The Mission Star Map: A Celestial Knitting Project

As we gaze up at the night sky, it's easy to overlook the intricate patterns and constellations that adorn our universe. However, for one amateur astronomer, the night sky is more than just a visual display – it's a canvas waiting to be knit. Meet our subject, who has embarked on an extraordinary project to create a 2.8-meter tall by 4.4-meter wide Mission star map using a vintage knitting machine from the 1980s.

The knitting machine, which was originally designed for creating traditional knitted garments, has been hacked and modified to serve a more unconventional purpose. The addition of a Raspberry Pi interface between the onboard computer and our subject's laptop allowed them to create a fully functional network printer capable of processing images and generating patterns. This innovation enabled our subject to send images to the knitting machine, which would then translate these digital designs into physical fabric.

The knitting machine, once relegated to traditional knitting patterns, now finds itself at the forefront of modern textile technology. Our subject has successfully adapted the device to accommodate multiple color changes, allowing for a wide range of creative possibilities. Furthermore, they have developed an algorithm capable of producing intricate patterns, including the creation of one knit per pixel in three colors – a feat previously thought impossible by the knitting machine community.

To achieve this remarkable achievement, our subject spent countless hours testing various algorithms and working tirelessly to perfect their craft. Their dedication paid off when they entered the "REA IO" hackathon, a three-day event where participants compete to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems. The subject's project, which aimed to create a Mission star map using knitting technology, proved to be a groundbreaking success.

The finished tapestry was installed on the night of the EMS (Evening Star Meeting) opening, with the planets aligned in perfect synchrony. As the moon and planets converged, our subject watched in awe as their creation came alive. Although the installation took longer than anticipated due to issues with yarn catching on the color changer, the end result was nothing short of breathtaking.

As we marvel at this extraordinary knitting project, it's clear that our subject has not only pushed the boundaries of textile technology but also inspired a new appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the night sky. By combining cutting-edge innovation with a deep understanding of astronomy, they have created something truly unique – a testament to human ingenuity and creativity.

The project's public domain status ensures that future generations can continue to appreciate and learn from this remarkable achievement. As we touch the fabric, feeling its texture and weight, we are reminded of the importance of hands-on experience and the value of preserving our creative traditions.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enRight, so this is aMission star map of the night sky, it's a it's a little bit bigSo it's a 2.8 meters tall by four point four meters wide, soIt's not a small thing to carry in your luggage on a plane halfway around the world. So it's 15 kilos as wellYeah, there's a bit tricky getting on the planeSo we set up anESP 32 chipWhich is listening to a aw s IOT trigger. It's got an onboard Wi-FiSo that blue light is actually telling me that it's having quite an edge to AWS yetSo it's just working its way through when the blue light turns off the main that's fine. Yeah, let me tell you about knittingI I took aDomestic knitting machine from the 1980s. We're talking really old-school tech here with a32-bitOnboard computer and and I hacked it to turn it into a modern-day network printer. So there's a few hacks involved with that oneso first of allI used a Raspberry Pi 2Interface between the onboard computer and my computer so there are three prize obviously sitting on the network and it's running a websiteWhich I can connect to with my laptop and in a completely different roomAnd then I can send it an image and it can process that imageGive me a preview of what it'll look like in the knitted fabric and then I can press printand there'sthere's still a little bit of work involved in actually getting the print started physically with a knitting machine you have to cast on it'sThere's a bit of a process there, but once it's runningI've got a robot arm that's running it backwards and forwardsto actually perform the knitting and also built with with the help from my husband John Spencer, I built aAn automatic color changer so I can do multiple color meetings. Not just black and white like multicolored nettingOn this on this old-school knitting machine. Normally they're designedKind of like a sewing machine in the sense that you sit there and you actively engage with the MachineAnd you're constantly manipulating it in order to produceThe end result which is the KnittingSo in the efforts of automating it I took out an entire process of creating knitting patternsSo I extra crediting plan. I create an image and then the process will create the pattern for meand thenyeah, and I've made the actual color-changing part which which means that I don't need to say with a knitting machine at all once it'srunning one of my major contributions to the knitting to theMachine knitting community was a whole new algorithm that I created to create one knit per pixelknitting in three colorsSo that's something that these machines would never previously capable of doing so create a whole new algorithm in order to do thatAnd I think the main reason why no one had done before is because it takes a lot of processingTo sort of think through the problem and get it working so I could I was able to create a few differentAlgorithms and then I you know been the computer scientistI tested lots of different algorithms and I came up with one that cake that had the best resultsWhich is the one you see behind me?Oh there go this pices going off before this piece was actually finishedI entered it into something called REA IO, which is a three-day hackathon that my work runs for over three days every quarterWhich is amazingAnd I am yeah, I did a call-out to get help is to light up the constellationsMostly laptop covers scarvesBaby blankets. Yes. Oh, I've done it. I've done a few things. Nothing quite this big thoughSo this was a bit intimidating this particular project. I don't know too much about astronomyI'm very much an amateurbut I plotted where the planets will line up on the actual knitting's they line up to a particular date and time andI've been working on this project for a few months nowSo it's kind of hoping that I would hit the deadline and I did actually hit it. This tapestry was installedBy or before 6 p.mFriday the 31st which is the day that EMS opened this knitting was installed ready to go and the planets aligned at that timeI tell me could you see them always the car?It was actually still daylightBut it didn't check that night and it took a few hours later and yeah the the moon was spot on the planetsWe're pretty much in the right spot sir. Yeah, that was less satisfyingNo. Oh, right. A few people have asked me that question. I I really want to keep it in the public domain somewhereSo I will be taking it home with me. So nothing's really finalized there yetBut yeah, hopefully people can actually come and see it and like, you know touch knittingIt's it's it's a it's a fabric it, you know people need to touch it. SoHopefully today and public domain somewhereIt took a lot longer than I was hoping mostly because I was having a problem withWith the yarn getting caught on the left side writing in the color changer. So I mean yarn is a fuzzy fuzzy material\n"