![]() It's pretty fabulous outside in my corner of the world, but none the less I've been working away at studio housekeeping, acquainting myself with my new machines and ordering yarn. These cashmere/ lurex cones just came in and I love them! Below is a sample of how this yarn knits up. I like how each stitch is clearly defined. When knitted up in plain wool or angora, the springiness of the yarn, results in a less lacey look. A nice bonus which came with my machines are a series of gauge cheat sheets (like the one to the left) for refining particular stitch structures. For individuals just beginning on v-bed industrial knitting machines, finding the right gauge so you can start experimenting can take a long time and be really frustrating. At the top right it says Gauge 50-56 which is really Gauge 5-7. Charts like these are great for orienting your work and quickly working with tension formations so that later you can create customized charts of your own for particular yarns. I'll be placing them all in the Wiki section of my website as I upload them. I also have a facebook page I just started here. In the future I will be offering various sales and showing previews of my collections on that page.
0 Comments
Deep cleaning my machines has gone really well. I special ordered new needles and a few parts from Scotland. As you can see from the photo below, the needles were well used and needed oiling and checking for wear. The needle beds also needed cleaning out so that the needles could run freely. Today after putting all the pieces back together I began swatching. It felt great to begin knitting and get a feel for the machines capabilities. I worked with 2/16nm Alpaca yarn creating some simple structures and hem edges. Tomorrow I'll try some Tuck structures and add some colour.
Short of taking an advanced knitting course, I wish there were better practical information for the knitter. There are quite a few older books for V-bed and Passap but language is inconsistent or incomplete. I feel sure that at the height of knitwears popularity that technical books were available in the industry. I would really like to get my hands on them! ![]() Last week I found an ad for what I consider the Holy Grail of finds: several Dubied knitting machines in good user condition from a working shop. This company produced well finished, well considered knitwear designs from skirts, to coats, to fine sweaters and was in business for more than 50 years. If you read my blog, you know that I already have some Italian Santagostino's which I imported for no small sum. These Dubied's are Swiss, there is some debate as to which company makes the better machine. Each machine has well finished parts. I do prefer the Dubied carriage over the Santagostino. These machines do not create patterns via punchcards, instead cams inside the carriage are controlled via switches and these modify stitch formations. You can create rib knits, tube knits or flat knits, then from there modify that basic structure and then from there further modify that structure further by positioning the needles in certain configurations. One can knit Guilloche, Nopped, Cardigan, Variure, Ripple and many other knit stitches. These are classed as NHF4 knitting machines: N: rib and tube cams, F: cardigan cams, H: high and low butt needles, and 4: 4 yarn carriers. ![]() This is a linker (or looper) , it attaches collars and rib bands to the body of the garment. It essentially stitches a chain stitch with yarn. It also joins shoulders and side seams. This one is powered and provides a very professional looking finish. Once I get some practice on it I will post some finishing techniques. Some of these photos document a "just moved in" state and they require some service, dusting and care. I hope you enjoyed the photos..... I've been a busy bee lately, completing a collection of clothes based upon fashion research. Focus was on early 20th century material production innovation in haute couture houses as response to social change. So there is a lot of handwork and complex stages of cutting, matching and fitting. The following photos are just a few from a recent fashion shoot, with more posted soon in my collections website section.
In other news, which is just as exciting...I am acquiring more industrial machines and an antique linker for professionally finishing and joining knitwear. An opportunity came up that was too amazing to pass up. Although these two subjects may appear divergent, my interest in high quality material production practises draws them together. Black's book "Knitting, Fashion, Industry, Craft" details fine knitwear construction practises in the early 20th century which orients knitwear along side haute couture sewing and lingerie production. I will be posting pictures of these new machines later next week. Here is a simple posting of my new (to me) Santagostino. It is a sister machine to my 10 gauge machine which I acquired 4 months ago. I am still learning how to maximize all of the possibilities of these machines, and realized shortly after acquiring the 10 gauge that its strength lay in ultra fine yarns (such as cobweb weight 2/48nm silks and cashmeres). The 8 gauge seems much more appropriate for a sock weight yarn (or 2/18nm) and I imagine myself making practical but pretty cardigans on it. I find this machine utterly charming despite its still quite dirty state from sitting in a crate (travelling on ship from Scotland). Its dials and cams show wear and tear from a lifetime of use. I find imagining the old mills these machines came from quite inspiring.
About ten years ago I invested in a Husqvarna embroidery sewing machine with all sorts of computerized design software. I can't explain how frustrating the design interface was. It was a costly lesson in understanding the value of qualitative experience and certainly in realizing how analog equipment can trump emerging technology. As a textile person who has experimented with almost every conceivable process I find this interface of dials and switches suits how my brain works. I'm at about five machines now, all used and at least forty years old. In fact, my Dubied a machine from the 1930's is still my favourite.....I find it simply wonderful. ![]() Here are some more machine knit punchcard patterns. These are from Revue De Tricotage. My particular magazines are from the early 1930's. I am really interested in the past popularity of machine knitting as a cottage industry. Sewing and knitting competence in the general population contributed to a vigorous market in patterns, and magazines ....but a move away from craft competence in the general public in recent decades has contributed to a marginalization of these skills. I am planning to set up a Wiki in support of these marginalized sewing and knitting patterns on my website. The beauty of these sophisticated patterns should not be lost. ![]() Subtle masculine patterns. ![]() Graphic circles. ![]() Missoni-esque. ![]() Not long ago I began collecting antique knitting machine magazines for inspiration. They have proved to be a wonderful source of patterning and knit silhouettes. These designs come from "Lavori Di Maglieria," an Italian industrial knitting machine publication which seems to have been in print from the 1930's to the mid 1960's. However, there are also publications such as "Revue Du Tricot" and "Tricotuese." Since all of the text is Italian, all I can tell you (with my limited understanding of the text) is that many of these patterns were punchcard patterns for Dubied Jacquard industrial machines ("Tipo Mut"). Punchcard Jacquard machines were the precursor to todays massive computerized machines. Punchcards could control both the shaping on a garment as well as graphic patterning depending on the machine. ![]() Each pattern has a reference number with technical info for colour changes, and the development of texture through tuck and slip. Similar books can be found in domestic knitting machine publications however I feel really attracted to the Art Deco-esque patterns. ![]() I left the surrounding text on the following images for interest. Aren't these textures beautiful? ![]() These are distinctly Art Deco, I have a whole series of these which conjure early cinema, urban city scapes and Modernity. ![]() More simple yet charming patterns... This has been a great year for me in terms of aligning my creative work with making a living...and that sort of response has pay it forward type of results. I feel energized by the knit structures I am developing and so appreciative of support so I'd like to gift an individual with a pair of my short mittlets. Just comment on this post and I will randomly select someone on January 1st. Other ways I feel this pay it forward idea has ramifications is through the energy I feel for developing and exploring new structures for future products (despite it being the Holidays:) I use scrap yarns in funky colours to develop these samples so please excuse the colour combinations. My vintage machines are capable of patterns by selecting and deselecting "cams" or channels in the carriage. They force the needles through a particular path and thats what creates uniques structures in addition to the fine gauge double bed capabilities. Converting domestic machine knitting ideas to industrial knitting is challenging because the terminology between hand knitting, domestic machine knitting and industrial knitting is not the same. Additionally my old machines are really limited in terms of what they will do, so playing on my machines becomes a negotiation between the specific strengths of my machines versus the effect I am going for:) To develop my work, I tend to stalk esoteric classified or online auction sites for outdated knitting machine magazines and publications. Machine knitting was in many ways at its height in the 1950's so that is usually how far I go back for more sophisticated fashion forward knit ideas. People tend to assume we exist in a more advanced age but check out machine knitting from 1910, its very developed and accomplished. Well I hope everyone is having having a lovely Holiday and hope 2013 is as good as 2012..... A lozenge double bed rib structure with selective tuck. Simple tuck and slip combinations which mimic the punch card capabilities of modern domestic Japanese machines. A double bed racked wave pattern which combines a row of rib knit with circular knit.
City of Craft begins tomorrow! Check out the lookbook for the show via the link I provided. I have some photos of work I'll have at the show below:) If you can't attend because of work or you live far away don't worry, I've set up a "this weekend only" of free shipping on my webstore called "FREESHIPPING" ...any orders will be sent out by Friday the 14th. This coupon will be in effect for the duration of the show, so starting 11am on saturday to 5pm on sunday. If you can attend the show but can't bring cash, you can purchase online but pickup at the show.
Yes that's sparkle in the first picture! I have those in charcoal grey, light grey and black. I have also posted a picture of my restored 10gg Santagostino, it knits a very fine gauge. It doesn't do patterns in the conventional sense (so you can't use punchcards), however you can select and hold particular needles based upon flicking certain switches on the carriage. Its a very old analog approach which requires concentration and interaction from the operator. Enjoy! I came across this fantastic video of machine knitting on an industrial. The knitters name is Katherine Brown. I think she does a great job of showing off the machine and showing a bit of what these machines can do.
|
Anna is a Hamilton based knitwear and textile practitioner blogging about her collection development as well as pre-1950's knitwear technology.
Links
Emma Gerard Make something bookhou Iben Hoej krystalspeck workshop bespoke truckee amy lawrence designs Categories
All
|