“Nativity II.” All images © Althea Crome, shared with permission
Have you ever sent a knit sweater through a dryer cycle and returned to find it a fraction of the size it once was? Well, think even smaller. Althea Crome’s incredibly detailed miniature sweaters didn’t shrink in a dryer but were instead created stitch by stitch with scrupulous dexterity over hundreds of hours.
The Indiana-based fiber artist began knitting in college and refined her skills by frequenting knitting shops. Crome was eager to learn new methods, and like many who are part of knitting communities, the artist was happily welcomed with advice, knowledge, and guidance. Mastering one technique meant moving onto another, and when it came to constantly challenging herself, Crome always rose to the occasion.
As time went on, she eventually found herself in the throes of micro-knitting. For Crome, there was something particularly stimulating and liberating about knitting small. Designing tiny garments and being able to knit them relatively quickly provided instant gratification. As she continued to create increasingly small and detailed pieces, her practice began to evolve.
“Starry Night”
In comparison to the average knit sweater that holds about four to eight stitches per inch, Crome has achieved a gauge of more than 80 stitches per inch, meticulously entwining extremely fine silk in different hues. For “Nativity II,” the artist blended over 70 individual colors of thread to achieve detailed shading effects.
Crome is inspired by iconic works such as Van Gogh’s “Starry Night,” ancient Greek amphoras, and Warhol’s soup cans. Before starting each miniature garment, she first designs her own pattern, then she works underneath a high-powered magnifier, using minuscule knitting needles that she made herself from high-tensile-strength surgical steel.
“We’re always looking at other people’s art, trying to understand it,” Crome says. “Taking those images and working with a different medium, I just want to dig in further than my eyes. I want to dig in with my hands.” This way, the artist feels closer to the works that influence her, contemplating ideas for some time before testing new skills and bridging the gap between conceptual ideas and physical manifestation.
Find more of Crome’s work on her website.
“Starry Night”
“Ancient Greek Amphora I”
“Picasso, Woman in a Yellow Hat”
“Pop Art Cardigan”
“Nativity II”
“Sheep Farm” series
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