wanderingweft

[wanderingweft]

SkyKnit: When knitters teamed up with a neural network

[Make Caows and Shapcho - MeganAnn]

[Pitsilised Koekirjad Cushion Sampler Poncho - Maeve]

[Lacy 2047 - michaela112358]

I use algorithms called neural networks to write humor. What’s fun about neural networks is they learn by example - give them a bunch of some sort of data, and they’ll try to figure out rules that let them imitate it. They power corporate finances, recognize faces, translate text, and more. I, however, like to give them silly datasets. I’ve trained neural networks to generate new paint colors, new Halloween costumes, and new candy heart messages. When the problem is tough, the results are mixed (there was that one candy heart that just said HOLE).

One of the toughest problems I’ve ever tried? Knitting patterns.

I knew almost nothing about knitting when @[email protected] sent me the suggestion one day. She sent me to the Ravelry knitting site, and to its adults-only, often-indecorous LSG forum, who as you will see are amazing people. (When asked how I should describe them, one wrote “don’t forget the glitter and swearing!”)

And so, we embarked upon Operation Hilarious Knitting Disaster.

The knitters helped me crowdsource a dataset of 500 knitting patterns, ranging from hats to squids to unmentionables. JC Briar exported another 4728 patterns from the site stitch-maps.com. 

I gave the knitting patterns to a couple of neural networks that I collectively named “SkyKnit”. Then, not knowing if they had produced anything remotely knittable, I started posting the patterns. Here’s an early example.

MrsNoddyNoddy wrote, “it’s difficult to explain why 6395, 71, 70, 77 is so asthma-inducingly funny.” (It seems that a 6000-plus stitch count is, as GloriaHanlon put it, “optimism”). 

As training progressed, and as I tried some higher-performance models, SkyKnit improved. Here’s a later example.

Even at its best, SkyKnit had problems. It would sometimes repeat rows, or leave them out entirely. It could count rows fairly reliably up to about 22, but after that would start haphazardly guessing random largish numbers. SkyKnit also had trouble counting stitches, and would confidently declare at the end of certain lines that it contained 12 stitches when it was nothing of the sort.

But the knitters began knitting them. This possibly marks one of the few times in history when a computer generated code to be executed by humans.

[Mystery lace - datasock]

[Reverss Shawl - citikas]

[Frost - Odonata]

The knitters didn’t follow SkyKnit’s directions exactly, as it turns out. For most of its patterns, doing them exactly as written would result in the pattern immediately unraveling (due to many dropped stitches), or turning into long whiplike tentacles (due to lots of leftover stitches). Or, to make the row counts match up with one another, they would have had to keep repeating the pattern until they’d reached a multiple of each row count - sometimes this was possible after a few repeats, while other times they would have had to make the pattern tens of thousands of stitches long. And other times, missing rows made the directions just plain impossible. 

So, the knitters just started fixing SkyKnit’s patterns.

Knitters are very good at debugging patterns, as it turns out. Not only are there a lot of knitters who are coders, but debugging is such a regular part of knitting that the complicated math becomes second nature. Notation is not always consistent, some patterns need to be adjusted for size, and some simply have mistakes. The knitters were used to taking these problems in stride. When working with one of SkyKnit’s patterns, GloriaHanlon wrote, “I’m trying not to fudge too much, basically working on the principle that the pattern was written by an elderly relative who doesn’t speak much English.”

Each pattern required a different debugging approach, and sometimes knitters would each produce their own very different-looking versions. Here are three versions of “Paw Not Pointed 2 Stitch 2″.

[Top - ActualJellyfish; Middle - LadyAurian; Bottom (sock version) - ShoelessJane]

Once, knitter MeganAnn came across a stitch that didn’t even exist (something SkyKnit called ’pbk’). So she had to improvise. “I googled it and went with the first definition I got, which was ‘place bead and knit’.” The resulting pattern is “Ribbed Rib Rib” below (note bead).

[Ribbed Rib Rib - MeganAnn]

Even debugged, the patterns were weird. Like, really, really nonhumanly weird.

“I love how organic it comes out,“ wrote Vastra. SylviaTX agreed, loving “the organic seeming randomness. Like bubbles on water or something,” 

SkyKnit’s patterns were also a pain. Michaela112358 called Row 15 of Mystery Lace (above) “a bit of a head melter”, commenting that it “lacked the rhythm that you tend to get with a normal pattern”. Maeve_ish wrote that Shetland Bird Pat “made my brain hurt so I went to bed.” ShoelessJane asked, “Okay, now who here has read Snow Crash?”

[Winder Socks (2 versions) - TotesMyName]

“I was laughing a few days ago because I was trying to math a Skyknit pattern and my brain…froze. Like, no longer could number at all. I stared blankly at my scribbles and at the screen wondering what had happened til somehow I rebooted. Yup, Skyknit crashed my brain.” - Rayn63

[Paw chain 2 - HMSChicago]

On the pattern SkyKnit called “Cherry and Acorns Twisted To”:

“Couple notes on the knitting experience, which while funny wasn’t terribly pleasurable: Because there’s no rhythm or symmetry to the pattern, I felt I was white-knuckling it through each line, really having to concentrate. There are also some stitch combinations that aren’t very comfortable to execute physically, YO, SSK in particular.

That said, I’m nearly tempted to add a bit of random AI lace to a project, perhaps as cuffs on a sweater or a short-row lace panel in part of a scarf, like Sylvia McFadden does in many of her shawl designs. As another person in the thread said, it would add a touch of spider-on-LSD.” -SarahScully

[cherry and acorns twisted to - Sarah Scully]

BridgetJ’s comments on “Butnet Scarf”:

“Four repeats in to this oddball, daintily alien-looking 8-row lace pattern, and I have, improbably, begun to internalize it and get in to a rhythm like every other lace pattern.

I still have a lingering suspicion that I’m knitting a pattern that could someday communicate to an AI that I want to play a game of Global Thermonuclear War, but I suppose at least I’ll have a scarf at the end of it?” -BridgetJ

[butnet scarf - BridgetJ]

There was also this beauty of a pattern, that SkyKnit called “Tiny Baby Whale Soto”. GloriaHanlon managed somehow to knit it and described it as “a bona fide eldritch horror. Think Slenderman meets Cthulu and you wouldn’t be far wrong.”

[Tiny Baby Whale Soto - GloriaHanlon]

Other than being a bit afraid of Tiny Baby Whale Soto, the knitters seem happy to do the bidding of SkyKnit, brain melts and all.

“I cast on for a lovely MKAL with a designer I totally trust and became immediately suspicious because the pattern made sense. All rows increase in an orderly manner. There are no “huh?” moments. There are no maths at all…it has all been done for me. I thought I would be happy, yo. Instead, I am kind of missing the brain scrambling and I keep looking for pigs and tentacles. Go figure.” - Rayn63

Check out the rest of the SkyKnit-generated patterns, and the glorious rainbow of weird test-knits at SkyKnit: The Collection and InfiKnit. 

There’s also a great article in the Atlantic that talks a bit more about the debugging. 

If you feel so inspired (and don’t mind the kind-hearted yet vigorous swearing), join the conversation on the LSG Ravelry SkyKnit thread - many of SkyKnit’s creations have not yet been test-knit at all, and others transform with every new knitter’s interpretation. Compare notes, commiserate, and do SkyKnit’s inscrutable bidding!

Heck yeah there is bonus material this week. Have some neural net-generated knitting & crochet titles. Some of them are mixed with metal band names for added creepiness. Enter your email here to get more like these:

Chicken Shrug Snuggle Features Cartube Party Filled Booties Corm Fullenflops Womp Mittens Socks of Death Tomb of Sweater Shawl Ruins

#knitting #crafts and computers #this is amazing

[wanderingweft]

Why have we suddenly had 5 cm of snow?? I thought it was spring already!! 😆 But I have a woodburner and 2 warm sleepy cats and I'm loving how these gloves are turning out so it's all pretty blissful here. Hope you're all having nice days too! 💕❄️🌸 #

#My projects #nalbinding #naalbinding #needlebinding #needle #gloves #mittens #wool #yarn #yarncraft #handmade #pink #snow day #cosy #tea #snow #positivity #alafosslopi

[wanderingweft]

I finished this a while ago and it was part of my mum's christmas gift. I finally borrowed it back for long enough to photograph it to show you folks 😊 It's fun looking back on how something grows from a ball of wool into warm clothes 💕

#My projects #nalbinding #naalbinding #needlebinding #wool #yarn #icelandic wool #alafosslopi #hat #hats #blue #handmade #handmade with love #sunshine

[wanderingweft]

We had so much snow last weekend, it was amazing!! ❄️ I even took my reenacting clothes for a little walk (in my very medieval-looking neighbourhood 😂) These mittens are going up for sale soon, and I can confirm they're lovely and warm 😍 😍

#viking #viking clothes #handmade #handsewn #natural dyes #nalbinding #naalbinding #snow #medieval #anglo saxon #hey look it's my face #beast from the east #viking reenactment #my projects

[wanderingweft]

Scientists invented fabric that makes electricity from motion and sunlight. To create the fabric, researchers at Georgia Tech wove together solar cell fibers with materials that generate power from movement. It could be used in “tents, curtains, or wearable garments,” meaning we’d virtually never be without power. Source

#that's amazing #fabric #technology

[wanderingweft]

My etsy shop is open!! I'm very excited to show you folks some of the things I've been up to! Please do go and have a look! 😃 I'm running entirely on enthusiasm at the moment - any words of wisdom from all you experienced etsy sellers out there?

#etsy #etsy seller #etsy shop #nalbinding #naalbinding #hats #mittens #dice bag #dice #wool #icelandic wool #my projects

[wanderingweft]

It's been a while since i started a new nalbinding project, and these mittens are coming together fast! They're also shaping up to be the snuggliest thing I think I've ever made, and with snow on the way, I might need them! ❄🌸️❄️

#My projects #nalbinding #naalbinding #needlebinding #gloves #mittens #yarn #yarncraft #pure wool #wool #alafosslopi #icelandic wool #handcrafted #handmade #viking #viking reenactment

[wanderingweft]

I was scared of this spindle, trying new kinds of wool and spinning thicker, so me being me I tried all three at once 😂 but it's going ok!! Trying to get into some better technique habits as well, and loving today's sunshine!! 🌸🌱☀️

#My projects #spinning #drop spinning #drop spindle #handspinner #handspun #hand spinning #spindle #wool #yarn #pure wool #viking #viking reenactment

[wanderingweft]

My new weights made from fishing weights and pipe cleaners might look weird, but it's amazing how much easier weaving is now! I'm still hoping to make bags to cover them and improve how they hang next to each other, but I'm very happy - each thread has about 4x the weight on it than it did before!! 😱😃

#My projects #my crafts #weaving #weaving loom #wool #yarncraft #crafts #handmade #learn python #experiment #not authentic #adventures in weaving #craft adventures

[wanderingweft]

A Stitch in Time: Arnolfini

Ninya Mikhail, Historical Costumier [x]

#reblogged #historical fashion

[wanderingweft]

people have so little appreciation for craftsmanship and it’s frustrating and sad. like i saw this video on facebook of a guy making a small throwing axe by hand, from start to finish, and half the comments were like “or just buy an axe for $15”

the dude didnt just want an axe! he wanted the experience of handwork, he wanted to engage in a tradition of craftsmanship, he wanted to practice skills. the process of making things is about so much more than the thing you make

if i knit a hat, the fact that i’ll have a hat at some point is tertiary to everything else i get out of the experience. it’s meditation, it’s how i interact with a community, it connects me to a history, it mediates my anxiety, it’s a sensory experience, it’s me engaging with my body in a way that is careful and thoughtful and elegant and beautiful

handwork is so devalued for a lot of reasons, and those reasons are almost always socially complex – there’s a lot to be said about how class and gender play out in different hobbies; how cost can become prohibitive in learning skills that were once vital to the poor, how certain kinds of labor have become a luxury, how histories of gendered labor cause that labor to become mocked. all of those things and so many more are difficult to grapple with

automation tends to lead us to believe that making is all about things, but when you practice handwork, you give the process its own kind of value and reap all its intangible rewards. if i could explain one simple thing to anyone who has ever asked me why i don’t just buy a hat, it’s that there’s a lot more involved in a process than just its product.

#reblog #handicraft

[wanderingweft]

A Stitch in Time: Arnolfini

Ninya Mikhail, Historical Costumier [x]

#reblogged #historical fashion

[wanderingweft]

Socks in progress, new reenactment gear for a friend. They’re all loose ends and stitch markers at the moment, but they should look great when they’re done! Now here’s hoping they fit. Loving this chunky wool from Blacker yarns as well. 

#nalbinding #naalbinding #needlebinding #socks #wool #pure wool #handmade #handmade socks #crafts #my projects #my wips

[wanderingweft]

#secretmessage 😉

#knitting #truly amazing

[wanderingweft]

Goodness, January's nearly over! It's been very very busy here, but over the holidays I finished a bunch of projects, made loads of tiny christmas stockings (and gave them all away except the one here!), and got lots of new materials and ideas. It's wild seeing how far I came in 2017 and I have so many new skills to learn and practice in 2018! 😊 Here's to some good luck and nice things for all of us this year 🌸💖🌻 #crafts #newyear #january #christmascrafts #handmade #nalbinding #needlebinding #naalbinding #spinning #dropspindle #yarn #wool #handspun #basketry #mycrafts

#My projects #crafts #new year #january #handmade #nalbinding #drop spinning #drop spindle #yarn #wool #handspun #basketry #blue faced leicester

[wanderingweft]

Weaving isn't just fabric! 😱 As part of my masters degree I got to go on a rush basketry class last week - it was amazing and I'm so pleased with the little pot I made. I'm really excited for more basketry and playing around with new materials!!

#My projects #basketry #basket #rush basket #weaving #handmade #crafts

[wanderingweft]

So the other night during D&D, I had the sudden thoughts that:

1) Binary files are 1s and 0s

2) Knitting has knit stitches and purl stitches

You could represent binary data in knitting, as a pattern of knits and purls…

You can knit Doom.

However, after crunching some more numbers:

The compressed Doom installer binary is 2.93 MB. Assuming you are using sock weight yarn, with 7 stitches per inch, results in knitted doom being…

3322 square feet

Factoring it out…302 people, each knitting a relatively reasonable 11 square feet, could knit Doom.

#textiles #modern textiles #computing #FASCINATING