Time flies

[The fruit fly] is a popular experimental animal because it is easily cultured in mass out of the wild, has a short generation time, and mutant animals are readily obtainable. 

Except for the part about being "easily cultured in mass out of the wild," that excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Drosophila almost describes why I choose to do my knitting experiments using a knitting machine.

Okay, I know this is a stretch, but bear with me. An idea for a stitch pattern can quickly be knitted (short generation time) and the results enjoyed and analyzed soon after. Mistakes (mutants) are, indeed, too readily obtainable. But these can be corrected or used as a springboard to creativity in the next generation. Fun.

Sometimes it is about immediate gratification. And sometimes it's about the process.

Knitting machines and immediacy don't always go together. With the 365 knitting clock (2010) by Siren Elise Wilhelmsen, a small circular knitting machine in sleek housing, marks the passing of each day with the completion of one full round of knitting.

Clicking on image will bring you to Wlhelmsen's site. (Photo:  Miriam Lenart)

Time passes. The clock knits on. A two-meter long scarf is completed in a year. The concepts of past, present, and future are made physical.