I spent the first three weeks of the term learning the techniques of weave. At first I found the set up of the warps to be difficult to come to terms with, however with help and a little time I found myself becoming more comfortable and confident with the terminology and techniques required for this. Once I had chosen my colour palette I became very excited and just wanted to start weaving straight away. The process seemed tedious to some, however I was intrigued watching the warp and weft record sheets turn into different patterns- I still think it is done by some sort of magic. Working with wool made the weave a little more fragile, I experienced a few panics due to the snapping of my warp, though as a positive I now know how to fix this if it ever happens again. It was also very interesting experimenting with the different yarns to give different textures and colour schemes to the overall weave. My favourite part of the weave is my attempt at weaving the same warp/weft plan in plain weave- achieving a very beautiful effect. I feel that I could've achieved a little more of my weave, missing a few days due to illness, however I am very happy with the end result and wouldn't hesitate to try the process again.
For the second half of the term I learnt the process of knitting on the domestic machines. I decided to change my colour palette for this part of the term as my sketchbook work took a different turn after a group tutorial. Again, learning the process and technical terms seemed overwhelming at first, but at my own pace and after reading into the subject a little more in my own term I now feel much more confident with the machine. My favourite technique to learn has been the hooking up process- this has been very helpful in the link between my sampling and sketchbook work. I feel that I was able to grasp the knitting process quite quickly- having said this there have been a few 'accidents' involving rather large holes introducing their way into my samples! In comparison to weave, the time it takes to create knitting samples is incredible. I don't have a preference between knit and weave- as both have come as very positive challenges.
For the sketchbook side of the term, I feel that I have grasped the concept of 'data' in the end. At first I had far too many ideas, I used the first few pages looking at solemnly mark-making, as this was something that I didn't do enough of during my journey project. As a result of this I began looking at the body much more thoroughly, basing my ideas on the restriction of the body, with corsets and body measurements being the data.
Overall I have definitely enjoyed the construct unit and feel that I have taken full advantage of the use of machinery, techniques and tutorial help. I am going to continue to research different yarn types, textures and uses, as well as looking at colour palettes and linking sampling to sketchbook work. I feel I have achieved a great amount in the past few weeks, all of which I am very grateful of, and shall be incorporating into my future portfolio work.
