Hands, machines and technology

When fabrics combine hand, machine and technology

Iris van Herpen, 2012. 3-D printed epoxy

If you like the many faces of fabric, get thee to the Met before The Costume Institute's spring 2016 exhibition, Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology  closes because it's a stunner.

The show is full of beautiful objects, but its focus is on  how fashion designers have embraced machines and technology to create new works. Almost all designs are  from the early 20th century to the present. The exception is an 1870 Irish crocheted wedding dress.

Ranging from haute couture to prêt-à-porter, some of the works are very avant-garde--and barely wearable. Like the cast fiberglass 'statement' dress that releases maple-seed-like elements by remote control. But the majority of the 170 ensembles are not only very wearable, but elegant and timeless. 

Iris van Herpen dress, 2013-14.

Fabric meets technology

Gareth Pugh, 2015-16.

Dutch designer Iris van Herben's haute couture dresses stand out as examples of harnessed technology--and you don't need to like them to appreciate their creativity. One of her dresses was made of 3-D printed epoxy, sanded and hand-sprayed. 

Another van Herben dress (at left) is strangely dark and highly textured. Its fabrication, fascinating. Cotton twill fabrics was hand-painted with polyurethane resin and iron filings, then hand-sculpted with magnets. 

Another dramatic haute couture dress by British designer Gareth Pugh was machine-sewn white sold-wool gazer with an overlay of white mesh and hand-embroidered with clear plastic drinking straws. Prefer one in black? He has one of those, too.

Alexander McQueen, 2014-15.

Feathers, pleats, lace, leather...and more

I almost had visual overload on the many ways feathers were incorporated into dresses and capes. One Alexander McQueen ensemble (2014-15) is covered with embroidered ostrich and goose feathers. 

Junya Watanabe, cape. 2015-16

And how about pleats? It's hard to outdo Spanish designer Mariano Fortuny for pleats and, yes there are several of his classics to behold. For modern interpretation, I was taken with the contemporary (2015-16) cape of machine-sewn gray wool and polyurethane jersey by Japanese designer Junya Watanabe.

Hussein Chalayan, "Duck dress." 2000.

Scissors are always at hand, but not in the way British designer Hussein Chalayan used them to create his prêt-à-porter "Duck" dress. He cut away shapeless bales of pink tulle fabric by hand until he had a female shape. Kind of like shaping boxwood hedges, I guess.

There is much, much more. If you can't get to the exhibition, consider purchasing the Manus x Machina catalog. 

And here are a few more dresses that I found particularly stunning.

L-R: Irish crochet wedding dress, 1870. Paul Poiret.Coat-wool, leather. c.1919.
Norman Norell, evening dress. 1965 (prêt-à-porter) 

L-R: Givenchy, 1963. Dior "Venus, 1949-50. (haute couture)
Alexander McQueen, 2012 (prêt-à-porter)

DIY yarn blocker

A real fiber find: An inexpensive and easy-to-store tool.

I like to work with light-weight yarns so I've been focusing on spinning single ply yarns. To set the twist to achieve a fairly balanced yarn, that is, one that maintains as little twist and doesn't want to twist back on itself, I've jerry-rigged a clothes line with weighted rods. For the most part, it worked, but it was how most jerry-rigged fixes are.

I hadn't considered making or buying anything more until I spied the pile of PVC pipes and connectors someone (Thank you, whoever you are!) had brought to the guild meeting. (Most guilds recycle equipment among its members for free, for sale or for a donation to the guild.) This was something I needed!

An instruction sheet accompanied the pieces and is attributed to Vonne Grunza who calls it a Yarn Blocker/Display Rack. I don't know if--or even how--she sold these and have been unable to locate her to ask. Whatever, it's a clever design--inexpensive, easy to make and  breaks down to store. Mine came in a long, narrow cotton bag and takes little space.

Last week's blog, which focused on my dyeing, brought a comment from Boud, who said, "That rack looks like something I would build from PVC pipe and connectors! To go with my niddy noddy and embroidery frame made that way!"

And she's absolutely right! A few pieces of 3/4 inch PVC plastic pipe and some connectors is all that's necessary. I made a couple modifications to the original plan by adding a crossbar to the base and a bit of glue to a few of the joints to add stability. (Thanks to M. for directing operations!) Most hardware stores have all the pieces. If you can't find pre-cut lengths, borrow or buy a PVC pipe cutter.

Do it yourself yarn blocker

Materials

• PVC plastic pipe, 3/4 inch. 
• Two 4:-ft lengths
• Three 2-ft lengths
• Four 1-ft lengths
• Connectors (Numbered parts correspond to numbers on diagram)
• (1) Four elbow connectors, 3/4"(upper crossbar and lower back crossbar)
• (2) Two T-connectors, 3/4" (Connects two 1-ft lengths for sides of base)
• (3) Two T-connectors, 1" arms/ 3/4" single (Larger 1" opening slides over the upright pipe.)
• (4) Two 3/4" caps or in-line connectors (Stabilizes front of base)
• PVC plastic glue, clear

1. Glue is optional, but adds stability and when applied to only a few places, the blocker still breaks down for convenient storage. (Numbers and arrows point to glue points.)
1. (G1) Glue elbows to each end of two of the 2-ft pipes. (Upper and back base crossbars)
2. (G2) Glue ends of remaining 2-ft pipe into the 3/4" opening in the larger T-Connector. (Sliding crossbar)
3. (G3) Glue one end of each 1-ft pipes into each of the 3/4" T-connector ends.  Make two. (Side bases)
4. (G4) Glue a cap on one end of each side base. (Stabilizes base)

Yarn blocker parts and assembly diagram

To assemble:

1. Connect a 2-ft length crossbar to each back end of the side bases.
2. Insert a 4-ft pipe upright into each of the two T-connectors in the middle of the side bases.
3. Put the upper crossbar and the sliding crossbar through yarn skein(s), slide the sliding crossbar onto both uprights and connect the upper crossbar.
4. Weight the sliding crossbar as desired.

Spinning to dye for

After building up a sizable basket of handspun, it was time to dye. 

Most of my dyeing experience has been with natural dyes and I do love them--from the collecting through recycling nature's color-laden gifts to the lovely, soft colors. 

I've done my share of roadside collecting, but two things have spurred me to consider dye alternatives. One, most free and readily available dyestuffs--marigolds, walnut hulls, onion skins, etc.-- result in colors that dominate the yellow end of the color chart. And two, it may be fun, but it takes time. Precious time. 

As I'm focused primarily on wool fibers, I've puttered a bit with acid dyes but it's effect on the environment has been an ongoing concern. We live in a beautiful but fragile ecosystem--the Pinelands of New Jersey. We also have a septic system. 

Seeking a greener alternative

Dyed skeins drying

At the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival last month, I came across Greener Shades dyes offered by Still River Mill in Eastford, Conn. As advertised, "Greener Shades is a non-hazardous, non-chrome, low impact, heavy metal-free acid dye for use on silk, wool, nylon, or any animal fiber. 

Formulated without the use of hazardous metals, these dyes provides superior light and wash fastness without relying on metal compounds to achieve bright and beautiful colors."

It seemed worth a try so I bought a starter kit. Then I proceeded to gather the tools and equipment needed to dye. My old stainless steel dyepot was long gone (It had been appropriated to make beer!). It's been replaced thanks to New Jersey Guild of Spinners and Weavers member Pat, who alerted guild members to cheap pots at a local discount store. pH paper was harder to come by--at least locally. After trips to four pharmacies and one medical supply store, I ordered it online, along with an inexpensive thermometer and citric acid. Oh, I also bought a burner.

Directions to use the Greener Shades dyes are simple, but I still needed to get into the rhythm of doing it. Perhaps most surprising to me was to discover that our well water is pH neutral! These dyes require an acidic pH of 4.5. Citric acid does the trick.

I dyed several batches over the weekend with depth of shade ratios ranging from 0.5% to 1% and played a little. That lovely soft mauve came from throwing a skein into the pot before all the amethyst dye had been discharged. It's the skein on the right in the photo and I like the effect.

Thanks also to the kind soul at the recent New Jersey Guild meeting who offered the yarn drying rack for a donation to the guild. It's perfect and I promise to share details about it (Click here for details.)

Spinning prep

Handcarding? Been there. Done that. 

Carded batts ready for spinning

If you've carded on hand carders, you know. It is time consuming. Yes, it's important to know how to do it and, yes, some people like the process of doing it. I like to do it for about five minutes. Then, I'm ready to move on.

To speed up my fiber prep, I bought a drum carder made by David Barnett in Sussex, UK long ago. It's a beauty! Shame on me that I let it languish for so number of years. I even gave it away, but with a string attached, so I didn't lose access. Although I've been spinning more than ever, I never expected to need to card wool again. Silly me.

It happened quite by accident. The last shorn ewe at Winter's Past Farm this spring was spectacular. (There is a photo in my blog.) Kris had given me first dibs on it, but I turned it down. However, when I mentioned it to a spinner friend, she offered to split the fleece with me. And now I have half a fleece so, yes, I'll be carding wool this summer.

Renewing a friendship

David Barnett drum carder

I remember buying the drum carder at a large wool show in  England, almost certainly during a study time with Mabel Ross, doyenne of spinning and author of The Essentials of Handspinnning and other spinning books. But it's been a while--a long while. Sadly, more detailed memory of using my drum carder is sketchy. 

After borrowing back the drum carder, I put some raw wool on the feeder tray and turned the handle. The drums rotated as they should but the belt skipped. Something was wrong, but I couldn't see it. How lucky I am to have a  resident mechanical detective. Maurice quickly.figured it out and now, after a good cleaning and some oil, it works perfectly. (We used light weight, non-petroleum-based Ballistol oil.)

I wanted a little more intimate experience with it so I prepped some dyed Coopworth locks that were in my stash. I had a good laugh when I pulled out my 'dog comb' and found it labeled with the price. £1.95. Clearly it was not a near-recent purchase! 

I used the comb, which is shown in the lower right photo, to open up the tips of the locks and any other tight parts before putting it on the feeder. And now I have some lovely batts to spin.

Lock of fleece: Before and after combing open the tips of the locks.

Left, top: Carded wool on the drum                                                Right: Fiber ready for second pass into carder

Middle: wool on feeder tray ready for licker

Bottom: Unprepared locks 

Sock 'em to me

Two tips for knitting lace socks 

Oriel lace patterned socks

As the weather warms here on the East Coast, I'm not thinking much about wool or wool socks and I must remind myself: It is exactly the time to think about them in time for the first chilly days.

I love textured patterns but it took me too long to realize my love of lace-patterned socks. The first lace socks I knit were in  the Oriel pattern from Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks. From there, I was hooked.

Knitting socks is not a priority. In fact, they just barely make the list of handwork. Typically theyre m'y low-key, go-to project when I'm too tired to do much of anything else. I don't care how long it takes me to knit a pair of socks. It might be months. That's OK. 

Waving Lace patterned socks

Currently on the needles is the second of a pair in Evelyn Clark's Waving Lace pattern from Interweave Press' Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave. I love the picot cuff design on these, too.

I've learned so much about knitting socks by....knitting them, of course! Two recent ah-ah's related to my lace sock knitting are fit and blocking/drying.

Lace patterned socks to fit

Check the fit before knitting to the measured foot length. Fortunately, I checked the first sock of Oriel before finishing it off. (It is a top-down). I had knit to my tried-and-true foot measurement--like I had knit my other socks--but fortunately tried them on before finishing. I had gone too far. As lace stitches stretch much more than most other stitches (I know, I should have thought of this from the cast-on), the sock was about an inch too long. I tinked about an inch before finishing and it's a perfect fit. Good lesson. I won't forget.

Sock blockers/dryers 

Blocking/Drying hack

I'm not totally convinced a blocker is necessary for most sock knitting with today's yarns, so I've been hesitant to purchase a set. My wire frame allows socks to dry perfectly and if they also block them, it's a plus. I used two coat hangars, bending them into a general sock shape. They work perfectly. They can be hung for the socks to dry and they store equally easily.

Lacey compromise

Lace shawl No. 1

About 50 more yards would have been better

I thought I had plenty, but those outside edges gobbled even more yarn that I'd estimated. About 20 rows from the planned end, I could see the yarn disappearing too quickly. I measured and estimated whether or not I'd have enough yarn.* But I was overly optimistic.

Even after cutting the number of rows I found myself facing the yarn's end about halfway through bind-off. I backed up, tinked a couple rows and bound off again. 

OK. I compromised on the bind-off, using less than I should have and getting a less-than ideal edging. After all those yarn-overs, knit-two-togethers and double decreases, there are no gorgeous points on the outer edge. A disappointment, to be sure, but if I didn't confess, it might appear that I planned it that way.

Triangular lace scarf

Working down the stash mountain

In my stash was one skein of Pepperberry lace weight cashmere yarn, which I had purchased at Vogue Knitting Live 2015. The intent was to make a smallish triangular scarf  that could be worn as an accessory at the neck. The skein  had 366 yards, which seemed enough for the small size I planned. And it certainly might have been.

However, I used this scarf to work through an evolving design idea that involved multiple pattern transitions. So it wasn't one that worked especially well with planning ahead.

Overall, I'm pleased with the result. I made copious notes so, after I organize them and incorporate my changes, I will update the pattern to make it easy to follow. Then I  want to knit the design with my single ply homespun. 

When I have something to share, you'll see it here first.

*How I estimated yarn needed for completion: 

I measured about four yards of as-yet-unknit yarn from the needles and made a small slip knot. I knit one row in pattern. Depending on how much was left of the measured yardage (or needed to be added), I added a factor of 10 percent and multiplied the result by the rows yet to knit. 
Formula: [Measured yards + 10%] x Number of rows remaining in pattern.

Mud madness

Overlooking and overcoming rain, mud and soggy wool

An improvised yarn drying rack

The rain was unrelenting and, much as I like rain, it made for a rather miserable beginning to the annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It made driving slow and the Mid-Atlantic region's week of rain created streaming rivulets and oozing, slimy, slippery, sludgy mud at the Howard County fair grounds.

The mucky, muddy mess at the fairgrounds was bad. The outside tent booth was swamped. Only the basics--tables, chairs and display grids could be unloaded to the tent booth on Friday with plans for a very early preparation on Sat. 

A much bigger concern was how to make the booth accessible to Sat. shoppers. The resourceful shepherds of the American Coopworth Registry's co-op bought--and spread--two bales of straw in and in front of the booth along with three rubber mats in walkways. (You can see the newly-strewn straw at early Saturday morning set-up in the photo below.)

Nearly ready for customers Saturday morning at the
American Coopworth Registry booth

Another problem awaited us. The truck cab's rear window leaked. A lot. Because the extended cab area was so tightly packed, we didn't realize the problem until almost too late. Products got wet. Mostly it was yarn and fortunately, all of it was completely salvageable. But it was just one more thing to do at the end of a tiring day.

We stayed that night at an Airbnb site that was less than wonderful, but that's another story best addressed by a proper site review.  

The next night, a most thoughtful son-in-law surprised us by booking us into a Hampton Inn. )There is nothing like a lower-end experience to add serious appreciation for a quiet room with a comfortable bed, nice bedding and a bathroom just for two.)

Focus on fiber

A highlight of the weekend was Sunday's talk by Judith MacKenzie. "The History of Wool" sounded generic but her talk certainly wasn't. Full of little-known facts (to me, anyway) that included distribution of sheep, the genetic pool of Navajo Churros, the coats of sheep, and many, many more fascinating tidbits, I find myself wishing for a book that consolidates it. I hope she has one in the works.

Q: How do you spend a weekend at a fiber festival without buying something?
A: You don't. Or at least, I can't seem to so I try to make a plan. This time--and for the first time ever--fiber for spinning was my focus. I've found spinning different wool breeds an excellent learning experience so I left home with a list of breed-specific wools I wanted to learn to spin. I came home with Polwarth, Cormo and ultra fine (18.5µ) Merino--all on my list--plus some Finnsheep that wasn't. 

Now what? I am rather often asked, 'What are you going to make?' The short answer is, 'I don't know.' The longer answer is that I have ideas--some very definite ideas, actually. My Pinelands Spring cowl was one that has been completed but there are more in the pipeline. 

But right now? I just want to sit at my wheel and spin some nice yarn.

N.B. This was Mother's Day weekend and I got the best present ever. I spent a lovely, lovely weekend with my lovely, lovely daughter. It doesn't get any better than that. Ever.