this weeks knits

I think that the piece with the bigger holes is an interesting step towards my final project due to the scale of the holes in relationship with the face and body. They are similar to the size of a face and provide little windows. I was thinking that the areas that are closes to eye level where there are holes could maybe have something woven in between then to provide more coverage. Maybe some hand knitting, or other types of yarn strung between it.

Knits and polyurathane

This week so far I have made 2 larger knit samples and tried out a waterbased polyurathane for coating. I would say that it is similar to an acrylic matt medium, and doesn't make it much stronger. I think that I am going to consider building some sort of framework that the knits would be stretched in because they won't be able to stand up without that (although I think they would be able to with resin. Pictures to be posted soon.

Picnic Table

I came acros this picnic table here which was based on the same concept I was thinking about for a knitted fence. The description on the style-files says that this table "connects with the user’s garden and become a permanent piece of garden design due to the growth process of the flowers and plants, which find their way into the table’s decoration." Check this out to find out more about the designers, although there isn't too much information given (but you can see a better picture).

Update

This week I have been trying to expand the ideas I was working on. I contacted Bill Miller, the painting tech, about finding a place for me to do something larger scale in resin. He hasn't found anything yet, but said he would get back to me today about that. I also heard that Brown has a room where the whole thing is like a hood, so I am planning on checking that out. I am still not sure if it is worth it to do something larger in resin as the fumes that come off of it even after it is mainly dry might be a lot depending on the scale.

For my "skeleton knit wall" idea where the knit fabric would be a space divider/wall for the home I have been thinking about where the areas of transparency should be. I like the idea of a skeleton wall, that would be showing the structure of that wall based on its function. I worked on a new sample this week fusing 3 different parts of different transparencies together. I have to figure out what kind of units would best work as there is a size limitation with the bed of the knitting machine and I can not do the whole thing in one or two pieces. I will either have to do skinny long vertical pieces that transitition within the patterning from top to bottom, or skinny long pieces that each have their own pattern and then are turned horizontally and fused together. My other option would be to do small patchwork like units, but I am not really as interested in that idea. I think in theory though I could design something that would be fairly large and produced industrially. I would like to find out the largest size a jaquard knitting machine can produce.

I have also been thinking about the fence idea. I have been trying to observe how plants interact with fences and buildings around Providence. Now that all of the plants are starting to grow it is interesting how it has changed certain fences that I see every day. I like the idea that it is then providing more coverage when people are outside more. I took out a book on tree houses because I wanted to see how they built homes around existing trees. I have also been looking into erosion control fences, which I think could be an interesting way to take this fence idea. The structure of them seems like something that could be integrated into a fence for a yard that would also hold back land. Also though it really made me think of where I grew up and the erosion control efforts at the beach. There are fences to keep people off of the dunes as well as signs. I remember when I was younger planting new dune grass to help stop erosion. I was thinking this could be a use for a knit fabric that would also be very integrated aesthetically. This is something that personally would be very important to me, and although a newer idea something I may decide to work on for the final.

Some new samples

I made these samples this week thinking about how something could grow up a knit fabric and also about how these structures would reveal and conceal things. I photographed them when they were on the my drying rack and I like how the photographs help one imagine what they could be like on a larger scale in a space.

Branches of the fence

I noticed the branches crawling up this fence dividing my apartment from the building next to it the other day and it made me think about knit fences.

Ideas

After the mid-term critique I began thinking about the white resin coated sample and other application possibilities than what had originally caused me to make it. I have been thinking about 3 possibilities in particular.

1) Indoor moveable walls

The flexibility of this sample I found to be interesting. I was thinking that on a larger scale this kind of fabric could create a screen, partition, or moveable wall. It could be custom made to fit different shaped rooms (i.e. slanted ceilings, archways, etc). I was also thinking that some sort of magnet system could be employed so that it could be flat and at it's longest capacity closing off a room, or could be moved into a wavelike formation. If there were magnets on the floor and magnets on certain points at the bottom of the hardened knit then different points of the knit could be moved to the places on the floor to create different formations. I was also thinking that things to consider with this would be where in the room you would want the most transperancy. It could be very nice to have a very open knit at the top so that light could come through, and more of a tightly knit structure towards the middle of the room. Also, one could hang things on the knit wall very easily.

2) Outdoor Fence

I was also thinking about trellaces and fences and how a stable knit fabric could be used in that way. The way plants grow up walls, fences, etc is very interesting. I was thinking that the fractal growth of plants could be inspiration for the patterning of this structure and that there would be holes in strategic places for the stems and brances of plants to go through. So many fences are ugly and this could be more natural looking and eventually the plants would take over the fence. Maybe the yarns used would create a look of brances or be red in color to compliment the green.

3) Architectural purposes (i.e. porch roof, "screened" in sunroom, etc)

On a much larger scale I could see this type of knit fabric being used as a porch ceiling, or outdoor wall. I don't think it would be all that insulating but it could serve as many screens do on porches. The curves could be very interesting. This idea could combine elements/inspiration/concerns of the other 2 ideas as it would be both indoor and outdoor.

I am going to be thinking about these possibilities and which would be the best to pursue.

Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting Show

On April 6th I went to the Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting Show at Museum of Art and Design which I really enjoyed and definitly inspired me to keep working. I know a lot of you have seen it, but if you haven't you should check it out. My favorite piece was an installation by Sheila Pepe. Also, at the show I got the website for the online program by MicroRevolt where you can upload any image and it will turn it into a pattern for you to knit, crochet, etc. I had heard of it before, but forgot what it was! If you're interested check it out here. MicroRevolt's mission is to "investigate the dawn of sweatshops in early industrial capitalism to inform the current crisis of global expansion and the feminization of labor."

Lost Application Sketches

Here are the application sketches I had made, but couldn't find, for the chair/blanket.

Resin knits

Carbon Fiber and cars

My mom has a hybrid car, and I really think that looking for new technology when it comes to cars is important! If you're going to buy a new car, why not buy a hybrid? I just came across this article about new advances with sustainability and cars. The car they are talking is the FCX, Honda's newest Fuel Cell Vehicle which runs on hydrogen and also apparently they used carbon fiber in the construction. I thought this was pretty interesting although I'm not sure exactly how they used the carbon fiber. I think it's pretty amazing how lightweight carbon fiber is but that it is stronger than concrete. The car is very new and not available to the public and probably won't be for a long time but it's interesting to see what the car companies are working on for sustainability.

Fun in the CAD Lab

I made this design based off of a sketch. I was thinking this is something that could be laser cut, also though I would like to continue to work with this idea to make more interesting patterns. I really like working with design and repeat....although the CAD lab room is a bit depressing.

Flower design

Spots

Electromagnetic Fortress Paint

When I was checking my mail on yahoo, this article caught my eye. It's about Wi-Fi blocking paint which apparently "creates an electromagnetic fortress by preventing airborne hackers from intercepting signals." There's a link in the article to the company that makes the paint too.

Resin Samples

I forgot to post that the resin did dry! I think the samples were a success...although I did have to pull the nails I used to stretch the samples on off with pliers haha. They do also have some rocks and grass stuck in them from when they fell over. Some samples are harder than others, and I think that is due to the openess of the weave on some and also the amount of resin coating the samples. Still, the question remains, is it worth the health hazard? I'm not so sure the more I've heard about how bad it is for you! Pictures to come.

Spots

I was playing around in the CAD lab with illustrator and design and repeat. I am not in love with anything that I made, but it was good practice. I like using the drawing pen in the CAD lab. I think I need to work on more motifs to then bring into design and repeat. I do want to work on a design for laser cutting. Maybe something that would be cut into felt that would be like a blanket...or something to weave into.

Neon vs. Natural

I think that I still can't get that electric orange out of my mind from the netting demo haha. I am feeling torn between bright colors and more muted natural colors. I had put some more neutral orange/brown in with the neon orange, and think that it is probably better on it's own. With the orange sample I was thinking about how a basic knit could turn into a thicker woven structure. I was thinking this could be a way to have something to sit on, or put your head on, that then turned into a blanket too. I think I would need to make more cord to weave into it, and it couldn't all be a continuous strand. The brown samples is the knit cord that I then wove together that I mentioned before. I really do like the weight and feel of that sample.

A sticky, goopy, smelly morning

So this morning I tried out the resin. Everyone had told me it was smelly, but it was smellier than I had thought it would be! I wore a mask and gloves, yet it was so goopy I still managed to get a little on me. I dunked 3 knit samples into the resin and then stretched over nails to dry. I left them outside because it was so smelly, and when I went to wash my hands they fell over into the dirt. I tried to brush them off, but it was so sticky it seemed better to leave it and try to take off the rocks and twigs later. So now I have dirty sticky knit samples, not exactly what I was going for...haha. I am hoping that they actually harden like they are supposed to! I did this before lunch, and when I check on them a little before 5 they were still sticky. I hear it does take a long time to dry though. I used 8 oz of the castin' craft and put 120 drops of the catalyst in because the container said that for a coating that is 1/8th inch thick you should use 15 drops for every oz. I am really hoping it works...even though I'll be honest working with the stuff is not my favorite. I think though, that it could be good for what I want to do if I can get it right! Anyways, I will update later when I have the results from this experiment, and I'll also post some new photos. This afternoon I did go to the CAD lab for a little while and worked on a new file using illustrator and design and repeat.

Knitting and resin

Yesturday and today I went to the knitting studio and made some knit samples. I am planning on experimenting with these samples and resin. I am picked up some resin at the Metcalf store by Castin' Craft. There website is http://eti-usa.com/ I find it a bit ironic that the website is Environmental Technology Inc. I know that the resins and epoxies can be very bad for you, and am planning on doing this outside with a mask. I think that doing this outside will be best. From what I understand I should be able to harden the samples so that they are very strong and still have the holes in the knit structure, but it is just a matter of how much catalyst I put in. The containers have recommendations but the guy at the store said it takes some experimentation. I was also told about a plastic that when you heat shrinks, and could be used to contain and strengthen a fabric, but there would be plastic coating the whole thing, even where there are holes in the fabric. This may be something to look into later though. If with the resins I can get the desired effect that I want I am going to then look into making molds. Ryan said his friend in college used resin and felt and was able to make a chair. Right now I am thinking that I want a pretty simple form that slopes for someone to lean against. I am thinking that I should be able to accomplish this, and who knows what the possibilities will be like once I get started. I am excited, although a bit apprehensive about the toxic nature of the resins. I also knit a long cord today which I then wove into a sample. I am really happy with the result, and think there are a lot of possibilities with this. I think a knit cord could also be something great to do netting with. I have also been looking into carbon fiber, but so far have only found carbon fabric. Since I want to make my own structure I am not sure if this is the right thing for me. I also like that there are more options for color with yarns and knitting, although maybe using some of the carbon fabric with knitting could be interesting. It is expensive though, so I am going to see if I can get a sample somehow.

Carpet Lounge

So as I was looking through some of the websites I found when I was originally doing research came across Felipe Zanardi's Carpet-lounge on The Home Rejuvenation Blog. It's made with MDF boards which are attached with zippers and velcro is also used. I'll admit I was a little dissapointed when I saw it because it looked like some of my sketches and ideas. The writer of the Home Rejuvenation Blog also noticed that it is similar to the flying carpet rug too. Anyways, I do think my ideas are moving away from these two carpet/lounge pieces and I do want to make something portable. I like the simplicity of this piece though and that it can be made completely flat so that it is a more traditional rug, versus the flying carpet which is in that permanent shape. I wonder how comfotable these carpet/lounge pieces are...I would love to be able to see them in person and try them out. Anyways, if you want to check out Felipe Zanardi's website go to: http://www.felipezanardi.com/

Knotted Netting

Last night the demo with Anne on netting was really fun. I enjoyed looking at the baskets that she brought in and the bait bags from the lobster traps in Maine that she collects when they wash up on the shore. I think that there are so many possibilities with the netting. I think that I am going to have to do some experiments with that. I was thinking that it could be really great as a framework for something to be woven through like the chicken wire I have been working with. I was also thinking that there would be ways to create sections that look like fringe. I played with some pink yarn, purple cord, and black gimp last night. Anne said they have some great colors of clothes line at Home Depot that would work well for netting. I think that the netting could also look really great with knitting and that it would be pretty easy to transition from one to the other if you hung the loops from the net on the knitting machine, or also went through them with your knitting needles and started adding into it. I am planning on working on the knitting machine during the later part of the week during Spring Break. I am also going to look into resins and try hardening some of my samples. I was thinking that once hardened I could also make a transition into a softer knit. I'm excited at the possibilities.

Demos

Yesturdays demos were really exciting. The thermochromic, photochromic, and conductive inks were so cool. I especially liked the inks that disappeared when they got hot, and I think the glow in the dark inks were actually very beautiful. I'm not sure how some of this stuff will fit in with what I want to do but it was fun to try out and to keep in mind for future projects as well. I am starting to work on my silkscreen design too. I'm also excited for the netting/knotting and basket weaving demos next week. I'm thinking those techniques could be really interesting for non-traditional uses. I also made a blog today for my work in general...so far I've been able to get up some of my old work but that's about it. If you want to check it out the link is:
http://beccatwood.blogspot.com/

Early sketches

Shape Studies

Here are some of the shape studies I made.

Update

I experimented a bit with Illustator to create some shapes and patterns which I then printed out and have been cutting up and folding. This is definitly giving me some ideas about potential folding forms. I've also continued to work on my chicken wire samples. Unfortunatly I'm having some trouble uploading my pictures of the shape studies and my sketches to the blog. I will definitly put them up when the problem's solved. I've also been thinking a lot about keeping the forms light and airy and I think I definitly need to look into resins, lamination, etc. I was thinking that maybe part of what I make could be hardened somehow to support the back of a person sitting, be used as a table, and also roll the rest of the textile into for transportation. I was thinking it could be a nice transition to have something flow into a blanket. I'm still thinking about the 2 sides as well being cushioney and then maybe more of a mat on one side...and maybe also a third layer that is laser cut as a light weight blanket. I feel a bit like I'm jumping all over the place as there are so many things I want to try. I'm looking forward to class tomorrow with the screen printing and all the new dyes. I'm planning on bringing in my sketches and samples so I can talk through some ideas.

Sampling samples

I finished knitting one sample that was inspired by pine cones and pine needles. I've also been working with the chicken wire and old t-shirts. I started weaving the off white t-shirt strip through a length of the chicken wire (and realized maybe I should have started out with smaller samples but oh well!). I also started another sample with the chicken wire doubled up to see how much more strength that gives it (the blue sample). I am concerned that I won't be able to get something that is supportive enough to bend into a shape that someone can lean against without a wall behind them. I will need to finish these samples to get a better idea about that. I think though that once I really build up the surface I'll be able to create some really interesting textures and patterns. I wanted to take a picture of the chicken wire samples now because I do like the shapes that are being created with the hexagonal wire and the criss-crossing cotton. I don't think that I would leave any wire like that when using the chicken wire because it is sharp but maybe if it was thin laser cut wood in hexagonal shapes that then there was weaving (and probably not t-shirts haha) it would be really beautiful. I'm also thinking coating fabrics in resin might be something to look into more.

Farm Designs

Another website I had to visit after flipping through Dwell was http://www.farmdesigns.co.uk/ Giles Miller is doing some amazing things with corrugated cardboard...including making laptob cases and furniture. Unfortunatly I couldn't pull any images off of the site, but you should check it out. He is working with a process of "fluting" which means he is alternating the angle of the corrugation in the cardboard to create different patterns and shades in the surface of the objects he is creating. Also on the same website you can find Sebastian Hejna's "rocker" which is a piece of furniture based off of a surfboard. Looks like an interesting group of designers.

Snowflake wonderland

I saw this installation by Markis Wilkar and Iikka Airas called Camouflage in this month's Dwell magazine. It was from Helsinki's Design week, and more information can be found at www.helsinkidesignweek.com. It reminds me of some of the paper cut outs that I had done last year, and has got me thinking about laser cutting again.

Floor to Heaven

I had to check out floortoheaven.com after seeing an advertisement in the magazine Selvedge: The Fabric of Your Life. I was looking in their "wellbeing issue" from January that I found in the library. On their website I found this "woolen wood." From the picture I thought it was actually wood rectangles, but I think it's actually a carpet. They have some other rugs that look like they have really interesting textures.

Abigail Ahern

These merino wool floor cushions from Abigain Ahern are pretty cool. Her website is www.atelierabigailahern.com

Pine cones

This week I was thinking about pine cones, and what it might look like if you could unroll one into a flat piece. I was thinking this could be an interesting idea for a mat. I did a few sketches and I will need to do some paper cut outs to experiment with the form. I had been playing around a bit just with a strip of paper in an accordian fold and trying to see what possibilities there was for movement with a very simple form like that. With the pine cone idea maybe I could create pieces that could detach and reattach to different areas depending on the shape desired. I also started hand knitting a sample thinking of the idea of pine cones and pine needles on the floor of a forest. I will post a picture of that soon.

Carpet Furniture

Andrea Zittel's work, found at http://www.zittel.org/, is pretty interesting. I was particularly intrigued by her A-Z Carpet Furniture which she describes on her website as "luxurious, easy to store and versatile. One room can serve several functions and the furniture can be hung on the wall when not in use." I like the idea that it can be hung on the wall when not in use. I'll have to think about this as well, and other options for what to do when not using the piece. One of my concerns with developing this is how heavy it will be and if I'll be able to make something compace enough to travel, while still having the qualities I want. I've been doing sketches and will post those when I'm home and can use a scanner.

Chicken wire and old t-shirts

Yesturday I got some chicken wire to experiment weaving different materials through. I figured I'd cut it up into some smaller pieces to do some samples with. I also was talking to my mom that suggested I take old t-shirts and try weaving that in. If you cut the bottom around the edge and tear in a circular motion you can get really long strips. I started tearing up some old big t-shirts yesturday, but unfortunatly haven't gotten a chance yet to start playing with the chicken wire. I think the t-shirts could be a good idea, and I like that they are being reused. We usually just tear them up and use them for rags when they get old. I know there are other materials that I could use, like plastic bags, that would be recycling. I'll have to see what that looks like though because I'm not sure that it is really what I'm looking for.

Knit one, pearl two

This is a picture of one of my sculptural knit pieces that I did this fall. I really enjoyed letting the knit transform into something unexpected. I was thinking that this could be an interesting place to play with lighting, as it is hanging...but the structure of it might be something that I could use as cushioning in a mat. I will have to do some more knitting with this in mind. Maybe there could be another layer that woven, laminated, and laser cut that knits poke out of. Maybe there is a knit layer for relaxing on...I like the idea of a chair that is like a big sweater.

Carla Fernandez

I got the book Fashioning Fabrics: Contemporary Textiles in Fashion by Sandy Black earlier this year and was flipping through it tonight because I thought I remembered seeing a dress in it that turned into bedding. It was Carla Fernandez's "blanket dress." Carla Fernandez is "bridging the gap between traditional Mexican communities and the world of high fashion" accoding to Zuki Turner. Her design studio is called Flora 2. I think Fernandez is very interesting because she is working towards "ethical, fair-trade solutions." She focuses on the "environment, recycling a variety of found objects from plastic tableclothis to taxi seat covers, and creating coats from blankets and sleeves from rubber tires." The pictures are of her blanket dress from 2004 which is made of hand-woven wool. Unfortunatly, I couldn't find too much about her on the web, but I'll keep my eyes open because she seems like a really interesting artist.

Nomadic Furniture

Yesturday, in an avalanche of rain, I went to the library to return a few books and do a little research. While there I found the book Nomadic Furniture 2 by James Hennessey and Victor Papanek. It's from 1974 and the pages remind me a bit of a coloring book, with hand written text. I took the book out because it has some very basic ideas that might be useful in getting started...and also because it made me laugh. I included a picture of the introduction page, because it has some interesting information on how many times people relocate from the time. I wonder what the startistics are now, I've heard that the average person moves 11 times in their lifetime. If you start counting things like moving to different locations in the same city though it really could be quite high. Maybe I'll look into that more. Anyways, on page 103 they have "Mattress Roll-ups and Fold-ups" which has very basic illustrations of a rolled up piece of foam, and another of 3 pieces of foam, covered in canvas and sewn to create hinges. It's all pretty basic but reminds me of the fold-ups we used to have as kids and would make forts out of. This might be something I could use in a new and improved way, we'll see.

Forest Roll

Tanya Aguiniga's (Aguiniga Design) created this "forest roll" which looks pretty cool. It all rolls up so that it looks like a log. She got her masters in Furniture Design at RISD a few years ago. Her website is www.aguinigadesign.com and she has some other interesting products as well. What I like most about this piece is the idea of a transformation taking place, from a log to a forest floor. I want the compact version of my textile to be interesting, and easy to carry too. I am going to start doing some drawings.