Saying yes...

Peel an onion... it's got a lot of layers...

I was going to link to a project my sister has been working on, but life got in the way... so better late than never... here is another layer of my sister... also known as Statnerd. As you may recall, she was working on computer programs to control yarn pooling. Yarn pooling being that pesky thing that happens when you use variegated yarn and end up with blobs of color at random and inopportune times. She felt there would be a way to control the color dispersal by controlling the number of stitches, etc. She was correct.

Although a research psychologist by day, she's an obsessed knitter by night... and every other moment when she has a chance. She taught at Sock Summit this summer, and her pooling discoveries have been getting known far and wide. The latest is here. Click on it. CLICK ON IT!!!

ZRM- I know you'll be tempted to NOT click on the links, as you're probably not an obsessed knitter, but you really should... the yarn she used has you written all over it.Make sure you scroll down far enough to feel the luv.

Confession: When I tell people my sister knits, and they respond with an "Oh! How sweet!"... or they sum her up as only having that going... or that somehow that makes her simple, or that somehow she could not possibly knit because she's not that type, I want to slug them... No, I want to say... "You don't understand... this is EXTREME KNITTING! And what do you mean by not that type?? Who wrote the list of what that type contains?? Hmmm??"

I'm feeling a little touchy these days. :)

Nerd Knitting Part II: A Stitch Makes a Difference

In a follow up to the post below, Karla contributed photos for pattern predictions.  She wrote:

I made up a yarn and programmed it. It is laid out like this - 5 stitches of beige, 3 of black, 5 of beige and then 10 of brown. It repeats infinitely in this sequence. I have posted the patterns that emerge at various stitch counts. The frank Argyle is quite striking, but the other patterns that can be made that are much more subtle are also quite charming. Of course, to get a nice sharp pattern, the yarn has to be fairly precisely dyed and maintaining an even gauge is critical. I have avoided the tight knit loose purl problem by using garter stitch or seed stitch in many of my swatches.

These projections also show why variegated yarn that is so well behaved in one part of a project becomes blotchy in the next part. A change of one stitch can make a big difference in the amount of shifting in the pattern. I am thinking that the weight of a project on the needles might also have the effect of loosening each stitch enough that the pattern changes.

Nerd Knitting :)

My eldest sister, Karla, often seen here in the comments, has been a knitter for 50 years. She started early. She did other forms of visual arts throughout her life, but at some point, her love for statistics, etc, took over, with painting, etc, falling by the wayside. Knitting was the only thing that stuck the tightest.

Two years ago, aside from knitting gorgeous sweaters, wraps and blankets, she improvised hand puppets. I can knit. I enjoy knitting, but I've never been one of those people who could get past a certain point. Her sweaters, and the fact that she could talk while making them, always amazed me, but most of those had a pattern. The fact that she could improvise and make hand puppets. Well, that's something my brain still doesn't get.

 
Then she moved on to improvised hats. I believe I've posted about this cute sea lion  before... 

Last year's side project (by side, I mean aside from all of her other knitting craziness) was sweaters for trees... yes, sweaters for trees... it was some kind of guerrilla art project I believe, and no, it didn't harm the trees. No girdling of trees was done, just some random adornment. 

This is what she's doing now... she's cracking the code for yarns, finding their repeat, programming that repeat and doing Monte Carlo studies of the virtual yarn. She then *knits* up the virtual ball of yarn in different numbers of stitches to find the stitch count that best shows the colors of the yarn and that best fit the project she is doing. 

 Here is the graphic that lead to the production of the scarf...

A true number lover's, knitting lover's dream. By doing the virtual knitting, she's avoiding a problem that people have with *pooling* when using variegated yarns... Yes, this has been her obsession of late. She knits and programs when she's awake, she knits and programs when she's asleep... she might also be knitting at work... and probably when she's driving, and gawd knows when else! She's obsessed.

She's also going to start a blog based on these programs, but until she's got it up and running, I've offered her weekly space over here. She's got a good sense of humor, is fluent in Monty Python, and... has me for a sister, so no need to put on your Sunday best when she's around.

Also... the watercolor challenge is still on! I have started roughs for mine... I'm hoping to get something up by the end of the week. Anyone and everyone, feel free to join in!