Eleven/ twelve_ garment making

I have spent the last two weeks working on my garment. One of the main things I have had to consider is how to construct it. I made my toile out of one large piece of fabric with the sleeves attached, however as I want a continuous ladder to run along the shoulders/ back and down the sleeves, I needed to re consider how I should knit the pieces. The size of my garment was also an issue, as I found it was too wide to be able to knit in one piece on the machine. With the help of the knit technician Sue, I decided to knit the sleeves and along the shoulders in one piece, then knit two bottom panels and join them together to make the back of the garment.

(top section of garment)

This slightly compromised the design of the garment and it is not as fluid as I had envisaged. Also due to the irregular nature of the laddering technique I used, I couldn't predict exactly the size the pieces would come out. This meant it was difficult to line up the details precisely when I came to join them, however I think as the piece has a relaxed fit and organic nature to it anyway, the mistakes are partially concealed.  

Having decided to dip dye the garment with indigo, I did a couple of tests to see what would look best. I like the indigo at the bottom of the sample on the left as it gives a sense of weight and is harmonious with the colour gradient.

I dyed my garment in two sections, before linking them, this made the process slightly more manageable due to the size of the pieces but i would be interested to try dyeing a whole garment as there would be no visible break in colour then.

(finished garment_ back detail)

Nine/ ten_ review presentation

This week we had a slightly more formal digital review presentation. I found preparing slides for it helped me reflect on what I've done so far and see how it is coming together. I got some useful feedback on my work; I could make more of an impact with scale and need to pay closer attention to the details and subtleties within my research in order to truly reflect my concept in my knitting. This was also highlighted in my garment design, which needs more work to resolve.

(slides from presentation)

From this I spent some time working digitally to play around with garment ideas, focusing on the ladder detail. This has helped to direct and move my work forward. The much larger scale ladders give a better sense of movement within the garment and help give it a more fluid aesthetic. 

(final garment details)

I feel I am a bit behind with the garment making. This is partly due to not making decisions on techniques early enough and not sourcing my yarn sooner. The yarn I want to use (naturally coloured wools) has been proving difficult to find in the weight and shades I need, I have now managed to source some, albeit with some compromise on the feel. In hindsight I should have been much more decisive earlier in the project and thought through the stages in more detail. I think it will be a busy week next to catch up with myself but I now feel much more confident and clearer about what I need to do.

Having resolved my design and got the yarn I have been sampling to test variations for the garment. The main feature of the garment will be the movement of ladders across the piece, I want it to have a very natural feel to it; juxtaposed by the more regular ribs, which will bring some order and texture to the garment. I will gradient the different tones of the wool to create a gentle progression of colour in the garment, which reflects my sketchbook work.

(domestic knit ladders)

(rib with movement of ladders)