Structural Stitches

INTRODUCTION

This book has been written with the intention of helping you to develop your machine knitting skills outside the stereotypical use of the knitting machine. To delve into textures, form and three-dimensional techniques that create intricate and geometric knits. It will be a comprehensive guide to several different techniques and structures to increase your knowledge, also including different yarns and their properties, and methods and tips to progress your knitting skills. You may not use all the techniques, but they should serve as inspiration to see what can be achieved on a domestic machine.

A self-supporting piece of knit which is made using a combination of techniques found in this book.

It has always fascinated me just how much texture we can develop through the manipulation of the stitches on the machine, and also the vast array of techniques. Having been a tutor, technician, teacher and everything in between, the idea of spreading knowledge of a skilled craft that is still very niche is something I feel strongly about. We should not harbour knowledge to keep techniques to ourselves because it is something we feel that we own since no one else is doing something similar; we need to spread the ideas and the skills not only to keep machine knitting alive, but to expand the knowledge of others who can elevate it further and push the boundaries continuously.

We will look at existing techniques that you may already know, but we will delve further into them, exploring methods and structures that will enable you to incorporate more texture and form into your knitted pieces. We will also cover different types of yarns that can elevate your knit, how to use them, and when it may be necessary to use them to achieve quality results that match the technique you are working with.

The techniques that are covered work really well for interiors and for those who are interested in texture incorporated within textiles. Development for garments is of course an option; however, it is not a focus within the book. The structures worked within this book will provide an introduction and a basic exploration into the methods. Once you have grasped the basics, you are encouraged to further develop your knowledge by continuing to experiment with the methods shown.

The very basics of machine knitting, such as casting on and off, are not covered within this book. Therefore it is advised that you know and understand the fundamentals of machine knitting before starting the methods presented. The basics of each technique are covered at the beginning of each chapter to ease you in slowly. From there on, the techniques will develop further and become more challenging.

EXPLORATION AND EXPERIMENTATION

My personal inspiration comes from geometry and symmetry, as you will see throughout the knitted samples - particularly with those that create three-dimensional elements. That does not necessarily mean that you need to follow suit with your ideas and patterns, and I fully encourage more organic shapes to be explored, considering this is something that my own mind struggles with. Exploration, experimentation and constant questioning of methods are key to the development of your own work. This development is also achieved by playing through a variety of yarn choices and accepting mistakes made, learning why the knit fell off the machine when it did - because, let's be honest, it happens to us all, including myself. Just sigh, swear loudly and cast back on again.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

In-depth descriptions for each technique and sample are written out for you to follow, along with charts for most samples. Variations of the techniques have been described and written to encourage you to explore and experiment with the basic samples, but also to show what is possible with the basic methods.

You do not need to work through the book from the first chapter to the last, as the chapters introduce individual form-making methods rather than work through a progression of techniques that build from the very first chapter. However, I would suggest starting at the beginning of a given chapter and working through the basic samples to progress. Whilst it might seem obvious to say this, I am someone who flicks through a book and settles on an inspiring technique then tries to knit it without reading up first how it was made - therefore creating complications and challenges for myself. I hope that within this book I have explained the basics well enough that you can begin to make your own decisions and design choices to develop the samples included and bring them into your own knitting world.

Each chapter is a method or technique in its own right, and starts with the basics then progresses further into more complex ideas and suggestions for the basic method. Start with whichever chapter you feel comfortable with and explore the different elements in your own way. There are a few rules that may need to be followed for some methods, but rules are also made to be broken, and I fully suggest pushing them to the limit of your machine's capacity to really see what is possible and where the techniques can go.

An image of the notebook that the author used in the process of writing this book. All thoughts, notes and techniques were written down and drawn out. A notebook is her most favoured tool when developing knitting techniques.

I would also suggest that a notebook becomes your go-to tool whilst developing techniques. I cannot live without mine. Whether it is to draw out pattern ideas, write down notes or problem-solve. I almost encourage you to turn this book into a notebook of your thoughts and alterations to the patterns, therefore keeping your ideas, concepts and notes in one place that you can refer back to later if you wish to revisit a particular technique or idea.

Lastly, I also advise you to keep things simple and to try not to over-complicate the design or method you are trying to learn. Many of the best knitted garments or pieces that I have seen are derived from a very simple technique using very simple yarns. Understated yet beautifully knitted items are more eye-catching than something that has every single technique and yarn under the sun thrown at it. Be selective yet explorative and the knit will speak for itself.

Simulating knitted material and garments cuts down on the sampling process within the fashion industry, which encourages it to become more sustainable. Simulation on Shima Seiki software APEXFiz.

THE MODERN DEVELOPMENT OF KNIT

The potential for knit as a material is being explored more widely outside the typical use of creating garments on needles. Knitted structures are gaining momentum within medical and scientific fields with purposes such as knitted stents and garments with sensors to monitor a patient's vital signs; in the automotive industry with uses for car fittings; and in interiors for climate control, acoustics and temperature control.

A Shima Seiki flatbed machine that is programmed and then knits out automatically. Every element of the knit needs to be confirmed and determined prior to knitting, compared to the hand machines where you can evolve and alter the knit as you go.

The development of the knitting machine from the humble domestic machine, still loved and appreciated in today's craft world, has now progressed to much more complex and intricate industrial machines that are capable of knitting 24 hours a day, seven days a week, churning out garments for the fashion and textile industry.

The flatbed machines have been developed to accommodate knitting a whole garment in one process, ready to wear straight off the machine. Some machines no longer only have two beds but four, to allow for intricate stitch structures and shaping to be included within these whole garments. This means that no assembly after knitting is needed, yet the complex structures worked on a double bed can be integrated. The knitted whole-garment development cuts out waste and construction time, improving sustainable practice.

Knit simulation also allows you to simulate structures and textures for textiles and create a variety of colour schemes using different yarn qualities, as in these four samples. Here you can see variety in terms of colours but also in yarn qualities.

Today's technology also allows us to simulate knitted material that was once problematic to imitate virtually due to its elasticity. Yarns of all qualities are also being simulated along with structures, which fundamentally allows designers to create vast ranges of garments in different yarns and colour schemes without knitting a single sample.

The metal Mayer & Cie circular knitting machine in the Swedish School of Textiles, Borås. It is one of only five in the world that have been adapted to handle stiff and wire yarns due to special Relanit sinkers that move in the opposite direction to the needle, lessening the strain on the yarn when the stitch is created.

Aside from flatbed knitting machines, there are also the technologies to create circular knitted material formed by large spinning drums with thousands of individual needles knitting simultaneously and several cones of yarn, through to warp knitting machines that can very quickly build up high-density materials for sportswear. These machines are generally used for jersey material, or large knitted lengths for cutting and sewing, but some machines have been developed that can knit with metal yarns for electrically conductive material.

MACHINE...