Tag: resists

“Kushu Kushu” merino & silk stainless steel scarf

I’m mesmerized by the cones of yarn from HABU textiles.  Silk stainless, paper moire, paper linen and tsumugi silk to name a few.  Kushu Kushu merino and silk stainless scarf  designed by Setsuko Torii, uses four different needle sizes which explores the effects of tension and gauge within the design. The co-mingling of the silk merino and silk stainless steel begin the scarf, while the silk stainless steel stands alone at the other end of the scarf.

The pattern  consists of a numbering system familiar to Japanese knitters.  The numbering system produces a straight-forward schematic, thus eliminating questionable interpretations associated with writtern instructions.

After knitting the scarf, I incorporated wooden beads secured with silicone rubberbands for resists,  and lightly fulled the scarf by hand.

Kushu Kushu scarfThe subtle dimensionality adds interest to the delicate appearance of the scarf.

Anemone

After knitting a scarf in garter stitch with Kauni’s 140Effektgarn www.kauni.com, using a size 10-1/2 needle, I decided to add wooden beads of various sizes for resists.  After the fulling process, I was amazed at the sculptural piece of textile that emerged.  Upon removing the wooden beads, random  tops of the indivdual sculptures were cut-off. The frayed edges and openings add depth to the dimensionality of the felted textile. The randomness of resistance paired with the openness of the piece invites the admirer to look beneath the surface.

Manipulating the piece to visually examine the change of surface, triggered a memory.  The act of looking, color and dimensionality brought back memories of exploring the coastline in Northern California with my daughter. While the opening and closing of sea anemones kept rhythm with the in and out of the tide, we climbed on the frayed edges of rocks searching for jellyfish, sand crabs and shells amongst beds of kelp.