So, I’ve had my iPad for over six months now, and the shine has not yet worn off. I still love it, and find that it fits our house perfectly. We share a laptop, and the iPad gives me most of the functionality I use regularly, in a smaller, lighter, and more comfortable package.

I get a lot of questions from knitters about how I use my iPad for knitting, and I thought it might be a good time to tell you what I’ve learned over the past six months.

The Web, YouTube, Blogs and Ravelry

Over the past six months, I’ve come to prefer the iPad for web browsing over my laptop, desktop computer, or iPhone. The touch interface makes it easy to zoom in on details, or navigate, and the iPad is comfortable to hold or prop up on my lap.

For sites like Knitty, Twist Collective and Ravelry, it’s an ideal couch-side companion for when I want to take a break from the yarn and needles. (It’s also perfect for yarn shopping… maybe a little too perfect.)

It probably goes without saying that knitblogs look great on the iPad as well. One point of caution, though. The iPad and iPhone do not have support for Adobe Flash, so many embedded YouTube videos on blog posts or Twitter will not work directly. You may need to launch them in the YouTube application, that comes standard on the iPad. That said, the YouTube application is great for finding knitting instructional videos. And, they look awesome on the iPad’s screen.

A second caution here is that the web is only available if you have a 3G iPad and associated Data Plan, or a WiFi connection. For me, this is fine. I have the WiFi version, and since I have WiFi both at my house and at my LYS, I’m rarely unable to go online.

Patterns

Without question, the best feature of the iPad for me is as a pattern and chart reader. I’ve started primarily knitting from PDFs stored on the iPad. It’s never too dim to read, I never crumple up the pages and lose them, and because I can’t take notes directly on the pattern, I find I’m better at writing my notes somewhere I’ll actually find them later; in a notebook or on the iPad in the Pages app.

Goodreader for iPad
I can’t live without this PDF and file reading application for my iPad. You can use it to link to your Ravelry pdf pattern library, and download all of your patterns for knitting on the go, even offline. I use it for knitting from new designs; I pdf my draft patterns and use the WiFi sync mode to put on my iPad.

As a chart reader, Goodreader works great for me. My design process is to make pdf charts in excel. These load perfectly onto Goodreader. I can zoom in, and use the scroll to keep track of where I am by hiding previous rows.

Pages
Apple’s word processor, Pages, is actually quite good. I use it to keep notes as I knit, especially when working on new patterns. But it’s also perfect for preparing class notes and handouts when I teach. It contains some built-in page layouts that work great for simple purposes.

Design, Inspiration, and Project Management

I haven’t gotten too deep into this category of iPad apps, mainly because my design dance card has been overfull this season. One app I really like is Adobe’s Ideas. It’s kind of a photo editing program and kind of a drawing program. For design ideas, it’s great for me. I can import photos, draw on top of them, or just freehand draw…. whatever I feel like! I also like how Ideas helps organize designs; they can be tagged or browsed. I plan on using this more and more.

I’ve recently begun using my iPad as a project management tool too. In addition to my work and home responsibilities, I’m still running the Year of Lace and a pattern business. In the last week, I purchased 2Do for iPad. It has the ability to set up several projects and associate tasks with projects and deadlines. Basic stuff, but it’s making me feel so good to cross items off my list! It also has the ability to sync to desktop calendar applications, but I haven’t gone that far just yet.

Knitting-specific applications

As of November 2010, there are just a handful of knitting-specific applications. None of them are must-buys for me, even at $0.99, but that’s just me. I’m not the market of a ‘learn to knit’ app, or knitting needle tracking chart. Because I generally have access to Ravelry through WiFi when I need it, I just use it to keep track of things like needles, books, and stash.

No, there is no Ravelry app. However, since you can use the web to browse Ravelry with no restrictions, there isn’t really a need for one… yet.

Hardware and blogging

If this is to replace a computer for many activities (like in my situation), you’ll probably want to spring for one of Apple’s keyboard accessories. I have the keyboard dock, and it’s great for longer emails, blogging, and heavy word-processing tasks. The on-screen keyboard is fine for short notes, but I prefer a physical keyboard when I have to do a lot of typing. This dock has the advantage of also being able to charge your iPad, and the integrated stand holds it in the vertical position.

Photos!

Without a built-in camera, the iPad isn’t ideal for taking and uploading photos. Although there’s a camera attachment available to directly import digital photos without connecting to a laptop or desktop, I haven’t used it yet. Instead, I tend to put everything on my laptop, and sync over photos I need to my iPad. Another option is to use email to send photos to myself, either from my iPhone, or from a computer. Then, once they’re on the iPad, I can upload to flickr and from there, to Ravelry.

I probably should get that camera connector dongle. It would make life a little easier, for times when I’m away from the computer for an extended period of time, such as when I’m visiting my family in Illinois. Still, because I prefer to have everything in one library on my laptop, my current system works ok.

You won’t like the iPad if…

Again, let me stress that the iPad isn’t for everyone, for all uses. It is not a netbook or a computer. It’s more of an appliance, IMHO. You can’t install your own software on it. You have to jump through some hoops if you want to rip your DVDs to iTunes and sync to it. And all apps have to come from the iTunes app store, unless you jailbreak the iPad.

To sum up…

I love my iPad and I love to knit. It’s become my favorite knitting accessory.

But do you want one?

Now that I’ve had mine for nearly two months, I thought it was worth a second… or third… look.

When the iPad was officially introduced, I wrote a bit about being slightly disappointed, without knowing exactly why. Although the iPad had just so much, it wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. It was clear that it would not be a replacement for a computer. No file system, little connectivity, and simplified OS would be roadblocks to ever doing significant code or pattern production.

We talked a lot around the office that week. What was the iPad exactly, and what was it for? How would I use it?

And then I thought about it a little more. It became a bit of a challenge for me to take a fresh look at my life, and the way I interacted with information, to identify how my life might change with this new device.

This might sound silly to you. After all, why buy a device if you have to search for its purpose? But then again, the iPad is a new type of thing. It’s not an mp3 player. It’s not a DVD player. It’s not a phone. It’s not a laptop. It’s not an eBook reader. It’s not a nintendo. It’s not a netbook.

It’s kind of all of these and none of these at the same time.

It’s a tablet. And it’s new. And I didn’t have any concrete model for how it would make my life better. When I got my first Rio mp3 player, it was to carry more of my musical library with me on trips and for my daily commute. My Nintendo DS? For pure entertainment. Even the Apple TV was purchased for a concrete reason; to abolish my DVD collection and switch to all digital HD.

But with the iPad? What would it do for me?

That question, though, is exactly why I bought one.

On April 4, after a day of light use, I wrote about my first impressions of the iPad. I liked it. I just didn’t quite know why.

Now, I love the iPad. And I have a pretty good idea why.

• It’s light, thin and quiet.

  I have yet to be uncomfy using the iPad. With one hand or two, on my lap, on the table, propped on my knees, even reading in bed. Being able to turn the screen for a different layout allows flexibility. The best part? Unlike a laptop, it doesn’t heat up or require a fan. It stays cool and completely quiet.

• It’s intimate.

  Wait. That sounds weird.

  What I mean is that the touch screen is large enough, and can be held close to enough, to provide an incredible browsing experience. There’s something amazing about feeling your way through one of your favorite sites, of using your fingertips to explore nearly full-sized content.

  The iPhone / iPod Touch provides an incredible mobile experience, but the limited screen real estate has always made me feel slightly awkward when trying to read large amounts of content, such as on a news site or blog. The iPad fixes it. When I use the BBC app to catch up on news, it feels larger – and more brilliant – than my laptop’s screen because of how I hold and interact with it.

• It’s always changing

  Many of the apps built specifically for the iPad are dynamic in nature. Updates and content can be pushed into the applications, enabling near real-time updates on WeatherChannel, or weekly magazine-like tabloid stories in Entertainment Weekly.

  Even games have in-app upgrades and bonuses. The Glee sing-along app features new songs in advance of each week’s episode. And I’ve gotten sucked into playing WeRule, a free Farmville-like social game.

  My favorite part? Checking out the App Store for new and fun applications to download or purchase. Because new apps are available all the time, I check in every few days to see what’s new or featured in some of my favorite categories. If I’m bored, I can download something new to play with in just a few clicks.

• It’s fun

  Steve Jobs keeps calling the iPad “magical”, but I would simplify that to just three letters; FUN.

  The entire experience of working with one is entertaining; sliding your fingers across the screen, using five or ten fingertips for gestures. It’s like finger-painting, but for grown ups. And there’s something different about it than the smaller scale of the iPhone.

  It’s so fun that it’s now with me around the house for the entire day. It’s next to me on the couch when I knit or watch TV. It’s become my default way of checking my email and the Ravelry forums. It’s the first thing I pick up in the morning to check the news and weather. It’s in the kitchen to load recipes from foodandwine.com and epicurious. And the experience of making playlists on it is so much better than on my iPad, I use it for at-work listening.

Yup, I’m in love.

But the iPad isn’t everything.

In most cases, it’s not going to replace your computer.

• Typing is awkward.

  While you can get an external keyboard, and even a keyboard dock to make writing as easy as on your laptop, you’ll still need a desk or some type of table set up for comfy typing. The on-screen keyboard is good enough for casual emails, but I wouldn’t write a 1,000 word blog post on it if I had another option.

• Suited for the web, not for offline computing.

  The iPad is at it’s absolute best when connected to the net. Without a WiFi signal or 3G data plan, many applications are worthless. Even some of the news apps rely on that connection to load any content, even last week’s.

  That said, I don’t expect websites to work without a web connection, so I can’t really expect similar apps to work offline. I can listen to music and watch videos, play Plants vs. Zombies to my heart’s content, and keep notes on my latest pattern using Pages. I’ll just have to connect to my laptop – or the net – to access those files.

• It won’t hold your entire media library.

  It’s a great device to watch movies on, but even with the 64GB version, you’ll only be able to hold a few dozen. And, similar to an iPod, you’ll need to sync to your main iTunes library to move over movies and music.

Has the iPad changed my life?

In a word:

Yes.

For me, it’s become my go-to device 90% of the time. I rarely use my iPod now, except when running.

The battery stays charged seemingly infinitely; at least 10 hours without any performance adjustments. It’s small enough to fit into my favorite (and only) Coach purse. It’s light enough for me to not question bringing it everywhere. Bringing it out to read a few pages of a novel is no big deal; nothing to boot up, nothing to wait for. In three clicks from the thought, I’m already reading. And despite all the talk about lack of flash support, I’ve only run into one site where I couldn’t get the content I wanted.

For knitting patterns, it’s exceptional. There’s this app called “Goodreader” that allows you to sync with any PDF on the web. Ravelry has provided a way to integrate with your pattern library. All my patterns with me at one time! Perfect!

It’s proven to be a better way for me to write patterns, and keep notes, as I design. The keyboard can be a bit awkward, but not needing to dig up a pen and notebook, and more importantly, never misplacing the pattern in progress, is well worth the slight slow-down.

So, that was a bit of a rambly review.

I think the iPad does really well what it should; provide an incredible user experience for media consumption; the web, videos, photos, movies, apps, and games. And if you’re in a one-computer household and mainly need to use it as I do, it’s a superior alternative to a second computer.

Should you buy an iPad? I don’t know.

My answer, as always, is “it depends”.

For me, it’s awesome. I use it more than I ever thought I would.

——
Edited to add…

I’m a massive Apple fan and have been from pretty much the beginning of my life. I will always be an Apple fan. They’re not perfect. No company is. They have issues with censorship and closed systems like others have with licensing, security, unstable OS, and privacy. But I’ve worked on a lot of OS in my life, and OS X is still my favorite, UNIX-base and all.

About the app store model… Apple was the first to take on that model and that’s always going to be tougher than coming second. There’s a fine line between curation and censorship. I think this is a area of ethics and standards that will continue to improve with competition. Google’s app store is a start, as are the ones being developed for mobile devices. Keep watching it, and keep on it.

I equate it to what’s happening in moderation policies for online news and political sites. When blogging first began, there was this massive rush to open up comments to everyone. And then there was this shock that people would write profanities, threats, and hate. And then there was the question of how to deal with this. Blogging is relatively “old” online…. nearly 20 years that word has been around. But mainstream sites are still dealing with the best way to use comments from users without censoring, without infringing on free speech. It’s complicated; how to protect users while letting them have their say, publish their app, pursue their rights.

That’s a whole other soapbox.

And I’m not debating Apple as a “good” or “bad” company.

I love this particular product now that I’ve used it for a month. And I love my MacBook Pro. And I love my iPod. And I love blogging. And I love writing about it.

Please keep leaving challenging comments. I love to read them, and you make me think, and question, and debate, which is always a good thing. But don’t email me privately and tell me I suck.

Thank you.

(PS – if you don’t like geeky stuff, there’ll be knitting again soon! I promise! And also a delicious apple muffin recipe!)

Let me say it up front. I love Spring. As I get older, it’s becoming my favorite of the seasons. I crave the extra hours of daylight from now until late-June. I crave the first dry and sunny mornings, when bike riding to work is a joy in short sleeves and a skirt. I love how green and fresh everything is, like the world is enjoying a good deep stretch after a long, cold winter.

Rain or shine, I have biked (or walked) to and from work every day for about a month now. In addition to enjoying the relatively flat ride, biking gives me an extra hour every day. My commute is about 20 minutes; easily half that of taking public transit.

This morning, I decided to forgo an extra hour of sleep in favor of getting up at 6 and spending a peaceful morning working on pattern stuff… in the back yard.

We don’t so much have a yard as an extended patio. Our “yard” is about 20 feet long and 13 feet wide, a mixture of landscaping and brick work. Because of the dogs, we’ve opted for container gardens, which are starting to really fill in with lettuces and tomatoes and herbs.

We just have room for a small patio table, so I sat there, enjoyed a couple cups of coffee, and took another pass through Watershed to clarify some questions I’ve gotten from knitters.

I love being outside in the morning, and I love having a few hours of quiet before my day really starts going. The only problem? I wanted to go for a run today, and it was tough to tear myself out of my little quiet patio.

It’s a three day weekend here in Canada, and we still haven’t decided what – if anything – to do with ourselves. The campgrounds are going to be nutso, and we’re contemplating driving to St. Charles to visit the family. (Dad’s still in the nursing home and just came down with Pneumonia, but is otherwise doing ok.) If not, I’m going to enjoy spending time working on the yard. We still want to change somethings, namely, putting down pea gravel on top of the dirt areas to prevent the dogs from digging and provide more drainage. Ahem.

It’s supposed to be gorgeous weather still. And I’m looking forward to 3 days off.

In the meantime, wow, do I have a LOT of knitting to do!

That is how I found myself at Best Buy in Geneva around 7 am on a rainy blustery April morning. I joined a few other intrepid souls – all guys – and hunkered down with coffee and a warm jacket to wait it out. Several hours later, I walked out with Cullen’s iPad. An hour later, Sandra and I walked out with one of our own.

See, I’ve been looking for an eBook reader. But more importantly, I’ve been playing around with iPhone and iPod touch development, and I think it’s a perfect time to jump right into the iPad as well. The playing field for iPad-specific apps is still under-populated, and the larger screen, processing power, and resolution are appealing for knitting pattern related applications. (There are also no iPad apps for knitting, as far as I can see!)

See Amy Justify.

Anyhow.

We went straight to the hospital after shopping, and although I unboxed the iPad there, I couldn’t start to play with it before activating it by synching to my MacBook. (Thank goodness I had brought the laptop on this trip! The waiting might have killed me otherwise!) I’ve read that if you buy an iPad in the Apple Store, it can be instantly activated. Ah well.

The setup process was just like getting a new iPod. You plug it in. Accept a 53 page terms and agreements document. Click a few buttons. Decide what you want to automatically sync versus manually copy over. And then you’re done.

I really like the tactile experience of holding the iPad. It’s quite light at just a pound and a half and very thin. The brushed aluminum case doesn’t heat up or vibrate when you’re playing, unlike my laptop. It also features a ‘hold’ button to lock the screen in one position; horizontal or vertical. (Being someone who doesn’t read the manual before jumping in, I couldn’t figure out why the screen wouldn’t rotate until I read some tips on Mashable this morning. Oops!)

I sometimes have a hard time with spatial relationships when just reading dimensions or measurements. Compared to my 13″ MacBook Pro, the iPad is tiny. Almost two iPads could sit side by side on top of the MBP. I’m pleased. It’s a good size to actually carry in my purse, and the features let me do my most common computer-related tasks; playing games, organizing photos, watching movies, working on the internet.

As a test, I downloaded the WordPress app to blog this entry from the iPad. Knowing that multitasking is not currently supported on any iPhone or iPad, I first loaded my photos into iPhoto on the mac, just like always, and then synced them over to the iPad.

I typed probably half of this entry in the WordPress app. The on-screen keyboard does take some getting used to. I’m a die-hard QWERTY user, and type quite fast. Instead of a full keyboard, Apple has split it up into several screens. Letters are on the main screen, and you have a second choice for numbers/symbols, with some additional options within each panel. Because you have to hit several keys to type a comma, for example, my pace of typing was quite a bit slower than normal.

It took me a while to remember that the auto-correct functionality on the iPhone/iPad is quite advanced, and I didn’t need to actually pick characters like the apostrophe, for example. Auto-correct fixed my typing correctly nine times out of ten.

I also noticed that I sped up quite a bit as I typed. Clearly, the iPad is never going to replace my macbook for heavy typing tasks, but it’s worlds above the typing experience on my iPod Touch. I could actually blog on the iPad. I could write long emails. I just probably wouldn’t choose to write code…or complex knitting patterns where auto-correct would be the bane of my existence.

What didn’t end up working so well was the photo integration. Something in the WordPress app crashed when I tried to select and position a photo from my iPhoto library. I lost a few paragraphs of work and quickly decided to switch back to the MacBook Pro in the interests of time. (We’re headed off to Easter mass shortly.)

Is the iPad a game changer? We’ll see. I really really really like the experience of using it. It’s more collaborative than the iPod Touch / iPhone. Sandra and I played a long game of Catan yesterday and into the evening. While we could have done that on the Touch as well, the larger screen allowed the tablet to lay flat on the couch between us, letting us both clearly see the gameplay.

Today I’m going to show Dad some photos on the iPad when we get to the hospital. I tried this before with the Touch, but the screen was too small to show him some of the details I’d like.

And the book functionality. I’m most excited about using it for cookbooks. Too often, I can’t remember where I’d seen one recipe or another. The ability to actually search within a book is priceless for things like this.

We’ll see where things go. Right now, the iPad app store has only dozens of iPad specific HD apps. (iPhone apps work fine, but are at a much lower resolution and need to be magnified.) iPad apps also tend to be pricier; with most ranging from $4.99 to $9.99 and up, and fewer non-corporate free apps. I expect both these points to change a bit over time. While I’d gladly pay more for a more rich application for the iPad, I want more choice in apps! It’s been out for a day now, and I know that’s coming once developers have had more time to work with the SDK.

From my perspective, I’d love to develop an app for my patterns. The experience of knitting from an iPad pattern would be outstanding; search, zoom, full big color photographs and illustrations, links to definitions and tutorials.

Anyhow, I’m pleased. Like many users, I’m not sure exactly what I’ll end up using it for most often, but I can see so many possibilities. And more than anything, it’s totally fun to use.

I’m a programmer. I’ve been a programmer for a decade now, longer if you count my dabbling in html and shell scrips in university. And I’m also a knitting designer who leans heavily on the world of math. If you’ve taken my design class, or my toe-up sock class, or are one of the 1,862 who have knit my Universal Toe-Up Sock Pattern, you know that math is a big part of knitting, whether you like it or not.

But for some reason, I’ve never taken the time to use my programming skills to make anything more knit related than those little javascript progress bars way back in the days before Ravelry.

Because the sock formula has been well tested over the years, I thought it would be a good place to start. I’m working on a web application that will generate a toe-up sock pattern for you, based on selected size and your gauge.

Choosing both of those, and inputting the needle size you used to get that gauge, will generate a page with the pattern, and you’ll need to either save it to your hard drive or print it out. The sizing ranges from 6-12 months to mens size 12 – 14. After I launch it, hopefully this weekend, I’ll work out some enhancements for selecting the direction and the type of toe and heel from a few options. After all, there’s more to life than toe-up.

It’s going to be a free application, and a bit of a proof of concept for future web and maybe mobile apps.

What do you think? Is this something you’d use? And what about other projects? Could it be helpful for things like mittens or hats as well?

—-
Edited to add:

Wanna check it out? I built it!! http://www.indigirl.com/sock-app/. Tell your friends, and let me know if you see anything wonky or weird. And yes, I’m working on an iPhone app as well. Slowly.

Looking over my wish list, I’m actually pretty pleased. The iPad has ways to do all of these things via accessories, including a sweet keyboard dock to make actual typing quicker and more productive. I’m happy for the newest version of iWork – with a la carte pricing to boot! The price point is also far better than I’d expected. At $499 for the base model, it nicely fills the gap between iPod and MacBook. I think too, the features fill that gap as well.

The iBooks application looks killer. I love the idea of the interface being controllable via font selection and type size and am charmed by the page-like look to it. I don’t want to scroll – I want to flip pages. And it looks like Apple’s designed this eReader functionality perfectly. (Of course, I have to ask, will iBooks be available for the iPhone as well? Like a mini iBooks?)

But, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit disappointed, and I’m not sure exactly why.

No camera?

What about chat?

And only 64GB at the high end? I’d blow through that with a few HD movies.

It’s all the hype. It’s reading that it would be a game-changer. Well, it certainly could. I’ve long envisioned our desktops truly being more like this than laptops. Plug it in and dock it when you need to do some serious work, take it out and use it anywhere for fun or to browse.

But to really do that, it needs a few things. More storage, or the ability to connect to external hard drives. It needs to be able to run more standard applications. What about writing and testing code? It’s not OS X, so I’m assuming there’s no terminal window. And how about a camera for video chat? We’ve got ‘em on our laptops now. Is it a memory handling issue? Is that going to be in version 2?

I don’t know. For what I’d use this for, it would have to be a lightweight version of what I do on my laptop. I’d love to have something like this as our second computer. And it does like 95% of what I’d actually use. I just wanted something…more.

(And just in case I’m not clear… yes, I still want one.)

You know I’m an Apple fan. My first programming experience was a Logic class on an Apple IIc when I was in grade 3. And you know I’m going to drool over this tablet, whatever it turns out to be.

For me to drop $1000 on this, many things would have to happen. (Sandra would have to have a full time job, for one!) But mainly, it would have to be able to function as my primary computer for 90% of what I do. Maybe not photoshop or pattern production, but certainly everything else; surfing, emailing, listening to music, tracking my runs and my ww points, blogging, uploading photos to flickr, updating my ravelry, etc. And I’d really, really, REALLY love it if I could use it as an eBook reader as well.

Just cause I can, here’s my own (very reasonable) wishlist for the first generation iSlate:

Integrated WiFi and 3G
Probability: High

I want a device that can get online anywhere. Granted, this is going to be a little more complex in Canada. I’m already paying Rogers for my blackberry and my home internet. I’d love to share a data plan between multiple devices, an idea that’s not that far from reality.

Mostly, though, I want the 3G connection to either be free (like the Kindle) – highly unlikely – or optional. Can I get the tablet and just have it connect via WiFi? Can I then start paying for 3G without a hardware upgrade?

Functional Dock with Keyboard and Mouse
Probability: Medium/High

A keyboard – an actual keyboard – is a bit of a must for someone who writes as much as I do. (Code, patterns, blog entries, even fiction.) While I’m pretty adept on my blackberry, I’ve never really adjusted to any speed with the iPhone’s keystroke model. I want a real keyboard as an option for times when I need to do a lot of wordsmithing.

Hear me out on this one. Docking the tablet would take down it’s portability, for sure. But what if the dock could work like a laptop, with the tablet as the screen? I’d be able to use it around the house, or take it with me if I needed more writing ability. Having a dock that allows the tablet to be propped upright, much like the iPod docs, would make it a better system for home multimedia as well.

Speakers – decent ones
Probability: Medium

I’m sure some kind of speaker will be included. There’s already one on the iPod Touch, but the quality and amplification leaves a lot to be desired. From a bigger device, I’d expect bigger sound.

USB – Just One Port Please
Probability: ?

I haven’t seen many rumours around the ports available on the tablet, but I’m really hoping for a single usb port with device support. I want an easy way to get files onto – and off of – the tablet. I want to sync my iPod. And upload photos.

eReader Functionality
Probability: High

Apple’s dumb if they don’t use their highly successful iTunes model to electronically distribute books and periodicals. What they need to make it competitive is a great user experience for reading the material, though. And I’m betting that – if they wanted – they could do it better than the Kindle or the Nook.

My Media – Everywhere
Probability: ?

Now that I’ve got the AppleTv up and running to serve up movies and tvs from iTunes, I really want all my stuff everywhere. That may be more of an AppleTv request than a tablet one, to be clear. Why can’t it function as a server that broadcasts to every one of my iTunes instances? This could work with the eReader concept too. Imagine if I could use my tablet to read in bed at night, then pick up my iPod on the bus the next day and be able to start from the same page?

I don’t know. It’s not much of a list, really. The USB port is probably the only feature not super likely, although maybe not. It would be great to be able to connect and charge existing devices.

Mostly though, I want Apple to totally surprise me next week. I want this tablet to redefine portable computing the way the iPod did portable music. I’m ready for it. And you know I’ll be watching closely next Wednesday to see what we can expect from Apple’s “newest creation.”

Now Via Rail is striking. I wonder if that’ll make the airlines a little happier? I adore rail travel, and would do it more often, if it weren’t generally more expensive than flying, at least in North America.

I may not say it often, but I’m a huge fan of So You Think You Can Dance. I’ve been watching since the second season and adore it. I think I love dance so much because it’s the ultimate athletic expression of music. I think it’s beautiful, more so when I love the song. Last night’s show was up and down for me. First of all, are we really comparing Katie Holmes’ performance to Judy Garland? Srsly? She strutted around the stage in a cute outfit and lip-synched to herself. Woo. Exciting.

In terms of real talent, I loved getting an opportunity to see a few old favorite routines from alumni of the show. I was never that big of a fan of the Butterfly routine, but Rama-lama and The Bench are still near the top of my list. Very funky, creative, and passionate.

I’m disappointed about the results, though. I had predicted that Evan was definitely a gonner, and probably Janine on the girl’s side. For Jason and Janette to go home… shocking. Jason had just become my favorite guy to watch, and I’d long been impressed with Janette’s ability to pick up so many different styles seemingly effortlessly. Don’t get me wrong… I think Evan’s adorable. And he may win the title of “America’s Favorite Dancer”, but I don’t think many people would call him the best dancer from this season.

Did you know SYTYCD is transitioning to a fall-season show? I’m not sure how I feel about that. It’s been the highlight of my summer boob-toob-watching, largely because it has little with which to compete. What’s going to happen when it’s up against hugely popular shows like Grey’s? I think it’s a risky move for FOX, and the show.

I’m getting really used to actually having weekends off these days. Sandra and I haven’t been doing much of excitement; just walking a lot, taking the dogs around town, exploring our neighborhood. I may be one of the only Torontonians to be happy with the cooler summer weather. I love actually being able to be active outside (when it’s not raining) without feeling like I’m walking through hot pea soup.

I started running, very casually. I think I’ve gone three or four times now over the past few weeks. It feels horrible and wonderful at the same time. I can’t believe I actually can run again after so many years of being horribly out of shape.

I’m teaching a drop spinning workshop at The Purple Purl next week and can’t wait! It’s one of my favorite intro classes to teach. Seeing knitters start to understand the physics behind the yarn they love is so exciting.

On my wish list right now:

• A bike. Any bike. With a basket or two. I want to bike to work sometimes.
• A uke of my own. Do I hold out for a step above the lime green Mahalo in that music store window?
• Right now, this very second? I’d love some of Black Oak’s IPA. Mmmmm. Hops. And for it to be 6pm and be on my way home.

I’m totally and utterly in love with my project at work. I’ve been working on building this application since December and am finding the post-launch enhancement and upgrade phase so rewarding. I get to see my application working and focus on making it work even better. How great is that?

At some point in 2009, it’ll transition to being the responsibility of one of the other IT groups for long-term support. At that point, I’ll stop getting phone calls at 3am when a server goes down, but I’ll also lose the satisfaction of knowing that I wrote almost every one of the 50,000 lines of code that went into it.

Our plans for this weekend include taking the dogs to the Blue Jay’s “Dog Days” game on Sunday afternoon. How this will go, I have no idea. Should be crazy fun. Or just plain crazy.

Well. Lunch time is over and I’m back to my code. Have a great weekend!

Probably as a counter-reaction to my super-productivity last month, I’ve been lagging in my knitting for the past few days. These slumps always wear me out more than they should… I cast on furiously for a new project and abandon it… or switch it out… just a few days later. On the plus side, I know that this little stage will end quickly and I’ll be back to my usual ways.

What you see above is my latest potential WIP. I’ve only knit a few rows of the entrelac on the Lady Eleanor Stole, and I’m debating whether or not I’d rather use this beautiful yarn (Noro Cashmere Island) for this, or for a cute top. I do love this yarn. So, this too is on hold, at least for a few days until I decide which way I want to go.

My long-languishing Manos “Norah” cardigan is also on hold. For some reason, I’ve been having palm cramps when I knit on it for a few rows. I’ve determined I need to do a lot of hand warmups with something easier (for me) to knit prior to starting in on this again. I have less than half a sleeve left to go – how frustrating! And yeah, although it looks better on Trish than it does on me, I’m really happy with the design, so no, I won’t show you just yet.

On the other side of things, something that’s been on hold for over a year has just been given the go-ahead. You probably know that I have epilepsy. I have had partial simple seizures, affecting just one or two of my senses, for the past decade. My seizures don’t look like anything you’ve probably heard of. I don’t fall to the ground, I don’t convulse, and I don’t stare off into the distance. I have no alteration of consciousness.

What I do have is a bad taste in my mouth, followed by a wave of nausea that disappears within about a minute. Sometimes, I smell bacon cooking. Definitely weird, and completely disturbing. I’ve been controlled by medication for much of the past decade, and still have the occasional seizure during the night.

What this means for a future family is that I had to wait until I could get into see my neurologist – one of Canada’s top epileptologists – to give us the go ahead to try to get preggers. Last week, he had a cancellation, and after a really good talk, we decided that I would go off the epilepsy meds for as long as possible; hopefully at least through the first trimester, and at least a month before our first try at conceiving.

I go off the medication in the middle of March, after which point, I won’t be able to drive until 12 months later seizure free, or I go on it again. And we’ll give the baby thing a shot in early April, if my cycle works out.

And now, because I don’t presume you have gone through this, I’m going to tell you a little bit about the process we’re about to start. There will be absolutely no knitting content beyond this point – I promise!

While many lesbian couples know a significant male friend to donate, we’re going with an anonymous donor. We’ve selected his profile from several dozen candidates that match my CMV status and share similar genetic features, such as height, hair color, and eye color. (Did you know you can browse donors online?) The clinic was able to give us an 8 page extended profile, including baby photos, and an essay. We liked that this particular guy is really into his family and dog, and decided to become a donor because he watched his best friend go through horrible infertility struggles. This week, we need to phone and order in 3 or 6 “kits”.

Near the end of March, I’ll start taking some progesterone pills to regulate my cycle and induce a period. On Day 1 of the period, I’ll call the clinic and they’ll tell me when to start taking Clomid, a drug that will increase my chances of ovulation. Because I’m polycystic, there’s a good chance that with the fertility medication, I’ll send out two or more eggs to be fertilized. (Twins? Scary!) Around Day 12 – 15, I’ll start testing myself to see if I’m ovulating. As soon as things look good, we call the clinic and go in for an intra-uterine insemination.

And, repeat that process 2 or 3 times more, hoping it works. If everything goes well, we might be pregnant this summer. If it doesn’t, we’ll be talking about other options, such as IVF, or seeing if Sandra can carry. I’m hoping things go well, but I’m prepared for this to be much harder and more challenging than we’d ever wish. I’ve seen other couples go through this, and although all the doctors say it looks like I’ll be able to get pregnant, you just never know.

In the meantime, we’ve spent all of our airmiles on a 5 day fling in Las Vegas just after Easter. (Because really, I’d take a baby just about anywhere else in the world.) I’m looking forward to sleeping in, staying up late, playing blackjack, and drinking and eating really well before we start this whole process. I know a lot of the medications won’t agree with me. I’ve been warned I’m going to turn into a hormonal bitch. It’ll be good to have some “us” time before all the excitement starts.

While we did start this process a year ago to get the referral to the fertility clinic, it seems both very long ago and just yesterday. But, having “passed” our consulation with the staff psychologist yesterday, I feel like we’re as ready as we’ll ever be. Life is feeling very much under control right now, and I’m loving that.

Wish us luck!

Sucked into this scarf.

Deeply loving this sweater design.

Plotting away on the Year of Lace.

And having a very merry holiday season.

Now, I’m back at work full force. (As if Boxing Day at Make One wasn’t crazy enough!) I hinted about it last month, but we really are busy building a full online store for Make One Yarns. I’m committed to getting it online in January, which pretty much means I should be committed. As of this morning, I have the new server up and running at a secret location, with the new software installed, and am pretty much ready to start coding the design as soon as Sandra’s happy with it.

There are still piles of stock to be put into the database, but I feel pretty good about how things are going. And that new server is oh-so-fast compared to the one I’m currently on. I can’t wait to flip the switch and let you all see!

And now, back to work….