- “Gravity Light is an innovative device that generates light from gravity.” What a cool idea! Hardware hacking FTW.
- The Fabric Store Pattern Feature: Vogue #V8884 Trenchcoat. I gasped when I saw it. LOVE.
- Team Tabs is beating Team Spaces, as it should. (I’d buy a Team Tabs myself, but damn, $27?! Maybe I’m actually on Team Tightarse.)
Month: August 2015
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Random Links
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Integrating Press This into The Old Reader
TOR’s “Send to” menu In my never-ending quest to Automate All the Things, I just discovered how to quickly share from The Old Reader straight to your WordPress blog’s post editor using the “Send to” menu below every post. They don’t have WordPress listed in the official documentation, but with some digging I found out the correct URL to use. It’s this:
http://www.yourblogsite.com/wp-admin/press-this.php?u=%{url}&t=%{title}Just go into your Old Reader settings page and click the “Social” tab. Then plug that URL (replacing your domain, of course) into the form at the bottom of the page and save. Now when you invoke it, you’ll be taken straight to your Press This editing window with the relevant URL and title pre-populated!
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That’s So Fetch: Songs for Mean Girls
Soundtrack to my morning The Apple Music Australia playlist creators are KILLING IT.
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Shared today on Twitter
Waiting for a phone call and starting to suspect this meeting room is a damn Faraday cage.
@julio_ody Hello! I work with @DamonOehlman at Canva. Was hoping to chat to you today about our upcoming tech event. DM me?
@bezthomas Just heard it. So awesome! Thanks to @TheAmpHour and @fbz for the mention. That was my Ignite talk: https://t.co/8H17Hb3VIK 🙂
@eevblog Just heard you talking about my Ignite talk on steganographic knitting in Amp #257! Very cool. I just left a blog comment. 🙂
@fbz Thanks for the follow! Coincidentally, I’m a big supporter of KnitYak and I’m so thrilled you hit the goal. Can’t wait to get my scarf!
@drkknits @RoseRed_Shoes I’m going boxing with the guys from work tonight. My first proper exercise in well over a year. Ugh. Dread.
Just got emailed by a recruiter about a frontend dev job, despite not having done it for 6 years. STILL GOT IT, YO.
So that was a total of 4 days elapsed before someone in Russia tried to hack into my new WordPress admin. Is that normal?
@gilmae Ahh, good tip. I knew it changed but didn’t think to redirect it. http://t.co/bJ1CEVZPdW is the new one
@gilmae 301 Redirect added!
@gilmae WordFence caught it. I’ve since reduced the number of bad attempts needed to trigger lockout.
RT @canva: Not long now! Here’s a sneak peak of one of our most requested features http://t.co/IK7xaR6XQs #canvaforwork http://t.co/hKWtljI…
@thomdane Cool. Well, if you’ve got any tips for hardening WP, I’m all ears. 🙂
@thomdane Awesome. I had done 90% of it, but I still picked up a couple things to add. I might be being overly paranoid. 🙂
Modernized Space Camp Allows Kids To Simulate Frustration Over Lack Of Funding http://t.co/uwFf5OxHvx via @theonion
Soylent 2.0: Why Soylent Is Hitting The Bottle http://t.co/OCTbibHfNR – A guy in our office drinks this. I’m fascinated by it.
RT @ElizaCussen: It’s lucky I don’t judge candidates by their 404 pages cause Jeb Bush’s is pretty great. http://t.co/Gb0miOeUOZ
@glasnt Lovely dress!
@randomknits That looks very nice. 🙂
RT @codepo8: I’m not fat, I’m bold.
The Return of Favorited Tweets – I made a tiny hack to @whalespine’s excellent Twitter Digest plugin for WP http://t.co/xxCMe0noU0
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Serious Eats Redesign
Hmm. I dislike change for change’s sake, but I do see what they’re going for here. And they got rid of the clunky pagination that always tripped me up. I’ll give it a chance…
As of this morning, we’ve launched a site-wide redesign with three main goals: clean, attractive pages that highlight our best stories; a stronger emphasis on beautiful images; and intuitive navigation and search so you can find what you’re looking for quickly.
Source: Welcome to the Serious Eats Redesign. Here’s What’s New. | Serious Eats -
Shout-out on The Amp Hour
Many thanks to my friend Bez for a tip-off on Twitter this morning:
Excited to see a @web_goddess mention in @TheAmpHour #257. “There can’t be two self replicating mitten projects, right?”
I had to go investigate. It turns out The Amp Hour is a weekly podcast about electronics from a guy in Sydney and a guy in Cleveland. In Episode #257 they talked to Fabienne Serrière of KnitYak (which I actually backed and mentioned on the blog a few times in the past). At one point, the Australian host Dave starts talking about steganographic knitting and basically quotes a bunch of stuff from my Ignite talk last March. It happens around the 42:15 mark if you want to listen yourself. Dave also made special mention of the mittens, which reminded me that I hadn’t actually moved that page over from my old web host. (It’s fixed now, which is why you can see it on the blog.)
Very cool! I tweeted at Fabienne and the Amp guys to thank them for the shout-out. If you haven’t seen my Ignite talk, here’s the video:
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Self-Replicating Mittens
Self-Replicating Mittens After giving a talk on geek knitting in 2012, I was inspired to try my hand at knitting a QR code. The code on these mittens actually scans and points the viewer to the pattern on this page so they can make their own. Hence, self-replicating mittens!
Edited on 16/03/2025: Google are killing the URL shortener in 2025, which means at some point the QR code – http://goo.gl/9XJgR – will stop working. Bastards.
These mittens are knitted in the round, so you’ll need to know how to use double pointed needles. Alternatively, you can always use the “Magic Loop” method of using one long circular needle, or – my personal favourite – using two circular needles.
Materials:
- 2mm straight needles
- 3mm needles – either DPNs or circular(s)
- 3.75mm needles – either DPNs or circular(s)
- 8ply/DK wool for the mittens (100g should be plenty with leftovers)
- 3-4ply baby wool in two colours for the QR code (just scraps)
- darning needle
- QR Code Chart (PDF)
Sizing: I made these to fit my own hands, which are normal adult women’s size. To adjust bigger or smaller, simply change the number of stitches you cast on and how many you increase for the thumb.
Tension: Come on, it’s a pair of mittens! You’ll notice that these are knitted with slightly smaller needles than you would normally knit 8ply/DK wool. That’s to make the fabric more dense and keep the air out.
Instructions
Using the 3mm needles, cast on 44 stitches in your 8ply/DK wool and join for knitting in the round.
Knit 28 rounds of K1P1 rib.
Switch to 3.75mm needles and knit 2 rounds plain (stocking stitch).
Now we’re ready for the thumb increases. Your thumbs are on opposite sides of your hands, so you need to knit each one differently!
R mitten:
Increase Round 1: K1, M1, K1, M1, knit to end
Increase Rounds 2-4: Knit plain
Increase Round 5: K1, M1, K3, M1, knit to end
Increase Rounds 6-8: Knit plain
Continue in this pattern, adding 2 more stitches between the M1s each time until you reach 58 stitches.
Knit 1 row plain.
Now we need to remove the thumb stitches and set them aside for later.
Next round: K1, slip next 15st onto scrap wool, cast on 3 stitches, continue to knit round.
Knit 25 rounds plain.
Time to start the decreases!
Decrease Round 1: *K1, SSK, knit 23st, K2tog, K1,* repeat for other side of mitten.
Decrease Round 2: Knit plain.
Repeat in this pattern until 22 stitches remain.
Use Kitchener stitch to graft closed and then weave in your ends!
L mitten:
Increase Round 1: K42, M1, K1, M1, K1
Increase Rounds 2-4: Knit plain.
Increase Round 5: K42, M1, K3, M1, K1
Increase Round 6-8: Knit plain
Continue in this pattern, adding 2 more stitches between the M1s each time until you reach 58 stitches.
Knit 1 row plain.
Again, it’s time to remove the thumb stitches and set them aside for later.
Next round: K42, slip next 15st onto scrap wool, cast on 3 stitches, K1
Knit 25 rounds plain.
Time to start the decreases!
Decrease Round 1: *K1, SSK, knit 23st, K2tog, K1,* repeat for other side of mitten.
Decrease Round 2: Knit plain.
Repeat in this pattern until 22 stitches remain.
Use Kitchener stitch to graft closed and then weave in your ends!
For each thumb:
Put 15st from scrap wool on needles.
Knit around all stitches, picking up and knitting 3st to close the gap at the top of the thumb.
Knit 16 rounds plain.
Decrease Round 1: *K1, K2tog* repeat around.
Decrease Round 2: Knit plain.
Decrease Round 3: *K2tog* repeat all the way around.
Break off wool and run end through remaining stitches, draw up tightly and fasten off.
QR Code (make 2 of these):
Note – the QR code is knitted back and forth using the fairisle/stranded knitting technique. Yeah, you have to use two colours on the purl side, but it’s a small pattern and you’ll survive. Wherever there is a float longer than 5 stitches, I recommend “catching” the floating wool with the working wool. However, since this is going to be sewn to the mitten, it’s not crucial and you don’t have to do it. Just make sure your floats are loose enough not to draw in the design too much!
Using the 2mm needles and your baby wool, cast on 33 stitches.
Knit 4 rows of garter stitch.
Keeping a 4st border on each side in garter stitch, begin working the QR Code Chart in stocking stitch.
Once the chart is finished, knit 4 rows of garter stitch to complete the border.
Cast off and weave in your ends.
I recommend BLOCKING THE HECK out of your QR codes, otherwise they may not scan. I cut two pieces of paper exactly 3 inches square, then wetted my patches and pinned them out to this size. Once they are dry, simply sew them to the back of your mittens!
Self-Replicating Mittens by Kristine Howard is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
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Shared today on Twitter
What if all the lyrics in “Don’t You Want Me” were that line about working in a cocktail bar? http://t.co/EiKQzfw5kN – HA! Brilliant.
@trudib73 Me too. I use The Old Reader and it’s perfectly nice, but the community is gone. Still bitter.
The Companies Trying to Recapture the Original Spirit of the Sharing Economy http://t.co/mvXWg8PapG ANTI-UBER http://t.co/JpNEquCCa8
@gilmae What was wrong with it?
@gilmae Ahh, I wondered how you got it fixed so far out of warranty!
My @canva colleague @anna_guerrero shared her Strawberry Watermelon Cake from @BlackStarCh… http://t.co/UzACOUuCdQ http://t.co/7b5wQTng4I
Me: Every time I click my Uploads tab, it cracks me up.
@i386: hahaha
+ all the cats
you have to tweet it http://t.co/ALZ6c0CrFU
Ooh, lovely! I don’t like a lot of crochet, but this is a very cool use of the medium. https://t.co/QroGTIcaSS
@aimee_maree You’re participating? I thought you’d be there as a mentor!
@aimee_maree Hmm. Paging @AshleeMcCusker! She’ll know. 🙂
@developerjack @ijayessbe Ooh, I need to know about WP meetups going forward now that I’m In The WP Club. 😛
RT @keisanpablo: 5 Ways to Build Your Personal Brand Every Time You Speak by @etiquetteexpert http://t.co/ZY5a9TLWX8 via @Entrepreneur
@ijayessbe @developerjack I gathered! But I’m going to a @WWCSyd thing. Too many events…
@gilmae I did, and I started installing Jekyll… but I’ve got 15 years of browser-based blogging workflow. Too much inertia.
Kicking off The Art of Negotiating at #wwcsyd! http://t.co/VUJDOGi8Nm http://t.co/eD1GSbRcUo
Here’s @meganwcook earning the parental advisory on her excellent #wwcsyd Negotiation slides! http://t.co/Y0sQ4m1VyA
RT @mobywhale: Excited about #wwcsyd’s negotiation workshop tonight! Ready to go back to work tomorrow to negotiate for a pay rise 😉
Why babies in medieval paintings look like ugly old men http://t.co/UxOe32yP57 Homunculus is one of my fave words. http://t.co/y5l0ZHRKgM
w-g: Long rambling blog post about Girl Geeks and how I finally grew up and learned to embrace the sisterhood. http://t.co/JdIweRPjka
@virtualwolf Which one, the logo? My friend @4colorcowboy drew it for me many years ago! He’s a very talented illustrator. 🙂
@bezthomas @TheAmpHour OOH. I better migrate the page to my new site then so the QR code doesn’t break!
@bezthomas @TheAmpHour Fixed! 🙂 And oh nice, I backed @KnitYak!
