PROJECT 365HK: 365 Hand Knots.
ABOUT MY PROCESS
I use 3 or 4-ply pre-cut yarns, a loosely spun singles yarn, thick or if thin, doubled, in addition to fabric. I also cut yarn into the desired length.
Yarns selected for a cut pile textile should bloom when the knots are made, filling in the spaces in the canvas to create a velvet-like surface. I love that in my knotted cut pile textiles you are not looking at the sides of the yarns as in hand woven textiles but into the cut edges. The finished cut pile yarn is darker and more intense in color.
I use 100% Wool and Acrylic yarns, and occasionally cut and add colorful fabric as an additional element to the knotted cut pile textile paintings. The canvas provides a solid base for the knots.
I may work freehand, knotting the cut yarn on the canvas. Or, I map out my design in my graph composition journal using colored pencils, markers, or crayons.
My designs determine the number of knots. The canvas determines the spacing of knots per inch.
I often work in a series where my themes are seeded, take root, grow, and expand.
IMPRESSIONS. INSPIRATION. EXPRESSION.
My inspiration is derived from the impressions or remembrance of images in nature: rock formations, flowers, water; the sights, sounds and smells of life. I am aware of the healing power of colors which infuse the textiles.
My MUSE, NTRT HET HERU, the SOURCES-ERESS, whispers. Or, if I'm not minding my business...shouts...look...over there! See! Do This! How about this color? Use this technique!
At times, when I begin working on a piece, nothing...something, the color, the design is not flowing...something is not ripe/right just yet. I put it aside and let it percolate on "the backburner" in my mind's eye.
For the Knotted Cut Pile Series, 365 Hand Knots, PROJECT 365HK, the tools and lots of yarns in my stash are readily available.
I thought: how do I translate the impressions of what I am seeing during my walks, into a knotted cut pile textile? How many knots would complete a small textile. I decided on 365 knots.
Why only 365 knots for this project? It's about Time, plus nimble fingers. To hand knot onto canvas takes time. Each knot a reminder to capture the moments of the passing days in the year. Time passes by us so quickly...the illusion of time...the choices we have in each day to slow down, to show up in our lives. It's about making our every day beautiful, our every day sacred.
Why use yarn? I love the feel of yarn, the vibrant colors. I think of yarn as paints. The cut pile knots as brush strokes. The textile as a tactile painting you can touch. An interactive meditation piece. You can feel the image. It is a counterpoint to the Museums you visit. "Do Not Touch" signs placed near the art on display.
The Cardinal and The Holly is a reminder to expect magical happenings every day. The Cardinal was such a delight to see. A beautiful bird, it appeared out of the blue.
