A 49-year-old graphic designer who recently learned to knit is making sweaters and bags inspired by legendary rockers like David Bowie, Debbie Harry, and The Ramones. Working under the name Amimono Horinouchi (amimono is Japanese for “knitting”), he picked up the craft in 2012 and has already produced an impressive collection of knits that are selling like wooly hotcakes on Etsy for about $600 each. “I consider myself both a graphic designer and a sweater designer. The only difference is whether to put something in print or in knit. The drafting process is essentially the same for both," Horinouchi tells The Creators Project.A photo posted by T.Horinouchi (@amimono_horinouchi) on
Oct 25, 2016 at 7:54pm PDT
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Horinouchi spent six months learning to knit by hand and three months in a machine knitting course. “I currently knit using a domestic knitting machine,” he says. A bit of a misnomer, a knitting machine is actually entirely hand operated and requires the user to manually shape the fabric and change yarn colors, much like a traditional weaving loom. In addition to making sure stitches are evenly sized, a knitting machine keeps track of an image pattern via a punchcard or electronic reader.“Although I have become quite fast at knitting the simple parts, patterns still take a considerable amount of time,” Horinouchi explains. He relies on a technique called “intarsia” to incorporate all the colors required by his patterns, which involves using a separate piece of yarn each time colors in a pattern alternate, making the whole process incredibly complicated.A photo posted by T.Horinouchi (@amimono_horinouchi) on
Jul 28, 2016 at 6:33pm PDT
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Check out more of Amimono Horinouchi's work on his website. You can purchase his knitwear on Etsy.Related:Hacking Sewing Machines To "Glitch Knit" With NukemeIcelandic Knitwear Collection Tells the Tale of Two Sweaters in LoveFrightening Fiber Artist Makes Gnarly KnitsA photo posted by T.Horinouchi (@amimono_horinouchi) on
Aug 16, 2015 at 1:13am PDT