Colour palette?

Colour can make or break a collection; I think the majority of us have stated that we believe craft can look to daggy and off putting when featured in numerous colours.

This week I have been putting off actually starting my knitted panel dress because I have been too fussy on choosing the right fabrication and the colour of yarn. I didn’t realise how difficult it actually is to try and find the right colours in wool/ cotton yarn. Especially tonal variations of one specific colour.

To get started I researched into other knitwear collections and Colour Palette I believe that knitting also looks great when it foccusses on a one colour or uses a variation of tone, it has that ability of taking the viewer on a journey for example light tones to dark tones. Or white then blending a colour into it.

http://yarnstylist.com/2009/09/color-trends-for-fall.html

Vogue Knitting features red in their Fall 2009 issue.

The red is too overpowering, although I like how they have used various tones and shades. It makes the garments look like it a complete collection

These colours I’m also not a fan of either and I don’t like how they are all very different more of a yellow, and others are more of mustard.

I think this is very elegant, looks simple yet effective because it is clean to read and the colour is really flattering. I can see this put with white, black, and various shades of grey and include colours that head towards a bluey grey, and deeper shades.

Researching Nikki Gabriel:

Nikki Gabriel has developed a series of her own knitting patterns, which you can construct yourself (by purchasing off her website) She explains it as a “building block system”. So you create different panels and then build them together to complete a garment. I find it really inspiring because personally I don’t think I have the capability nor the time to produce a fully knitted garment that depicts structure and volume without seams and panels. I’m relying on constructing basic panels that uses this “building block system” which can be joined into the seams or hand sewn together separately to form each piece.

http://www.nikkigabriel.com/Nikki_Gabriel-Construction.asp
Here you can see how the garment evolves.

Knitty knitty bitty

Here are some examples I knitted up. They seem like basic pieces, I wanted to learn how to increase and decrease stitches to form shaping to the garment. The gloves were very basic to do simple rectangle/square with a buttonhole. The beanie was also rather easy to knit up, and the braids were joined into the knitting.
The singlet is made from strips of calico knitted up, I found the arm hole shaping to be rather easy, however the neck shaping was difficult at the time because I didn’t fully understand how to finish it off as this was my first attempt. What I love about the singlet top is that it’s very chunky from the calico.

knit illuminated hoodie

Something that I do not have any of intention of steering towards, however I think this is a good example of taking knitting/knitted garments to a modern craft, incorporating modern technology.
skôn is a designed knit illuminated hoodie that changes the intensity of the light by tsomeone tugging and stretching the hood. (Designed by Paula Kassenaar in collaboration with Paula Segura Meccia at the Eindhoven University of Technology)
here is the link- you can see how it actually lights up- pretty cool!
http://www.fashioningtech.com/profiles/blogs/skon-knit-illuminated-hoodie

knit knit samples

Now I have started to put some designs to paper. Drawing is not my specialty, and when I’m stuck I find it really hard to express my ideas through drawing especially garments and silhouettes. These little knitted samples I knitted up has helped me put shapes and silhouettes together. This simple knitted tube has been a great tool for designing. Knotting, twirling and looping which could be features within the garment.
After today’s class group discussion I feel very inspired I really want to start getting into the developmental and toiling process now. It was great to see everyone’s interpretation of craft and what techniques they are pursuing.
Here are some photos of the knitted samples, which have helped me through designing

Craig Lawrence is a knitwear designer based in London. Craig's approach to knitting is very different to some other knitwear designers I have researched. He takes it to another extreme, reinventing this tradition craft of knitting through unexpected use of both materials and form.

This is similar to what I am looking into, creating form onto the female body with different materials and shapes. Through the use of different materials I want to achieve a chunky aesthetic using wool or strips of fabric with various knitting stitches and techniques, whether it be by creating small panels and sewing them together piece by piece, or creating the fabric on the knitting machine and using cut and sew method.

Using knitting as my craft, now that I have started designing I am deciding whether all the garments will be fully knitted demonstrated in Asger Juel Larsenaw 2010 collection (left) or using knitting as a decoration to the garment depicted in the Disa Treutiger (right).

experimenting and ideas

So over the past weeks we have defined what we believe craft is. At the moment our studio is focusing on samples that involve craft techniques, experimenting with materials etc.

So there are three things I have been crazy about.
Knitting-which is what I am mainly exploring. I have been doing samples experimenting with wool, cutting up shreds of material, using fine thread, elastic, ribbon. cord etc.I went and bought circular knitting needles which is pretty cool to make pieces in the round, and last night after many hours I finally learnt how to do a cable knit sample (with the help of YOU-TUBE) Following this I look forward to learning macramé this week in studio, I think you can create a similar approach like knitting. I think why I am interested in these two techniques is that you can create different aesthetic through various techniques of stitching types, how thick the needles are, and especially through diverse materials. At the moment I have been looking how the gauges of knits how loosely you can get it so that the piece is like a cobweb. Very see-through, this could possibly be layered with other materials to create a different effect.

I have also been looking at how you can achieve bulk and sculptural elements using knits. I think my dad (being an architect) has had an influence on my design aesthetic. I like very sculptural things very bold and 3d. That has textural qualities to it.

I have been inspired by the work of Sandra Backland –her work is exhibited in the RMIT gallery down stairs.
Here are some photos all from her website http://www.sandrabacklund.com/
I love that she has experimented with such traditional techniques and manipulate these to produce a very contemporary outcome purely crafted with skill and passion. I can’t imagine how lone each garment would take. However I am willing to put in the hard yards to achieve something so powerful as this.

To further explore this idea of sculptural craft I have been looking into works of origami. I am going to explore if it is possible to create origami from knitted pieces…? Or adding 3d shapes to the basic of a garment or stuffing parts with wadding?

I would like to explore using the laser cutter (I have done the laser cutter training now I just have to put it into practice). I want to cut out leather and stretch fabrics with the laser to achieve a pattern that has been removed from leather mimicking that of a lace garment also having a similar effect of knitted or macramé.

http://s3.amazonaws.com/odyssey-production/media_items/4523/lilly_s_leaf_lookbook_front_page_huge.jpg