Not your Nana's Knitting:My first Arduino Lilypad

project of awesome

Kathy Reid / @KathyReidkathy@kathyreid.id.auKathyReid on GitHub

https://github.com/KathyReid/ArduinoLightDetectingScarf

Why?

Avid knitter Keen coder Enjoy designing, creating and

inventing things Despise the fashion industry

The climate for rebellion is ripe!

What's needed

Arduino IDE

(I'm running Ubuntu, easy download)

Arduino Lilypad components (fr. Little Bird)

(designed by a girl! Awesome!) Lilypad Main board LEDs (I used bright white ones) Alligator clips for testing Light sensor

Challenges

• Conductive thread too thick to connect more than one LED to the ground petal of the Lilypad Arduino

• The way some of the threads were sewn into the knitted scarf caused cross-connections

• The components are generally bulky – and look out of place in a knitted openwork scarf – not sure how make it look more aesthetically pleasing

Idea for other projects

• Baby clothing that blinks or tweets when baby’s temperature is too high

• Scarfs and headwear for cancer patients at high risk of fever – to detect temperatures

• Clothing for elderly or dementia patients so that they can easily be found if they wander outside residential facilities