Magnificent Slow Clothing - Knitting's New Life

Cardigan
 by Johanna av Steinum of the Faroe Islands

There's a lot of talk about sustainability these days, even in the fashion industry. Perhaps no clothing art fits this call more than knitting. The threads (yarn) are most often created from natural materials such as wool or cashmere. And a finished poncho, sweater or blanket can always be unraveled and transformed into something new.  (La Modette has a scarf knitted by her mom from a vest she wore as a kid.)

Artists and designers addressed knitting and sustainability at the Nordic Fashion Biennale, a celebration of Nordic fashion arts that opened this weekend in Seattle.  Makes sense, when you consider the region's tradition of knitting, especially in the Faroe Islands.  Fully one-quarter of the FI's population are skilled handknitters -- in a country where the number of sheep is double the number of people.

Recycled poncho adorned with yarn tassels
by Aftur in Iceland

La Modette was most taken by Katrina I Geil, a textile designer specializing in handknitting.  A "Faroese," Katrina acknowledged the remarkable knitting tradition of her native land that has spawned ancient patterns refined over centuries.

"Knitting," says Katrina, "is a silent craft, one of the senses." So how to transform that sensual experience into a means of self-expression?  Katrina observes that because handknitting is no longer a major industry, it now offers the chance to explore our creative potential more deeply. She taps into improv theater and flow theories, and works with non-traditional materials such as plastic and paper - all in the service of elevating and expanding the art of knitting. "How does the pattern crawl over the body?" she says when playing with different techniques. "What can the thread show me?"

Sheep on the Faroe Islands strike a pose.

For La Modette, here was a new way to look at sustainability.  We're not just talking about materials or products, but about sustaining a craft.  Not by locking it into the past, but rather by letting it grow to more fully encompass ourselves and the world.