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The passage of time and interaction betwecn different forms is visible in naturę and can be applied to shibori.

csting piece of shape-resist felting fabric, rendered bumpy with texture, it's also a recording of time—a memory of w hen the resisLs were insi de the tablic.

Nonfelting Fibers as Resists

Differenl fibers respond in different wnys to felting —sonie yarns change dramatically and others do not. If you knit to-gether a fi ber that will felt (a wool or mohair fiber) wilh a fiber that does not fuse and shrink (silk, co t ton, or bamboo), the two yarn lypes, w hen put through the felting proccss, play uff one anotber to create a new fabric with great texture and depth. By playing with stitcb pattems in the two kinds of fiber, such as slip stitches and intarsia, you can create windowpane efrects, lace, and even strip* of fabric that look likc weaving.

Changing Knit Dirertian

In shibori weaving, the wurp and the weft, wnich run perpen-dicular lo one another, are often worked in a coinbination of felting and nonfelting fibers lo create iush d:mensional pieces.

I his attractivc Lechnique is achieved in knitting by working a narrow strip in felting fiber, and Ihcn picking up stitches along the sides wilh a nonfelting fiber. Spirals, ruffles, flowing edges, and wavy linę? are a f ew conlours lo expect w hen you change knit dircelion. Add beads for embeilishment if you plcase, or incorporate the shape-resisl method and the nonfelting fiber technique, and vou've expanded the possibility for cvcn morę sophisticated shiboh knils.

Shibori and Naturę

The action of shibori is clearly illustrated in naturę. Imagine a sandv beach. The sand is rippied in accordance with the rhythm of the tidc and the wind. There may be indentations on the surface where birds have walkcd, a dog hus run, or a person has strollcd. The eonseąuence of time and action is recorded in the sond. Even a simple shell in the sand aets as a tiny resist, changing the way ihc mighty ocean finds its way to and lTom Ihe shore.

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