The AI Art Buzz: How AI-Generated Crochet Patterns Measure Up

I’ve been seeing a lot of buzz on the internet about AI-generated art. It’s everywhere! From breathtaking landscapes to quirky abstract pieces, the AI art scene has been making quite the splash – and not necessarily in a good way. With all this talk about AI taking over creative jobs, it got me thinking – could AI handle something as intricate as designing crochet patterns?

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve stumbled upon some AI-generated crochet and knitting patterns online, and to be honest, they weren’t great. My expectations were VERY LOW when I decided to dip my toes into this new world of AI-assisted crochet. But hey, sometimes, it’s those low expectations that lead to the most surprising adventures, right?

Side note – I made a video about this entire process, you can watch it below.

Sizing Up ChatGPT’s Capabilities

Now, let’s dive into the good stuff: the design process. When I started this AI crochet journey, I decided to use ChatGPT as a trusty tool rather than handing over the reins completely. ChatGPT was here to guide me, not take my place entirely. I began this creative conversation with ChatGPT by laying out my vision. Here’s how it went down:

Me: I’m going to design a crochet graphgan with your help. I will ask you a series of questions about different design aspects. Do you understand?

ChatGPT: Yes, I understand. I will do my best to assist you in designing your crochet graphgan. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Me: What size should I make the blanket? Give measurements in inches. 

It was at his point, so early on in the experiment, that ChatGPT began to struggle with the task. Rather than choose a size for me, it provided some information about standard blanket sizes.

But I persisted and asked it to pick one of the five sizes it had suggested. And you know what? ChatGPT came through! It suggested a cozy 50″ x 60″ blanket, which is the size I tend to make my blankets anyway so I was pretty relieved.

AI-Powered Palette Picks

Next up, I needed a color palette to work with. I asked for a color palette with at least six colors complete with hex codes so I could match them exactly. This is what is suggested:

I was instantly excited by the teal, yellow, and coral suggestions. They’re bright, bold colors that would be fun to work with. The other three however left me unenthused. I decided not to worry about it too much and moved on to the most exciting part, choosing an animal to feature on the blanket. 

ChatGPT’s Wild Reveal

I’ve made a few animal-themed patterns in the past and didn’t want to repeat anything I’d done before so I laid out a few restrictions.

Me: Choose an animal that should feature on the blanket. Do not pick any of the following: dog, deer, bear, tiger, elephant, bee. 

I hit enter and waited…

And waited…

And waited…

Whilst all of its previous answers had been pretty much instantaneous, this one took a while. And it made me nervous. What if it picked a really obscure animal I’d never heard of? What if it picked a spotty or stripey animal and I’d have to do a million color changes? The wait was nerve-wracking but finally, I had my answer:

ChatGPT: How about a sea turtle? It can be a fun and unique addition to the blanket design.

What a relief! I know what a sea turtle is, it’s not spotty, it’s not stripey and I’ve been wanting to make a blanket with a turtle on it for a while.

Turning AI Ideas into a Colorwork Chart

Now for the challenging part: creating a design to these specifications. There are many ways to design a graphgan but my preferred method is using the Procreate app, so, I pulled out my iPad and started working up some ideas. But, like any creative journey, there were a few twists and turns. When I hit a design roadblock, I turned to ChatGPT and asked it to describe what the design should look like. The description it gave me was, in a word, busy! It included a main design, a border, a wave section, and even a striped section. It was all a bit much, to be honest. 

In the end, I knew I had to simplify it. After all, I wanted this project to be enjoyable, not overwhelming. So, I settled on adding a wavy striped section to the turtle’s shell and I ditched the two grey colors. It was the perfect compromise, detailed enough to be interesting, yet simple enough for me to keep my sanity intact.

The design was locked and loaded, and it was time to take it from my design in Procreate to a crochet chart in Stitch Fiddle. Converting digital art into a crochet chart may sound like a daunting task, but with a trusty tool like Stitch Fiddle, it’s a breeze. I started by importing my design into the platform and in a few clicks, there it was, transformed into a colorwork chart. After a little bit of tidying up my chart was ready to roll and it was time to start crocheting.

Choosing the Perfect Palette

Let’s talk yarn. For this graphgan, I chose Brava Worsted from We Crochet, and it turned out to be a brilliant choice. The colorways I opted for were Tidepool, Canary, Coral, and Custard, and they matched the suggested colors perfectly. 

Pushing Boundaries: An AI Amigurumi Adventure

Somewhere along the way in this whole graphgan journey, I got a bit sidetracked and thought, “Hey, let’s see what AI can do with amigurumi.” I asked it to whip up a crochet pattern for a little turtle, and I’ve got to admit, I was both curious and a bit doubtful.

To its credit, ChatGPT didn’t hesitate. It gave me a full-on pattern in no time. Super clear, nicely structured, and honestly, it looked totally legit on the screen.

But then I actually made the thing… and let’s just say, the final turtle was not quite giving turtle. You’ll see what I mean in the video. It was a fun experiment, but it definitely reminded me that some things still need a bit of that human touch.

Anyway, with that little detour out of my system, I happily went back to working on the graphgan. Stitch by stitch, it came together. Bold, colourful, snuggly. The whole package. I fastened off the last stitch and just sat there admiring it. Only one problem… it still doesn’t have a name!

AI Name to Remember

So, I turned to ChatGPT once more. I asked, “Can you help me name this blanket?”. Within seconds, it conjured up five suggestions:

Seaside Serenity Blanket
Turtle Tides Throw
Coral Coast Crochet
Sunset Waves Lapghan
Golden Turtle Retreat

Two of these names instantly stood out to me, Seaside Serenity Blanket and Turtle Tides Throw. I turned to my YouTube community to help me pick one and the overwhelming response was Turtle Tides Throw. 

AI’s Current Limitations and Future Potential

So, what does all this mean for AI and crochet? Honestly, while I can see AI being a fun and sometimes surprisingly helpful source of ideas and inspiration, I still think the real creativity should come from us. There’s something about the way humans design and make things that just can’t be replicated by a machine.

When I’m coming up with new patterns, I’m inspired by all sorts of things like sunsets, nature walks, and random chats with other crocheters. AI might be a handy little tool to bounce ideas off, but the heart of it all is still very much human.

As we wrap up this crochet adventure, there’s one more delightful surprise awaiting you – the Turtle Tides Throw pattern free download: