Inspiration: MissPrint

MissPrint are a duo that design and produce a collection of designs for use towards wallpapers, fabrics and interior items. All design start out as hand drawings, taking inspiration from their surroundings, such as nature set into an urban surrounding. Their products are design and made with the environment in mind, working to create as little negative impact as possible.

Website: MissPrint

Development: Foiled Knit

From using screen printing techniques such as foiling and flocking on normal fabric, I decided to try them on the knitted surface. Pulling the glue through a screen created a very fine effect on the surface, so there was only small amounts for the foil or flock to stick. However, if I painted it on by hand it created a better surface of glue on the stitches for the techniques to be applied.

I also tried forming patterns, such as stripes shown here. 

Inspiration: Alexander McQueen Prints

Found inspiration in the reflective nature of fashion house Alexander McQueen's prints. As well as the bright and bold use of colour.

Development: Knit Overlay

To add to the patchwork print ideas, I toyed with bringing in over layer to it by overlaying a cut-out section of knit from some the exploration photography I did at the beginning of the project.

I then tried repeating them & found that one form worked a lot better than the other.

I like the abstract look of the repeat of this print, taken inspiration from Alexander MCQueen's fashion prints.

Development: Patchwork

Taking inspiration from Squint Textiles, I began to select certain areas from the flat, relief designs I had done. As well as using my starting point, exploration knit photography as well as my sketches. Building up different designs to create a digital patchwork.

With these designs, I took them to try out digital printing on to cotton using the pigment printer so my designs were printed straight on to the fabric.

I also began to play around to with repeating my designs in different ways and altering the size of the repeat tile.

Inspiration: Squint Textiles

Squint Textiles is an London based, independent design company that creates these beautiful, bespoke interior pieces. I found this modern & contemporary approach to a patch-work effect of different colours and prints very appealing. Also the way they have applied it to a variety of surfaces.

Website: Squint Textiles Limited

Development: Laser Cutting

From drawing out knit patterns by hand, I knew the patterns within the structure were the same shapes repeated over and over. So I set about creating line drawings of the repeated shapes digitally, looking at different kinds of shapes. This made them very orderly and uniform, like the stitches of the knit samples I had done on the domestic knitter, as apposed to knitting my hand. 

With these repeated shapes, I decided to try cutting them out of different papers using the laser cutter, which was a new technique in my work. Being a fan of paper cut art as it was but use to doing it by hand this was an exciting new development for me!

After my pieces were cut, I experimented with layering up the laser cuts over the top of knit samples, photos and knitting pattern instructions I had collected throughout my research, to different flat print designs, almost patch working them together.

Exploration: Colour Trends: Trend Bible

I researched into trends and colour palettes by looking at Trend Bible.

Website: Trend Bible Blog

Exploration: Colour Ideas

Personally, I am always drawn towards bright colours. When I've been looking around different stores and knit-ware for interiors tends to follow the trend of natural or neutral colours. So I wanted to work with bright colours of yarn and areas of print. So I began to build a collection of colours from looking at trend boards and their colour palettes.

Website: Design Seeds

Exploring Knit: Drawing

Following on from creating different knit samples, I took to capturing the shape and structure of the knit by sketching. Looking at how the yarn loops over itself and using different ways of capturing the look of knit, from line drawings to repeat stamp patterns.

Inspiration: Melanie Porter

Found inspiration for interior pieces in Melanie Porter's work. She uses hand-prepared British wool that she dyes into rich, stunning colours. To then felt & knitted to create chunky & contemporary fabrics which then get transformed into beautiful.

Re - Knitted Garments

As a development to knitting some old garments by cutting them into strips, I decided to try knitting them by keeping the garment whole or keeping the knit attached to a recognisable piece of the garment. Knitting the garments adjusted their original shape and size, reducing the overall size.

Inspiration: Claire Anne O'Brien

East London based textile designer: Claire-Anne O'Brien, looks into a sculpture approach to textiles. With an MA in Knitted Textiles from the Royal College of Art she experiments with the form, construction and scale of knitted fabrics.

I found it interesting how she is effectively creating interior pieces by knitting with lengths of knit. I also liked a use of bold colours.

View her website: Claire-Anne O'Brien

Exploring Knit: Other Yarns & Knitted Garments.

In my knit sampling process I also looked at knitting other materials. Plastic bag knitting had been bought to my attention a couple of years ago, but I had not yet had a go at it myself. I looked at knitting with thin & thicker plastic bags, alternating the colours to create a marled effect.

Another idea came to mind, taking inspiration from Claire Anne O'Brien, the idea of knitting with something that is already knitted. So using the same technique I'd to create yarn out of plastic bags, I took to cutting an old woollen jumper in strips and knitting that into a sample.

This then led to trying out the same idea on knitted jersey tops & t-shirts.

Exploring Knit: Photography.

For the final major project of my degree, I decided to look into a subjects that have always interested me in every day but throughout my course I have tended to shy away from: print and knit. I wondered about the possibility of turning knit into a print.

To get the ball rolling on this idea, I begun to create knit samples: both by hand and on a domestic knitting machine. I generally to basic stitches, changing needle sizes or tensions, to get the general idea of the knit structure. From this I begun to take photographs, looking at the close up detail of the build in the samples.

I experimented with changing the needle sizes mid-way through samples.

Then moving on to looking at creating ladders in the knit and making it so pieces would unravel.

The holes in the samples allowed me to play with the idea of layering. The possibility of show the stitch structure on both sides of the sample piece.