I was browsing through art magazines in Barnes and Noble the other week when I came upon an article on this fiber artist in American Craft. Yulie Urano machine knits yarn into much thicker yarn and then uses her arms to create the large pieces seen below. Her artist statement says, "As a first generation Japanese-American, I am attempting to realize and balance these two different cultures and their effects on my art. My lineage is the base of my identity, just as interlacing structures are the base of my work. Although not all of my pieces are specifically about my roots, they never cease to be apparent in my work."I like to see designers who jump the gap between kitschy craft and fiber art. Knitwear is a thing in and of itself, but it's nice to see work that is not automatically lumped in with granny square afghans and cliche "tree sweaters"/yarn bombs. It's inspiring to see something original that pushes the boundaries of the perception of how knit craft may be used.
