Knitting has quickly emerged as one of the premier creative pastimes, from making pajamas for elephants to appearing on Project Runway season six, making its mark in fashion world.
Drain employs knitting and crochet in his extensive sculptural practice to explore craft history, contemporary culture and technology – such as by creating sweaters that feature patterns resembling 1980s video game imagery.
Knitting
Knitting, the craft of fiber art, involves manipulating two long needles and an interlocking stretch of yarn into interlocking loops that eventually form textiles. Knitting can be an immensely satisfying hobby that allows you to craft clothing, blankets, and accessories of every description–from cozy sweaters to intricate shawls!
Knitting is an accessible skill to master with just a bit of practice, and once you master the basic stitches you can explore more complex stitch patterns. Alongside classic knit and purl stitches, there are additional textures such as ribbing, cables, and even lacework which add texture to your projects. Also available are techniques such as fair isle, intarsia, and stranded knitting which add colourwork into your creations.
Knitted fabric stands out from its counterparts due to its inherent structural integrity. While woven fabrics tend to be thin and flexible, knitted garments can have dense structures which gives them their signature look and feel; making them suitable for creating sturdy bags, baskets or amigurumi toys.
Knitting has been around for millennia, though its exact invention remains a mystery. Early knitted items were mostly functional such as socks and hats; by the Middle Ages a more refined form had emerged; guilds were formed and wealthy classes often wore garments hand knitted by artisans in guilds.
Knitting has experienced a recent renaissance of popularity and respectability. No longer considered just for housewives, knitting has now become a trendy hobby that many are using to express their creative side and artistic skills. From crocheted cacti to colorful hats to intricately-patterned sweaters and shawls – there’s something for everyone when it comes to knitting or crocheting!
Knitting may seem tedious or time-consuming to some people, while for others it can be therapeutic and meditative – it is no wonder then that knitting has grown increasingly popular among young people and that there are even Instagram accounts dedicated to knitting with thousands of followers!
Knitting has long been used as a form of social activism. Brooklyn artist Rachel Jackson often incorporates images of nature and joy into her knitted pieces that she refers to as “non-traumatized objects”, alludeing to its healing powers.
Margaret Wertheim of American crocheter and designer Margaret Wertheim has used her skills to explore complex mathematical concepts like hyperbolic planes through crochet coral patterns she calls’math art.’ Additionally, Wertheim uses her work to advocate for more women entering STEM fields, saying her aim is “making the world a better place with yarn and creativity”. It’s hard to argue against that statement!
Crocheting
Knitting involves manipulating two long needles with yarn to form interlocking loops that eventually make up fabric, while crochet is a relatively simple art form that uses just one hook and yarn, creating intricate yet beautiful textures and patterns.
Knitting and crochet are great crafts to relax with while relieving stress; both offer you something portable that you can take with you anywhere! Both hobbies require some level of skill but provide hours of creative fun – socks or mittens, accessories, stuffed animals… the list goes on. Both crafts require time commitment but provide great stress-relief opportunities! Plus they’re easily portable!
Knitting and crochet share many similarities, yet have some distinct distinctions. Knitted fabric can stretch in both directions due to the way stitches are formed whereas crochet doesn’t lend itself as well to flexibility due to how its stitches are assembled.
Another key distinction between knitting and crochet lies in their final products’ aesthetic. Knitting tends to result in garments, while crochet creates more rustic pieces such as hats or blankets.
Beginner knitters typically opt for wool fiber because of its smooth surface and hardiness. Acrylic yarn can also be worked easily but is less durable. Cotton is best avoided as its slippery nature makes controlling your knitting difficult.
Although both knitting and crocheting can be completed manually, there are various tools that make the task much simpler, including knitting boards, looms, and professional-quality machines. Although these may not be used on a domestic scale, these professional machines make learning to crochet much faster; and best of all they are relatively affordable without taking up much space in your craft room!
Weaving
Weaving is one of the oldest yarn crafts. This process entails interlacing two sets of threads or yarn made of fiber to produce fabric. Lengthwise threads, known as warp yarns, and crosswise ones known as weft yarns form two loom beams that must remain taut before weft threads can be interlaced over and under them to produce desired fabric patterns.
Weaving is one of the most efficient textile arts, requiring relatively little yarn per square inch of cloth produced. As such, it has long been favored by clothing manufacturers who can produce lightweight yet durable garments at an extremely reasonable cost using this method. Weaving can be done on various looms such as table looms and rigid heddle looms; in addition to clothing production weavers also produce rugs, curtains, wall hangings, as well as other forms of textile art.
There is an impressive variety of yarn fibers available for weaving projects, which will impact drape, texture and durability of your project. This guide can assist in selecting the ideal yarn fibers to choose for your project and understand their effect on final result.
Selecting the ideal yarn for your project is key to creating something beautiful and long-lasting. Your yarn choice will influence both weight and drape of your finished piece, while selecting an inappropriate one could result in unattractive lumpy fabric that doesn’t have an even surface or drape.
Early examples of woven fabrics date back to prehistoric times. Woven garments were initially constructed using materials readily available in nature such as reeds and sticks; later cotton and silk became preferred materials for crafting garments.
As weaving became more widespread, it evolved into an intricate form of artistic expression. Weaving can serve as an effective form of meditation; often done in silence or with soothing music playing in the background; this allows the mind to settle into an internal rhythm which can help ease physical and mental stress.
Weaving can be an effective therapy tool for those living with anxiety or depression. Studies have revealed how weaving can reduce stress levels and promote relaxation while providing opportunities for socialization and community building. Furthermore, its soothing qualities have proven highly successful at treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
As well as being a relaxing and therapeutic activity, weaving can also serve as an educational tool. Students can learn the elements of computational thinking such as decomposition, representation, pattern recognition and debugging by translating knitting patterns to pseudocode or computer algorithms; weaving also opens doors into cultural traditions as many ethnic groups have their own woven traditions.