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I mentioned last week that I had a new gadget to show you. The item in question is an iPad. I’ve had it almost three weeks now and it is AWESOME.
I thought I’d share some screenshots from iPad to show you how I’ve been using it so far. As you’d expect, I’ve mainly been browsing the internet and emailing. It’s great that I can dip in and out quickly without having to boot up my laptop.
It’s also very good for social media. I’ve downloaded the Twitter app (I tried several others, such as Tweetdeck and Sociable, but they kept crashing) and I keep track of blogs using Pulse. I found the mobile version of Google Reader difficult to use.
The other main use I’m going to make of iPad is as a reader. Zinio is a free app which allows you to purchase and read magazines, including international titles. I haven’t found many knitting apps for iPad, but GoodReader is fab for storing and reading PDF knitting patterns.
I’ve mainly got reading and photography apps on the second screen (below). I downloaded iBooks, but I have to say I prefer the Kindle app. The books are much cheaper in the Amazon Kindle store than on iTunes, for a start. I’m a massive book geek, so I will still be buying hard copy books for those titles I’ll want to keep and read again. However, my bookshelves are overflowing, so ebooks are a good solution for modern fiction that I might only want to read once. I downloaded The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo from Kindle for £2.68 and so far I’m enjoying reading it on screen.
I’ve yet to play around with the photography apps, so I’ll post about those another time. However, Guardian Eyewitness is fantastic. It’s a free app containing photos from The Guardian’s stock library, with comments and tips from the photographers who took the shots. There are some amazing photos in the collection, it’s so inspiring.
I love Pocket Pond, although it is kind of silly. It’s exactly what it sounds like – a pond containing fish. If you touch the screen, it ripples the surface of the water and the fish swim away. It’s strangely compelling!
I have a third screen which contains games apps, but it’s also a dumping ground for apps I’m not sure about, so I won’t show you that. Labyrinth HD is ace – you have to roll a metal ball around a maze by tilting iPad, to get the ball into a hole at the end. The sound is great – it really sounds like a metal ball rolling on wood (little things please me!).
I’ve never been an Mac user and I will stick with my PC/laptop as my main computer. However, I’m loving iPad beyond measure. It’s light enough to tote around (although not super light) and the HD touch screen is amazing. I wondered if I would carry on using my iPod Touch, but I’m using it for different things (organising myself, listening to podcasts and music) so it’s still an essential gadget. Also, many of the apps sync between gadgets, so I can read my Kindle books on iPod Touch if I don’t want to carry iPad.
In celebration of Apple, I’ve created a cross stitch chart of the Apple logo. It’s free to download and use, if you’d like to do so.
I’m working on my own Apple cross stitch, with white floss on black Aida fabric, but I haven’t got very far. I’m still very stressed at work, so I continue to stare into space and/or snooze on the sofa when I get home.
I’m off to I Knit Weekender on Saturday. Is anyone else going? I’m looking forward to a day out!
I have a FO to tell you about, but before I can do a tah dah! moment I need to take some pictures. All will be revealed shortly….
In the meantime, I have a work in progress – ‘Joy’ from Kim Hargreaves’ Nectar.
'Joy', image from Kim Hargreaves' website
I have been obsessed with this cardigan since I saw a woman wearing one at the I Knit Weekender last year. She was wearing it over a floral summer dress and she looked great. Naturally, I stalked her around the exhibition space to get a proper look at her knitwear.
I’m using the recommended yarn, Rowan Denim (in Ecru). It’s a nice yarn, but the lack of elasticity in the cotton is hard on my hands and arms. I can’t knit on this project for too long otherwise they ache. I’m working on the back and it’s smooth sailing so far. It’s knitting up quickly.
'Joy' in progress
I’m slightly concerned that Rowan Denim is designed to shrink:
…wash all the pieces together in the washing machine at a temperature of 60 – 70 degrees C so that shrinkage can take place. The pieces are then dried and can be sewn together. Kim Hargreaves’ website.
I have a horrible premonition of making the pieces, being delighted with the result, then putting them in the wash whereupon they emerge the size of doll’s clothes.
I have been indulging my geeky side this week. I am very excited by the Lego Harry Potter game. I have pre-ordered the DS version. I’m not a big gamer (in fact I’m useless) but the Lego games are fantastic. OH has Lego Star Wars for the DS – it’s faithful to the films and witty, as well as fun to play.
Also, I was over-excited by the release of the new Apple operating system, iOS4. I installed it on my iPod Touch last night, then happily re-arranged my apps into folders. Ah, the joy of organization! Here’s the first of the four screens on my iPod Touch before iOS4:
Here it is with iOS4 installed. You can see the apps are now in neat little folders all on one screen, apart from those in the top row which I use most frequently:
The only problem is, it encourages you to download more apps, as you can fit lots more onto one screen. This is me today:
I’ve been dabbling in photography for a few months now. In that time, I’ve learned that I enjoy taking macro shots. I love to see the world in close up, which reminds me of these lines by Blake:
To see the world in a grain of sand
And heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
Blake, ‘Auguries of Innocence’.
Anyway, I made an investment purchase recently – a macro lens. I debated getting some Kenko extension tubes, which would have been the cheaper option. They sit between your camera body and your lens. Basically, they extend the focusing distance, allowing your camera to get closer to smaller objects. However, in the end I took a deep breath and I bought a Canon EF-S 60mm f2.8 USM macro lens.
It arrived last week and although I was hugely excited, I confess I’m also a bit scared of such a posh lens. I took it out for the first time at the weekend and played about with the camera in my parents’ garden. I didn’t really know what I was doing, so I just gave it a try and hoped for the best. The bee was difficult to capture as he kept moving from flower to flower (I guess that what bees do…).
Greedy bee
I tried it out again when I got home. This time I put my camera on a tripod to cut down on any shake from my hands which was blurring some images. I took shots of things I had in my living room. My favourite is this one of coloured pencils.
Get the point?
I’m still very much an amateur, but I’m loving just playing around with my camera and seeing what happens.
The topic for Day 6 is ‘Revisit a past F/O’ but I’m embarrassed to say I don’t have many past FOs. I’ve given some as gifts (mostly socks). But I’m such a perfectionist, I invariably frog most of the things I knit for myself as I’m rarely satisfied. I guess that makes me a process knitter.
So, I’m going for the wild card topic today, which is craft tools that you love. I’m going to pick a few knitting tools I use every day and wouldn’t be without.
KnitPro Symfonie wooden interchangeable circular needles (KnitPicks Harmony in the US). These are quite simply the best needles I’ve ever used. I bought the deluxe set and I’ve added extra tips over time. The wooden tips are laminated birch wood in swirly colours. They have everything the KnitPicks image describes below – sharp points, smooth joins and flexible cables. When I took up knitting again, I bought a set of straight needles but I realised very soon they didn’t suit me. Knitting with straights makes my arms ache, so I moved onto circulars and I’ve found them so much better. The last time I used one of my straight needles, it was as a stake for a drooping hyacinth flower!
Image from Knitpicks website
Namaste Oh Snap! mesh pouches. I tend to carry small projects around in my regular day bag, rather than having a separate knitting bag, and these are great for keeping everything tidy. I use the smallest one for my notions and the middle sized one is perfect for a small, portable project like socks.
Image from Namaste website
I bought an iTouch at the start of 2010. I use it every day and I love it. Here’s a screenshot of page 2 of my apps, which is where the knitting apps live. I use KnitBuddy as my row counter. ConvertKnit is handy for metric/imperial conversions. If I need to learn a new technique, then YouTube is my friend – I learned to knit socks with two circular needles by watching a short Cat Bordhi video. I’m finding the groups on Flickr more and more useful – there are some great photography groups and I find the Knits from Knitty group gives me lots of inspiration. I use Dropbox to store pdf knitting patterns, so I can access them from my iTouch. When I need something to accompany my knitting, I download a free audiobook to Stanza or I listen to music I’ve copied from my CDs. Great gadget.
iTouch screen with knitting apps
However, if I had to choose my favourite knitting tool, it wouldn’t be anything new or technical, it would be something old and simple – my mum’s green plastic row counter. I remember being fascinated with it as a child and I loved twiddling the numbers around.
Mum's row counter - an endless source of fascination
It’s only now I can appreciate how infuriating this must have been for my mum, realising she’d lost her row count again in the complicated aran sweater she was making for my dad. I’ve apologised profusely since I took up knitting again. It might sound silly, but I treasure this little bit of plastic.
I have the last class of my ten week photography course tonight. We’ve been set a challenge for the last session; to produce a photograph on the theme ‘after dark’. Here’s mine. It’s not brilliant, but it’s my best effort.
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness...
I’m sad the course has come to an end as I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve learned a lot in ten weeks. I understand more about how my camera works. I’ve got a basic understanding of shutter speed, aperture and ISO. I need to get out and practice now, which is the only way it’s all going to stick in my head.
However, it’s been a challenging experience. I’ve found the principles of manual photography hard to grasp, whereas normally I’m a quick learner. I’ve had to get used to feeling totally stupid. But, it’s been good for me to try something out of my comfort zone.
The main lesson I’ve learned is that photography is EXPENSIVE! I started the course with a compact digital camera. I’m ending it with a digital SLR (Canon 450d). The best tips I’ve picked up for using the camera are:
1. Buy a tripod;
2. Buy a UV filter, it will help protect your lens if you drop your camera;
3. Get hold of a companion book for your camera (this is mine);
4. Read Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.
You can look forward to many more awful photos as I progress along the photography learning curve…
I’ve had my DSLR camera for about a month now. I’ve been practising with it, trying out the different modes and experimenting with shutter speed and aperture.
Most of my photos have been poor, and I’ve been quite despondent at my inability to use my new gadget properly.
However, there was a breakthrough yesterday – I took a half-decent photo (IMHO) with my Canon 450d. Yay!
Crocus in March
I’m sorry I disappeared for a while. I’ve had some family problems going on and I haven’t felt like blogging or knitting 
I’m back with a happy post, to tell you about my latest gadget. I’ve been really enjoying my photography course, but I wasn’t getting the most out of it with a compact digital camera, so I have bought (you guessed it) a digital SLR.
I’ve had two compact Canon cameras and I’ve been very pleased with them both, so I stayed brand loyal and have updated to a Canon EOS 450d after chatting to my tutor about what he would recommend (he’s a Nikon man, but open minded…).
I’ve had the camera nearly a week and I haven’t taken a single photograph yet! I’m a bit scared of it, to be honest.
I’ve bought it a camera bag to sleep in, a UV filter and a companion book so I can understand how to use it – I find the manuals supplied with gadgets are usually impenetrable. Also, I found a free app for my beloved iTouch, DSLR for Dummies, which has tutorials and tips on using a DSLR camera.
I’ve learned very quickly that photography is going to be an expensive hobby (even more so than knitting) but I hope my camera will last for several years.
If any of you photography buffs out there have recommendations for tripods or other essential kit, then please let me know!
There was nothing on TV last night, so I plugged myself into my iTouch and listened to an audiobook I’d downloaded. The book was The Hound of the Baskervilles – I do like Sherlock Holmes. It was read by a woman who sounded like Andie MacDowell; it was rather comical to hear a quintessentially English story being read in a Southern drawl. I’m new to audiobooks. I’ve dismissed them previously as being a poor imitation of a printed book, but they are great company for knitters.
From the MadelineTosh blog
I’m knitting Mara with the blue faced leicester aran originally used to start a Peaks Island Hood. I had problems downloading this free pattern, I found it wouldn’t print and then I couldn’t open the PDF again. If you want a copy of this pattern, I’d open it, save it, then print from your saved copy (or download to the DropBox app on your iPhone/iTouch).
I’ve been knitting away on ‘Mara’ for a couple of days and got to a point where I needed to join a new skein of yarn. This posed a problem – there are no seams, so the yarn can’t be joined at the sides of the shawl. There is a WS and RS to ‘Mara’ but either side could be on show when it’s worn, so I didn’t want obvious woven in ends in the garter stitch.
I checked out the fantastic TECHknitting and found advice on joining the same colour yarn by felting the ends together. This is probably old news to most knitters but I haven’t tried it before. It’s so simple – you overlap the ends of the old yarn and the new yarn in your palm, add some water and roll the ends together between your fingers or palms. The strands felt together like magic. No wastage of yarn and no ends to weave in. Like Sherlock Holmes, I felt I’d solved a mystery of my own – how the wrong side of some peoples’ projects look so neat!
It’s been a week since my iTouch arrived so I thought I’d do a progress report on how it’s going with my newest gadget.
I had problems initially connecting my wireless network at home, getting the evil ‘invalid argument’ message. However, that’s been resolved and it’s working fine now.
I haven’t been using it much for music, as predicted. I have downloaded some CDs from my iTunes music library, of which my current favourite is Florence + The Machine Lungs. I haven’t listened to anything else since I got it.
The wifi capability on the iTouch has been brilliant. I synchronised my home email and I’ve been browsing the Internet, mainly reading the Ravelry forums so far. I checked my workplace’s website without getting out of bed yesterday morning to see if it was closed because of bad weather (it was!). How good is that?
However, it’s the App Store that really makes the iTouch. I tested out KnitBuddy, StitchMinder and Knit Counter Lite, before choosing KnitBuddy as my default knitting app. You can add multiple projects and for each you can have several row counters (the options are: row, repeat, increase, decrease and stitch). You can add information about your yarn and needles/hooks, but I use Ravelry for this. The value on the counter remains, even if the iTouch has been switched off, and the counters can be locked when not in use. I like this app a lot and it beats scrabbling around for a row counter every time I start a project.
The other knitting app I’ve been using is ConvertKnit. This gives comparable needle sizes for UK, mm, US and JP systems. It has a needle gauge (you place a needle flat on the screen and measure it against needle shapes). The bit I’ve used most is the weights and units converter – handy for conversions from yards to metres or inches to centimetres.
I’ve downloaded lots of non-knitting apps, too, and these are my current favourites. To Do’s is a simple app in which you create a list of (you guessed it) things to do, but it’s been perfect for organising myself. Spendometer enables you to monitor your weekly or monthly spending habits. I’m on a tight post-Christmas budget, so I hope this will help me control my spending and work out where I am wasting money. Solitaire is a total waste of time, but I’m addicted. Free Audiobooks gives access to thousands of, er, free audiobooks including many classic novels and short stories. I thought these would be good to listen to whilst I’m knitting.
My only complaint is that I find the buttons on the iTouch screen a little small and sometimes hit the wrong one, but this might be because of my innate clumsiness.
I’d been thinking about getting an iTouch or iPhone for ages, but I hadn’t really intended to get one so soon. I’m so, so glad I did, it’s fantastic.
photo from Apple UK
