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Check Out This Fantastic Knit Map of the Constellations

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machine knit star mapIt’s amazing what can be done with knitting. The combination of knitting and science (and some computer programming skills) made it possible for Sarah Spencer from Melbourne, Australia to program a knitting machine to help her knit a giant map of the night sky.

I totally just typed “knit sky.” Which I guess is also accurate.

The map was worked in seven panels and includes all the named constellations, which stars varying in size based on their brightness. The full map is about 9 by 15 feet and weighs more than 30 pounds.

The piece was shown at a technology and arts festival in the UK in late August, and Spencer says she doesn’t know where the piece will land but we hope it’s somewhere lots of people can see it and be inspired by it.

[Photo via Atlas Obscura.]

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Comments

  2. BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO
    The work you have done to create this knitted tapestry is really a WORK OF ART. I am appreciative to have seen this exquisite creation. I hope a Museum or a Cosmodome organisation will acquire it . More eyes will be dumbfounded by your extraordinary creation.
    Merci encore BRAVO
    MIMIYOYO

Have you read?

Yarn Cozy Knitting Patterns

I’ve been toying with the idea of making a yarn cozy or yarn ball holder on the circular knitting machine, but I haven’t gotten to it yet. In the meantime, here are some yarn cozy knitting patterns you can make with knitting needles. Use yarn to hold you yarn!

In its simplest form, a yarn cozy is just a sleeve or a little basket that holds your yarn when you’re working with a center-pull ball so it doesn’t fall apart when you knit. The easiest ones I could find are from Love in Stitches KN, which has a regular size and a mini size. They’re worked with sock yarn and there are options for making them with ribbing, faux cables and with self-striping yarn.

For bigger cakes there’s a project called We call it the “bail holder” from Nicole LeBlanc. This pattern is available on Ravelry and you can use any yarn and make it any size you like. It features an I-cord edging that has a loop in it so you can thread they yarn through the loop to keep it extra contained as you knit.

Another large one that has a slightly fancier pattern is this one by Mareike Meye. You can use any yarn and any gauge, and slip stitch pattern worked in different colors on the sides makes it a little more fun and uses a bit more stash. A strap buttons across the top to hold the ball in place and you can add a buttonhole to the middle of the strap to thread the yarn through. Check this one out on Ravelry.

Adding lace to a yarn cozy makes it fit a wider variety of balls and expand or shrink a bit as needed. Jennifer Sugarman’s Ball Sack uses sock yarn and is made to hold sock yarn. It has the option of making I-cord or using ribbon or cord you already have to make a drawstring at the top. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

Another lacy option is the yarn ball holder from Frugal Knitting Haus. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has an easy mesh lace pattern and an I-cord drawstring that’s sewn together at the ends so you could loop it over your wrist while you knit if you like. This pattern is also on Ravelry.

Speaking of wrist yarn holders, I also found this one form Knituition. This one uses sport weight yarn and has a spiral rib pattern on the body. The strap is attached to the bag with D-rings, or you could make it a little longer and just sew it into the bag.