Netflix Socks and Knitting in the Loo

A couple of knitting related stories have crossed my screen in the past few days that I wanted to share.

You can now combine your love of Netflix and your love of knitting with some cool technology that will automatically pause your show when you fall asleep.

The company has released plans (that’s a PDF) for a device, using conductive thread, an accelerometer and other goodies, that you can put in a sock (handmade, of course!) and that can monitor your movement and pause your Netflix playback when you haven’t moved for a certain period of time, indicating you might be asleep.

Netflix has a variety of show-themed knitting patterns you can use (make mine House of Cards), or you can add the conductive thread to your favorite sock pattern. Sounds like the perfect project to work on while you watch your favorite show, though I need a sensor to pause the show when my hands stop moving, not my feet!

The second bit of knitting news I have to share isn’t nearly as much fun, but it is proof that knitting can get you through just about anything. A woman in England was locked in a bathroom for four days and survived by eating mints and kept herself entertained by knitting her granddaughter a scarf.

Gladys Phillips made a pit stop in a bathroom that wasn’t yet open to the public, and she doesn’t have a phone so no one knew she was missing. She kept warm by using the hand dryer, slept on her overcoat and said she was lucky she’d just stopped by the yarn shop and picked up some pink yarn, which will now be a Christmas gift. How’s that for making the best of a bad situation?

Looking for more knitted socks designs and patterns to keep you warm this winter? Check out these knitted sock patterns Etsy. And these Knitting Pattern books on Amazon.

Looking to buy your Yarn online? Check out these online yarn specials.

Next Pattern:

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.”

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them.

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits.

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves.

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit.

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy.

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?