Seung Lee double knit this blanket based on data about his son's sleep patterns during his first year of life.

"Each stitch represents 6 minutes of time spent awake or asleep," Lee tweeted.

The blanket is 42" x 45," contains approximately 185,000 stitches and took around 300 hours to make. From Twitter:

The original plan was to crochet the entire blanket but I switched to double knitting because the data was much more clearly visualized and the color changes (of which there were literally thousands) were significantly easier..

The sleep data was collected with the BabyConnect app which lets you export to CSV. The CSVs were filtered and converted into JSON (using Google Apps Script and Python) which could then be used for visualization and tracking...

I built a tool in HTML/JavaScript so I could position stitch markers for the color changes and track overall progress. I made it browser based so I could pull it up on any device wherever I was...

(via Kottke) Read the rest

Embroidery master Rayna created this exquisite hand embroidery of Homer Simpson disappearing into the bushes. This follows on her Lisa Simpson "true crime" embroidery and other fine Simpsons stitchery available at her Etsy shop HermitGirlCreations.

(via Kottke) Read the rest

Oh, I am seriously here for this DIY-maker-recycling project that's all about giving street kitties safe homes. Wow this is cool.

Making feral cat shelters from an old cooler.

Says IMGURian @petsncharge, “Cat Tested and Approved Shelters.”

We designed and built these durable cat shelters-Donating to the many Rescues that need them for the Homeless Cats they care for...TomTom Tests each new Design

So cool. Watch the whole video.

Cat Tested and Approved Shelters

This is the QA tester!

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During the early 20th century, Kutol Products was the world's biggest manufacturer of wallpaper cleaning products. But once coal heating in homes was replaced with oil, gas, and electricity, dirty wallpaper became less of a problem and Kutol was in trouble. So in 1956, they pivoted. From Smithsonian:

Joseph McVicker was trying to turn around the struggling company when his sister-in-law read an article about how wallpaper cleaner could be used for modeling projects. Sister-in-law Kay Zufall, a nursery school teacher, tested the nontoxic material with children, who loved molding it into all kinds of shapes. She told McVicker of her discovery and even suggested a new name: Play-Doh...

Originally available in white only in 1956, Play-Doh soon expanded to include basic colors red, blue and yellow. It is now sold in a panoply of hues, including Rose Red, Purple Paradise, Garden Green and Blue Lagoon. The Putty line includes metallic and glittery tints. The recipe has gone through minor modifications over time. At one point, the amount of salt was reduced so the product would not dry out so quickly. But, for the most part, the mixture has remained the same.

“I like to design complex paper sculptures by combining mechanisms,” says Paul DeGraaf. Read the rest

Seriously impressive game-inspired stitching project right here. Read the rest

One imagines the late Queen frontman might have enjoyed this very much.

“I crocheted Freddie Mercury!,” says the very eager and talented crafter birdsaremybuddies on IMGUR.

I usually crochet animals.

Freddy was my first attempt at a person.

Here's the full view of their crafty creation:

They got this delightful pattern from Mojo Moji design, and with it you can crochet the iconic and legendary former singer of Queen yourself.

Moji Moji offers the pattern for free, but the considerate thing to do is donate something if you can, because this wonderful crafting project supports the Mercury Phoenix Trust:

The Mercury Phoenix Trust was founded by Brian May, Roger Taylor and their manager Jim Beach in memory of rock band Queen’s iconic lead singer Freddie Mercury who sadly died in 1991 from AIDS related pneumonia. In the last 21 years the Trust has given away over 15 million dollars in his name and funded over 700 projects in the global battle against HIV/AIDS.

As a tribute to the legendary Freddie I’ve created his likeness in amigurumi, capturing his essential awesomeness in yarn!

Here's the full crocheting process from birdsaremybuddies on IMGUR.

I crocheted Freddy Mercury

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“Beer hops earrings I made, I'm pretty proud of these,” says IMGURian Shancar1. Read the rest

The inaugural Heavy Metal Knitting World Championship were an unqualified success, with competitors from the US, Russia, Japan and beyond converging on Joensuu, Finland to thrash and knit: competitors such as Woolfumes, Bunny Bandit and 9" Needles thrashed to heavy metal music while knitting, for an audience of about 200. The winners were the five-person Japanese team Giga Body Metal. Scottish competitor Heather McLaren (a Ph.D candidate in engineering) told the AP, "When I saw there was a combination of heavy metal and knitting, I thought 'that’s my niche.'" Read the rest

Graffiti Diplomacy is a Brooklyn-based graffiti art studio and educational outfit with a terrific Web site containing free lessons, handouts, and craft activities for beginning (and advanced) artists. Their "Urban Blight" diorama how-to, complete with popsicle stick picket fences, looks like a lot of fun to build and tag.

Graffiti Crafting # 1 - Learn How To Make A Popsicle Stick Graffiti Picket Fence

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Probably not a great material for anything that gets much use, but it's the prettiest knife handle I ever saw. angqvist: "Here I show how I made a colored pencil knife handle. The knife blade is the Helle Harding."

I didn't actually find it on Reddit's "DiWHY" forum, but that's my new favorite subreddit.

BONUS: A guitar made from colored pencils:

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My dear pal Barbara Rushkoff embroiders fantastic minimal portraits of musicians and other artists, writers, and thinkers whose work has inspired her over the years. I love the seeming simplicity of her illustrations that still beautifully convey the essence of her subjects! Also, the name of Barbara's Instagram account has me in, er, stitches: yr_resting_stitchface

Above: Robert Smith of The Cure. Below: Billie Eilish, Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson of the B-52's, Nilufer Yanya; Mark Hollis of Talk Talk; Joy Division's Ian Curtis; St. Vincent; Debbie Harry; and David Bowie.

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This epic Giant Epoxy Resin Handle Screwdriver “making of” video is really something to behold. Jackman Works has outdone himself. Read the rest

What a great way to fancy up a broken car key fob. Here is how he did it. Read the rest

“They are the pets of a friend of mine and he wanted to give them as a gift to someone who loved them but could not have their own budgies.” Read the rest

'Bobs Burgers' fans and stitching crafters, get ready to flip out. Read the rest

Awesome baking project for Halloween. Read the rest