Juliana Hearts

Hey folks, I thought I'd posted this a while back, but seem to have forgotten to mention it here.

Last year, a friend from my knitting group, Juliana, died following a long wait for a heart transplant. We wanted to do something to remember her, and came up with this plan -- to knit a collection of little stuffed hearts and give them away as gifts to people. There are really two reasons for this:
First, I'm certain that Juliana wouldn't want people to be sad because of her, regardless of the circumstances. I think it's really a fitting tribute to her to give these gifts away, (hopefully) to bring some happiness to as many people as possible.

Second, we hope that by doing this we can raise awareness of organ donation. I really hadn't thought about organ donation until Juliana became ill, I'd always just put it off. So I really want to encourage people to think about it, to make a definite decision. I'd also encourage people (donors or not) to read the stories on the Legacy of Life website, they do a great job of showing the positive side of organ donation.

So, that's the project.
I've made quite a few of these hearts now, and they're mostly pictured here. I've also written up the pattern for the hearts, which is available as a free Ravelry download, in case anyone would like to make some for themselves.

If I can give you a heart, let me know! As I say, the aim is to give them as widely as possible, so this is really open to everyone. You don't have to be an organ donor, and you don't have to be not-an-organ-donor either, it's all about spreading the happiness.
I also have a bunch of the books from Legacy of Life, which have some really amazing stories and I would totally recommend, so if I can give you one of those let me know too.
And of course, do think about whether you would want to be an organ donor. Then tell people! Preferably your next of kin!

*Also*, how amazing is it that organ transplants are possible? Go Science!

Hugh.

Geoemtric Knitting II ... somewhat belatedly

Hi folks, I've just realised how long it's been since I've posted anything here, and I have a whole bunch of stuff waiting!

A few weeks (well, months) ago, I gave a talk in our PG Colloquium series on the subject of geometry and knitting. The idea was to show off a few mathematical knitting projects I've been playing with, and use them to illustrate some maths.
I'll write about the projects individually later, but in the meantime you can read the slides here:
Slides (pdf)

A couple of the projects used computer programs to calculate the patterns, based on inputted parameters. These programs are written in Ruby, and if you'd like to give them a try they can be found here:
Universal cover scarf
Cellular automata shawl
Hopefully their operation should be pretty clear, and is explained in more detail in the slides. If anyone's interested in knitting from these I'd be delighted to give some tips!

Also, thanks again to my Glamorous Assistant Pamela!

Also also, the Juliana hearts project is still ongoing, and open to all, so if I can send you one let me know. (Hmm, have I really not posted about that here before? More on that to follow then.)

Happy knitting, and more posts soon,
Hugh.