This summer I fell in love with hoop dancing and have been brainstorming fun ways to combine hooping and soft circuits. Most of us have seen the fancy LED and fire hoops that make for great performances, but can it be taken a step further and have truly interactive hoops?

Here are a few tests of crochet stretch sensors (and some more knit sensors for comparison) as I try to determine the method that works best for me.

To show support for my friends currently doing the RPM Challenge (writing and recording an album in 28 days), I’m going to spend February focusing on sound-making and musical projects.

One of my goals for 2011 is to learn to knit and crochet. I love the look of handmade yarn projects, and lately have been seeing more and more using soft circuits. Here are a few techniques I’m hoping to try once I get the hang of some needlework basics.

A few weeks ago, Makezine & Craftzine introduced a new DIY platform called Make: Projects. Soon after the site launched, I jumped right in and started posting some of my project tutorials and playing around with the system.

Lately there are an increasing number of shoes on the market that incorporate technology, from running shoes that sync with your iPod to high fashion illuminated heels. Here are a few cool tutorials that show you how to build your own tech-infused footwear.

The last couple of weekends have been surprisingly warm and sunny for April in New Hampshire, so I’ve been trying to spend as much time outside as possible. At first I thought this would directly compete with my goal to work on soft circuit projects, but there are a lot of things you can take outdoors and piece together while enjoying the weather.

[Image via Knitty.com]

When I first got interested in soft circuits, getting materials was a combination of ordering free samples and sourcing items on your own. Luckily in the last few years things have changed and there are a variety of kits available to get you started with e-sewing. Here is a round-up of some readily available kits.

The LilyPad Arduino is a great piece of hardware that has made a big splash in the wearable/sew-able electronics scene. In addition to being easy to connect through sewing, the LilyPad looks great on the outside of a project. I love the circular design and purple color. I purchased a LilyPad back in September, yet haven’t had ample time to play with it. I am remedying that starting today.

Happy belated New Year!

This blog got off to a bit of a rocky start; December flew by in a flurry of handmade Christmas presents, lots of Christmas orders for my business over at TheFuzzDepot, and a few sick days; somewhere along the way soft circuit projects just didn’t happen. However, the new year has given me some time to reorganize my workspace and plan some fun stuff for the upcoming months.