Before my recent career pause, I spent nearly 20 years working with technology teams on software projects. I landed in IT because of a natural curiosity and a desire to help others, and each job role I had focused on the people-side of technology (i.e. helping the people using and benefitting from the features). Technology can unlock new possibilities, but it doesn’t exist just for its own sake. It is a tool for humans to wield, with purpose.
My career experiences shaped me in so many ways, like using some techie vocab (“WIP Limits” from lean/agile approaches, for example) or learning new digital tools to support my passions of writing and knitting. But, most of all, my experience working in technology was a testament to how important it is to keep the human at the heart of it all – a philosophy that influences my use of emerging tech like AI.
When I worked in IT, I loved when someone would ask me a question to which I could answer, “let’s see what’s possible!” as we explored the options. We were solving a specific pain point, figuring out what worked/didn’t, and ultimately, learning all along the way.
So, I’ve been thinking about this “let’s see what’s possible” mentality with AI, too. Knitting has its own set of challenges, perhaps AI can help solve them. But…knitting is also a slow, tactile craft that relies on human hands. Can the two really mix?
Over the next few posts, I’ll be describing my first attempt at using AI as a knitting resource. In truth, my primary goal is to improve my understanding of knitting math and garment construction so that I can become more self-sufficient. Of course, I also want to do this beautiful yarn justice with a finished garment that I’m proud to wear!
First AI Project Details
🧶Yarn: Knitting for Olive Cotton Merino (Undyed) and Soft Silk Mohair (Cream)
🤖 AI Assistant: ChatGPT
In a prior post (Hazy Potential), I shared my indecision for how to use the Knitting for Olive yarn that I had purchased. Instead of finding an alternate pattern, I turned to ChatGPT to help me.
🎯Goals:
- Make something that fits!
- Learn how knitting math works for garment shaping.
- See if AI is truly up to the challenge.
Stay tuned to see how it shapes up!
Have you tried AI in your knitting process? How’d it go?
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