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The Trendy Knitting Methods Are Shared By Gina Wilde
Felted knits are all the rage right now, as popular knitting bestsellers show. One of them is signed by Gina Wilde and it is focused on describing shibori techniques that go great with knitting.
The book is titled “Shibori Knits: The Art of Exquisite Felted Knits” and it is quite trendy right now.
According to the author, the idea of combining the two came into life because of an accident. She washed her daughter’s knitted mitts in the washing machine, without knowing it. The way the mitts looked afterwards made her think about a new way of felt knitting.
Shibori is a technique developed for the first time in 8th century Japan. The main idea is to add body and texture to fabric, by adding elements such as spirals, ruffles and so on. Combining this technique with knitting made Gina Wilde’s ideas popular.
Here are 3 techniques described by her in the book:
Technique #1: Shape resist felting – this consists of using hard objects, be it marbles, small rocks, buttons or anything you may think of, for binding into the knitted item. The illusion created is that of felted pockets into the knitted fabric.
Technique #2: Windowpane effect – this technique is based on the knowledge of what yarn responds in what manner to felting. Thicker yarn, like wool and mohair, behaves well when felted, while others, like silk and cotton do not. Gina Wilde offers explanations on how to combine different types of yarn for a striking effect.
Technique #3: Bohemian ruffles – this technique is focused on combining felting yarn with non-felting yarn, while using alternate directions. The final effect? Gorgeous looking bohemian ruffles that will really make your knitted work stand out.
The final tip offered by Gina Wilde is to do the felting using the washing machine. It is recommended to go for the lowest and gentlest water cycle, at high temperature.
The shibori techniques can easily be done at home. If you would like to give it a go, Gina Wilde’s book and other books on felting can be found on Amazon
Also check out the link below by Alexandra Churchill in Martha Stewart Living for more information.
