Visions: Knitting Meets Art

Why do knitters knit? Maybe we have a simple desire to make our own clothing and accessories. Maybe it's a way to express ourselves. The yarns we choose, the color palettes we are drawn to, the modifications we make ... this is how we play and create. Using skill and creativity, craftsmanship and ideas, a knitter can make almost anything. We create clothing and accessories that can't be bought or found anywhere else. We are conscious beings, not machines. We make tiny mistakes and sometimes our tension isn't perfect, but in the end we create something that is uniquely ours. And that's such a beautiful thing. A ball of yarn can be transformed into just about anything in the hands of a knitter, and in this book I hope to show you how your knitted fabric can become your canvas. True to my rebel heart, sometimes I feel the need to let go, break the rules and embrace the unexpected. To express myself freely. I cannot explain to you the joy I felt creating the pieces in this collection. Spreading them out on newspapers and flinging paint and bleach in an intentional, yet very careless, arbitrary way. I can't wait to share this with you. Many knits in this book were altered in some way after the knitting process was complete and some were left untouched. But this book is written for every knitter. The dyeing, bleaching and painting techniques are optional. Each piece in this collection can be knitted and left as-is, or you can take it a step further and used mixed media to create something brand new. I will show you how with techniques explained at the end of this book. And never fear - you will be using swatches to test the different outcomes of your artistic experiments before you decide to dip-dye or hand-paint your knits. I dare you to try something new. I don't believe in mistakes. Trust your creativity and let your knits become what they want to be.