Arrowmont Summer 2013: Day 2

Today we started our first official full day of sculptural knitting class with Adrienne Sloane! Breakfast was scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., which I skipped for an extra hour of sleep. I really like my sleep, just so you know. Breakfast, or sleep in my case, was then followed by class at 9 a.m. Below is the main building and the building where my knitting class is in this week.

Main Building at Arrwomont, and the building my knitting class is in.

We began class, by experimenting with abnormal linear elements while knitting a sampler. I decided to begin with knitting fabric strips with large knitting needles, then using two different sized knitting needles to knit with. I then experimented with plastic tape, wire, 8-track tape, jute string, toilet paper and much more to get the final sampler below.

Unusual material sampler 1

Here are all the "wacko" samplers from the entire class. So cool right?!?!?!

wacko samplers

After we did samplers with the unusual materials and ate lunch at noon, we then moved on to doing more traditional samplers using worsted weight yarn. We first looked at the structure of knitting at a larger level, and dissected the stitches. A sample of this exercise is below. 

Knit structure sample

Then, we learned how to make a scalloped edges, protrusions, pockets, (intentional) holes, tassels, and ruffles. My textural and semi-broccoli like sample is below. These experiments gave me so many new and fresh ideas of how to create new innovative products for my brand, Collective Individual.

Protrusion Sampler

After dinner at 6 p.m., we all headed to the Auditorium in the main building to hear lectures from the faculty. Tonight's speakers were Sunshine Cobb, a ceramicist who mostly deals with functional objects while working with new textural and design applications on her pots, and Catherine Ellis, who is an unbelievably knowledgeable woman on all things naturally dyed!  The current artists in residence then gave a quick preview on their path leading to their current body of work. The recent (as of Summer 2013) artists in residence are  HP Bloomer (ceramics), Lynn Batchelder (metal), Rachel Garceau (ceramics/sculpture), Tally Locke (wood), and Rena Wood (fiber).

Once the lectures were done, I stopped by the fiber studio to see what the natural dyers were up to. Catherine had a bunch of natural dye books out on a table, so I got to peak through her stash of great books and her personal dye sample! Here is a list of some of the natural dye books I need to get my hands on once I get back home.

- Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay

- Indigo: The Color that Changed the World by Catherine Legrand

- A Weaver's Garden:Growing Plants for Natural Dyes and Fibers by Rita Buchanan

- A Dyer's Garden by Rita Buchanan

- Eco Colour: Botanical Dyes for Beautiful Textiles by India Flint

- KOEKBOYA Natural Dyes and Textiles A Colour Journey From Turkey to India and Beyond by Harald Bohmer

- Natural Dyes by Cardon Dominique

- Block Printing and Dyeing of Bagru, Rajasthan by Bijoy Chandra Mohanty

-Color: Passage through Art, Asia and Nature by Sarah Sutro
- The Red Dyes: Cochineal, Madder and Murex Purple: A World Tour of Textile Techniques  by Gosta Sandberg 
-The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing: Traditional Recipes for Modern Use by J.N. Liles
-Dyes from American Native Plants: A Practical Guide by Lynne Richards and Ronald J. Tyrl
-"Bloom" magazine
-The Colorful Past: Origins, Chemistry and Identification of Natural Dye Stuffs by Judith H. Hofenk de Graaff

A page from Block Printing and Dyeing of Bagru, Rajasthan by Bijoy Chandra Mohanty

Tomorrow I have more knitting in store for me, as well as a presentation about current and past inspirational artist in the knit and crochet community. Super excited as always, but I should probably get some sleep...or drift off into pinterest land... :)

XOXO