CATenary HOUSE

CATenary HOUSE investigates how stitch selection can shape a knitted textile into a small structural shell. The project uses the different stretch properties of stockinette and tuck stitches to create ridges and recessed areas across its surface. Here, the knitting pattern helps determine the structure’s form.

The design began as a mesh modeled in Grasshopper and Kangaroo. Curves drawn across the mesh identified areas where stretch would be restricted; those areas were then translated into tuck stitches in the knitting pattern. When knitted, the tuck stitches gathered the cotton fabric, producing visible puckers that corresponded to the digitally defined pattern.

To form the shell, the textile was suspended upside down from a temporary frame and weighted with gravel. A bio-resin was applied while the knit was stretched into shape. Once the resin hardened, the weights and frame were removed, and the piece was turned upright. The resulting cat house could support the weight of a cat.

The project connects a computational model with the behavior of knitted material. Its form emerges through both the placement of stitches and the physical process of hanging, weighting, and hardening the textile.

Project information

• Year: 2020

• Project type: Material and structural research

• Materials: Knitted cotton and bio-resin

• Design tools: Grasshopper and Kangaroo

• Related research: Virginia Melnyk, “Knitting Stitches’ Manipulation for Catenary Textile Structures”

• Project coverage: Archinect, Editor’s Picks #512