Rüdiger Schlömer pushes the limits of what’s possible in the type world with Knit Grotesk: a typeface meant for knitting. This pixelated font works both onscreen and on fabric, and it’s ideal for bright color combinations and interesting textures. Plus, Knit Grotesk is based on the simple structure of Futura, adding a high legibility to this flexible typeface.
It’s not often we find typefaces that work in the tangible world, so the possibilities are magnificent. I’m imagining this on a yellow sweater with a neon pink secondary hue, spelling out something as beautifully unexpected as “bumfuzzle.”
BOUT KNIT GROTESK
KNIT GROTESK is a typeface by Rüdiger Schlömer specifically made for hand knitting. It is the outcome of his investigations in typographic knitting, on which he published the book, „Pixel, Patch und Pattern. Typeknitting“ and is giving workshops at venues like Swiss Yarn Festival, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich and Letterform Archive.
CONSTRUCTION
KNIT GROTESK first letters were inspired by a low-res adaptation of Futura (FuturX by Laucke Siebein), while translating it into a hand knitting pattern. Through this formatting process originated a whole set of typographic details which evolved into a typeface of its own. The most characteristic element – the vertical line grid – derives from the alternating two tone double rows used slipstitch knitting.
TYPEFACE
With with the support of Anton Studer, KNIT GROTESK has become a full-scale typeface, including all standard accents, alternative letters and ligatures. Its six cuts are the the result of three weigths in combination with a vertical line grid (Line) and a blank background (Dot).
USAGE
KNIT GROTESK has a hybrid character of being both a graphic tool for knitting and a typeface. The typeface’s six cuts provide a flexible setup for playful color combinations, optical effects and moiré overlays. Its textile character provides a great potential to create typographic patterns and textures. Beyond wool, pixels and paper, it can thus be used for any other grid- or pixel-based crafts and techniques, such as mosaic, laser-cut or architectural building materials.
