Rachel John, Extreme Knitting, 1000 Strand Knit

Rachel John, Extreme Textiles, broke records by knitting with a 1000 strands simultaneously! This video shows the set up of the event and the event itself. This event took place at the Southhill Park Unravel Textiles exhibition in October 2006. - - - - - - -

It is a challenge for all of us to take the waste products that our society produces and to put it to good use. This video was made in order to stimulate that process.

The comments on this video have been an insight into how people view things when taken out of context. For instance - should I be knitting blankets for charity? I do much charitable work - I cannot increase the hours on this as I wouldn't have time to earn the basics for living. I am happy if this stimulates others to find waste and turn it into blankets for needy. Especially as - using my tools - you can make blankets in a twentieth of the time it takes to make one in squares. If you feel there should be more knitting for charity, join your local group, set one up if there isn't one, and see what you can achieve. You may find a whole new community that brings you joy and a feeling of worthiness. I am one person with the same number of hours in my day as you and they are pretty full already!

No yarn was wasted in the making of this installation - the yarn will be put to good use when the piece has finished circulating as a 1st in the world example of taking multi strand to the limits. - - - - -

Over half the yarn in the installation was deemed as waste for shredding - this is normally made into felted pads which is then used in applications such as padding/stuffing for sofas, mattresses etc. - - - - - -

The rest of the yarn was out of fashion yarn that was sitting on the manufacturers shelves. None of the yarn was of the good to best quality that stuff is kept for very practical purposes. - - - - - -

In the making of this we were taking the waste yarn and turning it in to a mattress without the need for reprocessing. - - - - - -

We are very eco conscious and would never waste materials as a matter of course. All trimmings - no matter how small - are collected for use as filler for a variety of purposes such as cushions, so not even a centimetre of yarn is considered waste in this studio. - - - - - -

We also have what we call a spinners collection of fibres. We were very inspired by a lady from New Zealand who collected every single hair, every bit of fibre, all possible spinning material and when her stash was enough she would spin it in to yarn. She would then use the yarn in the normal way. The work she produced was wonderful and always, always practical. She never bought yarn she always made it from sweepings. - - - - - - -

In due course, and when the working schedule allows, we shall be expanding on the theme of finding and making yarn.

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[Kabba Coulibaly]

But I wanted to see her bind it off. Lol

[April Lanzet]

minor but it's "nth" not "endth" ...

anyway, this is pretty awesome! wish i had that much yarn

[Dirtnap1986]

I'm sorry but this was pure nonsense!! This yarn you call waste,unusable, out dated, out of fashion, sitting on manufactures shelves, not best in quality looked pretty damn good to me. I know a whole lot of people (myself included) who knit crochet etc. who would have put this yarn to good use. Not take it to make one big lumpy thing you call a mattress.

[Tammy Hughs]

I am saving old clothing from t-shirts to underware to cut into strips to crochet an oval throw rug. Thank you for the video

[babylover0990]

That is so awesome! I want to try that some day! I would make a seat for a chair that I would also make! It would make a very soft and comfy chair....

so cool!

[suicidal922]

i want that girl in the skirt :3 lol

[hutzeball]

Great! It is art. Art is not waste. A great inspiration.

[Isabella Perennis]

How is it a waste? Maybe they used the end result as a cushion of some sort.

[Isabella Perennis]

As I watched this, I told myself: "It's not big yarn, they're just little people."

[TheK0sher]

silly me...lmao i was expecting someone with mile long knitting loop or needles ; )

[philosophyasdisease]

It's the "n-th" degree, not the "endth" degree. The former refers to mathematical sample size, the second is a thing you misunderstood when someone said it out loud.