While in pursuit of a minor in textiles, I took Knit Technology I, which entails learning processing & production of knit fabrics in conjuction with lab work. Stoll JBO manual knitting machines were used to produce a series of knit samples of various fabric constructions.

 

The end-of-semester project was to create some type of structure/piece from a series of knit fabrics. Fairly open-ended, the intent of the project was to harness creativity in the end uses of fabrics.

 

I utilized 11 different samples, experimenting with novelty yarns, blends, color and stitches. The use of miss & tuck stitches, transfers and ribbing created a variety of textures in the overall form of a fictional bird. 

 

The skeleton of the bird is a blend of stiff wires and wooden dowels. Rectangular wooden pieces are hinged on small dowels to create the neck, optimizing flexibility. This skeleton allows for the bird's neck and wings to flex and the legs to bend.