Monday, August 25, 2008

Shibori Knits by Gina Wilde

When I first saw Shibori Knits: The Art of Exquisite Felted Knits, I wasn't sure...no, I wasn't sure at all. I've always had a love/hate, but mostly hate, relationship with knitting then felting my knitting. Oh, I don't mind felting a sweater for a project but there's something rather obscene about knitting and then felting one's knitting. It rankles.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the "plain art" of knitting then felting but I do know Shibori Knits blew me away. Gina Wilde uses three ways of incorporating shibori into knitting that take the finished pieces from designer wear to art wear.

One way she adds shibori to knitting is "resist felting", an effort new to me. She uses marbles and wine corks to give her knitted, then felted, pieces a wide and varied form that gives the eye no purchase yet at the same time, capture the eye as one wonders...how on earth...???

Another style is silk yarn knitted with wool yarn then felted to give added venue. The wool felts, the silk does not and the finished product is, quite simply, inspired. Wilde also will knit in various directions and, when felted, the work shrinks in different directions with swirls, twists, ribbons and ruffles as the end result.

To my mind, one of the best things about this book is a knitter may be at any stage of knitting and can find something to try and like. Beginner and accomplished knitters will find a variety of projects that allow one to build a foundation for further exploration.

Gina Wilde co-founded Alchemy Yarns of Transformation and is no newcomer to the knit scene. Once again, she's proven her spirit for innovation by combining shibori with knitting and taking the sum in a new and exciting direction. The mind reels.

Posted by Thistle Cove Farm :: 2:21 PM :: 0 comments

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