What is the Invisible Spool knitting and why I also call it wire crochet

February 05, 2018

The Invisible spool knitting is a name I gave this enchanting wire work technique, I dig into a lot of information and couldn’t find any specific term to describe it good enough,  only lately I managed to put my hands on a copy of Arline Fisch "Textile techniques in metal", where I she mentions something similar next to a Mary Lee Hu work , she describes it as spool knitting or French knitting only without the spool. In my view this is a close definition but not accurate, since spool knitting is done inwards and downwards while the Invisible spool knitting is executed in the air going up.

I once had an elderly client form Canada that bought one of my kits to do it as a bonding hobby with her daughter, already a mum herself , and realized that her grandma taught it to them as children, they were very poor, and had nothing much more than fishing wires and hooks, her grandma called it working with angels because its like a magic seeing the loops building up one on top of the other.

The Invisible spool knitting is best executed with soft 28 gauge wires in the types available on the wires section, and a crochet hook , this is why although the loop looks knitted I'm more comfortable describing it as a crochet technique. In this aspect its more crochet than knitting .

The loops are pulled through and on top of the previous in the round , always going right if you are right handed or going left if you are left handed , the rows build up as you progress one on top of the other never stopping, like a spiral.

Although the work is basically done in the round there are a lot of manipulations that enables achieving complicated forms , flat and with volumes .

The reasons I chose Invisible Spool Knitting over all the other wire techniques that are out there are :

1. because it’s a light and compact hobby, you can carry around in your bag for those moment when you wait in line somewhere , go on the train etc. you can do it anywhere with sufficient light.
2. because I love working with delicate soft wires
3. because the materials are affordable , it’s a economic hobby that won't require a large investment and therefore is accessible to a lot of people.
4. it enables versatility in creating different shapes , although I have been doing it for so long, there is so much more that can be developed.
5. I love that the results are neat and not jumbled and that occasionaly I get asked , are you sure this is not made by a machine ?… ha ha , no… its handmade , and my hands are good but nothing out of the ordinary, it’s the technique ! 
6. I love the versatility in styles that can be created with the ISK, you can make delicate minimalist designs , BOHO beaded style and Fashion forward just as well . all in the same technique.

Want to try it yourself ?

hop over to the shop to the "where do is start" page

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