Home / Art

Incredible Knitted Sculptures Made Entirely out of Glass

Looking at these knitted pieces by artist Carol Milne, you'll immediately notice that they weren't fashioned with yarn. In fact, they're crafted using something that's much less malleable – glass! It's almost unbelievable how neatly each fragile row is made and has the look and feel of fiber; this is especially astonishing since the melting point of glass is somewhere between 1,400 and 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit; it gets too hot for Milne to traditionally manipulate it with such impeccable craftsmanship.

To produce these incredible works, the artist uses a technique she invented in 2006 that involves knitting, lost-wax casting, mold-making, and kiln casting. Milne first makes a model of the sculpture out of wax, and then she encases it with a refractory mold material that's made to withstand extremely hot temperatures. Afterwards, hot steam melts the wax and leaves behind an empty shell in the shape of her work. Pieces of glass are then placed in the mold, heated to the proper temperature and melted. Finally, the piece is slowly cooled over several weeks, and Milne carefully unearths her sculpture by chipping away at its shell.

The results of this involved process are the colorful, awe-inspiring “knitted” pieces that you see here.

Carol Milne website and Facebook page
via [Colossal]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content