Natalie Crossan

The contrasts in my daily life and my experience of living with foster children, is the emotional influence behind my knitted textiles. I use photography as a tool to show the juxtaposition of my family home; the furniture, interiors and patterns that I have grown up with, next to the belongings and personal objects that the young teens we foster bring to the house. Creating a very odd mix of clashing colours, textures and aesthetics.  

My work highlights many aspects of this experience, from using images of personal objects that have been stolen, to looking at the clothing they wear. Graphic, bright coloured clothing, with strange motifs and sayings make up the foster boy’s wardrobe. I try to mix their aesthetic with my own, which is rooted in traditional knitting and antique interior patterns. The mix of influences in my work helps to create fabrics that feel strange and uncomfortable which allows me the freedom to explore lots of different knitting techniques, yarn types and printing processes for a menswear/unisex fashion market.

Being bold with texture, pattern and colour is a major part of my work, mixing Shima, Dubied machinery, hand knitted techniques and stitching helps me explore texture further to produce diverse fabrics, that help me work through my negative feelings for my unusual living situation.