Towards a Theory of Generative Knitting

Agathe Herrou

Lace shawls

Ultimate goal

			
yrepeat 3 $
xrepeat 2 $
interlace ["rice", "1/1 ribbing"] 
			
		    

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Terminology

• Stitch = loop of thread over the needle
• Pattern = multi-row sequence of stitches that can stand alone but is typically repeated
• Model = description of a complete garment

Types of stitches

Purl and knit

Decreases: knit two together, slip-slip-knit

Increases: yarn over, make one

Validity rules for patterns

• The number of stitches between a row and the one that follows must be compatible.
• A pattern must not stop in the middle of an increase or a decrease

Knitting patterns transformations

Seminal paper: Manipulations of Music Patterns

Which transformations can be applied to knitting?

• transposition
• reversal
• rotation
• phase offset
• rescaling
• interpolation
• extrapolation
• fragmentation
• substitution
• combination
• sequencing
• repetition

Questions?