Knitting the Future - Zero Waste Life

Since ancient times, the Japanese have believed that a life force resides in all creations. Valuing and caring for the things we use, a zero-waste life. Pointing the way to better living for a new era. Setagaya, suburban Tokyo. A small studio in a residential area. Here, Mado Kuratani sits alone, knitting a scarf. I'm knitting this scarf with the hope that it will bring happiness to those who wear it. Ribbons, butterflies, plants and other motifs are knit into the scarves with colorful yarn. Kuratani's creations have a cute, pop art sensibility that appeals to young women. The materials she uses are distinctive. The room is lined with yarns of varying color and thickness, all, in fact, once destined for disposal. I mainly use yarns from factories. The atmosphere is completely different. I buy the leftover yarns from factories. Most knitwear is mass-produced in textile factories, but this leads to large quantities of surplus yarn. For example, if we use 100 pieces of yarn, the total weight is 1 kg. There is no guarantee that 100 pieces of yarn will be used up. So the yarn is always left behind. The color of the yarn is determined, so it is difficult to use it. At Ando's factory, from the roughly 60,000 pieces of knitwear produced annually, anywhere from 300 to 400 kg of yarn go unused. Five years ago, after learning of Kuratani's efforts, he provided her with some of their excess yarn. It is very helpful for the company to reduce the amount of surplus yarn. If we spread the surplus yarn more and more, we will be able to clear the waste. Since the thickness of the yarn varies, we have to change all the data. That is why we are not suitable for machine production. If it is handcrafted, I can make the yarn as thick as I want, regardless of the thickness of the yarn. Kuratani is also particular about her tools. This is a home-made knitting machine. It is a machine that does not use electricity. I have a knitting machine at home. My mother knits the yarn, and I make clothes for my children. In the 1950s and 60s, there was a craze for such home knitting machines across Japan, as it was far cheaper to make clothing than to buy it. However, in modern Japan, there is not much use for them, and they are increasingly discarded. Because of this, Kuratani searched online and bought one as soon as she found it. I used to knit by hand. I thought that the speed of a home-made knitting machine was important, and I thought that it would be a weapon. I thought that I could make clothes comfortably without using electricity. I think it is very kind to the earth. The yarn is wrapped around the needles and knit one row at a time. By repeating this process, a scarf is created. But after a few passes, work comes to a halt. Even with mistakes, the yarn never goes to waste. One reason Kuratani chose knitting. At this pace, the scarf is complete in about half a day. I can't make it without having fun. It's fun to make a work, and I've been making it since I was a student. Discovering the appeal of knitting at fashion school, she found employment as a knitwear designer for an apparel maker. But mass production and mass disposal were the norm in the industry, and seeing the items she'd designed thrown away was a real shock. It's not something you can make by pressing a button. I thought it would be a waste of time and effort, and I thought I couldn't get involved in it. I didn't think it was the kind of thing I wanted to make, so I decided to quit. With that, she set out on her own, and instead of new, she'd use surplus yarn for her creations. She says using such material has a special joy of its own. Normally, if the yarn is all yellow, you can get the same yellow yarn. But there's no such thing as the same yellow, so if you change the yarn from time to time, it's a good thing that you don't think about. Once off the machine, the rest is done by hand. As well as scarves, she also knits items like hats, bags, and tissue box covers from surplus yarn. Today, she's selling her wares at a department store in central Osaka. Which one do you like? This one's too cute! I'd like to have all the designs on display. I see. Basically, I like all of them. I mainly use surplus yarn that's left over from factories. I like this shiny one. I see, I like all of them. Of course I like designs, but I also like the idea of using surplus yarn. I like the brand's concept. Even if it's the same design, it's hard for amateurs to use it in different ways. It's amazing how you can combine cute designs with surplus yarn. In hopes of sharing her love for zero-waste knitting, Kuretani is also offering a workshop. I'm going to make the eyes in order. I'm going to make one eye at a time. This is what it looks like. The workshop also aims to promote the use of the old home knitting machines that are slowly disappearing. I'm going to put it back. I don't know how to use it. I've thrown it away. I've had it at home, but I've thrown it away. I hope there will be more opportunities like this, and I hope there won't be a single knitting machine that can be thrown away. It's going really well. I can see the eyes now. I'm glad I was able to do it. It's really beautiful. Thank you. It's really cute. Isn't it cute? Through the joy of knitting, more and more people will use cast-offs and surplus to make things, reducing overall waste as a result. This is Kuretani's vision of the future. Of course, the first thing I want to do is to make fashion. When customers see it, I want them to wear it because it's cute, and I want it to become a brand that attracts people to the environment. I want everyone to be aware of the world where there is no burden on the earth.