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`KNITWEAR IN FASHION
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`Sandy Black
`KNITWEAR IN FASHION
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`300 illustrations, 285 in color
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`© 2002 Sandy Black
`
`All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
`reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
`electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording
`or any other information storage and retrieval system,
`without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
`
`First published in 2002 in hardcover in the United States
`of America by Thames & Hudson Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue,
`New York, New York 10110
`
`thamesandhudsonusa.com
`
`First paperback edition 2005
`
`Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2001099694
`
`ISBN-13: 978-0-500-28401-8
`ISBN-10: 0-500-28401-6
`
`Printed and bound in Singapore by
`Star Standard Industries
`
`p. 1 Mie Iwatsubo, knitted fabric, 2001
`
`pp. 2-3 Missoni, sweater and skirt, autumn/winter 1997/98
`
`pp. 4-5 Georgina Naish, flexible clay knit, 1998
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`CONTENTS
`
`INTRODUCTION
`-REINVENTING THE ART
`
`1 KNITWEAR IN FASHION
`- FASHION IN KNITWEAR
`Reinventing the Classics
`Decades of Change
`Creative Fashion Accessories
`
`6
`
`10
`28
`52
`
`2 INNOVATION AND EXPERIMENT
`-MAKING THE FUTURE
`Materials, Structures and Processes 66
`Radical Knitwear
`90
`The Seamless Revolution
`118
`
`3 BLURRING THE BOUNDARIES
`-CONTEMPORARY ART AND DESIGN
`Artworks and Sculptural Form
`Knitwear in Performance
`Design for Interiors
`
`132
`152
`162
`
`INFORMATION
`174
`The Technology of Knitting
`178
`Developments in Design
`179
`Yarns and Fibres
`181
`Designer Biographies
`189
`Glossary of Technical Terms
`190
`Further Reading and Resources
`Picture Credits and Acknowledgments 191
`Index
`192
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`Introduction - Reinventing the Art
`
`Opposite Marcia Windebank, panel, 1999. Utilizing the filigree
`effect of lace knitting, Windebank creates abstract textural
`compositions that are dyed and treated with paper pulp to stiffen
`and fix them in striking shapes for interior decoration.
`
`6
`
`In the climate of accelerated technological change which has prevailed over the past
`twenty-five years, new technologies and new fibres have transformed knitting from
`a homely discipline into the most innovative and exciting textile medium, and knitwear
`has gained a place at the forefront of contemporary fashion. Never before have so
`many designers and artists experimented with knit as a basis for their work, exploring
`structures and finishes, materials and meaning, and exploiting the unique sculptural
`qualities of knitted construction. A new generation of fashion designers who are pushing
`the boundaries have reinvented the art. By presenting a wide spectrum of hand-knitting,
`hand-frame knitting and industrial production, Knitwear in Fashion offers a fresh look
`at this 'common art' in the context of current creative fashion and design.
`Fashion has emerged during recent years as a discipline worthy of study in its own
`right; as a socio-cultural, economic and high-profile design phenomenon, expressive
`and reflective of constant change, and open to multiple readings and interpretations.
`This fashion discourse has been conducted through a growing range of publications,
`both popularand academic, and increasingly through exhibitions. Given that the attention
`of the academy to fashion as a discipline is so relatively recent, knitwear as an element
`of fashion has received even less attention, perhaps due to its specialist nature and
`its hybrid position as both clothing and textile.
`Knitwear is universal - everyone wears it in some form, either as underwear,
`hosiery or outerwear - but its domestic and mass-market connotations have until
`recently consigned it to a minor role in fashion and textile study. Museum collections
`have tended to overlook knitwear items and many historical pieces of everyday wear
`have simply worn out. However, the last few years have seen a change in attitude and
`knitwear has at last begun to be featured in fashion exhibitions, which now occur more
`frequently. As the introduction to the knit section of the Uouer la Lumiere' textiles
`exhibition at the Louvre in 2001 confirms:'... often little understood in museums,
`and also badly understood by textile historians, knitting today plays a major role and
`reveals itself to be capable of a stunning diversity.' It is this diversity that has led me to
`present this anthology of knitwear and knitting, together with a love of materials and
`construction, and a desire to celebrate this Tittle understood' technique for its unique
`capabilities: the way in which it can engineer both two- and three-dimensional shape;
`its affinity with the body through innate characteristics of stretch-to-fit; and its infinite
`structural and patterning potential.
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`1 Knitwear in Fashion - Fashion in Knitwear
`Reinventing the Classics Decades of Change Creative Fashion Accessories
`
`Right Simone Memel, ‘Hard Rope’, 1994/95. Memel branched
`out from her fine arts and three-dimensional studies into the craft
`of shoemaking in order to express dichotomies and perceptions
`associated with male and female roles. Her first shoe project was
`a sock boot, combining sock and shoe, and she has since created
`many versions of one-off shoes using a range of knitted and other
`materials. Here hand-knitted string is used to simulate the
`toughness of rope in a classic wearable style outlined by the
`knit and purl stitches and the plaited edging.
`
`Below Ann-Louise Roswald, autumn/winter 1998/99. Capitalizing
`on her father’s traditional clog-making business, Roswald was
`inspired to create matching clogs for her stylized floral printed
`knitwear. These were quickly taken up by Italian fashion house
`Marni for their winter 1999 collection, patterned to look like
`cowskin, and are now manufactured on a larger scale in Sweden.
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`Above Shelley Fox, summer 1996. Felted wool, which was also
`embossed and used for co-ordinated shoes, formed the fabric
`for Fox's graduation collection, showing her attention to detail
`and the importance of unique fabrics to her work. Each outfit had
`matching fabric shoes - a total-look theme that Fox has pursued
`through the use of co-ordinated knitted, printed and felted fabrics.
`
`Right Vivienne Westwood, 'On Liberty’ collection, autumn/winter
`1994/95. Hand-knitted wool stockings with intricate lace and
`embossed leaf design and appliqued flowers, finished with knitted
`tassels, were made to accessorize elaborate corseted and bustled
`hand-knitted outfits based on historical costume. Note how the
`knitted decoration extends to the shoes. Bags and jewelry were
`also created to accessorize.
`
`Opposite Simone Memel, 'Homage a Monroe', 1995. The material
`defines the shoe in Memel's work - in this case a statuesque
`homage to womanhood, symbolized by an unwearable shoe in
`fluffy mohair with a quilted satin lining. In Memel's world Monroe
`and women stand precariously on their pedestal. Another creation
`- 'On the Road' - also used a mohair fabric, contrasted with tyre
`tread-patterned rubber for the sole and heel.
`
`59
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`2 Innovation and Experiment - Making the Future
`Materials, Structures and Processes Radical Knitwear The Seamless Revolution
`
`Two of the most significant developments in knitwear manufacturing, which could
`have a major impact on the fashions we wear and on clothing production, are seamless
`[or integral) construction - currently seen in socks, gloves, underwear, lingerie and
`more recently in some sweaters - and the revolutionary clothing concept A-POC from
`Issey Miyake, in which a knitted tube of patterned cloth ingeniously separates into a
`whole wardrobe of garments, breaking new ground aesthetically, technologically and
`in its retail concept. Both developments use totally different technologies - integral
`knitting is based on weft knitting, A-POC on warp - but each depends on the computer
`control and design capabilities working at the interface of machine innovations and
`advanced yarns.
`The concept of seamless knitting is as old as knitting itself, as shown by fragments
`of Egyptian socks dating from the fifth and sixth centuries held in museums. In medieval
`times, Britain and Spain were two of the foremost producers of hand-knitted seamless
`stockings. Since the Industrial Revolution, when knitting was mechanized, industrially
`knitted garments have been produced either in shaped sections on flat-bed machines
`or cut from fabric produced on flat or circular machines, both of which require a finishing
`process. The seamless, garment-by-garment, industrial manufacture of knitwear,
`requiring little or no making up, has long been something of a mission for machine
`builders. In 1965 the Japanese company Shima Seiki invented the first machine for
`manufacturing seamless knitted gloves to meet the demand for work gloves used daily
`by taxi drivers, construction and factory workers throughout Japan. The company has
`since remained at the forefront of integral knitting technology. Though the ability to knit
`in the round without seams is the oldest form of knitting by hand, it took until the later
`twentieth century to replicate by machine the gansey, sock, glove and cap - all perfect
`examples of seamless, three-dimensional knitting.
`The hosiery industry has recently led developments in machinery and adapted
`their expertise in fine gauge production with synthetic yarns to create new engineered
`and sculpted lingerie, swimwear and underwear which have quietly infiltrated the mass
`market via companies such as Wolford, Benetton and Marks & Spencer. Much lingerie
`is now without side seams and increasingly features differential structures to add
`support and define shape in one-piece underwear.
`Machine builders, such as Santoni, and manufacturers are now turning their
`attention to outerwear formed from basic body-sized tubes, which have tremendous
`potential for new forms of clothing. Philippe Starck and Wolford created the versatile
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`Opposite and right A-POC Queen, from 'King and Queen’,
`spring/summer 1999. Seeing A-POC for the first time we are
`not quite sure what to make of the vague patterns and occasional
`gaps discernible in the cloth. Fortunately there is a computer
`animation to explain it. We are shown the fringed roll of cloth, the
`application of the scissors and one by one a wardrobe is released:
`dress, skirt, underwear, hat, gloves, socks and bag. They are put
`on by an invisible model who walks away delighted.
`
`Below A-POC Alien, autumn/winter 1999/2000. Alien is possibly
`the most complex design to visualize. It contains the body in
`double layers of mesh fabric - dress over trousers, and face
`initially masked. In the fashion show presentation, two assistants
`cut away and opened up the fabric into a more wearable form,
`and the model emerged.
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`2 Innovation and Experiment - Making the Future
`Materials, Structures and Processes Radical Knitwear The Seamless Revolution
`
`tubular dress 'Starck Naked' in 1998. Testu, a new design company,
`have created ranges of unisex pieces made from fine knitted tubes
`but deliberately shaped and distorted in the knitting process to create
`bizarre, two-dimensional forms which fall into folds when worn on
`the body. As with most innovations in technology, early use has tended
`to merely replicate the basic existing knitwear constructions. However,
`new design research is beginning to take place; for example, the work
`of Caterina Radvan focuses on unconventional shapes that create
`volume and drape in seamless garments.
`Technological advances in knitting have at present outstripped
`the market's ability to absorb and utilize it, and the customer has
`to be educated to recognize the benefits. The role of technicians and
`designers must inevitably merge closer together to create a dialogue
`from which design innovation can spring.
`Issey Miyake remains unsurpassed in his commitment to the
`development of new forms of textiles and clothing which cross both
`international and fashion boundaries to have universal appeal. With
`his integration of old and new technologies, experimentation with
`processes and questioning of assumptions whilst resolutely looking
`to the future, Miyake has revolutionized our perceptions of clothing
`the body. The A-POC concept represents a simultaneous leap of
`the imagination and application of technology. A-POC (an acronym
`for A Piece of Cloth' and play on the word 'epoch') was first shown
`in 1997 and is a collaboration between Issey Miyake and Dai Fujiwara,
`one of the Miyake Studio design team who originally trained as a
`weaver. The whole process is an experiment designed in four stages
`- a continuing work-in-progress - in which the customer also
`participates. These stages are conjugated like Latin - APOC, APOS,
`APOM, APOE. As the technology of the cloth is perfected, they will
`turn their attention to the yarn (A Piece of String), then design
`the machinery to have complete control, and then hire A Person of
`Education and Dedication to create a fully integrated company. They
`see no boundaries or limits to what might be achieved - just technical
`problems to be overcome and refined. As Fujiwara says, 'Design is
`functionality and function is beauty.'
`The fundamental philosophy is one within which Miyake has
`operated since he set up his studio in 1970 - to create the maximum
`with one piece of cloth; no waste, minimum cutting and seaming
`and, in the case of A-POC, no after-knitting processes at all. This has
`similarities to the classic construction of the kimono from one long
`roll of narrow cloth, and Miyake has applied it in many ways, with
`knitwear, woven garments and also moulded pieces. Indeed the first
`garment entitled 'A Piece of Cloth' was knitted and shown as early
`as 1976. The A-POC application may be the concept's most perfect
`realization as it involves no seaming or finishing processes except
`the cutting out of the chosen variation from the tubular roll of cloth
`which is presented to the customer. As such, it also represents
`a unique mix of customization and mass production.
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`Opposite A-POC Eskimo, autumn/winter 1999/2000. Another
`highly experimental design incorporating innovative new features.
`Eskimo introduced colour contrasts in graphic lines and areas
`padded with high-bulk cotton to define contours around the bedy
`and give it an almost protective layer - like packaging normally
`discarded.
`
`Above A-POC collection, spring/summer 2001. Simple, plain
`top and trousers from the Baguette design (which can be cut
`anywhere, like the Loaf), showing narrow, cut-out seam' lines,
`with ties made from cut-away fabric. The comfort and stretchiness of
`the fabric - wool or cotton with nylon and elastane - are
`demonstrated in the model’s acrobatic pose.
`
`Left A-POC collection, spring/summer 2001. The use in avant-
`garde designer collections of raw edges, fringes and frills of cloth
`at first appeared uncompromising and difficult to understand.
`This aesthetic, however, gained prominence in fashion in the
`1990s, and now has widespread acceptance. Seen in this context,
`and presented on young streetwise models, this A-POC collection
`does not need to explain itself - it just presents modern fashion.
`He is wearing a simple top from the plain Baguette design; she
`is wearing a one-piece dress with distinctive fringing.
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`2 Innovation and Experiment - Making the Future
`Materials, Structures and Processes Radical Knitwear The Seamless Revolution
`
`Above Issey Miyake, 'Making Things' exhibition, Tokyo, summer
`2000. First presented in Paris in autumn 1998, the exhibition
`also travelled to New York. The A-POC section received more
`prominence in Miyake's home country, spectacularly filling the
`space with continuous lengths of cloth worn on mannequins and
`making the point of mass production by the presence of the huge
`roll of knitted fabric.
`
`Opposite above A-POC Le Feu, spring/summer 1999. The A-POC
`concept was at first shown as part of the Miyake fashion show
`presentations, before becoming a collection in its own right. This
`dramatic display demonstrated the revolutionary concept by a
`series of models wearing a T-shirt and skirt, based on a square
`shape, each one connected to the next.
`
`Opposite below Close-up of the 'Making Things' installation,
`showing the warp knit partially cut away, leaving the fringe effect
`and spaces in the knit, which create larger fringes.
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`122
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`Attention has been given to the technical details, such as creating
`the right mesh fabric for appropriate stretch, and working out the
`different diameters of tube required for all the garment parts (the ideal
`body size was found to be 55 cm). With the right amount of stretch,
`however, these tubes can fit all sizes.
`A-POC is manufactured using computer-controlled, warp­
`knitting technology, which creates fabric from a fine mesh of individual
`chain stitches flowing vertically, each linked together. A high level
`of stretch is derived from the cotton orwool/nylon (polyamide)/
`polyurethane mix. The innovation was to develop this technology in
`circular knit form and adapt it from socks to body-sized pieces, and
`then to design the contours of the garment shapes within the large
`tube, using graphic patterning on a computer interface and creating
`a subdivided tubular shape which, when released, opens to form
`three-dimensional garment pieces with internal patterns of mesh.
`The cutting lines are subtly delineated by gaps where the individual
`warp threads are not connected to each other. These create the
`signature fringing effect which demarcates all the outlines of the
`pieces within the flat fabric tubes, as well as the major sections such
`as tubes for arms and legs. As the experiment has developed, the
`garment shapes, internal designs and fabric patterning have evolved,
`each developed painstakingly on the computer screen.
`One of the intrinsic qualities of A-POC in its first incarnation -
`'Just Before' - was the unfinished, raw appearance derived from the
`fringed edges just released, the extra fabric from the sides of cloth
`remaining from cutting out (utilized as rough belts), and the raw-
`edged collars and necklines formed from removing the attached
`fabric. The effect was arresting and at first a little shocking: like any
`totally new concept it challenged our assumptions about clothing. The
`ragged edges have since undergone refinements and developments
`with each successive design until the simplest 'Baguette’ sweater and
`its companion trousers show only the most discreet external 'seams'.
`All the A-POC designs can be varied according to choice - round
`neck, V-neck or loose collar, short or long sleeves, short or long length,
`and so on. A computer-generated video shows the process of releasing
`the wardrobe from the cloth. The innovative retail concept of the A-POC
`shops is that they are to be seen as a laboratory in which the customer
`can view many examples of the variations on each theme and can cut
`their own garments from the piece or the roll, with help from the well-
`informed sales staff, in Tokyo Dai Fujiwara works with his assistants,
`all wearing white coats, in a laboratory at the back of the shop,
`separated from it by glass walls, so that they can feed customer
`reaction back into the design process. A live experiment indeed.
`A-POC Eskimo and A-POC Alien were two designs from 1999,
`each incorporating new features such as areas padded with bulky yarn
`to define contours around the body and give it an almost protective
`layer. Further experiments have incorporated other features: the
`Millennium Pillow carries portable furnishings with the wearer,
`and Mobile is an anthropomorphic cross between clothing, furniture
`and plaything. Although sometimes a little difficult to understand,
`and not so universally wearable as Pleats Please, the A-POC concept
`will, according to Dai Fujiwara, eventually realize the merging of woven
`and knitted textile production to create new clothes for living in the
`twenty-first century.
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`2 Innovation and Experiment - Making the Future
`Materials, Structures and Processes Radical Knitwear The Seamless Revolution
`
`Left Caterina Radvan, 1998. Starting with geometric shapes
`applied to the body, Radvan has focused on creating seamless
`knitted garments to develop the unique potential of knitted
`construction. This seamless dress, made as part of her Masters
`graduate collection, is knitted in a giant blister stitch on a circular
`machine in a combination of lambswool and nylon monofilament,
`then washed to shrink and felt the wool, leaving a ruched layer
`of nylon attached loosely to the surface.
`
`Opposite left Caterina Radvan, 2000. This seamless dress is
`knitted in linen, with raw-edged cuffs in rubber yarn. Continuing
`to develop the seamless theme, Radvan knitted dresses and tops
`with unconventional asymmetrical and greatly distorted two-
`dimensional shapes, subverting normal ideas of back, front,
`sleeves and left-right symmetry. When worn, this produces drape
`in parts of the garment, and lines of fashioning marks displace
`normal seams. Radvan is now applying her ideas to unconventional
`body shapes.
`
`Opposite right Caterina Radvan, 1999. This seamless top is
`worked on a domestic knitting machine in tubular formation,
`with integral folds formed by short-row knitting, giving drape
`to the garment. The lambswool fabric has been felted.
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`Opposite 'Seamless for Kids', 2001. Machinery manufacturer
`Matec has developed revolutionary 6- to 10-inch-diameter
`machines with jacquard capability, which allow for the production
`of simple 'bodysized' children's garments with minimal seaming
`and patterned fabrics. The potential for the new technology
`is shown in this style concept by Emilio Cavallini, using stretch
`synthetic yarns. Partner company Santoni is at the forefront
`of 'bodysized' machinery development for adult seamless
`bodywear, including engineered stitch patterning to create
`form and structure.
`
`Right Stoll Knitting, seamless dress, 2001. Trend concepts
`are produced by the design department of this long-established
`machine builder, which is at the forefront of flat-knitting technology
`development. These concepts are used to inspire designers
`and manufacturers, and to promote the newest technologies.
`This dress combines two-colour knitting and integral knitting
`in one garment, requiring only neckline and armhole finishing.
`Note the fully fashioning around the colour divide.
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`Opposite Wolford seamless dress, spring/summer 2000. Using
`seamless technology by Santoni, Wolford create bodywear ranges
`■■ - which cross over from intimate wear to outerwear, comprising
`complex jacquard patterning (such as the tiger-patterned Africa'
`dress) or simple stripes. Wolford have also collaborated with top
`designers, including Philippe Starck. Herve Leger and Jean Paul
`Gaultier, to push the boundaries further.
`
`Background Wolford 'System' tights, autumn/winter 2000/01.
`Seamlessness became the norm for women's hosiery after the
`advent of seamfree stockings, then tights, in the 1950s and ’60s,
`although some seaming processes for the body-part and the toes
`are still generally necessary. Completely seamless tights can
`now be produced but are not yet widely commercially available.
`Most design development has taken place in the patterning
`capabilities applied to hosiery, which are now boundless.
`
`Right Jean Paul Gaultier for Wolford, autumn/winter 2000/01.
`In this first collaboration, Gaultier designed a range of tights
`and all-in-one bodies which created the impression of separate
`pieces of underwear. Further irony was achieved in the seamless
`tights which were patterned to simulate seamed stockings,
`complete with suspenders. A second range of designs for summer
`2001 featured the Eiffel tower patterned halfway up the leg
`■ and across the body.
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`2 Innovation and Experiment - Making the Future
`Materials, Structures and Processes Radical Knitwear The Seamless Revolution
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`Opposite left and right Testu, spring/summer 2002. Taking
`a philosophical stance based on a reading of Roland Barthes
`and the comparability of masculine and feminine clothes, Testu
`seeks to provide clothing which is gender-neutral but will adapt
`to either male or female form. The knitwear aspect is based on
`draping, achieved through a two-dimensional geometry which
`extends and displaces necklines and armholes as if the body has
`bent sideways and the clothes carry a memory of the movements.
`The knitwear is made from viscose with 25% Elite elastane and
`is side-seamless, forming draped folds on one side of the body.
`Knitwear items in the collection include sleeveless and long-
`sleeved sweaters, tops and tubes which can be worn around
`the neck as collars or around the body.
`
`Below Testu, sleeveless top, illustrating the distorted shape
`used in the knitwear.
`
`Above Lawrence Steele, autumn/winter 2000/01. The seamless
`sweater and sweater dress were one of the knitwear looks in
`this collection, creating a clean and sophisticated, body-hugging
`silhouette. Steele was one of the first to adopt this technology
`for designer fashion. The top yoke of the sweater is fashioned
`by internal wale shaping to give a smooth and three-dimensional
`shape, ending in an integrally knitted funnel collar. Note the
`knitted rosette corsage.
`
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`3 Blurring the Boundaries - Contemporary Art and Design
`Artworks and Sculptural Form Knitwear in Performance Design for Interiors
`
`Opposite Freddie Robins, installation, Colchester, UK, 2000:
`‘Headroom’, with 'Noway' and ’Headcase' in background. The play
`on the familiar, both visually and in words, is at the heart of Robins's
`current work. Her mutant bodies, sweaters and gloves comment
`on ability and disability. A combination of freak show and genetic
`engineering, they are at once humorous and disturbing. Utilizing
`the construction of knitted garments to great effect and taking
`it to illogical conclusions to create thought-provoking and
`unwearable pieces. Robins simultaneously puts knitted textiles
`into a new arena.
`
`Since the Surrealists first adopted fashion as a powerful tool for the communication
`of their extraordinary concepts, fashion has continued to interpret Surrealism, and now
`appears within the context of art with increasing frequency. Elsa Schiaparelli believed
`that 'dress design ... is not a profession but an art', and made the first notable example
`of knitwear crossing into art with her 1928 trompe I'oeil hand-knitted sweaters. One,
`adopting the Surrealists' favourite visual trickery, was designed to resemble a tied bow.
`In the years since Schiaparelli, a number of artists and designers have been engaged
`in the creation of art objects that involve or interpret clothing, and sculptural or
`conceptual fashion that can transcend functional clothing to be viewed as art. Issey
`Miyake has been especially instrumental in bringing experimental textiles and clothing
`- a significant proportion knitted - into the art gallery and museum, setting standards
`that few others have met for the presentation of clothing and the body, and moving easily
`between the worlds of fashion, popular culture and art.
`In recent years, the use of clothing - particularly the disembodied form of the dress
`- as a medium of expression in contemporary art has become a somewhat commonplace
`but powerful element within artistic vocabulary. Inspired by established artists such
`as Caroline Broadhead and Annette Messager, practitioners of both art and fashion
`have increasingly employed the dress, the corset and the shirt to explore the relationship
`between the body and its adornment and enclosure, the boundary between inner and
`outer worlds, themes of absence and presence, and temporal and corporeal ephemerality.
`The neutrality of colour and simplicity of material usually adopted by artists serve to
`emphasize impermanence and inspire contemplation.
`Given impetus originally by the feminist movement, female artists began to address
`issues of gendered perception associated with textiles and crafts, as noted in Rozsika
`Parker's book The Subversive Stitch. Knitting typifies this perception, with its strong
`associations of the feminine and the domestic.
`German artist Rosemarie Trockel brought knitting into the art gallery with
`industrially produced knitted 'pictures' and clothing such as balaclavas, leggings,
`dresses and sweaters, displaying repeating motifs and political logos - the Playboy
`bunny, the Woolmark, the hammer and sickle, and the swastika. The production
`of these items, using computer-controlled industrial knitting technology, was in itself a
`commentary on the familiar associations of knitting as a domestic activity. The shock of
`exhibiting knitted pictures and knitted clothing in 1986 has been compared in its impact
`to the Warhol multiples and Pop art of two decades earlier. By the act of being knitted,
`the logos became stripped of their political status. One art critic of the time was in no
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`Above Karina Thomas of salt, ’Totem’, 2000. This panel-glide blind
`is made of knitted cotton with a spaced rib structure, salt partners
`Karina Thomas and June Swindell studied knitted textiles and
`woven textiles respectively, and create bespoke fabric panels
`for windows and screens.
`
`Background Karina Thomas of salt, ’Creased Totem’, 2000.
`These cotton rib panels have bent metal rods inserted to create
`dimension, salt’s textile solutions to light-filtering and control
`are both sculptural and innovative.
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`Above Left Karina Thomas of salt, detail of knitted screen, 2000.
`salt's window treatments and screens have a minimal architectural
`aesthetic: a fusion of design, technology and technique, in tune
`with contemporary interior spaces. The panels shown here feature
`metal rods within a wooden frame screen.
`
`Above right Karina Thomas of salt, 'Totem', 2000. These knitted
`panels can be combined to any width. 'Totem' modular knitted
`blinds are now available through a commercial collaboration,
`salt's recent work has included diversification into graded colours
`and surface textures.
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`Information
`The Technology of Knitting Developments in Design Yarns and Fibres
`
`Classes of knitted fabric and machinery
`Knitting is formed from the intermeshing
`of individually made loops to create a fabric.
`This fabric is made either in tubular or flat form.
`Uniquely, it can be shaped whilst in construction.
`Industrial knitting technology can be divided into
`two main areas - weft knitting, which encompasses
`circular knitting, and warp knitting. Each has a
`different principle of construction. The majority
`of knitted fabrics for clothing are weft-knitted
`and this is therefore the main focus of this section.
`
`Weft knitting: comprised of loops formed in
`horizontal 'rows', technically referred to as 'courses',
`each loop linking to a loop or stitch below and to
`each side. The vertical lines of stitches are called
`'wales'. The knitted loop is symmetrical, side to
`side and top to bottom. Basic fabric structures -
`such as plain knitting (stocking stitch) and ribs -
`are created from one thread. Weft knitting by
`machine was derived from hand-knitting and the
`structures are identical. The final courses of loops
`must be secured by binding off so that the loops
`do not disconnect from the stitches below, hence
`unravelling the fabric. A wale of loops which has
`unravelled is known as a 'ladder' - a term familiar
`from hosiery.
`In hand-knitting, the two fundamental
`stitches are described as knit and purl, depending
`on the direction of the loop formation, front to
`back or back to front. In machine-knitting,
`the direction of loop formation is fixed, unless
`th