One technique I enjoyed and saw an opportunity for was knitting. There I would overlap and knit rows on itself or on another piece I had previously knitted. Through this technique I could create structures on a 2D plane. I would take the loops found on the edge of my rows and knit them into my work, sometimes with the addition of a row on the side. By doing so I could utilize the empty space created. However, the number of rows I needed and connecting was an obstacle, this led to one of my biggest questions: how many rows will I need for the amount of needles I'm using? And how could this create space? Answering this question opened many doors for me and allowed me to make my samples accurate. Through the intervention I discovered that I can combine several works, or alternatively, combine several parts of the same work with one another. This is also the same way I can fit pockets to my work as I have done with a few of my samples, specifically my 3rd and 5th samples. This breakthrough sparked the idea to my final product, the Chair Jacket. Being able to make pockets and utilise empty space into my work was an essential characteristic to my product. After came all my specifications for my product: the chair jacket should be able to fit most chairs securely, have colours that stand out and compliment the chair, and have pockets that at least fit medium large items such as small notebooks. With these guidelines, my product has the potential to compliment the common household, school, or office environment by giving single person chairs an added use. Moreover, because I wanted my product to fit most chairs I had to measure many different chairs around the school, I usually don't do this. However this helped my creation process because it was much more precise and thought out. Despite it taking a little more time, I'm very satisfied with my result.

During my first test my main questions were: can I fold while knitting? and can I connect different parts of my work to each other? luckily the answer to both of them was yes. The result of which led to the sample on the left, it's quite messy and I didn't have anything in mind while making it.

As you can tell, within this sample I have large circular loops located on either end, this is because I was unsure how many rows I would need to effectively connect the work to itself.

Since my first sample was too messy I decided to make a larger one with far fewer uses of the technique, this was to observe my technique in more detail. By doing so I found that It creates these pockets of negative space which can have a variety of uses such as: bottles, arms (clothing), etc. Also, I like how the product can change depending on which which surface is the top.

While this work answered a few of my questions and gave me inspiration, one very important question arose. How many rows do I need for the amount of hooks I'm using on the machine?

Within this sample I wanted to see how large I could make my technique. This was for two reasons. Firstly, to have enough space to test and answer the question from before (in my second sample), and it was also to see what issues I'd face if I ever made a project of this size.

A simple answer to the question I had earlier: since I took the loops from the side that connect each row to one another, that meant that I had to make 2 rows for each needle I used. As for the issues I faced... What I found was that it became increasingly difficult for me to visualise my work. I'll explain why. When I work with a single row of textile the only way I can move is right or left, as I need to take the loops from the side of the work and lay them towards the right or left depending on whatever direction I want it to go. Due to this and the non-structured nature of textile, often times I'm sitting there with my work bunched up on my lap, not knowing whether I need to go left or right. I've had moments where I made mistakes and errors, often times I try to go back on fix them, but sometimes that is not an option.

Sample 1

Sample 2

Sample 3

Process and journal

Counting rows per 20 or per 10

Measurement of chairs around the school

Measuring ratios in relation to my work

Measurements and rows in my final product

Measurements and rows in my final product continued.

Product abstract

Production process maps

This is the technique I used for the Chair Jacket

This technique is similar to the Chair Jacket, it's actually the technique I used in my first 3 samples.

This was my first intervention mapping where I would brainstorm possible ideas I could do on the knitting machine

This helped me focus on some intervention ideas that I thought would show promise

Sample 5

This technique was almost going to be influenced by my final product. I didn't continue because it was rather tedious and also because I found that the outcome was not that exiting.

I would describe it as making a sort of cave painting that makes different patterns as it continues, but the details are too small and frequent.

Here I would manipulate the sample by making holes and ladders, and then moving the ladders to different needles to create movement in my work. The finished sample would have diagonal loops throughout the work

As you can see, in the picture there are two rows of different samples, these samples were knitted together to make a pocket. I did so by taking the threads on the edge of my sample and hooked it on the machine, then I would knit it shut. Later, every two rows I would do the same however only with one thread on the far left or right of my piece (depending on how I want the pocket). The result of which would create a tube that is connected to one side.

This sort of sample is found on a few of my work, however it is taken to a new level in my Chair Jacket. On the side pockets of the Chair Jacket you can see that there is a middle that is also connected to the first layer, this is to split the pocket and to create more structure.

Sketches and models

This work was to answer a few of my other question that were a little more playful. Is it possible to change the thickness of the sample during the knitting process? Will the sample have structure if it loops onto itself in a small space?

What I found with this work was that it is possible to work with different thicknesses within the same work. This was possible with the ladder technique, I would take hooks on the far left and right side and after each row I would place them one hook towards the centre. This would mean that the piece would gradually narrow down. However, when I have to make the work thicker I could do so in one step, I managed to do this by extending the unused hooks. The only problem with this is that the loops aren't holding on to anything. I tried this again when I was knitting my work shut, and this worked much better. Regarding my second question, I found that I did not like the structure it made, as it is very closed off from the rest of the work. I can't connect anything to it. I think this will only work if I were to make this for a small object

Sample 4