Lab Stories
'Hand and Glove' - Hazel Hughson and Carole Gray
 


We began to work together on Sunday afternoon adapting the idea of the ‘jumper’ cut out to a ‘glove’ form, something that Hazel wanted specifically to explore. The glove is a key piece in the knitted repertoire and is a difficult object to knit well. She cut out a simple hand shape and we went around Burrrastow House capturing anything that took our eye with a digital camera. As we reviewed the images some things immediately said ‘glove’, others were simply crazy and stimulating. The cut out frame gave us new perspectives to both the potential forms and patterns of gloves. So on Monday in College we chose three key images with which to experiment – the jewel-like mosaic floor from the studio staircase, an old mysterious romantic portrait of a past Burrastow resident, a section of a striking black and white geometric print hung in the House.

The colour and simplicity of the mosaic image related well to the Fair Isle two-colour knitting method. We explored scale using a tiny hand cut out to isolate and zoom in on knitted samples. By wildly exaggerating the size of the stitches ideas for very chunky 'big knit' gloves emerged.

The portrait image just had to become a luxurious lady's evening glove – something to wear at a ball or a night at the opera! We experimented with print transfers on various fabrics, silk and cotton, and some types of off the peg cotton gloves. Despite problems with print quality (the ‘plastic’ nature of the transfer) the unusual integration of a historical portrait onto a glove form made for an intriguing article with scope for future development, For example, the extension of the image up the arm into an elbow glove – an exclusive hand printed product embellished by hand skills.

I wanted to consider introducing actual ‘light’ into textiles and was keen to explore how electro luminescent fibres could be knitted together – if at all. These sample fibres are marketed as dance clubbers’ accessories so are playful and funky. Hazel selected a pair of large knitting needles and began to deftly knit the fibres together using the traditional two- colour method.

The knitting was limited by the short lengths of the fibres. We switched them on and a fabulous pattern of ‘knitted light’ appeared. We made various ‘light knit’ experiments with different coloured fibres, playing with the options of timed pulses of light. To record these experiments properly we set the work up in the darkest place – under the back stairs – and took some video. We forgot about the microphone on the video camera. On replay we heard the amazement of discovery in our voices – like children again. We would have responded so differently to the same structure made in yarns, to the colour and the feel of the fabric only. Using light to illustrate the stitches brought about a new response to a traditional structure.

During the group discussion on Wednesday lots of ideas about the application of the light fibres were suggested. Could the fibres be woven/integrated into textiles/gloves for both decorative and safety purposes, for example cycling at night? Large scale knitted panels, like textile neon could illuminate walls and spaces.

With Walter’s help several flat knitted samples were made from the black and white geometric print. The image had a kind of tribal/jungle feel to it. The fabric samples were chunky and needed to be cut into - so we felted them for a more stable material. After some play to explore the finishing methods and the structures we could make with the hand/glove knitted piece two options emerged: one, a simple mitten constructed from two cut out samples, with the over-sized, over-locked seam reducing the digits to three for a practical construction. The bulky seam became a key feature, on the outside; the other, a multi purpose felted ‘bag’ worn on a belt, accessed via the top of the glove. Both struck us as realistic, potential knitted products extending the form of the ‘hand warmer’, with scope for mass-production using digital imaging and computerised knitting technology along with many kinds of fibres and yarns including Shetland wool. By using more commercially obvious ‘Shetland’ images or patterns, the knitted product could be given a ‘Shetland’ identity.

So how does our ‘Hand and Glove’ project help to revalue and extend the traditional skills and indigenous crafts of Shetland? The light knitted images offer a new response to traditional knitted pattern and structure. The three-dimensional ‘sketches’ we produced suggested a range of potential gloves and accessories based on the traditional concept of patterned ‘hand warmers’.
By looking closely at sources of imagery in the everyday environment, making reference to Shetland history and heritage, we have tried to draw attention to and re-value the local and specific. However, we have also tried to extend the traditional glove by the introduction of digital imagery, new materials and extended forms. We have explored simple and accessible methods for enhancing creativity by the ‘cut outs’ – framing and seeing things afresh which could be developed as apart of an educational resource for future knitters.

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