Constructed Fabrication: Knitted Processes

Constructed Fabrication

Knitted Processes

Mylinh Nguyen

Woven Textiles

Constructed Fabrication

Knitted Processes

Mylinh Nguyen

Woven Textiles

PhotographyLuke AR Hamblin

ModelAdele Deacon

Hair & Make UpBecky Howie

Acknowledgements

Rachael DriverSimon Driver

Dr. Patrick DyerDr. Vikki Haffenden

toni hicksKirsty McDougallJasmine NichollsElinor Pierce

For their support and specialist technical expertise contributed towards ‘knitted processes’

Introduction

‘Constructed Fabrication’ is an explorative investi-gation into how the boundaries of woven fabrics can be extended. Working within an armature of loom based woven materials the research explores the boundaries of woven fabric and textile design. Focusing on key questions surrounding established practices - what are the perceived limitations of woven fabric/design? Is there any room left for innovation within loom based weave design? The work amalgamates alternate craft practices into the woven designs with the intention to further our understanding of woven fabric. The aim is to renew and revive traditional weaving techniques to form a new approach to the craft and to explore the potential of collaborative creative practices. In order to achieve this, there has been a re-evaluation and reinterpretation of traditional textiles skills in conjunction with craft techniques, and materials.

Knitted Processes

This booklet will outline the explorative development researched into the amalgamation of the combination of the two textile craft techniques, weaving and knitting.

1. Make a slip knot on the needle. Wrap the yarn from the ball around the left thumb, as shown, then grasp the yarn firmly be-tween the palm and fingers.

2. Turn your thumb, so that the back of it is facing you; insert the nee-dle front to back through the loop that is formed by twisting the thumb.

3. Slip your thumb out of the loop, at the same time pulling the yarn downwards to close the loop around the needle. Re-peat steps 2 and 3.

4. Transfer the needle with stitches to the left hand and extend your in-dex finger slightly, pull-ing the yarn behind the needle. Push the first stitch up neat the tip.

5. Twist the right needle and pull the tip under the yarn to draw the loop through the stitch. At the same time, push the stitch on the left needle towards the tip.

6. Allow the first stitch to slide off the left nee-dle. The new stitch will remain on the right needle. Re-peat steps 4 to 6, until the desired width is reached.

Knitting step by step instructions

7.Once the desired length is reached, the knitted fabric needs to be cast off. Work 2 stitches at the beginning of the row, insert the left nee-dle in the first stitch and pull the first stitch over the second one and off the needle. Work the next stitch and continue. Once finished, to secure the yarn end, slip it through the last stitch and pull to tighten the loop.

8. Remove sections of the warp on the loom and replace with the knitted fabric, which will essentially act as one large warp yarn. Us-ing a needle weave the weft yarn through the cast on section of the knitted fab-ric to secure it in place.

9. Weave the fabric as nor-mal, apart from when the weft yarn reaches the knitted sec-tion. Catch the side of the knitted fabric with the weft yarn, using a needle and loop through. Repeat until the length is complete. Once finished weave the weft yarn through the cast off sec-tion of the knitted fabric.

a section of the warp was knitted before being woven into the fabric

fabric composition: 100% merino wool, rowan super soft pure wool dk

Supersoft lambswool & merino pure wool woven & knitted top3 weeks & 3 day

Weaving with the knitting latch-hook needle

1. Using a block thread up on the loom, allowed floats to be produced in the woven fabric.

2. as the fabric was be-ing woven on the loom, a knitting latch-hook needle was used to latch 1 float on to another to create a knitted ladder effect.

floats woven across sections of the fabric. each float was then latch-hooked up to the next float above.

fabric composition: 100% supersoft lambswool 2/17nm

Supersoft lambswool & polyester woven top with latch-hooking detail2 weeks & 1 day

Combining the use of the domestic knitting machine with a woven fabric

1. Once the fabric is woven, it is then trans-ferred to a domes-tic knitting machine. The yarn is cast on to the bed by e-wrapping it on to the needles.

2. 3 rows of stitches are knitted and then the woven fabric is latched on to the knitting bed. Once latched, the de-sired about of rows are knitted and then the woven is latched on to the bed again. This pro-cess is then repeat-ed. Weights are used to weigh both the knit-ted and woven fabric down. When finished the knitted fabric is then cast off the machine.

a base fabric was intially woven on the loom. the fabric was then transferred to a domestic single bed knitting machine. to create the cable knit, 6 rows of stitches were knitted at tension 4, the tension was then increased to 10, which allowed 3 stitches to be transferred across each other. the tension was then changed back to 4 and 6 more rows of stitches knitted. the knitted fabric was then latched on to the woven fabric and then knitted to-

gether. the process was then repeated.

fabric composition: 100% supersoft lambswool 2/17nm

100% Supersoft lambswool woven top with cable knit detail2 days

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