buon giorno
Wednesday, February 28th, 2007hello from Rome.
we made it safely here, with no delays, cancellations, flight changes or other airport difficulties. based on my personal history with such things, it can only mean that we will face some major hurdles getting back to the US. no worries. an extra day or two in Italy wouldn’t be a hardship.
anyhoo, yesterday was a long day, due to the time change, and we crashed hard at the end of it. we managed to see a good bit of the ancient city, fueled by adrenaline and caffiene. today, the plan is to see the Vatican (hey Pope!)
more updates as time and access permit. if you don’t hear from us in a few days, wait a few more *_-
Posted in fun stuff | 1 Comment »>off to italy
Monday, February 26th, 2007me and the wife are off to Italy for the honeymoon.
depending on internet access, and whether or not i feel like it, watch this space for periodic updates on our progress.
Posted in random stuff | 2 Comments »>
solving sudoku with flash
Monday, February 12th, 2007i’ve been busily updating my flash sudoku solver (at clickheredammit.com) with some more complex actionscript, a better interface, and some other useful tweaks.
currently, it can solve almost any sudoku that i can (which isn’t saying much, yet) and it’s getting better about the same rate as i am.
you can play it online at http://clickheredammit.com/sudokusolver.html or, if you’re using OS X 10.4.x you can download it in my first attempt at a Dashboard Widget – made with the beta version of DashCode.
share and enjoy.
Posted in random stuff | No Comments »>ipod cozy
Monday, February 12th, 2007
why… what’s in that little knit cozy?
yep. i knit an ipod cozy. email me if you want the pattern :)
[update]
i’ve never actually written a pattern before. i’m even bad at following them, as i tend to try and experiment – sometimes with unpleasant results. anyhoo, for everyone that has requested it, here’s what i’ve got. it may be hard to follow, incomplete or totally inaccurate, but then, that’s true of most everything i write.
if you’re more of a “pro” knitter, and feel up to the task, feel free to adapt or rewrite these instructions in a proper format.
[pattern follows]
ipod cozy pattern:
begin by casting on 9, 11, or 13 stitches onto a double-ended needle. the number depends on the size of your needles (i use #7 / 4.5mm), the type of yarn (i’m using a “worsted” weight yarn this time), and whether you’re planning on using the resulting cozy on an ipod, ipod mini, cel phone, or other electronic gadget of similar size. full-sized ipods tend to fit the 11- or 13-stitch cozy, the mini is more of a 9-stitcher. in any case, the result should be plenty stretchy, so don’t be alarmed by a slightly small diameter.
the bottom:
so… 9 (or 11, or 13) stitches on a double-ended needle. knit one row. perl one row. knit one row. knit one last row.
form the circle:
beginning and ending with perls, alternate knit and perl for one row.
with three more double-pointed needles, complete the circle. cast on 4, then 9 (or 11, or 13), then another 4. you should now have a wide rectangle.
join the circle and, following your previous row, beginning and ending with perls, alternate knit and perl for the long sides.
for the short sides, perl one, knit two, then perl one.
rinse and repeat:
in this manner, continue to form the cozy, until you’ve reached the desired length.
add the drawstring:
bind off one of the short sides. continue around the three remaining sides, perl every stitch. turn around and knit a row. continue this – a row of perls, a row of knits – for six more rows.
finish up by sewing the resulting flap at the top such that you can pass a string or braided yarn through the hole and cinch up the opening at the top. i’m not describing this very well, but look at the photos and you should see what i did.
sew the bottom flap so you’ve got a closed off “sock” to slip your ipod into, then turn inside-out to hide the seams.
share and enjoy.
Posted in Old Stuff, fun stuff | 27 Comments »>