What do you make from fabric yarn?

So I've found a couple of ways to make yarn from fabric, but "what", I can hear you say, "do you do with it?"

You knit dishcloths from the woven cotton fabric. They work really well, but not so easy to squeeze dry....still working on them!

Knitting dishcloths from fabric yarn.

My first dishcloth!

You stitch and use lazy squaw stitch to make little baskets to hold those errant keys!

Little bowls from fabric yarn and fabric strips.

Lovely little fabric bowl.

And you make coasters from the knit fabric which work really well and you knit more dishcloths.

More dishcloths and stitched coasters.

A finished coaster

And, what is it all for? To start my next sculpture! This is my prototype started!

My next sculpture!

Making yarn from fabric - explorations

What's a useful way of making yarn out of fabric? That was the question first put to the test in my month long stay at the Project Space.

I used a roller cutter and tore the fabric. The roller cutter was good for 1cm wide cutting and for cutting knit fabric. Tearing was very therapeutic and gave a really good edge. I explored only 1 and 2cm wide fabric, but might expand that to 3cm for my final project. Nice size for knitting and for small basketry.

Fabric cut into strips and joined

To create continuous yarn, I have spun the yarn, picking up strips when another ran out. I created a very thick chunky and satisfying yarn out of 4 lengths at a time, 1cm wide...colour co-ordinated, of course!

Handspun yarn from fabric strips

I found a way, can't remember where, of joining strips of fabric, by cutting a slit, in each end, and threading two strips through the slit on the first and then through itself, no knots. I've also spun the resulting strips and plyed them together.

Joined fabric lengths, twisted and plied

All sorts of yarns were created, and I think I now have a workable knowledge of fabric yarn. Lots left unanswered, but let's tick it off the list anyway.

tsbtextile in the project space at the Textile Art Community

Oh boy, yes I know it's been awhile....so I'm not going to fill you in! :) I'm going to tell you about what I'm doing in September at the Textile Art Community where I have a studio till the end of October.

My studio, after I moved in...it's still tidy!

The Textile Art Community now has a project space and a workshop space. The project space is where an artist can have the month to work on a project or idea. The first month was August and Karma, Samy and Gail worked on Hessiats.

Ready for the celebration party, hats, scarves and more!

September is me! I'm going to be playing with fabric, making it into yarn and using the resulting yarn in basketweaving. A bit of research into techniques and possibilities. I do have a final project in mind, but more on that another time.

The first week was a bit slow as I went with my dad to the Degas exhibition. A great day on a day I would usually be working. 

Beautiful statues at the Degas Exhibition at the NGV

I have made a start and created some yarn and knit a little dishcloth.

Fabric yarn, cut, spun and plied. The knitting is fun!

As part of the project I have to run some workshops, so on the next two weeks, I'll be holding a make fabric yarn and make it into a dishcloth or coasters, and then I'll follow that up with making little bowls, when there will also be a party. These will be on Saturday the 17th and 24th from 1.30 till 4.30pm. Check my TSBtextile page on facebook for details.

And finally, I'm going to set up my display with fabric plinths. I've started but still have a little way to go.

My first fabric plinth!

Will work hard next week. Come and visit and see how I'm going. I'll be there Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, just give me a call!

Tactile - A community collaboration

As part of having a studio at Waterdale road has been my involvement with the Textile Art Community. For most of this year we've been working to an exhibition which has highlighted the involvement of the wider community and utilised materials that other people think of as rubbish. I've co-ordinated a weaving project and there have been a series of other projects. Our opening was last Thursday and a great success with the resulting works looking great in the gallery space, works from each of the co-ordinating artists and a live dance performance.

Speeches were short and sweet! The wonderful Gail, the inspiration for the project and her community tree.

Our dancers...their feathers are cut up milk bottles, and music composed by another community participant

Lots of lovely weavers worked on my piece, only a little of my weaving.

I learnt lace making! There's one I never thought I'd get to, but thanks to a Saturday workshop, conducted on a Tuesday, I learnt a little bobbin lace.

 

The exhibition continues at the Darebin Arts and Entertainment Centre, and, we're going to be continuing the workshops. So for more information see the Textile Art Community Facebook page.

Sock Madness 10 - waiting for Round 6

Ok, I made it through Round 5 and am waiting for Round 6, ANY MINUTE NOW! This means that I'm in the last 10 for my team and only ONE will go through to Round 7.  There are several fast knitters in my group, should be fun.

Here are my socks up to this point for Sock Madness 10. One theme peeking through is me running out of yarn, for no good reason.....

Not another Mystery KAL!

As I seem to be spending my time today doing anything but important things that do need doing, I might as well add in a blog entry, for good measure.

My wasting time project is the HWSG Mystery Knit A-Long that has been divulged over the last four Treadles newsletters. You can catch up with others that are also participating, at Ravelry on the Guild's Forum.

I'm not usually very good at the KAL's as I either run out of time or enthusiasm, but I've decided to do this one with the dual purpose of supporting this lovely effort and making a blanket for my oldest son.

So far I've completed the first three along with two filler squares. I'm using blue for the pattern squares and brown for the fillers, all from stash. Yet another attempt to stash bust!

So, today I finished the second brown square for last month and have now started this month's square. Called 'Sea of Cables' it gives me a good chance to practice cabling without a cable needle. It is possible. Here's a video to show you how. Isn't it wonderful what you can learn on the net, though I did learn how to the old-fashioned way, in a class. 

Catching a train tomorrow, so more knitting!

Discoveries in books and knitting

I had a week of finding some new books, among them was the following small volume;

It contains lots of patterns with delightfully difficult names like Aggregation, Anfractuous, Phyllotaxy. They all refer to different patterns found in nature.

I've had this idea of using knitting to respond to the world around me and being so taken with this book I've decided to have a go. The first pattern is Agglomeration which refers to two things not totally mixing.

 This is the first pattern I've tried. One of the difficulties is finding the right size of the pattern. It's about 7cm square, which is about enough to do in a day, if required. It might mean that you could knit en plein aire.

More of this to come.