CIDA Award Submission

  • Georgina Knight

My project, Azulejos e Cabos, translated as Tiles and Cables, is a collection of experimental design structures inspired by primary research taken from the bright coloured Portuguese tiles known as 'Azulejos' and the investigation of other religious tiling during my visit to St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice and Durham Cathedral. I explore the wonders of cabling and geometric shapes inspired by these tiles. Designs are centred around cabling techniques, contrasting colours, texture, and structure. The vibrant colour palette updates the traditional imagery of the muted, old-fashioned tiling, injecting a contemporary fresh look to the collection. I have used 100% lambswool yarn as it is a natural, sustainable fibre which knits beautifully. The felting properties of wool give a soft, high quality finish. Due to the high quality fibres used in this collection, the garments will have a long life-cycle, giving the opportunity for re-purposing into other textiles or recycled due to the natural fibres used. The warm, saturated colours reflect a playful, bright energy having a positive effect on the users wellbeing. The contrasting colours as well as soft and tactile texture of the garments positively stimulate the users visual and touch sensors.

This garment was knitted on the chunky domestic machine. The loops on the bodice of the garment were created using the hold technique whereby multiple loops were knitted on one row and thread through each other to create a continuous cable effect. The sleeve was also created using the hold technique however with a larger selection of needles to knit a square. After 20 rows I used the transfer technique to cross over the squares creating a cabling effect as well as checks achieved by alternating colours.
These knitted skirt garments were programmed on the 5gg Shima Seiki machine using plating and casting off the edges of the diamond shape to create the curled effect.
Primary research images of tiles where I took inspiration from the geometric patterns and shapes. I was mostly inspired by the twisted cabling shapes and checked patterns present which I translated into knitted designs using block colour and structure.
Examples of my design development, testing cabling techniques to create a checked pattern inspired from the shapes researched in my primary research of tiles