9/27 Moment of Zen: AuroraMAX

On Demand Northern Lights

We're not totally out of luck for seeing the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) the old fashioned way around here—especially those who live farther out in the hills where there's less light pollution, but here it's a rare and precious event (see the "Current Auroral Oval" at SpaceWeather for updates about when to look up for this). In the higher latitudes, though, it's a far more commonplace event. So for those other times, the Canadian Space Agency (ASC-CSA) has developed AuroraMAX - a live camera from Northern Canada which takes a shot of the sky every 10 seconds. You can watch it live at night (except during the summer, when the Midnight Sun washes out the view) or check out their gallery of featured videos for some of their best captured time-lapse displays.

Vintage Argyle Patterns!

Back before the Doctor Who scarf really got underway, I mentioned that one of the ladies from Thursday Night Knitting Group had passed along the argyle sock and tie patterns she had used years ago. No dates are included on the patterns, but I estimate they are from the early 1950s, which would make them 50-60 years old. I am excited to announce that I've finally finished digitizing them so that you can get your argyle on, too!

Note that I am not the author of these patterns—I have included all text from the original patterns exactly as written, along with a few editorial notes for clarification purposes. All patterns include charts which were scanned directly from the original patterns and are included as images. Also included are the lists of color combinations in the original kits, which make for interesting suggestions, perspective or both.

As of posting, I haven't knit from these yet either, though I plan on embarking on some argyle socks soon. If you get to it before I do, let me know—I'd love to workshop on how to make these patterns better. One glaring omission in both cases is the lack of listed yardage requirements, as they were sold as part of kits including yarn to complete the pattern, I'd love to be able to add that information at some point.

Without further ado, here's the patterns:

• Argyle, Plaid and Block Sock Patterns (pdf, 190K) - Published by Bernat as part of the Bernat Meadowspun Sock Pak, this includes a specific instructions for following included Argyle, Plaid or Block pattern charts, all of which feed into general heel and foot instructions that allow for size adaptation by length. Original pattern was printed on front and back of a sheet of 8½ by 14 paper, which I was not able to scan as a single image, and so only typed version with images lifted from scans.
  • To make argyle socks, print pages 2 and 4 (general notes page 1 optional)
  • To make block or plaid socks, print pages 3 and 4 (general notes page 1 optional)
• Argyle Tie Pattern (pdf, 181K) - No publisher listed on the pamphlet, but it appears the bottom of it was cut off. The pattern makes an adult tie at a finished full length of 49½ inches. The original pattern as it came to me measures about 7½ by 11 inches, so can be printed on regular paper. Both direct scans of the original pattern and a typed version formatted for easier reading available.
  • Scanned pamphlet only. (pdf, 122K)
  • Retyped text with scanned argyle chart. (pdf, 181K)

9/24 Moment of Zen: Such Great Heights

I don't think this is what they meant when they said that art imitates life, but this photo sure looks like an abstract painting. Taken from Robert Haas's book Through the Eyes of Vikings, this is just one of an impressive set of aerial photographs from around the Arctic Circle that make the Earth look like abstract art without being messed with in the least. Click the picture to see more from Haas's Arctic collection.

9/23 Moment of Zen: Caption Time!

What's Your Caption?

9/22 Moment of Zen: Vulcanson, Volcanosdottir

Iceland: On A First Name Basis with Volcanoes

In Iceland, the phone books are organized alphabetically by first name. Instead of having family last names like we do, folks in Iceland are known by their given first name and patronymic. A patronymic is based on your father's name and indicates you as son of __________ or daughter of __________. Musician Björk's full name is Björk Sigmundsdottir. Iceland being related to English as it is, the breakdown of Sigmundsdottir is actually fairly transparent: Sigmund's daughter. If she had a brother, he would be Sigmundson. Other cultures still highly integrate patronymics - In Russia and many other former USSR nations, the patronymic is a middle name, and people are formally addressed not by their family name (e.g., Mr. Dostoyevsky, Ms. Akhmatova) but by first name and patronymic (e.g. Fyodor Mikhailovich, Anna Andreyevna). (Read more about patronymics around the world).

But, Iceland has the coolest volcanoes (see above), sitting as it does on the line between the American and Eurasian plates as they spread apart, so they get the picture.

9/21 Moment of Zen: Il a choisi vivre! (Et nager!)

Quadruple Amputee Swims English Channel

French metalworker Philippe Croizon lost both arms and both legs in an electrical accident 16 years ago. Two years ago, when he began training, swimming the length of a pool was a struggle. This weekend, he swam across the English Channel. Croizon made the approximately 21-mile crossing in 13½ hours; a little less than twice the record crossing time of just under 7 hours, set by Bulgarian swimmer Petar Stoychev in 2007.

Here's another article about Croizon from earlier in the summer, which examines the training he did to prepare for his channel swim.

9/20 Moment of Zen: Caption Time!

What's Your Caption?