Introduction Week
On this page I let you participate in the knitology introduction week, where we went to multiple different locations to get an insight on the production, recycling, engineering and inspiration behind it.
Day 1
at the Knitwit Stable in Brambrugge
For the first day of the introduction week we got a great insight into the knitwear supply chain and yarn production. At the knitwit stable we met goats and sheep, learned how the get shaved and how their wool & hair gets treated. We got an insight on how the wool looks after it was washed and brushed and learned how to spin the wool into yarn.
After we got to see the sweater knitting process with the Stoll machines and learned how long it takes, how much it costs and how the sweater get linked.
My thoughts: I really enjoyed the first day since I never got such a thorough insight into the supply chain of knit. It felt super valuable to learn all the work and steps behind it since that explained the high price of a local sweater very well adn made the ridiculously low prices of fast fashion even more unbearable.
Day 2
at the Wieland Textiles B.V in Wormerveer
On the second day we went to a recycling site at Wieland Textiles where LoopaLife showed us the recycling process of garments that landed in the donation containers. We first got an introduction of loopalife and their mission and process of how they recycle old clothes and then make them into new knitwear. After we got a tour of the production warehouse and the machines which distribute the garments into their different colors and materials. In the end we experiences one step of the process the cutting. We were given many donated clothes and then had to cut of every single thing that wasnt made out of the knitfiber, for example: tags, buttons, elastics, metal, pearls...
My thoughts: Getting to see how many unwanted and unworn clothes there are just in ONE ware house was a shocking but because of that also very valuable experience. The cutting also made me feel very aware about the amount of work it takes to recycle a garment.
Day 3
at the Textile Museum in Tilburg
On Wednesday we went to Tilburg to the Textile Museum and Lab. First we got a presentation from Serena Huizinga who is a knitwear designer and programmer for the 3D knitting machines. The presentation was super inspiring since she talked a lot about the engineering part which I had no idea about and showed us the infinite possibilities you got with those machines.
After that we got a tour of the textile lab and saw all the impressive knitting and weaving machines which were mind-blowing to see and got me very interested in the engineering and programming involved. We also went to the sample room which was beyond inspiring. After that we saw exhibitions of natural dyes and the beginnings of making fabric. In the end we went to the exhibition of different artist and the work they did with these machines which was also very interesting, versatile and inspiring. In the end we visited the library on the top floor and were show some archive sample books which gave a great insight into the history of fabric.
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Day 4
at the Amfi with Nadie Borggreve
On Thursday we spent our day at Amfi and did a
Moulage exercise. We used different second hand knit wear and used a mannequin to drape these different fabrics. Through cutting , lacing and layering the pieces in different ways I got very inspired to create shapes, dynamic lines and interesting open spaces.
I had a lot of fun with combining the different textures I combined and using yarns to add a visual intrigue. I also used the yarns to add a bit of an embroidery aspect as well. What I learned from this exercise i realized that the way I draped this made it very difficult to to take the piece off and then put it back on as well.
For the second experimentation I wanted to focus on the logistics and making something that is wearable compared to my first experimentation. I also used chunkier knit fabrics to have a contrast to my first experiment. I also used the yarns this time to create a decorative embroidery instead of functional lacing. I enjoyed the way i could create shapes and clear contrasts.
Day 5
at the Byborre with Borre
On Friday we went to ByBorre and got an amazing tour through the atelier and machinery room. The software is super interesting and inspiring. I really admire the approach of the genuinety about not supporting the gatekeeping that is so common in the fashion industry.
Hand Knitting
