Knit cloth is tangibly constructed from series of knit and purl stitches.  Code is constructed from intangible sets of zeros and ones.  Here users are able to knit in both physical and virtual space at the same time, constructing both tangible and intangible cloth.  The motion of interacting with the knitting needles as an input device for the computer  references other of my works that relate to human/ machine interaction. 

Coded output is still in progress. 

German Speed Knitting
a little story about the making of

Knits and purls can be stung together in endless combinations and patterns to construct tactile cloth.  I’ve always seen an overlap between this and computer coding – sets of instructions all broken down to zeros and ones.  I’m interested in how one of these is very tactile and tangible and is about touch, material, and comfort; while the other is completely intangible and invisible but even more so dynamic and infinite.  So if I can use Ks and Ps to make cloth and 0s and 1s to make code, they should be able to be interchangeable?  Virtual knitting. 

I knew what it was I wanted to do but I also didn’t know.  I tried to explain this to people, and we went through motion tracking, sensors, and some vague ideas.  No one seemed to have what I needed to help.  Miriam at Lighthouse emailed another tenant who she thought could help, he emailed me some guy, that guy emailed me his girlfriend, she says come to London and lets chat.  I went and met her and she said “you’re in Brighton, do you know Jon Bird?  You should look up Jon Bird.”  The next week Anna invited me to a talk, I went, and who happens to be on the panel but, Jon Bird.  I introduce myself and briefly explain my interest.  We also realized that Kyle will share an office with him when he comes to work at Sussex.  The following week I emailed him to ask if he is still interested and it he can help, he told me to meet him at the Red Roaster. 

When I arrived Jon told me that he was so intrigued by my idea that he looked up knitting videos on You Tube and got addicted to watching German speed knitting.  His enthusiasm makes me more enthusiastic.  Soon we were on to another round of espresso and sketching up prototypes. 

Over the next few weeks we met up and went through several test versions.  It’s convenient that Kyle shares an office with him and he too ended up helping out here and there.   Usually we met at Sussex where Jon has access to the robotics lab where there are soldering irons, saws, and bits of material laying around. 

One week we were both so busy that we ended up meeting on Saturday morning (at the Red Roaster again).  Kyle came with for what would be an all day adventure.  After our coffees we decided we need to get right to work.  Jon invited us to his house to work, I asked if he has a soldering iron and drill and other things we sometimes use.  He didn’t, but he knew someone who did.  So as we walk up the street to Maplins for a few supplies he calls his friend Chris to ask if we can barrow his soldering iron.  Chris invites us all over instead.  So we stop for some cakes and go to Chris’s house where he and his two kids are working at the kitchen table on projects of their own.  Cake and coffee on the table, soldering irons, hack saws, wires are flying and now there are six of us all looking at these prototypes of electronic knitting needles with excitement.  Eventually Chris has to get on with his day so Kyle and I go back to Jon’s house where he makes us sandwiches and we work listening to German techno music until the rugby game comes on and Jon has to go.