I’ve loved doing crafts and DIYs for as long as I can remember. As a result, I built a wide collection of materials for hobbies such as drawing, painting, embroidery, quilling, sewing, clay sculpting, collages, digital art and so on. And just as some people watch sporting events without actually being players, I enjoy looking at videos of artists doing and commenting on their art projects.
One of my favorite “sports” is crocheting as it is easy to learn, provides endless opportunities and the results can have practical usage in everyday life. One interesting fact about crocheting is that it remains one of the only art forms that CANNOT be done by a machine due to the variety and complexity of stitching combinations (Cagle, 2023).
However, this did not stop artists from trying to use generative AI tools to create new designs. A couple of months ago, I saw numerous videos on TikTok with people using ChatGPT to generate crochet patterns for amigurumi (stuffed toys) depicting various animals or well-known characters. In seconds, the program would produce detailed outputs describing the required materials (yarn composition and colors), size of the hook and the instructions for each component.
@lilylanario is a content creator on TikTok who makes videos about crocheting. She asked ChatGPT to generate a crochet pattern for a Totoro stuffed toy:
Picture 1. Totoro amigurumi by @lilylanario, 2022
The actual character from the movie “My neighbour Totoro” (1988), looked like this:
Picture 2. Totoro character from the movie “My Neighbor Totoro”, 1988
The same artist asked ChatGPT to generate a pattern that resembles a real-life giraffe:
Picture 3. Giraffe amigurumi by @lilylanario, 2023
As seen in the pictures above, generative AI still struggles to break down 2D characters into shapes, transform them into 3D replicas and generate accurate crochet patterns.
Nowadays, generative AI tools can easily create digital art, write music, reproduce videos of real-life people using their voices, way of speech, facial expressions and movement behaviors, and many more. Even though it is incredible that this technology can now perform previously unimaginable tasks, it also raises concerns about the originality and security of our data online. Hereby, when it comes to crocheting, it is reassuring to know that there is still something that can help us differentiate between the “art” created by technology and skillful individuals.
On this note, will there be a day when someone’s crocheting skills are the only way to ensure that they are human and not robot? I suppose we will need to pick up a crochet hook and some yarn and find out.
References:
- Cagle, K. (2023, May 15). Can Crochet be Done by a Machine? Easy Crochet Patterns. https://easycrochet.com/can-crochet-be-done-by-a machine/#:~:text=Crochet%2C%20however%2C%20remains%20one%20of
- lilylanario. (2022). Totoro amigurumi. In TikTok. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJw5XAEo/
- lilylanario. (2023). Giraffe amigurumi. In TikTok. https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGJw579c2/
Studio Ghibli. (n.d.). Totoro in the rain. https://ghibli.fandom.com/wiki/Totoro
It is a fun post to read, especially as a fellow crochet girl. It is somehow reassuring to know that you, me ,and lots of others have a skill that can not be taken away by technology. While generative AI can help along the design and creation process it can not fully replicate it. It is a nice thought that even though there will be technology advancements in the future there is one thing it might never achieve, crochet. Maybe one day indeed we will have to show our humanity with a crochet hook.