For my MA collection, I decided to limit myself to only using deadstock yarns. The two cones on the left were purchased from Fairfield Yarns, a yarn store in Manchester that resells cones bought off designers at the end of their production runs. The rest of the yarn was found in the “yarn store”, a closet of cones at the University that were donated and free for students to use.
I chose to only use deadstock yarns in my project because I saw the abundance of materials available, and thought why not show people how you can tap into your creativity and use what you have instead of purchasing something new? I’m also a big believer in constraints inspiring creativity, and thought limiting myself in this way would inspire even more interesting approaches, which it did.
I combined yarns I never would have thought to put together, knitted with thread weight yarns which I never would have thought to try, and experimented extensively with plating (holding 2 or 3 yarns together) to create unique and interesting textiles. I used the last bit of yarn on a cone for fringe, and small amounts of contrasting yarns for ruffle trims and straps. While all of the yarns I used are of varying fibers and weights, I think I showed how with a little bit of creativity you can marry them and create something beautiful.
Another aspect to my sustainable approach was designing zero-waste garments that the home knitter could recreate. For this reason I limited myself to only using domestic flat bed knitting machines in the creation of my dresses, using techniques and approaches that were not only teachable and attainable, but enjoyable to execute too!
People are becoming more educated on how unsustainable and unethical the fashion industry is. One way they can slow down their consumption is by learning to make clothing for themselves or by supporting slow fashion brands. I intend to continue to contribute to this field by offering patterns, tutorials, and resources for knitters to learn to make clothing for themselves and loved ones.