From Vogue Knitting Live To New York Fashion Week
Knitwear top by Tara St. James of STUDY NY at the Green Shows. Photo: Nicole Lenzen
When I was invited to exhibit my sculptural fiber forms at Vogue Knitting Live NYC (VKL) this past January, I did not want to tell a lie: after years of working with natural fiber, scrap textiles, and hand-spun yarn,I never learned to actually knit. I taught myself how to crochet a few years ago, and I have occasionally experimented with free-form ‘finger knitting’, but even after sheep shearing during my childhood summers on coastal Maine and writing for art publications such as KnitKnit, I somehow shied away from what seemed to be such a natural creative endeavor.
Vogue Knitting Live - a rock concert for knitting stars across the world.
The beautiful thing about an event like VKL is the vision of bringing ‘knit-purl- power’ to the people. Everyone from the avid technical knitter to the DIY novice is welcome. However, I was totally unprepared for just how hugely popular this weekend long extravaganza is. An impressive influx of attendees and devoted crafters travel to Manhattan for the annual pilgrimage. Many come to explore VKL’s diverse marketplace as well as participating in hands-on workshops with like-minded makers. Basically, VKL is like attending a rock concert but with knitting celebrities and state-of-the-art yarn in the spotlight.
The gallery portion of VKL was dedicated to showcasing both conceptual and innovative examples of how knitting is now infiltrating the realms of studio art and functional design. My own installation consisted of a tabletop colony of recycled fiber forms that incorporated ‘plarn’ or recycled plastic bag yarn created by a Roma artist named Abibe in the Strandja Mountains where Bulgaria and Turkey meet. Given that I am now spending part of the year in Eastern Europe, I am trying to reach out to women in rural areas to explore how fiber transcends boundaries, potentially builds bridges between communities, and also creates economic opportunities by expanding on local crafting traditions. The incorporation of ‘plarn’ into my new work was also a unique opportunity to encourage recycling in a pristine Bulgarian community like Malko Turnovo – where Roma women need to be extremely resourceful to find ways to support their families.
Malko Turnovo in Bulgaria, a place where plarn was invented. Photo: Abigail Doan
I was excited to also exhibit at VKL alongside the hand-knit couture gowns of Julia Ramsey – a stunning installation that was also simultaneous with the opening of her artist-in-residence showcase at the Textile Arts Center in Brooklyn. Ramsey is now the head knitwear designer for Anthropologie and her organically- generated floor length creations are exquisitely crafted out of organic merino wool and un-spun roving. Her latest collection PELT is a meditation on sustainably-sourced fiber as a ‘second skin’ or chic portable shelter of sorts.
The luscious knits of Julia Ramsey at the Textile Art Center. Photo: Abigail Doan
In perusing the vendor displays at VKL, I was reminded once again of the exotic, hand-knitted wall pieces of Australian artist, Ruth Marshall. I had previously exhibited with Marshall in ‘Knitted, Knotted, Netted’ at the Hunterdon Museum of Art in Clinton, New Jersey. Every time that I see this artist’s bold and scientifically-accurate creations, I am inspired to think again about the potential that yarn has as a vibrant storytelling medium. Marshall’s current installation at Lion Brand Yarns in NYC (also a vendor at VKL) features a colorful wall- installation of ‘Renee!’, a true-to-size pelt of a female tiger at the American Museum of Natural History. This poignant examination of our fascination with exotic skins and the exploitation of animals via the illegal trafficking of skins and the fashion industry seems incredibly timely to me.
Ruth Marshall's knitted skins. Photo: Ruth Marshall/Lion Brand Yarns
It is fascinating to observe the dimensions that knitted and crocheted yarn and fiber are taking in contemporary fashion and environmental design. Perhaps it is our desire to seamlessly meld the realms of clothing, shelter, and subversive craft that have led us to more multi-functional and inclusive modes of art-making. Phenomena like Knitta Please’s yarn bombing happenings, the UK’s Cornwall- based Graffiti Grannys (also on view adjacent to my installation at VKL), as well as new knitting cafe boutiques sprouting up globally, speaks to a need that we currently have to ground ourselves in activities like knitting and hand spinning. Artists such as Rachel Gomme are even challenging process-based approaches to art/knitting events with performance pieces like, ‘Knitting A Rothko’.
As fashion week season officially kicks off in Europe and now NYC, it is refreshing to see how many designers are taking risks to explore the potential of knit adornment as a sort of soft ‘armor’ or form of layered expression. Names like Tara St. James of Study NY, M. Patmos, Tess Giberson, Lara Miller, Ajna, Ambika Conroy, and Zaida Adriana Goveo Balmaseda – to name a few, have recognized the human element that is inherent to the knitted form. The process may involve spun textiles, locally-raised flocks, recycled materials, or ethically produced garments, but all are united in a vision of knitting as a way to connect, whether to new followers, across borders, or with a trend-defying attitude that links us to place and others. ♥
Beryl Man's Ajna Collection of Brooklyn is known for its rich knits. Photo: Nicole Lenzen from the Green Shows
