Thursday, September 2, 2010

Introducing Nerdlepoint

Nerdlepoint

Next to Chilly Hollow (naturally), West Chester, PA is the coolest place on earth. I know this because John Young lives there. This alone makes it a place worthy of a field trip* but John’s hobbies (which range from setting up guerilla drive-in theatre showings, making nerd patches for programmers and Girl Scout troops, showing off the most expensive and beautiful fly tying case I’ve ever seen that is perfect for storing project threads, discovering the underground disco car wash at Longwood Gardens, posting a video collection of Charles Bronson Japanese commercials, customizing his bike side car to roast coffee on the go, and of course needlepointing) means there is always something fascinating going on there. John specializes in a) finding interesting things and b) creating interesting things.

Don’t believe me? Visit John’s website.
http://www.tikaro.com/2009/08/the-guerilla-drive-in-on-the-c.html

Did I mention John needlepoints? John being John, he likes to create original pieces based on advertising art and QR codes. QR codes? You know, that’s the latest version of bar codes. Read a QR code with your smart phone (assuming it has a QR reader app downloaded) and the phone will go straight to the website address encoded in the pattern. John sent me the QR canvas shown above to try out. (I sent him The Needlepoint Doctor in return so he could try his own finishing.) The code on my canvas is set to send smart phones to the Chillyhollow Needlepoint Adventure blog. How cool is that?
http://makersmarket.com/products/466-nerdlepoint-qrcode-needlepoint-kits 

John’s canvases are on 10 or 13 count white Zweigart mono canvas with the code printed in black. (He can do 18 count but you have to ask.) They are meant to be stitched in black and white wool but heck, I have John’s rep to live up to. Surely I can find colors with enough contrast that are still machine-readable. Let’s run wild with this!

By the way, non-needlepointers can get their own nerd patches with QR codes. I feel sorry for them. Nothing is going to be better than my stitched version!!!
http://www.p8tch.com/ 

Now I just have to get the nerdlepoint canvas on stretcher bars and start rummaging in my stash.

*Or perhaps an archaeological dig if the Viking ship S’mores maker John is creating blows up.

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com Archived Yahoo 360 postings at http://profiles.yahoo.com/chillyhollow