Extreme knitting
Yesterday afternoon djjo was featured along with other fibre artists in a show presented co-operatively by Vogue Knitting magazine and Toronto's Downtown Knit Collective. It was organized to entertain a tour of knitters visiting from New York, but the majority of the audience was local: about 120 people in all. For the first half, the magazine presented a show of latest fashions in handknit design. Then six local designers gave talks on their works and inspiration. It was good to see Danny's designs receive the attention and appreciation they deserve, and he sold a number of patterns.
The images here show the work of Kirk Dunn, who received a grant to create a knitted work based on stained glass windows. He has completed the first panel, shown here, roughly two-and-one-half metres tall, illustrating the strengths and challenges of Christianity. The second and third panels, still in the works, will depict Judaism and Islam. Dunn's work addresses familiar questions about peace and empowerment versus war and oppression. Yes, that is a Risk game board depicted in the bottom righthand section. The most impressive quality about the piece is his painstaking and intricate work with colour. He usually knits with three threads of yarn, as many as five, the different colours creating a pointilist effect.
More lighthearted and fanciful is the work of Debbie New, who knits everything from teacups to windmills. Her background in microbiology and mathematics manifests in some of the most bizarre knitted creations you will see anywhere. Her cellular automaton sweater is based not on a pattern but a simple mathematical rule to create the design. She likes to knit gift puzzles for children: the recipient must figure out how to fold these long strips of fabric into the shape of a sweater, which she then sews together. New comes across as a mad professor with a self-deprecating sense of humour. There is no real point to her creations, except to amuse herself and her audience. Well, and if anyone becomes intrigued by the beauty and wonder of mathematics in the process, so much the better.
