August 7, 2023 · Made by Shruti
Pop
Butterfly
inspired by Kanda Matsuri
It's been a long, The Kanda Matsuri sound hand-knit took a lot of time to finish, and I was disappointed with the development. Nevertheless, I decided to take a break and return to the project with a fresh perspective and a clear mind. On my second attempt, I successfully produced an incredible piece of knitwear that I am proud of! I call this Hand Knitted collection, which I am planning to make as, "Gloomy Day Pop Dance."
Let's begin. I couldn't attend the matsuri in person, but I received the audio and video from my sensei. On the day I watched the video, the weather was cloudy, and beneath, the sounds were lively and clamorous. Instinctively, I wanted to combine them. Looking at my stash, four colours popped up: three bright-coloured yarns and one pale colour. I was attracted to the combination of bright green and red along with a pale greenish-blue color. The second idea involved an elongated stitch pattern that I experimented with to create a sense of flow and a motif. The third idea revolved around using yarn of different thicknesses and various needle sizes.
The primary design idea was to create a knitted slip dress. The project began smoothly, but I encountered a setback when I started paying too much attention to the sound, checking it after every few stitches. My initial instincts were constantly interrupted by new ideas, and I decided to incorporate all of them as pattern mixing, which led to complications. This approach turned into a disaster as I became overwhelmed with numerous ideas and lost track of the project's direction.
I attempted to salvage my initial effort by knitting a few swatches to capture my visions and make them harmonious, but unfortunately, it was too late. This experience serves as a reminder to maintain simplicity. Once the core idea is clear, it's important to let go of distractions and focus on moving forward with the knitting process.
First attempt
My second hand-knit piece, after a well-rested brain had sorted out the opinions, led me to choose the idea of using two colours and varying-sized needles. Unlike my initial attempt where I tried to incorporate every idea, this time I followed my initial instinct to introduce movement and shape to the garment.
The body parts are composed of two long rectangular swatches, while for the sleeves, I envisioned a bell sleeve silhouette. To avoid complex calculations, I opted for using a 15mm needle for pale greenish-blue yarn and a 5mm needle for bright green yarn. I deliberately created larger holes randomly and dropped some stitches, resulting in a cascading stitch effect. The garment came together swiftly, and knitting it while experimenting with the drape and silhouette was quite enjoyable. It gave me the leverage to play around with the drape of the sleeves.
The flow of the garment mirrors the footwork of a dance and the cheerful sounds, enveloping you swiftly and creating a delightful and festive atmosphere. I learned many new things through this project. If there are more than two ideas, the strategy is to create swatches and take pictures. of the first instant inspiration that comes to mind. Take a moment to process and choose the first swatch that captures your interest, and let the remaining ones become part of another project.
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Shruti