The Hestia Blanket
Concept
The name of this project is the Hestia blanket. Hestia was the Greek goddess of the hearth, representing home, warmth and light. In turn, this blanket is centered around notions of light, domesticity and comfort.
My goal for this project was to construct a blanket, soft, delicate and elegant, that could also function as a mobile and autonomous light, illuminating a space with a soft glow. Inspired by the concept of night lights and baby blankets (objects of comfort and safety) and the history of the industrialization of light in the home, the construction of this object is also inspired by woven tapestries and an elegance that could be appealing beyond childhood.
Moreover, as Isaac Asimov once stated, “Any advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Resonant with this quote, my project is also aimed toward illuminating the evocative magic of electronic textiles. For those unfamiliar with the field and current research (myself included before the start of this class), the notion that an electronic circuit could be made from soft, touchable materials in a non-intimidating form is quite miraculous. Thus, the construction of my project aimed to elicit marvel in these materials by revealing their very materiality. The loose knit of the blanket reveals the conductive thread, and the tiny surface mount LEDs delicately blend into the knit. The circuit is relatively exposed, and yet, to the unaccustomed eye, looks nothing like an electronic circuit.
Whether at the foot of a bed, on a night-time picnic in the park, or draped over the back of a couch, the Hestia blanket provides a versatile, elegant and magical way to illuminate space.
Below is an early conceptual drawing of the Hestia blanket:
Construction
There were three major steps in constructing the blanket.
I. Using 100% cotton thread and circular US size 15 knitting needles (in order to achieve a loose knit), the blanket was knit with basic knitted knots to the desired length. After finishing the blanket and tying off, I cut the blanket to the desired length, and then sealed the ends (for robustness as well as aesthetics) by fusing silk trim to the loose ends.
II. The components of the circuit were compiled and constructed. I soldered crimp beads onto both sides of twenty white surface mount LEDs. This construction allowed the LEDs to be sewn into place, without needing to solder them onto the blanket.
Then, five strands of conductive thread (with a resistance of 3 ohms per inch) were woven through the knit on both long edges of the blanket. These threads functioned as rails along the side of the blanket. One bundle was sewn to the positive side of a soft battery pack (containing 2 AA batteries). The other bundle was sewn to the negative side of a soft battery pack. The soft battery pack was constructed from neoprene, conductive fabric, metal buttons and regular thread. The pattern was developed and documented by Hannah Perner-Wilson and can be found here . The switch on the blanket then, is to attach or de-attach the battery pack using the buttons.
III. Next, the twenty LEDs were woven into the blanket. Knotting one end of conductive thread to the grounded rail and one bead on the negative side of the LED, and then another conductive thread from the bead on the positive side of the LED to the positive rail. Each knot on the conductive thread bundle and on the bead were sealed with clear nail polish. Initially, I was concerned about the robustness of the connections and the circuit shorting out should the blanket be folded. However, it seems that the yarn provides enough insulation to be sufficiently (though not perfectly) insulated even with gentle folding, as can be seen in the video below.
The Hestia Blanket in action...
Reflections
From this project and this class I have learned immensely. Like most projects, I underestimated how long it would take to complete all the construction. Future improvements include making the switch and connections from the battery pack to the blanket more robust and insulated, as well as insulating the conductive thread within in the blanket to increase robustness. In addition, it would be a desirable improvement to capture and employ solar energy, using a small solar panel.
However, I am pleased with how my project turned out, and am glad I was able to establish a small, but in my mind evocative and worthy, project goal and achieve it successfully as my first completed electronic (textile or no!) project.
