Category: Crafts

Craft projects of mine

  • Photo Post

    Went back to geek out on the loom some more…

    Went back to geek out on the loom some more...

    Went back to geek out on the loom some more...

    Went back to geek out on the loom some more...

    Went back to geek out on the loom some more...

  • Photo Post

    A visit to the WOOL MUSEUM, complete with a demo of a working Jacquard loom! (I want one.)

    A visit to the WOOL MUSEUM, complete with a demo of a working Jacquard loom! (I want one.)

    A visit to the WOOL MUSEUM, complete with a demo of a working Jacquard loom! (I want one.)

    A visit to the WOOL MUSEUM, complete with a demo of a working Jacquard loom! (I want one.)

  • Photo Post

    Finally sewed the rest of my patches on my laptop bag!

    Finally sewed the rest of my patches on my laptop bag!

  • Photo Post

    Working on a project for a very special little girl!! ❤️ @mobywhale

    Working on a project for a very special little girl!! ❤️ @mobywhale

  • Knitted Disruption

    Hey knitters! I’m working on a knitting + machine learning project and I need a collection of images of stockinette, garter, seed, and moss stitches. Images like these:

    If you’re willing to spend a few minutes helping, I’d be so grateful! Just email your images to [email address removed as the project is finished!]. You can attach multiple images at once if you like.

    They don’t have to be swatches; they can be closeups from finished articles. They don’t have to be perfectly straight or blocked or anything like that either. I’m looking for a wide variety, to be honest! Stripes and multiple colours are great! Even fairisle. I want to teach the model to disregard colour, so having photos with it is very helpful. Just no lace or cables or crochet… (yet).

    More details

    A few years back I gave a talk at several tech conferences about the overlap between knitting patterns and programming languages. As part of that, I talked a bit about KnitML (an old proposed standard for writing patterns in ways computers can understand) and how it could be used with special software to simulate knitted fabric. A few people asked me afterwards if it could go the other way – from a photo of knitting, can you reverse engineer the pattern?

    It got me thinking. I know that I can “read” knitting. I do it all the time, and I’m sure other knitters do too. So if I can do it, why not a computer? I’m also fortunate in that I work with some very smart Machine Learning experts and have access to run experiments in the Cloud cheaply. So I decided to give it a try.

    I’m starting with image classification. Think facial recognition for knitting swatches. Can I train a model to recognise the difference between stockinette, garter, moss, and seed stitch? The first step is gathering as much training data as I can, hence my request to you all!

    So the more the better. Different wools, different colours, different lighting, different angles. It’s all super useful!

    And I will definitely share the results back afterwards and thank all contributors. 🙂

  • Baratheon Pullover

    Baratheon PulloverThis jumper’s been a long time in the making. Way back in 2011 I was a contributor to the TON OF WOOL project and received a couple skeins of 10ply undyed Cormo wool in return. It sat in my stash for years. Then in late 2017 I happened to see Norah Gaughan’s Stag Head Pullover on the front page of Ravelry and fell in love. I didn’t have enough of the Cormo to make it, but Jody still had a full packet and kindly sold it to me. I originally aimed to put it in the 2018 Easter Show but didn’t manage to get it finished in time. It languished in the “incomplete” basket for the better part of a year before I picked it up and finished it just in time for this year’s Show.

    No ribbon, sadly, and no feedback from the judges either. Still, I’m very happy with it. Full details over on Ravelry

  • Making an Aloha Shirt

    As you’ve no doubt gathered, I recently finished a new shirt for the Snook. I decided that I’d document the whole process in a video.

    It’s not often I get to put my Film degree to use! I had a lot of fun playing with iMovie and editing this thing together. I hope you enjoy it as much as the Snook likes his new shirt!

  • Photo Post

    Automatic buttonhole feet are an amazing feat of engineering, and using one makes me feel like a badass. #imakeclothes