Shibori Hither & Yonder Wrap by Gina Wilde

Shibori Hither & Yonder Wrap

Knitting
July 2015
Sport (12 wpi) ?
24 stitches and 34 rows = 4 inches
in Stockinette before felting
US 6 - 4.0 mm
1136 yards (1039 m)
Post-felted measurements: : 15.5” (40cm) width, 60” (152cm) length (longer edge Pre-felted measurements: 17” (43cm) width, 66” (168cm) length (longer edge)
English
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Shibori Hither & Yonder wrap is a sophisticated adventure in short row knitting.
Working (3) remarkable fibers together ~ Silken Straw, Sparky & Sanctuary ~ a dynamic undulating wrap is knit in simple stripes & wedges of exquisite color and texture, using a delightfully intuitive and easy intarsia method.
The generously sized wrap is lightly felted after knitting, to render a truly unique finished fabric, full of light & depth, with the most unique & flattering silhouette.

A Word about the Special Technique of Shibori Knitting
While the Japanese word “shibori” cannot be directly translated into English, it basically denotes a “shape resist textile.” Most people are familiar with the concept of Tie Dye (originally called “tie and dye”), which is the most popular understanding of shibori. Ties such as rubber bands or strings are secured on a piece of fabric, and then that fabric is dyed; the fabric resists the dye where it has been bound.

Gina Wilde’s shibori design is an exploration of manipulating knit fabric, harnessing the effects of working differing types of yarns together (combing felting and non-felting fibers in one knit piece). In this shawl, the pure silk yarns (B and C) act as a resist to the wool/silk felting yarn (yarn A). When felted in a washing machine, the pure silk yarn actually grows in the process, while the wool/silk blend shrinks and felts (or fulls). The result produces a textured and dramatic knit fabric, one that is light and airy, rather than the heavy dense fabric achieved when using traditional felting methods and yarns.