“Metamorphosis.” Images © Carol Milne, shared with permission
While they might seem like gibberish to the non-knitter, abbreviations like “Sl1P” or “K2tog”— “slip next stitch purlwise” or “knit 2 stitches together”—represent how lengths of spun fiber become a fabric. In Carol Milne’s intricate sculptures (previously), one can practically hear the needles clicking as yarn is cast on, except these interlaced strands aren’t exactly pliable. In the series Hands Knitting Themselves, glass fingers deftly guide needles through delicate loops as if frozen mid-stitch.
Combining a passion for knitting with experience in sculpture, Milne began working with kiln cast lead crystal, experimenting with different methods and developing a lost-wax process to cast individual knitted works into glass. Playing with translucency and the material’s ability to highlight a prismatic range of hues, light is essential to Milne’s body of work, and she has recently been working on pieces that focus on illumination
Milne will open her studio as part of Refract Seattle on October 15, and she currently has work on view with Culture Object in New York City and Kittrell Riffkind Gallery in Dallas. You can find more of her pieces on Instagram and on her website.
“Perfect Ten”
Left: Detail of “Metamorphosis.” Right: “Kingal,” “Nitsha,” and “Tatu”
“Cocoon”
“String into Action”
Works from the series ‘Hands Knitting Themselves’
“Cast Off”
“Swisha (for Melissa)”