Spyn

The Spyn is a system for knitters to record, recall, and share information surrounding the process of handcraft. Using the yarn as a timeline of a knit's creation, Spyn allows knitters to associate digital annotations to knit yarn. Our current prototype uses patterns of infrared ink printed on yarn in combination with computer vision techniques to associate locations in knit fabric with audio and visual messages recorded by the knitters during the knitting process. When users photograph the knit yarn using Spyn, the system analyzes the ink patterns on the yarn and visualizes events over the photograph of the knit. Over time, knitters weave a one-dimensional thread of yarn into a three-dimensional fabric of personal stories.