ReKnit - a project by Haik Avanian - allows people to send old sweaters to the artist’s mom. She unravels and knits them back into a specified article of the month. In the month of January, submitted sweaters will be re-knitted into scarves. So you choose send in your old sweater, choose the type of scarf you want, pay a fee Site visitors can also vote on what should be selected as the next month’s item.

Source: PSFK

Tobi.com has launched a virtual fitting room that users can access from their home. Augmented reality will help in answering the most important question: “how will this look on me?” Just by using a printed marker and a webcam, users can  try items on  and motion sensors are used to rate styles with the wave of a hand. They can also post pictures immediately to Facebook in order to see what friends think or when you just need that second opinion.

Source: Considerate clothing

Bemz is a company that specialises in slip cover for a lot of IKEA sofas and chairs. I love them, since they recently added my type of IKEA sofa in their assortment. Just a while ago, I ordered some fabric samples and I must say … it won’t take that long before I place my order.

Next to the fabulous slip covers, they also have a very interesting blog. And it’s thanks to this  that I got to know these two sites that give you the opportunity to design your own rug. So check out Rug Designer or Rug Couture and start creating your own rug!

Warm and safe! Lost Values has a range of accessories from  hats to  scarves for sale that are hand crafted  with Scottish wool from the Highlands and reflective yarn.

Source: Fashioning Technology

If you always wondered how a sewing machine works. Last night, I came across this visualisation. Interesting and hypnotising, I kept staring at it for 5 minutes.

By Bits & Pieces

Last Friday, I went (togehter with my colleague Niels) to the Smart Textiles Salon in Gent (Belgium). It was a workshop, were different prototypes were presented. What I really liked was the fact that it was a collection of initiatives from various backgrounds: very technical ones but also projects with a background in the arts).

A project, I liked very much was the one of Berit Greinke, called “SHHH…, Amplifying textiles”. She recently graduated from MA Textile Futures Course at St. Martins and presented in fact an adaptation of her MA project. The main idea behind her work is that it makes a connection between textiles and sound: a connection which isn’t very obvious. She made a machine which reads the charateristics of fabric and makes them auditorily perceptible.