This scarf is for my dad, who is a huge nerd so the pattern is cellular automata (y’know, computer stuff). I used the most popular and most intriguing rule set (Rule 30) which has the familiar triangles in it. Every stitch is based on the three stitches under, to the left, and to the right of it on the previous row. Rule 30 (where 0 is a white stitch and 1 is colour) is as follows:

000 -> 0
111 -> 0
110 -> 0
011 -> 1
101 -> 0
010 -> 1
100 -> 1
001 -> 1

So if the stitch you just knit into, the stitch you’re about to knit into, and the stitch you’ll knit into after that are all white, you knit a white stitch. Continue in this manner a kabillion times.

After a row of doing this, I’d picked up the rules easily and some larger patterns emerged that I’ve been able to use to simplify and speed up how I knit it. It’s been a really fun pattern. Another great property of the pattern: it’s jogless! Oh yeah, and the distribution of 0s and 1s is about the same throughout the pattern, so if you’re using only 2 colours you can buy the same amount of each and not worry about the deterministic nature of the pattern. Yay!

The only thing I’m worried about is the yarn. I don’t really like how the texture is turning out and I’m worried it’s going to be scratchy. Which is really annoying, because I spent hours unravelling it from an old fair isle sweater. From the look of it, should I abandon the yarn and knit with something else? I think I’m going to try blocking what I have so far and see what that does. Any advice?

(Alternative yarns I’m considering: Knitpicks Sierra, Wool of the Andes Bulky, Telemark.)

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• A shawl panic, a poll, and a legal document
• Rule 30 Scarf in Progress
• Project Spectrum Greys
• That’s enough of that
• WIP Week: Malabrigo Neckwarmer