I had two sessions: The first was a background/prerequisite course "Introduction to machine knitting" where I discussed the history of knitting and machine knitting, the technology, and the types of fabrics that can be produced. I passed around acrylic, wool and wool/rayon swatches that exemplified the types of stitches that can be produced on a knitting machine. Tuck, fairisle, slip stitch (mosaic) and showed slides of various types of patterning mechanisms, internal and external storage on the machines.
The second session was a discussion of the AYAB knitting machine hack for KH-910, KH-930, and KH-940 model machines. I demonstrated the AYAB software and spent a lot of time discussing the problems associated with creating a two-color input pixel-per-stitch input file. I mentioned that Photoshop, GIMP, and Paint.net had been suggested as editing tools. I used Cochenille's Stitch Painter, Paint, and IMG2track as editors. We created Word Art in Microsoft word and used the resulting image to knit a word "Penguicon"
I showed pieces I knit prior to the conference:
I showed the samples that I had created before the session: a random llama, a cute baby photo, and a cross-stitch design I copied from Pinterest.
There was a positive response to the punchcard designs that I showed, especially when I mentioned the usefulness of a knitting machine that does not require electricity in the event of a Zombie apocalypse. Side note: There was a car in the front of the hotel that was prepped for a Zombie apocalypse, unbeknownst to me.
I showed a design that I intend to re-knit, a Rowan design that I punched manually, and compared it to the punchcards I used to knit it. Some of the attendees were taking pictures, I hope they hash tag with #Penguicon or #AYAB
