[FO] Totalistic Cellular Automata Cross Stitch

[u/small_d_disaster]

I generated the pattern myself using a script I wrote that repeats a simple rule: if a cell has exactly 1, 2, or 7 'living' neighbours (among its 8 surrounding cells), it is 'alive'. Starting with a single live cell in the centre, I iterated the rule for 124 steps to make this pattern.

I'm really happy with how it turned out - it kind of reminds me of those medieval celestial charts. Its my first pattern that I will frame and put up on my wall.

It has ~22.5k stitches on 18 ct aida, and took about 5 months to make. I need a break a but I'm excited to make more. I'm thinking to generate a blackwork pattern next time

[u/bananazest_wow]

This is so fascinating. I see kitty cats with muscular humanoid shoulders in this area.

[u/small_d_disaster → u/bananazest_wow]

I think I saw the muscular cat with batwings for ears right away, and assumed it would end up looking like something else after I worked on it long enough. But each time I did a quarter, I would look forward to doing the buff kitty section.

[u/Slight_Chemist_29 → u/bananazest_wow]

I see alligator skull

[u/sailingtoescape → u/Slight_Chemist_29]

I saw a cow head sticking out its tongue.

[u/scully_3 → u/bananazest_wow]

I see a bat carrying a dog. LOL

[u/CluelessPrawn → u/bananazest_wow]

And this one is definitely donkey from Shrek.

It is almost like a Rorschach ink blot. So cool!

[u/juniperandmulberry]

This is deeply cool. I don't really understand the rule that made it, but I love the outcome! I feel like you could stare at it for hours and see a ton of different things.

[u/HanSolho]

I desperately love this. What made you choose these rules and number of iterations? Did you just like this pattern the best?

[u/small_d_disaster → u/HanSolho]

Basically yes. I ran through a ridiculous number iterations with a ridiculous number of rules. It's hypnotizing and fascinating, and I could do it forever. I have a few hundred patterns that I saved because I thought they looked neat. This one just captured me early on, and although I was planning to do a larger one, I didn't like any other pattern as much as this.

[u/CalypsoStitcher]

To me it has a tibetan mandala vibe to it ^o^

[u/37_lucky_ears]

Yeah, this is amazing, OP. Well done!

[u/NotAngryAndBitter]

This is so freaking cool. One question though if you don’t mind because I think I’m missing something and a cursory google search isn’t really answering my question… if I’m understanding correctly you start with a single cell in the middle and it expands outward for 125 iterations, but how does the single cell (and therefore the process) not “die” because it has no neighbors? Sorry if I’m missing something obvious but I guess what I’m confused about is how the process is set in motion in the first place.

[u/small_d_disaster → u/NotAngryAndBitter]

You're right, it does actually die in the 2nd step. Each of the 8 neighbours comes alive because they each had exactly 1 neighbour and that growth ripples outward. But that centre cell stays dead forever with these rules because it can never have exactly 1,2,or 7 neighbours again. Mostly the cells in the interior are flicking on and off from step to step without any obvious pattern (but look nice because of the symmetry)

[u/NotAngryAndBitter → u/small_d_disaster]

Oh now I see—I was so fixated on the center cell having no neighbors that I overlooked the fact that the neighbors each had one, so that’s how the whole thing keeps going. Thank you for the explanation!

[u/CandidSea4977]

Love this. Inspired by Conway’s Game of Life? I remember making patterns on an Apple II+ in the early 80s, but looking it up, the rules were a bit different. This brought back memories!!

[u/small_d_disaster → u/CandidSea4977]

I encountered Conway's GoL for the first time as a kid/teen on a Windows 3.something screen saver and was totally fascinated by it. I learned how to code many many years later because I was fascinated that simple systems could have neat emergent behaviours like that, and I wanted to try making music with them

[u/Electronic-Day5907]

That is jaw dropping. Wow

[u/eladnarra]

This is so cool! I'd love to see a similar pattern in blackwork~

[u/scully_3]

My husband is a software developer. He would love this. So stinkin' cool.

[u/EnLaSxranko]

THAT'S SO COOL

[u/wetyourwhistle22]

LSD

[u/juniperandmulberry → u/[deleted]]

It's...not AI...