the grey and red colour palette, as coherent within the collection, I adjusted original grey tone, with a cool undertone to a warmer tone which was also featured in my drawings.
From my visual research I looked to emulate the prominent curved edges and forms. With knit I found there were so many techniques to keep in mind and I saw it becoming easily confused and overcomplicated with my latest experiments. To move forward I decided to focus on manipulating a single method and explore in more depth a compelling approach to proportions of colour. In my zigzag sample, I alternated the direction to creat an undulating form that I found draped beautifully upon presentation. I explored a tonal range of colour with pops of the ochre tone and brighter green that were more unexpected. Also through adjusting the tension I achieved a contrast between breathier areas and more dense sections of knit.
I did come across some technical obstacles, where small mistakes led me to need to re-hook a single sample several times over. Although I know the pieces were perfect I feel they communicated an aesthetic I was pleased with, demonstrating my experimental approach.
Below are some images from the technical notebook. Although the process isn’t as immediate as the stitch making there is a certain satisfaction to creating something new with a established skill. I found my feedback for the block to be very encouraging, with my intentions for the samples being recognised. From the first assessment the presentation of my samples has improved substantially, Julia did give a note however that I should try and present my visual research more meaningfully. Moving forward I will keep this in mind and respond to this contructively for the next block.
As I work towards making my final samples I am continually learning new skills and using this to progress my development. Tim showed us various ways to embellish a knitted sample on the machine. Using the e-wrap technique from casting on I explored adding fringes, which I found gave a tactile dimension. The fringes worked better with the raffia rather than soft yarns as they held their shape whereas the wool became confused and lost. Within my sampling, learning how to hook hand knits samples onto the machine gave a differentiation in weight, which was appealing. As I combined various methods I found the samples becoming more personalised and exciting in response to my inspiration.
Although knit gives a specified end result I have seen through the process of making and observing the 2nd and 3rd years how innovative the results can be. As we all continue to experiment I can also see how each individual has adapted the techniques and are producing really exciting personal outcomes. From the samples below I am most interested to explore the concept of reattaching in different ways, I think the red yarn manipulations that I hooked into the grey sample are very compelling and have the potential to be developed. However I feel the grey and red colour palette is very separate from my other samples. I don’t want to abandon the colours though because the red brings a boldness that I think could be exciting. The question is now how to incorporate this cohesively within my final pieces.
The processes using the holding levers in various ways allowed for some intriguing techniques as seen below. With these we began to explore shape and in turn colour combinations and mixing to different effects. In my tutorial with Julie we decided I should pursue the techniques using the holding levers and consider facing the triangular shapes in the same direction to give a curve, complementary to the circular forms in the drawings of my crystal plate. To move forward with my ideas to create more considered and refined samples I thought very carefully and planned. I found using photocopies and collaging them a productive way to realise new compositions for my knit final samples. From these I trialled how the ideas could be implemented, in order for the end result to posses a better sensitivity- the feedback I had from my stitch samples.
As I continue practising with the knit techniques I am keen to start responding to my visual research and make connections. From this I will be able to explore the pathway in a more experimental and personal way. I have found, having had the stitch block first very helpful as I begin to do this. I am now looking at my drawings in new and more inquisitive ways, questioning how can I express the marks and have found myself able to move more fluently from drawing to material process and application. The ideas I experimented with may not always turn out as I expect but I am then able to push on through experimentation and try again by responding to a previous sample.
My drawings that explore colour have been more influential in my knit development. Within several drawings the colour comes through in a speckled detailing. Using a boucle yarn with a white and black mix I was able to explore this quality and also mix in the blue in a cohesive way. As I develop the knit processes I am fascinated by yarns and how they behave together texturally and tonally. In particular I admired the iridescent colour quality of the green against the wooly textures. By varying the width and length of my samples I have uncovered different aesthetics. I was amazed by the process of making chords that in themselves could become a unique yarn to hand knit or could be manipulated within other machine samples. After practising a lot with the transfer process I finally grasped the technique and think this could yield more complex and exciting results to be developed.
The samples above pull from the green and blue colour palettes and whilst I found these combinations successful I wanted to explore other prospects from my visual information. With the black and white yarn I saw a connection with the rock drawing beneath. The sensitive and smaller proportion of red was quite striking and I found this effective when developed in the knit process. Along with this colour I wanted to explore a sense of weightiness and fragility. The thicker yarns then allowed me to create some intriguing ridged surfaces by knitting on alternate hooks. This then led thinner yarn that follows to have looser open stitches in juxtaposition to the more solid knit preceding.
In the morning of this independent study day I visited the Handweaver’s Studio in Finsbury Park for yarn research. As soon as I arrived I was in awe, the shelves were stacked, floor to ceiling in rich blocks of colour on cones, rolls and in bags of wool. This experience was very different to fabric shopping within Stitch, where it was more of an excavation mission, uncovering the hidden materials from different corners of the shop. Here having everything immediately on show was alluring in another way, everywhere you looked different textured and colours of yarn were open to be explored. It was amazing to see the different types of yarn available, from plastic and metallic coatings to those made from natural fibres like pineapple or banana. I can already tell this experience will also be helpful for when I come to the weave pathway. Within my knitting yesterday I was drawn to the combination of thin and thicker yarns, with the different levels they created. Depending on the material the yarn was spun from, there were either very luxurious shiny qualities or more coarse matt textures.
The availability of different tones of colour made me very wary of my consideration of colour from my drawings. It is probably very easy to get distracted and seduced by a colour that probably isn’t exactly right. I feel as though I explored some exciting colour combinations yesterday with the machine. With the yarns being so expensive I decided I wanted to experiment further with techniques first and then reflect to see what might be missing in my samples. Seeing the variety of yarn made me aware of pushing my exploration of different types of materials and how I can knit with yarns of different textures to create qualities conveyed in my drawing. To make use of the colour resource around me in the shop I decided to use photos to create different colour palettes from the drawings I had on hand. Mixing colours that were unexpected also brought about some interesting ideas that I will explore when I get back to the machines.
We started our technical block in knit, straight onto working with the machines. I find any kind of machinery very intimidating at first however I was truly excited to get started and try it out. If all the hooks and wires weren’t already making me nervous, we were given a tool bag for the week, with a set of weights and ‘transfer tool’. I had never seen any of this before and this probably heightened my nerves. Saying that Tim explained it all very well and when I got started it wasn’t actually too difficult if you took your time to figure it out. It all seemed to be about thinking methodically, threading up and remembering to hook the yarn in the carriage and e-wrap in the correct way. We were shown how to knit the basics and then moved onto to adjusting the tension depending on the thickness of yarn and also to give a desired effect. With the tighter tension giving denser blocks and looser, more open hanging stitches. Playing with this I also learnt to bring in a second colour and toy with mixing this with the previous yarn but also swapping it in and out to create stripping. My chosen yarns were of different materials and thickness and I was really intrigued by the contrast of the shinier thin quality against the thicker wooly texture. By using a purpely blue against the turquoise the effect was striking yet somehow also subtle, which I liked a lot.
Creating lace holes and ladders was exciting as when I looked at my jumpers at home in the morning I was fascinated and completely bewildered as to how such things could be made. Now within the first hour or so of the day I had a much better insight and this was stimulating as I could see clearly the relevance of kit within each of our daily lives. Tim showed us that by using the transfer tool, which no longer seemed so threatening in its ambiguity, stitches can be moved and adjusted to make patterns or design. However my first attempts were not so designed as they were chaotic as I tried to grasp the technique and frustration in accidentally dropping a stitch. Although I am going to practice to be able to explore this possibility of patterning, the uneven and asymmetrical ladders created a very beautiful delicate knit, almost like a shed snakeskin.
With Jane, in the afternoon, we practiced hand knitting and although I had learnt on foundation a bit, it was very helpful just to be reminded. She showed us a very easy way to cast on using the one needle and thumb to e-wrap. Once we drilled that through, I went on combing knit and purl rows to create stocking stitch and also experiment with ribbing. At first I struggled to remember where I was in the pattern but this was much easier when Jane showed us how to identify the bumpy side that was the purl and the ‘V’ shaped knit stitches. I haven’t completely mastered this yet but I find hand knitting to be really relaxing so I think I will enjoy continuing to experiment with this, possibly also with different yarns.
Although the machine are able to create work very quickly, this didn’t not mean we were to abandon the hand knitting. I love that you can work with much chunkier yarns and explore surface and texture through this. I am also fascinated by the intimacy of work with your hands and being able to make something that invested more time. We were shown that you can also do specific techniques on one that is not possible on the other. I think it will be quite interesting to combine the time and effort taken in the hand knit with the process of machine work. What amazed me most about this first day in Knit was that by the time I left I had genuinely learnt something I hadnt known when I arrived in the morning. Something I didnt know whether I would actually be able to do, let alone enjoy so much. The possibilities of knit are extremely exciting and I am looking forward to seeing where this block will take me.
Final Samples…
Presenting developmental samples…
Found in the fragments 