Trying to Figure Out Where This Is All Going, and How I’m Going to Get There in 5 Months
Reflecting on some of the past week’s work as we head into the final weeks of the semester for my thesis.
I attended a knitting show this week.
This week I attended Vogue Knitting Live. This was part research part attempt at getting some inspiration for techniques and knitting methods. My hope is to use some of what I learned in a design for a final deliverable.
One of the interesting things that I noticed across all the workshops I attended was that this particular audience skewed older.
From what I could see the audience was mostly female.
The things I found the most interesting were the lectures. One was about knitting myths and legends and it dispelled a lot of stories that have been circulating, mostly around the Vikings and the prominence of Aran sweaters, but it also touched upon the sweater curse and other notable legends.
Another lecture I attended was about fiber mills with Sarah Solomon, a knitwear designer who works with Harrisville Designs in New Hampshire. She talked through how she went about designing her projects using a yarn-first approach. It really struck me how much knitting pattern design could be a subset of human-centered design.
It crystalized this thought for me that no matter what I create I still had to teach someone else to do it.
Other Things I Did This Week:
- I began processing what we learned last week into a research plan.
- I set up a Calendly account to use as I reach out to potential stakeholders
- Blocked a shawl
- Finishing knitting a three-year-old sweater
- Began weaving in the ends of a sock yarn blanket.
- Ordered and received 24 samples of fiber(approximately 1oz each) in a mixture of plant-based and wool fibers
Plan for Next Week:
- Continue reading
- Spin 5 samples on a drop spindle with conductive yarn
- Knit two swatches and attempt to light them up using a simple switch
- Finish a hat I started knitting
- Seam the sweater that I finally finished! (YAY!)
- Finish the Spring Cleaning Shawl I intend to give as a gift
- Knit a bunch of baby hats
Some Thoughts I Had This Week
- It took going to a color theory lecture to realize that I have a skill people desire and that many people want for free, and yet there was an a la carte fee for this lecture.
- There’s an entire industry dedicated to selling Aran sweater patterns that are branded as being traditional Irish family patterns to Americans. Damn, we are gullible.
- Damn, I was a masochist in 2012! Look at how short some of these ends are.
- I’m not sure I’ve ever worked with a woolen yarn before. I am curious about the process, but I know I probably can’t afford that equipment and likely don’t have someone who is as obsessed with fiber to help me out.
- The Michael’s store near me has tarot and lunar magic books available for purchase. This suggest to me that there is a demand amongst the crafting community for magic and meaningful work.
Some Thoughts On My Final Deliverables
I’ve been thinking a lot about what my final deliverables will be after seeing the thesis timeline in class last week and I think that my final deliverables may need to be two-fold.
- I want to create an online catalogue that explores my process and experimentation in creating my own yarn. It will also include elements like knot theory, and even some charts that could include sacred geometry.
- An art piece or pieces that uses the techniques found in the archive that will be on display or worn around somewhere.
