Published September 2025 as part of the proceedings of the first Alpaca conference on Algorithmic Patterns in the Creative Arts, according to the Creative Commons Attribution license. Copyright remains with the authors.
doi:10.5281/zenodo.17084444
London Pattern Club is a craft group and social space for people interested in algorithmic creative practices. By ‘algorithmic creative practice’, we mean any form of creative expression that involves working with an algorithm - for example, we consider knitting, crochet and lacemaking to be algorithmic, because these involve working with and combining patterns of stitches. Our aim is to provide a space for people working with algorithms, by computer or by hand, to meet and learn from each others’ interests.
While this has remained the group’s aim since it first began, the format of our events has changed. Inspired by Sheffield Pattern Club, London Pattern Club was first a series of workshops, with each session focusing on a different algorithmic creative practice. Our first workshops, which took place between April and May 2023 at SET Social in Peckham, focused on topics including kumihimo braiding, live coding with strudel, and generating weaving drafts with AdaCAD. This evolved into a craft group, with no requirement for attendees to bring a laptop or any other materials. This approach has allowed us greater freedom in choosing venues while maintaining our focus on sharing algorithmic creative practices.
Once the format of the group was established, I began to invite guests to deliver workshops on related topics. In 2024, co-organiser Marysia Tańska gave workshops on Grasshopper and p5.js, two tools for generating algorithmic designs. In a departure from our usual topics, Emil Woudenberg delivered a workshop on self-publishing websites, which gave participants practical ways to resist unethical website-building platforms. Finally, Amelia White and Lauren Watson of London Lace Club gave a beginner’s workshop on bobbin lace, introducing participants to the fundamental tools and techniques of lace-making. These guests have helped to connect London Pattern Club with other communities, and helped to demonstrate the overlaps between computational and craft-based disciplines that inspire us.
Organising and promoting London Pattern Club has brought me into contact with a number of individuals and groups that I would not have discovered otherwise. These include independent publishers and designers, such as A Yarn and Fibre Publication, Strike Design Studio and holobiont; craft groups, such as London Lace Club; creative coding groups, including London Live Coding, Algorave London and the Creative Coding Bookclub; Peckham Digital, a festival of creative computing; and academic networks, such as the UAL Creative Computing Institute and Knit Tech Reading Group. These groups have been a valuable source of inspiration and support throughout London Pattern Club’s development.
As our run of events for 2025 comes to a close, I am considering how to move forwards with London Pattern Club. Our craft group has proved an effective way to meet like-minded people with an interest in algorithmic creative practices, and I would like to continue to offer that space for newcomers. I would also like to host more workshops from guest facilitators, particularly those with expertise in creative practices we have not yet explored. If you would like to deliver a workshop or collaborate on an activity with us in 2026, please contact me via the email address above.