Conductive Yarn Used for Cool Gadget Interactions

We all love our gadgets, but there’s something kind of cold and impersonal about using them. Touching a screen or flipping a switch isn’t very soul-satisfying, but as knitters we know that connecting with yarn is.

Those two things — fiber and technology — might not seem to go together, but they do for Royal College of Art student Yen Chen Chang, who has developed gadgets that use conductive yarn as part of their means of operation.

There’s a juicer that works when two people squeeze a giant knit ball (pictured here), a fan that works by petting a patch of knit carpet that looks like grass and a light that dims when you pull on a knit chain.

None of these projects are likely to hit mass production, but they do offer an interesting perspective on our everyday lives and how we interact with machines. Wouldn’t it be nice if some of those things could be a little warmer and fuzzier?

Check out more on this project, including a video of the machines in use, at Wired.

[Photo by Yen Chen Chang, via Wired.]

Next Pattern:

I feel like felting is a knitting genre that deserves a resurgence. My first knitting book (which came out in 2008, eek!) was all about felting, but I don’t feel like there are a lot of felting knitting projects out there these days. I really like the technique as an easy way to make a thicker, more durable knit fabric, and it’s actually perfect for knitting bags.

The ZZ Bag from yamagara recently caught my eye and got me thinking about felted bags, and maybe remaking one of the bags that was in that book. This one has a fun zigzag pattern and is worked in worsted weight yarn. You can find the pattern on Ravelry.

A lot of the other knit and felted bag patterns I could find were older, but that doesn’t make them bad patterns. I’ve always loved the booga bag from Black Sheep Bags (the pattern is on their website but the photo is broken so you can also check it out on Ravelry). This is a fun one because you can use all your leftovers or a self-striping yarn (the original was made with Noro) to give it a colorful look that’s super easy to knit.

An envelope purse is another easy shape to knit, and this version from Lavender Hill Knits on Etsy comes in different sizes for younger girls and teens or adults. The small version is worked with one strand of worsted weight yarn, while the larger uses two held together.

The Japanese knot bag is a classic, and a felted version is a lot of fun. You can find this pattern from Cindy Pilon on Ravelry and knit one for yourself using bulky yarn. I also love her bag The Curve, which is also on Ravelry and has a fun rounded shape and contrasting handles.

And there’s also the amazing stained glass bag from Knitting Dream, which also uses a Noro yarn, but you could use wool scraps on the different fans to give it a unique look. There are two size options to choose from and it’s not as tricky as it looks.

Next Pattern:

Comments

Have you read?