It’s rare that I have an opportunity to write a post that bridges the gap between fashion and technology, but here I am doing so. To make matters stranger yet, the topic of the day is a knitting machine, and from 1982 no less! Confused yet?
I certainly was, and for quite a few reasons. Most prominently is that I didn’t realize that knitting machines exist. I figured that knitting was simply something people always did by hand… a pastime of the elderly, or spinster middle aged women who own 6 cats. In any case, take my word for it… it’s a real thing, and thanks to Fabienne “fbz” Serriere and friends, a person can now do a bit of hacking to create a hacked knitting machine capable of spitting out incredible knitted clothing like this algorithmically morphing scarf, seen below.
Algorithmically Morphing Scarf
You may not notice it immediately (or ever, for that matter), but the pattern actually changes by one pixel every time it repeats. Using a piece of software by Laura Kogler and a hacked Brother KH930 knitting machine by Fabienne, she was able to create one amazing scarf.
But what if you want to do something a little bit more complicated, like say… a drink cozy that keeps the drink cold, but warms your hands in the process? You know, perfect for those cold winter nights where you’re outside drinking with friends. Well, for that… Fabienne came up with this…
Knitted Drink Cozies
and this is where I’m going to stop myself, and instead suggest that you watch a short interview with Fabienne as she explains the history behind one of her many, incredibly awesome hacks, what she’s doing with the technology now, and how she made the items you see here and a few other bits of awesomeness as well.
Fabienne Talks Hacked Knitting Machines
If you still haven’t seen enough, then head over to her official website and take a look around. She hasn’t updated in a while, but it seems that she runs quite a few other small sites as well, and even has a spot where you can purchase some of her creations. If she can do something custom for me sporting an Unfinished Man inspired design, then I’m sooo down for one of these scarves.
