Cozy Camouflage

The bus-inspired sweater caught photographer Joseph Ford’s attention. They decided to team up: Ford would take the pictures, and Dodd would knit the clothing to match the background. Then they would take photographs of models wearing the clothes at the same site as the original image.

Ford began looking for interesting places clothing could blend into, like a seaside cliff or a piece of street art. When he’d find a potential background, he would snap a picture and pass it on to Dodd to see what she thought. Together, Dodd and Ford came up with nine different camouflage creations for their first batch. But they’re both still on the lookout for fun new places to blend into!

The resulting sweater caught the attention of photographer Joseph Ford. He and Dodd decided to team up. Ford would take photos, and Dodd would knit clothing to match the backgrounds. Then they would photograph models wearing the clothes in the spot that the outfits matched.

Ford began looking for places clothing could blend into. He wanted interesting scenes, like a seaside cliff or a piece of street art. When he found a potential background, he snapped a picture. He sent it to Dodd for her opinion. Together, they came up with nine different camouflage scenes. They used these for their first batch of photos. But they’re still on the lookout for new backgrounds!

Once they decide on a place, Dodd breaks out her ruler. She carefully measures the area each color takes up. Since each garment must take up the same area as the background it blends into, these measurements become her pattern. A knitting pattern is a list of instructions on how to make a specific item of clothing or object.

The project—and knitting in general—showed Dodd just how much math goes into her favorite hobby. “I was one of those students who felt that I was no good at math,” Dodd says, “but I use it all the time now quite instinctively in my designs.”  

Once they decide on a place, Dodd breaks out her ruler. She carefully measures the area each color takes up. Each garment must take up the same area as the background it blends into. The measurements Dodd takes become her pattern. A knitting pattern gives instructions on how to make each part of an item.

The project showed Dodd how much math goes into her favorite hobby. “I was one of those students who felt that I was no good at math,” Dodd says. “But I use it all the time now quite instinctively in my designs.”

Locations with large areas of one color, like the cat street art, were straightforward to make. But locations with a lot of colors and shapes were much more complicated. One of the trickiest was a cardigan made to blend in with a tile wall.

“Although it looks very geometric, there are no repeats in that pattern at all,” Dodd says. “I literally drew and colored in the whole pattern on about six pieces of graph paper I had stuck together with tape and worked from a picture on my phone.” 

Locations with large areas of one color were simple to make. The cat street art was relatively easy, Dodd says. But locations with a lot of colors and shapes were much more complicated. One of the trickiest was a cardigan Dodd made to blend in with a tile wall.

“Although it looks very geometric, there are no repeats in that pattern at all,” Dodd says. “I literally drew and colored in the whole pattern on about six pieces of graph paper I had stuck together with tape.” And she was working from a tiny picture on her phone! 

Other designs were easy to knit, but difficult to photograph because of who—or what—was wearing them. A simple tube of hot pink yarn was the fastest knit. But it ended up being the hardest to photograph because a rat modeled it! “Buddy the Rat was lovely,” says Dodd, “but unfortunately he just didn’t like wearing a sweater.”

Figuring out how to re-create real-world patterns in clothing was a fun challenge for Dodd. “The ideas and then the design are the exciting, sparkly stage of the process that keeps the creative part of my brain happy,” Dodd says. “I start from the standpoint that anything is possible. I just have to manage to work it out.”

Other designs were easy to knit, but difficult to photograph. Knitting a simple tube of hot pink yarn didn’t take long. But it ended up being the hardest to photograph because a rat modeled it! “Buddy the Rat was lovely,” says Dodd. “But unfortunately he just didn’t like wearing a sweater.”

Figuring out how to match real-world patterns was a fun challenge for Dodd. “The ideas and then the design are the exciting, sparkly stage of the process that keeps the creative part of my brain happy,” Dodd says. “I start from the standpoint that anything is possible. I just have to manage to work it out.”