Elements and Principles of Art: Space

A continuation in the discussion of Elements and Principles of Art in knitting...

Bet you thought I forgot about these, didn't ya?

Art Element Definition: Space is the area around, within, or between images or elements. Space can be created on a two-dimensional surface by using such techniques as overlapping of objects, varying of object size or placement, varying of colour intensity and value, and use of detail and diagonal lines.

I included such a long definition of the element this time because it was just so perfect.
And I found me a perfect (though slightly cheating) example of space, which fits in wonderfully with this definition and modern art history.

This beautiful Babette Blanket was created by sarah1rene (she has more lovely images of the piece on Rav and Flickr). I said this was slightly cheating because this project could be considered an artwork. At least, I consider it so.
In modern art (that's basically the 20th century), there was a tendency to flatten space and compress elements together, so that there was little-to-no depth in the work. Instead, artists chose to focus on the physicality of painting itself, emphasizing the reality of the flatness of the canvas. This blanket is very Klimt- or Rothko- or Mondrian- esque, no?
So, to get back to the crochet!
Space exists in this blanket, but it's not three-dimensional space. It's the space described in the definition above, the graceful space between elements, and the harmonious transitions from colour to colour (kudos on that one, sarah1rene!) which, in a manner, tricks one's eye into beleiving there might actually be protrusions and indentations in the canvas... er, I mean yarn.

Conversely, hannahfettig's very popular Whisper Cardigan utilizes three dimensions and negative space to create its most attractive design feature. There's many photos of this knit, but I chose this one because you get a bit of a look at how the "empty" parts of this cardi have the ability to play with space and make it infinitely moveable (that's another principle for another post!)
Because of this clear use of space, it's easy to see how this knit and others like it are very sculptural.
Creating garments like this takes a lot of forethought (as do others) but particularly in this case, the designer's got to envision just how that negative space will interact in a flattering manner with the body that it's surrounding.
Kudos to you, hannahfettig, for being able to envision such an interaction!

You might be able to tell that I have a crush on both these patterns. Yes, I do. Big crush :)

Elements and Principles of Art: Texture

A continuation in the discussion of Elements and Principles of Art in knitting...

Texture is the feel or appearance of an object or material.

You can apply this element to a knit in a number of ways.

Firstly, you can choose a particular stitch, or number of stitches, to create a textured surface. This garment, Fern Cardigan by Zeitgeist Yarns, pictured left, is a great example. The over-all stitch pattern makes for a visually interesting and terribly inviting knit!
Coupling a couple o' textures successfully may be tricky, but Zeitgeist works it out quite well with an attention-grabbing fern lace as the main focus, and a subtle moss stitch for edging (incidentally, I really like the pairing of moss and fern lace styles and names. They were made for each other!)

The yarn you choose can do a lot of the work for you when creating texture in a garment. There are many varieties of textured yarns out there, I can't even begin to tackle that thoroughly. So, I'll keep it to just this sweet wee example.


The lightweight, halo-creating yarn used in this knit, Cropped Lace Top from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2006 complements very nicely the varying, all-over lace texture.

One of the key ideas I keep in mind when choosing/designing knits is "what is the focus?" There are many elements that work together when creating a design (and analysing them via the elements and principles of art makes my organizational brain happy). The cropped top has used a neutral colour and classic shape, thus focussing attention onto its texture by making the other elements play "supporting roles".

And for a very clear example of design focus, we've got the Gathered Pullover from Interweave Knits Winter 2007. Simplifying other aspects of the top means that the texture, almost anywhere you placed it, would be the focus. In this instance, it's even placed front and centre. That's where you're meant to look, and it's a very flattering design indeed. Draws attention to your face (shape of neckline, as well as cable itself). I've seen some lovely mods, where people have moved the cable down to just under the bust.

One day, when my knitting hours have miraculously multiplied and I knit this sweater, that's where the cable is going for me. Draw attention to the smallest part of your torso, and the garment will flatter!

Elements and Principles of Art: Shape

A continuation in the discussion of Elements and Principles of Art in knitting...

Art Element Definition: The external surface or outline of an object or body.

"Object or body" - knitting's the object, and you're the body. And it's all about shape. (and bird is the word! Yes yes, stupid joke.)

Onto the funbits!

I've decided to use examples from the knitting mag giant Knitty to illustrate a few basic "shape" concepts. There is a lot more that I could say on this topic (sleeve shape, neckline shape, length of garment, etc...) but I fear of exhausting the reader with my tendency to verbosity. I'll stick to the overall garment/torso shape!

Part the first: Ease.

The great old topic of ease. I like me my negative ease, because it's a lazy-knitter's way out of the conundrum of creating a flattering garment shape. If your knit hugs your body, then your silhouette will generally be flattering. Don't believe me? Think of it this way: unless you want to look like a box, cube, or other rectilinear form which is not found in human nature, then perhaps you should stay away from tops that'll create that shape on your body. Denying the curvilinear forms of your body doesn't particularly flatter. Take as an example the knit on the right, Yosemite. Great demonstration of negative ease.


But don't get the idea that I'm totally down on positive ease! Pictured left is Sea Tangles. Note how this knit (through a lovely combination of yarn choice in colour and weight) does not deny the body shape, though it has positive ease. It can elegantly disguise parts of ones' torso, if one chooses to do so, while at the same time allowing your shape to exist beyond the ethereal loops and stitches of yarn. It is not a heavy curtain of fabric: its lightness is key.

Part the second: Waist definition.

"But I don't like my waist!" You're not looking in the right place. Your waist is where you put it. Take for instance the shape created by defining a woman's "natural" waistline, in the knit pictured right, Starsky. Nice clear line (there's another element!) straight across the smallest part of (this particular person's) torso. If you want to emphasizes your waist at the "natural" waistline, then a belt is a lovely way to create this silhouette shape. Another way of creating this shape is by emphasis (that's another design element for another post!) Clicky the linky here, and you'll see a good example, in the waist-ribbing of Cherie Amour.

Another place to place your waist is right under the bustline. This works out nicely for those who aren't interested in definition at their natural waist. Take a look at Belle Epoque (pictured left). High waistlines allow the garment to fall away from the body, disguising most of your torso while still allowing your body to have a shapely silhouette. Another great Knitty example is Dahlia.

Part the third: Shape Echo

Line (as discussed last week) can work wonderfully with shape by constructing an illusionary contour to redirect one's eye. Shapes can be implied - shapes that aren't even there in reality, or shapes that are perhaps not as pronounced as you can make them appear. Looking at Twist + Shout (pictured right) one will note right away how the negative space of the bottom triangle points up towards the waist, echoing the bottom-half of an hourglass (the shape so oft desired). There is also the texture (that's another element!) of the cables, pointing your eye up in a truncated triangle. Great design to illustrate this concept! If you'd like a gander at another example, head on over to Knitty and check out Mr Greenjeans. This design has the added bonus of the negative-space of the top half of the hourglass.

Shape is fun - go out and play! :)

Elements and Principles of Art: Line

A continuation in the discussion of Elements and Principles of Art in knitting...

Art Element Definition: A line may be defined as the visual path left by a moving point.

Line is a pretty easy concept to transfer from the visual art lexicon to the knitwear one. You often may hear people talk about the "line" of a garment (usually followed by a mention of the shape - that's a post to come later!)

For knitting, line can appear as an element in a variety of ways. Colourwork is an obvious example. Stripes, especially those converging to a centre-point, can be very flattering, as can the adept use of lovely fair isle in a yoked sweater. The image right is the Sugarplum Pullover from Handknit Holidays.

This element is also quite powerful when used in texture. With something like ribbing (straight lines) or cables (lovely curved lines!) as well as a well-placed yarn-over (as seen in this lovely lace sweater by iSeL) you can create a knit that's certain to direct attention to your favourite features.
While I prefer to focus on the positive, it's hard to ignore the prejudices against horizontal stripes in a discussion on line. These prejudices are fairly well known - but I personally haven't discounted them from sweater design. It's like those great "tough love" fashion experts Stacy London and Clinton Kelly espouse, the pattern (size) should match the person (size). Though I would love to don me a thick-striped sweater, I believe my frame would not support it!

Since we're all wonderfully different shapes, being unique human beings and all, one can't exactly come up with universal truths when it comes to flattering clothing. If I were going to put my vote in for anything, I'd say lines that direct attention and focus to your face would be the universal-flattering factor. Right, you'll see a lovely example of lines directing attention to one's face - and this includes the curved lines of the yoke as well as the straight lines of the rib! (the Shalom Cardi, by meguerite.)

A simple suggestion to consider a garment's elements (in particular, its lines) and what they're (quite literally) pointing to, will let you know if it's worth knitting for yourself, or if perhaps its a pass.

Elements and Principles of Art: Geek Alert! - Colour

I like me my learnin', and one of my favourite things is when you have those magic little moments where your art and humanities education appears to have applications in real life.
And by real life, I mean knitting.

Elements and principles of art are a set of techniques used in and guidelines applied to looking at and creating art.
Slightly clarified, here's a list that may illustrate the point:

Elements of art include colour, lines, shape, space, texture and value.
Principles of art include balance, dominance, movement/repetition, rhythm, unity and variety/contrast.

This list varies slightly depending on who you ask, of course. I've just lifted the lists from my grade 9 sketchbook.

Not all these terms are particularly obvious when you're choosing a knit to knit for yourself, or even to design for yourself. But I recently realized these ideas surface frequently when I'm ogling clothing shopping and yarn fondling knit-planning.

Today is my first installment of elements and principles of art, and how yarn gets tangled up in them.

Colour is the particular hue that is seen when light is reflected off an object.
Yeah, no kidding. But colour is a huge, gargantuan and usually very fun element in knitting.
Colourwork has been much-discussed in knitting, with wonderful overviews here on Knitty and other resources on the interwebs (including this site that'll "do your colours" for you).
So what do I have to add to the topic? Not so much (as you can see, I chose a very easy topic to start with!)

All I can tell you is how it factors in to my knitting:

-no matter how attractive the colour combinations appear in that variegated hank, just don't buy it. Pooling is generally not your friend, unless the various shades in the hanks are so close to each other they're basically colour-on-colour (and note I say generally - I believe all yarns have a purpose, but when it comes to garments like sweaters, it's not so cool).
-black yarn, while it might be attractive as an overall neutral, is pretty much to be avoided (unless you have a retina-burningly bright light under which to knit). On the positive side, it hides a multitude of knitter-error. Ask me how I know.
-I love the look of colourwork, and if you have the pluck and fortitude to attempt it at its more complicated end, my hats goes off to you quite enthusiastically. If used properly/sparingly, it can create focus and interest in a knit. If used intemperately you might end up looking like a Victorian textile. I mean, I like sofas and curtains and rugs, but not wrapped around my torso.

Next week: Line!