fruity knitting webcast interview

In the summer of 2023, we had the opportunity to take The Knitting Pilgrim to Austria and Germany.  And while we were in Nurnberg, Kirk had the very good fortune of being interviewed by Andrea Doig of Fruity Knitting.  Andrea and Kirk talked about his knitting origins, the inspiration for the huge knitted Stitched Glass Tapestries, his color-work technique, and the crazy rollercoaster journey of the project. Watch the full episode here.

THE CABIN BOY KNITS CANADIAN INTERVIEW SERIES - KIRK DUNN

Recently, Christopher Walker of Cabin Boy Knits interviewed Kirk about The Knitting Pilgrim, Stitched Glass and his knitting career on his Canadian Interview Series. Christopher introduces the online interview like this: “Where does one find inspiration when not even looking? In one's journey, are the answers from within or found elsewhere in something unseen or unexpected? And what's WOOL got to do with it!? Kirk Dunn's got a whole lot to say about that! He just may be the quintessential fibre artist with his vivid creativity, unscripted purpose, unwavering discipline and outlandish vision. The resulting three knitted "Stained Glass Window" panels and fifteen years' crusade became the axis to his One Man Show: The Knitting Pilgrim. The accomplished actor picked up knitting on the side, later studying with Kaffe Fassett. Unlike three generations of ministers before him, Kirk is not ordained but what he professes in his life's journey should be open to all who open their heart and mind to a better place...a better world. And the genius and colour-work in every stitch of those masterpieces should be glorified. Come MEET KIRK! He's kind, humble and did I say charming? You'll like him a lot!!”

Rebecca Robbins/ Fibre with Friends and More; Show and Share with Kirk Dunn

Rebecca Robbins, a talented weaver an the host of the Youtube channel Fiber With Friends And More, recently hosted Kirk for a Show and Share of his work — well, at least the work he had available at arm’s length. A few of the projects making an appearance here include the Henslow’s Sparrow pillow, COVID mask, Pufferfish, Rainbow Yarn Bomb, and numerous blankets, swatches and sketches. In the ensuing and lively conversation Kirk talks about what hooked him on knitting and how he uses multiple colours to achieve a rich texture and depth to his work.

STITCHED GLASS

In 2003, Kirk was awarded a significant Chalmers Foundation Fellowship through the Ontario Arts Council in support of Stitched Glass, an installation of 5.5’ x 8’ tapestry panels, knit in the style of stained glass. The work explores the commonalities and conflicts of the three Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. 

Kirk’s background as a PK – a preacher’s kid - inspired his interest in religion, spirituality, and interfaith empathy. With Stitched Glass, he found a way to combine both his faith and textile interests.

Directed by Jennifer Tarver, and performed by Kirk, the show recounts Kirk’s artistic and spiritual journey of hand-knitting the giant project, and his hope to contribute to the vital conversation about xenophobia, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, dealing with internal and external strife, and fear of the other.

The show, produced by Ergo Arts Theatre, premiered at the Aga Khan Museum’s Auditorium in May, 2019 and has already toured Ontario for 49 shows. It was given 6 out of 5 stars by CFMU Hamilton, 5 out of 5 stars by Mooney on Theatre, and was named a Critic’s Fringe Pick in Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton, as well as One of ‘Top Ten Shows to See in May 2019’ by NOW Magazine. It tells the story of a journey that you need to experience.

Kirk could not have foreseen the scope of the work. It took 15 years of research, design and knitting, to finally complete all three tapestries. But then the question became, how to share the installation with audiences so that it could do more than just sit in a gallery? Kirk’s profound desire was to use Stitched Glass to create an opportunity for interfaith dialogue. In 2018, Kirk and his wife, Claire Ross Dunn, co-wrote The Knitting Pilgrim, a multidisciplinary one-person theatrical experience that uses storytelling, image projection and the Stitched Glass panels – collectively over 90 pounds of knitting – as its set.

Huge thanks to fabulous filmmakers Ian Daffern and Omar Majeed for the great short 'Stitched Glass - The Documentary.' Weirdly wonderful to see my knitting pilgrimage captured on film. And congrats winning the Best Short Documentary award at the 2021 Forest City Film Festival ! Well done!

To book the 65-minute show and 30-minute post-show talk-back, please contact us.

Photos by Jorjas Photography

THE HENSLOW’S SPARROW PILLOW

My wife and the love of my life (handy how that worked out), Claire, recently published her first novel, At Last Count. It took her 15 years to write. As someone who took 15 years to knit his own project (check out The Knitting Pilgrim oy), I completely understand.

At Last Count features a birdwatcher who depends on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in her attempts to control the uncontrollable. This pillow is a rendering of an image of a Henslow’s Sparrow—a bird rarely seen on Amherst Island, Ontario, where most of the narrative takes place—and uses yarn from Topsy Farms, located on the West End or “Head” of the island. I love the natural, earthy tones the doubling of Topsy fingering weight yarns provides. In the book, the Henslow’s Sparrow is a symbol of hope, survival, and a better world to come. This one’s for Claire.

RAINBOW YARN BOMB

The Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Arts centre proudly hosted the yarn bomb during Pride Month of 2022. It offered a splash of colour to brighten the day of many a commuter on their way up Pottery Road hill. There are a great many other such Heritage sites around Toronto — say, that gives me an idea….

The Rainbow Yarn Bomb goes West. I’m happy to report that the tree sweater enjoyed temporary residence in Burlington in the Spring of 2021. Here’s to spreading a little bit of colour and joy in these troubled times.

The Yarn Bomb at its inaugural installation location — our front yard. It was designed to travel, but I’ve got to admit, it was hard to let it go. It was nice to see some serious Pride colour when we looked out our window, and we had fun watching people stop on their way by to take it in and maybe grab a selfie. Then again, I figure selfies are good, but selfish isn’t: time to share the love and let the rainbow roam.

Many thanks to Jennifer Triemstra-Johnston of Fabric Arts Creative Textile Studios (FACTS) of Blyth, ON, for sewing the pulpit fall to a thick woolen backing thereby allowing it to “fall” properly from the pulpit.

RAINBOW WATCHCAPS

Here’s a way to wear your heart on your sleeve. Well, on your head, anyway. Craftivism is great because it works on so many levels; be creative, stylish, make a statement, and ally yourself with some rainbow warriors. Crafts for allies.

HURON COUNTY SAMPLER BLANKET

This Huron County Sampler Blanket is the result of a fun 3-hour workshop I led for the Fashion Arts Creative Textiles Studio (FACTS), in Blyth, ON. It was designed to tie into the Huron “Hygge.” Hygge is a Danish word (pronounced hue-gah or hoo-guh) that means coziness, contentment and well-being. This past winter, especially during COVID, Huron County encouraged everyone in the area to cozy up to the fire, get outside to enjoy the snow, or take part in winter activities – even if virtual. FACTS got on board by inviting me to share how to knit a simple blanket with Huron County-themed squares. I demonstrated how I designed the squares, and how participants could design their own squares, too. We went through techniques for knitting intarsia with multiple colours and talked about how to assemble the squares to make either a small lap or children’s blanket, or a larger bed blanket.  

On the property of Morningside-High Park Presbyterian church is a big old tree, just over twelve feet around. Too big for my first tree sweater, so I thought I’d better knit another one. In May of 2021 we wrapped this monstrous maple to approving horn honks and shout-outs from passers-by.

On the left, The Travelling Community Support RainbowYarn Bomb takes a trip to the West End of Toronto. A little something to cheer up the February Blahs. And a big thank you to all those who donated to Rainbow Railroad to support the project.

PULPIT FALL

This is a pulpit fall, or banner, I designed and knit for my church, Morningside-High Park Presbyterian. It is my response to, and support for, the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s vote in the summer of 2019 to fully include LGTBQI clergy and community. God’s Love Includes Everyone.

Topsy Turvy, Stars & Bars, One Thousand Cranes, Crazy Commedia, and Cityscape photos by Jorjas Photography

The Pussy Hat Project is a fantastic idea that LA-based screenwriter Krista Suh, and her architect friend Jayna Zweiman, came up with to protest the comments made by Donald Trump about grabbing women’s genitalia in an unsolicited manner. Suh had decided to go to the Jan 21, 2017 protest March on Washington and knew it would be cold, so she wanted to knit herself a hat. She and Zweiman realized that if more women wore the same hat, and they could design a hat that symbolized their objection to Trump’s comments, it could be both a fashion and political statement. Kat Coyle, the owner of The Little Knittery, the knitting store where this conversation took place, was fast to supply a pattern that would be easy enough for beginner knitters, and could be customized by more experienced knitters. The pattern is available on the Pussyhat Project website and here’s a how-to video. I loved this idea, but was really moved to action when I heard that my friend Tracey Erin Smith, Artistic Director of Soulo Theatre, was herself going to the Jan 21 march. She co-created the Soulo Theatre March on Washington project with Savoy Howe, founder of the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club. Together, they will be leading the bus in creative exercises on the way down to Washington, they’ll participate in the march, and will talk about their experience on the way home. They’ll be creating a collective show about the entire trip to be presented at the Soulo Theatre Festival in 2017.

I knitted a bunch of pussy hats for both Tracey and Savoy, as well as friends participating in the Toronto edition of the March on Washington, customized them all, and enjoyed my protest knitting thoroughly.

A Few Thoughts about Knitting

I have been knitting for 30 years…

With influences like American/British knitting designer Kaffe Fassett, M.C. Escher and the Impressionists, I am fascinated with colour and geometric patterns. I began designing my own garments, and later transitioned to installations to explore how to use knitting in unexpected ways. Most often relegated to ‘craft’ instead of ‘art,’ knitting – an ancient technique that has been around since the first millennium AD – is deceptively simple, primarily using a binary stitch – and yet can produce works of great resonance, complexity, beauty, and meaning.

 My body of work re-imagines knitting in two ways: as complex and colourful three-dimensional unexpected things from the natural world, and large-scale installations. My series of three-dimensional marine life organisms – a lion fish, puffer fish, jellyfish, turtle, crabs, a salamander – are meant to take people by surprise, so that they see what knitting is capable of – and so that they see the many colours and wondrous shapes of our natural world, and feel connected to it, a part of a greater whole. I would like knitting to be regarded as an art that is tangible and accessible enough so that it can speak to many, and yet also produce startling, meaningful, awe-inspiring and beautiful works, and not just hats and scarves.

 My most profound belief in life is this: that empathy is the path to understanding and the key to conflict resolution. Knitting for me is the artistic manifestation of that goal: symbolically, it weaves together yarn to produce an interlocked pattern, just as I hope people can be knitted together, through empathy, into a community.

 Knitting also gives me a great opportunity to work with vibrant and multi-hued colours and textures – another perfect symbol of the variety of humans on the planet, with different colours of skin, background and stories, who I hope can come together in empathy and understanding no matter what they look like or where they come from.

 I use three unique techniques in my knitting that I believe set me apart: First, I choose colours and colour combinations (often using 5-7 strands at once) not before I begin my project, but on the fly, as I knit – what I call ‘improvisation on the needle.’ Second, I twist the yarns as I knit to produce an Impressionistic pointillism effect: the twisted yarns, when using multiple strands, simulate small dots of paint. And third, like the Impressionists, I use complementary colours (adding orange to blues for example) to make the colour choices rich and give them depth. This technique produces a luminous effect, as if there were light shining on, and through, the knitting.

 Knitting is both an accessible – anyone can do it – and wonderful, malleable art that is capable of making almost anything that is gorgeous, full of colour and meaning. I am privileged to work with this wonderful art form.