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Ethnic Knitting: A Roundtable Discussion (cont'd)
by L'Tanya Durante

Kristin Nicholas, Author of Kristin Knits, www.kristinnicholas.com

On inspiration…
"I find inspiration from ethnic textiles from lots of different cultures. Currently I am fascinated with Indian textiles (the continent) – the work they stitch on that continent and the sheer number of techniques is mind-blowing."

"For my knitwear designs, I translate the design motifs of woven and embroidered textiles into my own knitting charts. I also love the sense of color that is found in ethnic cultures – that use of color with wild abandon with no limits is so inspiring."

"Because knitting is practiced in many ethnic cultures throughout the world and because it is done with the same tools throughout the world – yarn and 2 sticks – many of the same knitting techniques are used throughout the world by different cultures. It’s interesting to see how cultures in totally different parts of the globe use the same technique. For instance – bobbles are commonly found in knitting in both Ireland and England and Peru. Who did it first? We will never know, will we?"

On passion…
"I have studied ethnic textiles since my first college class at Oregon State University called World Textiles, taught by Dr. Ruth Gates. I was twenty years old and Dr. Gates opened my eyes to all the world had to offer as far as fabrics and decoration went. Each student had to do an intense research paper on a specific culture and then present it to the class. Mine was on Korean Costume."

"Since then, my studies of textiles haven’t been academic – they have been casual observations. But oh, how I have observed – at street festivals, in shops which carry ethnic textiles, museums, antique fairs, and flea markets. The one thing that really scares me is the globalization of the world. I fear that these textiles will go away – as cultures want to become more Western, I hope they will hold on to some of their vast textile beauty and heritage."

"That said, I collect as many textiles as I can afford (my budget is quite meager) and I look at them now and again for design ideas. I decorate my home with lots of ethnic textiles. It makes it feel warm and cozy and interestingly exotic."

On process…
"Unfortunately, with my life as it is right now, I can’t travel to faraway places. I have a small child and I live on a farm in the country with lots of animals which is difficult to leave. Someday, I would love to visit India and Peru – those are the two places I really want to go to if and when I can."

"Right now, I travel via my personal library which has lots of books on “world textiles” and get books from the Inter-Library loan service at my local library. I also subscribe to a magazine called Selvedge from Great Britain which is a fabulous resource for all kinds of textiles including ethnic textiles."

"When I visit Boston (which is only 2 hours away) I often search out the textile exhibits at the Museum of Fine Arts. And once in a while I get to a museum or two in New York."

On advice…
"I used to teach a class to non-designers at many of the Stitches Conventions. Each student got a photo of an ethnic textile from my magazine collection. They had to design a sweater using a few ideas from the textile – this resulted in a small sketch or a sweater or an accessory. Then they had to draft a chart using the motifs from the textile. Lastly, they knit the chart and then determined if the swatch would work with the sketch."

"This isn’t a hard exercise but it does take time. I saw several students later wearing the sweaters they designed in the class. What a thrill for them and for me – I 'got to them' and they were successful."

On her style…
"A little of this, a little of that – bold colors in ethnically inspired motifs knit in simple shapes with interesting edge treatments."

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