Those Viral Knitting Memes

Too Good to Be True?

Scroll through your social feeds and you've likely seen them - those viral  photos of grandmas in epic knitted costumes or posing with gigantic handicrafts. A group of grannies dressed as full-sized superheroes made of yarn. A sweet old lady cradling a life-size knitted baby. A little old lady standing proudly next to a knitted replica of a historic mansion.

At first glance, these images impress and delight. The idea that someone's nana crafted these extraordinary creations with her own two hands warms our hearts. But many seasoned knitters have become wary - and rightly so.

The truth is, a surprising number of these viral "knitting memes" are AI-generated fakes riding on the coattails of a beloved craft. They are often created using image generators like DALL-E 2 or MidJourney which can produce amazingly realistic photos from text prompts.

Writing the prompts to get these hilarious, vivid scenes is an art form in itself. It takes creativity and technical understanding of how the AI models work to craft the perfect prompt. Describing an imaginary scenario in just the right way to bring it to life is harder than it looks.

But why are they so viral ?

People share these meme images because they garner a lot of attention. The humor and novelty of imaginative scenes like grannies posing with giant knitted bears or driving knitted cars sparks joy and entertains viewers. But they are then posted without context, allowing the illusion that they are real knitted objects. Often they have escaped from the creator’s control. The initial digital artist’s link is lost and others profit from the original creation.

Don't get me wrong - today's AI image generation tools can be impressive. We can laugh at a hysterical  mashing up of our hobbies and grandmas. But spreading disinformation erodes the hard-won trust and skill knitters demonstrate in authentic work. And leaving viewers convinced these objects exist misrepresents the craft's true capabilities.

As knitters, we know darn well Nana Linda didn't actually knit a life-sized, fully decorated Christmas tree in one month. Or crochet a drivable Volkswagen Beetle from scratch. Yet these fictitious images still attract awe and acclaim usually reserved for real showstopping knits.

So what's a savvy knitter to do?

Let’s share our own inspiring images ethically. Call out unbelievable feats as likely AI fabrications. And give kudos where it's due - to the talented crafters making viral hits the old-fashioned way, two hands at a time.

Our craft doesn't need sensationalism to impress. So be empowered to spread real knitting joy today in your corner of the internet!  Share something you created with your own hands instead.

What do you think about these too-good-to-be-true knitting memes? Share your thoughts below!

*Also I’d love to give credit for the originator of this cat if any of you are able to track it down…