My early forays into designing sprang were with S&Z patterns, so they hold a special place in my heart. Not only does changing the lean of the stitches create a design, but it often changes the texture of the fabric. Many of my blog posts discuss my growing fascination with S&Z motifs.
Variations on an Ancient Motif
Many highly decorated ancient sprang hairnets have been found in Egypt, dating to the 3rd-8th centuries. The bags below all have variations of the patterns found on this Coptic Hairnet, currently held at the British Museum in London. Each bag is created in a different yarn, resulting in a different look to the fabric.
Hover over the images to see the fiber content, or click on the images for a magnified view.
Hover over the images to see the fiber content, or click on the images for a magnified view.
Same Pattern, Different Yarn
This grid of small diamonds is a simple design which highlights the three-dimensional texture that can result from S&Z diagonals. Even when the pattern is completely hidden in variegated yarn, the texture comes through. See this blog post for more on the surprising texture of S&Z motifs.
From A Year of S&Z
Ancient Motifs
I had the honor of developing patterns for Carol James' 2023 SprangAlong, which features new S&Z motifs every month for a year. Many of the motifs were inspired by the ancient hairnets from Egypt. Below are a few of the motifs included in the SprangAlong.
From A Year of S&Z
Modern Motifs
In his book The Techniques of Sprang Peter Collingwood mentions several motifs that take advantage of the uniqueness of sprang to create intriguing textures. These three are included in the 2023 SprangAlong.
Early Design Experiments
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It was in playing with these S&Z designs that I decided I needed to start charting the patterns. I realized the need to get a closer look at the geometry before putting my fingers into the threads.
See these blog posts for more on my designing process: Sprang Designer. Christmas Gift Pouches Mistakes Lead to New Patterns |
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