I'm kind of a jack of all trades, master of none, so knitting and my charity work for knitting will be at the center of my post. Feel free to ask away!
However, I'm also someone who's good at and knowledgeable about other things, so I invite everyone to ask questions about a few of my other interests and skills as desired if knitting doesn't strike your fancy.
AMA about:
However, I'm also someone who's good at and knowledgeable about other things, so I invite everyone to ask questions about a few of my other interests and skills as desired if knitting doesn't strike your fancy.
AMA about:
- Knitting (preferred)
- Web development/programming
- VR oil painting
- Diabetes
Sanne! 
I think is so admirable you knit for charity. So, I'll start with that. What motivated you to start knitting for charity? What kinds of things do you knit? Is there something about knitting you don't know how to do but would like to learn?
What got you started in Web Development and Programming? Got any tips for someone interested in that? What are the best tools to use for that kind of thing?
What got you interested in VR oil pointing? Isn't that stuff expensive to buy? Do you sell your work?
What is the most challenging thing about living with Diabetes?
I think is so admirable you knit for charity. So, I'll start with that. What motivated you to start knitting for charity? What kinds of things do you knit? Is there something about knitting you don't know how to do but would like to learn?
What got you started in Web Development and Programming? Got any tips for someone interested in that? What are the best tools to use for that kind of thing?
What got you interested in VR oil pointing? Isn't that stuff expensive to buy? Do you sell your work?
What is the most challenging thing about living with Diabetes?
Knight!!!
Thank you kindly! So I knit breast prostheses for people who had to get a single or double mastectomy due to breast cancer. I discovered the pattern for it completely randomly on a knitting pattern website. I made a pair to try it out and then decided to start offering it to folks, after discovering that a former employee of my therapy group had issues with the silicone inserts and the (ridiculously expensive bras). I made a pair for her and she loved them so much she started just giving them away to fellow survivors! Asking me to make her more. She also passed my contact information around and I've knit a few dozen knockers at this point.
My most recent request was for a friend's friend in Alaska. I don't charge for them but I do allow people to send me some money if they can spare it so I can continue purchasing and knitting more for others.
I do this for trans folks who want to present feminine but are unable (or unwilling) to undergo HRT to have their own too!
Probably the coolest thing about this is that I also stream on Twitch sometimes and I did a charity stream once. I raised $750 for the Knitted Knockers charity who provide the patterns and finished knockers to anyone in need in the US.
Cancer is one of the most evil diseases out there, it takes so much away from people. It's really fulfilling and amazing to be able to give people a piece of their identity back that was stolen from them with something that takes only a day of my time to create and a few bucks worth of yarn and stuffing. The silicone inserts can be heavy, sweaty, uncomfortable and irritate scarring too, while also requiring very expensive specialty bras. These can be worn in any bra that fits, even in bathing suits!
If anyone is in need or knows someone in need, they can request knockers from the website or reach out directly to me if they'd prefer that.
Neopets did! Wayyyy back when, before Neopets became huge and international, I'd found the website and fell in love with having digital pets. Neopets happen(ed?) to have a single HTML page that you could customize for things like roleplaying, showcasing your art and more. That's what first got me into making websites and subsequently programming as I dove deeper into creating functionality from scratch.
My main tips for anyone interested is to start with the basics. I work as a full stack web dev professionally now and have had a couple of interns to teach them the ropes, and one thing that holds most people back is being too dependent on software to write relatively simple code for them so they don't have to. It's a convenience for experienced developers, but if you're just starting you're more likely to get stuck and make mistakes that impact how effective a website runs. Knowing the basics is how I've managed to make some really neat custom projects for our clients that would have been a headache to accomplish with the ready-to-use tools.
There aren't specific tools I'd recommend. At the core, a website can be made fully functional with HTML and CSS and require nothing other than Notepad to put together (plus a host and domain to make it go live). I do recommend people interested in it to pursue free courses online, such as on W3Schools and Udemy, to get started. My biggest tip? You need to enjoy the process of learning to get good at it. While fixing mistakes can be frustrating, the learning experience and general process should feel very rewarding and interesting. Programming is at its core problem solving/puzzling. If it doesn't bring you joy and you just want to get to the end product as quickly as possible, then coding and/or programming is unlikely to be for you.
I've been an artist for as long as I've been making websites. When I got a VR headset a few years ago I discovered an oil painting simulator and I dove right in. I never had the means to do oil painting in my own home due to limited financial means and no real space, especially with my cats, so this was interesting and fun! I've gotten pretty good at it too. I don't really sell my work but I'm willing to do commissions if people want a painting.
The unexpected sudden emergencies and the people around me. A few months ago I'd taken my long-acting insulin (the kind that works 24 hours because your body releases glucose all day to keep your energized between meals, and you need insulin for your body to be able to use the glucose for fuel) and then took my vehicle to a mechanic for a routine checkup 10 minutes later. In the store I felt poorly, checked my glucose sensor and saw my sugar was dropping rapidly. Apparently I'd accidentally injected into a vein and you're not supposed to. Insulin should go between the fat cells under the skin where the body absorbs it over a period of time. I also didn't have anything sugary on me because I'd forgotten to switch the supplies between my bags.
Thankfully there was a store just a 2 minute walk away from the mechanic's but inside the store my vision was going dark and I almost passed out before finding some juice and Haribo's. It was very scary and I had to walk back home on top of that, which was not a great combination! These incidents can be life threatening on the short term so when they happen, they're serious and that's probably the most difficult part for me. I've been diabetic for a long time now so the routine is there and not a big deal, fortunately!
Other people not understanding and giving what they think is helpful advice and recommendations is another tough one. I appreciate the thoughtfulness, but there are only so many times I can deal with people offering misinformation before it becomes exhausting to have to educate people when I don't have the spoons to!
Quote:
I think is so admirable you knit for charity. So, I'll start with that. What motivated you to start knitting for charity? What kinds of things do you knit? Is there something about knitting you don't know how to do but would like to learn?
Thank you kindly! So I knit breast prostheses for people who had to get a single or double mastectomy due to breast cancer. I discovered the pattern for it completely randomly on a knitting pattern website. I made a pair to try it out and then decided to start offering it to folks, after discovering that a former employee of my therapy group had issues with the silicone inserts and the (ridiculously expensive bras). I made a pair for her and she loved them so much she started just giving them away to fellow survivors! Asking me to make her more. She also passed my contact information around and I've knit a few dozen knockers at this point.
My most recent request was for a friend's friend in Alaska. I don't charge for them but I do allow people to send me some money if they can spare it so I can continue purchasing and knitting more for others.
I do this for trans folks who want to present feminine but are unable (or unwilling) to undergo HRT to have their own too!
Probably the coolest thing about this is that I also stream on Twitch sometimes and I did a charity stream once. I raised $750 for the Knitted Knockers charity who provide the patterns and finished knockers to anyone in need in the US.
Cancer is one of the most evil diseases out there, it takes so much away from people. It's really fulfilling and amazing to be able to give people a piece of their identity back that was stolen from them with something that takes only a day of my time to create and a few bucks worth of yarn and stuffing. The silicone inserts can be heavy, sweaty, uncomfortable and irritate scarring too, while also requiring very expensive specialty bras. These can be worn in any bra that fits, even in bathing suits!
If anyone is in need or knows someone in need, they can request knockers from the website or reach out directly to me if they'd prefer that.
Quote:
What got you started in Web Development and Programming? Got any tips for someone interested in that? What are the best tools to use for that kind of thing?
Neopets did! Wayyyy back when, before Neopets became huge and international, I'd found the website and fell in love with having digital pets. Neopets happen(ed?) to have a single HTML page that you could customize for things like roleplaying, showcasing your art and more. That's what first got me into making websites and subsequently programming as I dove deeper into creating functionality from scratch.
My main tips for anyone interested is to start with the basics. I work as a full stack web dev professionally now and have had a couple of interns to teach them the ropes, and one thing that holds most people back is being too dependent on software to write relatively simple code for them so they don't have to. It's a convenience for experienced developers, but if you're just starting you're more likely to get stuck and make mistakes that impact how effective a website runs. Knowing the basics is how I've managed to make some really neat custom projects for our clients that would have been a headache to accomplish with the ready-to-use tools.
There aren't specific tools I'd recommend. At the core, a website can be made fully functional with HTML and CSS and require nothing other than Notepad to put together (plus a host and domain to make it go live). I do recommend people interested in it to pursue free courses online, such as on W3Schools and Udemy, to get started.
My biggest tip? You need to enjoy the process of learning to get good at it. While fixing mistakes can be frustrating, the learning experience and general process should feel very rewarding and interesting. Programming is at its core problem solving/puzzling. If it doesn't bring you joy and you just want to get to the end product as quickly as possible, then coding and/or programming is unlikely to be for you.Quote:
What got you interested in VR oil pointing? Isn't that stuff expensive to buy? Do you sell your work?
I've been an artist for as long as I've been making websites. When I got a VR headset a few years ago I discovered an oil painting simulator and I dove right in. I never had the means to do oil painting in my own home due to limited financial means and no real space, especially with my cats, so this was interesting and fun! I've gotten pretty good at it too.
I don't really sell my work but I'm willing to do commissions if people want a painting.Quote:
What is the most challenging thing about living with Diabetes?
The unexpected sudden emergencies and the people around me. A few months ago I'd taken my long-acting insulin (the kind that works 24 hours because your body releases glucose all day to keep your energized between meals, and you need insulin for your body to be able to use the glucose for fuel) and then took my vehicle to a mechanic for a routine checkup 10 minutes later. In the store I felt poorly, checked my glucose sensor and saw my sugar was dropping rapidly. Apparently I'd accidentally injected into a vein and you're not supposed to. Insulin should go between the fat cells under the skin where the body absorbs it over a period of time. I also didn't have anything sugary on me because I'd forgotten to switch the supplies between my bags.
Thankfully there was a store just a 2 minute walk away from the mechanic's but inside the store my vision was going dark and I almost passed out before finding some juice and Haribo's. It was very scary and I had to walk back home on top of that, which was not a great combination! These incidents can be life threatening on the short term so when they happen, they're serious and that's probably the most difficult part for me. I've been diabetic for a long time now so the routine is there and not a big deal, fortunately!
Other people not understanding and giving what they think is helpful advice and recommendations is another tough one. I appreciate the thoughtfulness, but there are only so many times I can deal with people offering misinformation before it becomes exhausting to have to educate people when I don't have the spoons to!
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