Stream of consciousness knitting

I have been trying to think of a way to describe what I call 'stream of consciousness' knitting. 

I first used the term to describe the way I was knitting the abstract uterus which eventually became one of the soft sculptures in 'All the babies I might have had':

Knitted uterus, 2011, wool

Work in progress

The knitted web was 165cm in diameter at it's widest point 

                                                        Knitted uterus, 2011, detail 

I used double pointed needles and knitted a series of holes radiating out from the central point. Knitting with only one colour emphasised the process and made me very aware of what I was doing;  I had no pattern, a few rules, made decisions as I knitted and the design developed as the piece grew. The structure mirrored the process and was organic, cellular, reminding me of binary fission.

        

 Knitted uterus, 2011, wool

The knitting was 165cm in diameter at it's widest point before felting.   

Another important aspect of the 'stream of consciousness' for me is where I knit. 

Because I like to create large pieces, I knit wherever and whenever I can; in pubs and cafes, in queues, on the beach, on buses and trains, at festivals and concerts and even on the ski slope! The response to my public knitting is astonishing and provokes many conversations. 

The fact that this particular piece is web like in structure is pertinent. I have researched the work of other artists and ideas around the memory of cloth and I like to think of my knitting as a ‘memory catcher’, with those encounters and conversations somehow becoming part of its fabric. Knitting a uterus in public as a response to issues around infertility is inevitably very poignant. 

I am also interested in the links with women in mythology and textile processes -The Fates spinning the thread of life,  Penelope weaving by day and unravelling by night etc- and the power that those processes bring.

All the babies I might have had, June 2011, detail

Diptych of 2 soft sculptures

Hand knitted, felted abstract uterus suspended in front of a canvas pregnant torso

I realise in retrospect that I have knitted as a stream of consciousness for many years. Knitting is very repetitive, stitch by stitch and row by row, and without the constraints of a pattern I find that I very quickly become absorbed in the flow of the piece. I have just this week discovered Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and his studies of happiness and creativity and feel that what he describes as flow resonates strongly with my 'stream of consciousness' knitting. 

Table runner, July 2011

Work in progress

Bamboo

Psychedelic sunset wall hanging 2010, detail

Hand knitted felt diptych

                                                             100cm x 255cm approx.

Wavy cardigan Aug 2008, detail 

Hand knitted in cotton

Waves vessel, 2011

Hand knitted  felt

Red tree trunk sculpture 2010

Hand knitted felt

Ripples, 2010, detail

Hand knitted felt

Patchwork fields, 2008, detail

Hand knitted felt appliquéd onto machine knitted felt and stuffed

Seascape wall hanging, detail, before felting 2009

Hand knitted waves

3D knitting and soft sculpture

                                                                           
                                                                            Beach

                                                                          
                                                                         Waves

                                                                            
                                                                          Fields

                                                                        
                                                                         Sunset


I'm planning to revisit my experiments with 3D hand knitted felt over the summer. See some more photos of my work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/25094859@N05/sets/72157627116070048/
I want to see if it's possible to create larger sculptural work in felted knitting. Here are two of my recent experiments:

                                                  
                                                   Red tree trunk , knitted felt June 2010


The design was based on the red bark of a Chinese birch tree. It was knitted with circular needles and I was very pleased that once it was felted it was free standing!

                                                      Sea vessel, knitted felt April 2011


I am intrigued by the vivid and changing colours of the sea and have tried to capture them using various media over the years. I knitted this with circular and double pointed needles. It is also free standing. Both are about 20cm tall.


For some reason I like the challenge of a self supporting structure but I found it interesting using tension to create form with felted knitting for my recent installation, 'All the babies I might have had':

 All the babies I might have had June 2011, diptych of soft sculptures, felted knitting, canvas, zip


It was very time consuming to set up but very effective! 


It was also very thought provoking.

About me

                                           
                                           'All the babies I might have had', June 2011
                                                 An installation with two soft sculptures; 
      a hand knitted, felted uterus suspended in front of a stuffed canvas pregnant torso, with a zip


My first post on my new blog and I'm feeling rather self conscious....


My art background is in textiles; I designed and made my own clothes and have knitted garments for years and then I discovered textile art..... 


I have subsequently explored three dimensional textile techniques extensively; in knitting to take advantage of the natural form that comes with felting and in machine embroidery using dense stitching. Colour, pattern and texture are important to me. I enjoy experimentation. I like to learn a technique in order to break the rules. Part time courses and one day workshops in textile processes over the past few years have increased my skills base dramatically. 


I've just finished a 2 year part time Art Foundation Diploma at Bristol School of Art during which I have discovered a new way of working with textiles, a dark side, which has enabled me to create thought provoking and somewhat disturbing work with a strong conceptual element and a fine art bias.  'All the babies I might have had' was my final piece. 

                                          
                                                        My imaginary friend Nov 2010
                                                              Crazy patchwork shroud  
                          My discarded clothing, zips, stitch; installed covering a mannequin

                                                  My imaginary friend Nov 2010, detail

                   'No animals have been harmed in the making of this garment' June 2010

                 Disembowelled cuddly animals appliquéd and re stuffed on a fake fur coat 

                                               
                                              'The parts I'd like to remove' January 2011
                                      Canvas with appliquéd and stuffed fabric samples, 
                                        maps and anatomy textbook pages, stitch, zip


I am intrigued by the alchemy of many textile processes and I am particularly interested in the interface between textile art and fine art. I'm planning to start a degree in Drawing and Applied arts at UWE, Bristol in September. Very exciting.