Fiber Art 101: Knitting, Featuring Textile Artist Kate Jenkins
Knitting is an incredibly beautiful and functional form of fiber art that is used inter-generationally between all age groups. Knitting refers to the process of making fabric using at least two needles. The process begins by casting stitches with yarn, which appear as loops, onto one of the needles. The number of stitches determines how wide the finished product will be. Then, the other needle is used to draw more yarn through these loops, and the stitches get transferred to the second needle. The process then repeats with the free needle. Two main types of stitches are used in knitting: the knit stitch and the purl stitch. Knitted stitches appear as a row of “v” shapes, whereas purled stitches look more like rows of rounded bumps. One exciting thing about knitting is that it can be utilized as a functional art form- from creating a scarf or sweater for a loved one, or it can be for creative purposes or as some artists suggest “subversive knitting.” Since the 1970s artist have used knitting to have discourse around “women’s work.” Today, many contemporary artists have built on the work of their feminist predecessors, using knitting to mine a wide range of themes from food to politics.
One of our favorite Textile Artists using knit and crochet in her work is Artist Kate Jenkins @Kjcardigan. Her creative and vibrant work, "Hand crocheted beaded bagel with lox, dill, sliced onion and lemon garnish" and "24 Assorted Yarn Burgers 2019" above makes us want to take a bite out of them! Who else is hungry now?! All credit to the artist.
