## The Fleegle heel

- **Why I learned this:** The vanilla toe-up sock pattern I generated using [KnittingRecipes.com](https://knittingrecipes.com/) includes instructions for a short-row heel. After a few attempts and not succeeding at this kind of heel, I remembered having done the Fleegle heel before and really liking it's magical simplicity for me. I decided to give this heel another try instead.
- **How I used this:** I'm using this heel style for a pair of socks for my husband.
- **Resource I referenced:** [Fleegle's Blog: Fleegle's Toe-Up No-Flap, No-Hassle Sock Pattern](http://fleeglesblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/leegles-toe-up-no-flap-no-hassle-sock.html)

## Preventing holes in the Fleegle heel

- **Why I learned this:** The resource I linked in the previous section _also_ had an insightful approach to preventing holes in the ankle area of the sock heel. We love a sock without holes!
- **How I used this:** I used this in the same pair of socks.
- **Resource I referenced:** [Fleegle's Blog: No Sock Holes For You](http://fleeglesblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/no-sock-holes-for-you.html)

## Right-lifted increase and left-lifted increase

- **Why I learned this:** These are right- and left-leaning increases that help give a certain shape and direction of texture when used strategically.
- **How I used this:** Also in the same pair of socks.
- **Resources I referenced:** 
  - [Lifted Increases Tutorial: RLI & LLI - Azalea & Rosebud Knits](https://www.azaleaandrosebudknits.com/blog/lifted-increases-tutorial-rli-lli)
  - [Knitting Help - Lifted Increases - VeryPink Knits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ01r1hWGks)

## Slip, slip, purl decrease

- **Why I learned this:** This is decrease that leans (good for shaping and direction of texture) and is created from the wrong-side of the sock. It was used in the heel-turn decreases.
- **How I used this:** Same pair of socks!
- **Resource I referenced:** [Knitting Help - Slip, Slip, Purl (SSP) - VeryPink Knits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmzjBKeyQjY)

Here are a few things I learned August 17th, 2023.

Today I Learned

TIL #3: Fleegle heel, Right-Lifted Increase, Left-Lifted Increase, and Slip Slip Purl


💡 _This post is part of [my Today I Learned (TIL) series](/blog/series/today-i-learned). Each section below describes a thing I learned today and the resources I used to learn it._

## CSS property `grid-auto-rows`

- **Why I learned this:** While working on my website migration to use the Next.js App Router, I noticed that at smaller/zoomed viewports my grids of blog post links have different sized heights. I think grids of card-like elements look nice with equally sized rows and heights, so I Googled "css make rows in a grid same height". That search led me to the `grid-auto-rows` CSS property.
- **How I used this:** All I needed to do in my case for this to work was add `grid-auto-rows: 1fr;` to my CSS class that set `display: grid;`. I figured I would need a `height: 100%;` on the child elements, but I didn't!
- **Resources I referenced:**
  - [Equal height rows in CSS Grid Layout - Matei Stanca](https://ambientimpact.com/web/snippets/equal-height-rows-in-css-grid-layout)
  - [`grid-auto-rows` - MDN](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/grid-auto-rows)
  - [`grid-auto-rows` - CSS-Tricks](https://css-tricks.com/almanac/properties/g/grid-auto-rows/)
  - [CSS `grid-auto-rows` Property - W3Schools](https://www.w3schools.com/cssref/pr_grid-auto-rows.php)
 
## Judy's Magic Cast-on

- **Why I learned this:** I've actually done this cast-on many times, but it's been many months and I couldn't remember. I've always used it for casting on toe-up socks. I'm actually not sure if it's used in other patterns! Maybe finger-up mittens? 😂
- **How I used this:** I finished knitting my friend's baby items so it was time to start a new project. I promised my partner my next project would be a pair of socks for him! I tend to only knit toe-up socks so I needed to recall this fancy cast-on.
- **Resources I referenced:**
  - [Knitting Help - Judy's Magic Cast-On (VeryPink Knits)](https://youtu.be/GV9UaFgZ6Q0)
  - [Knitting Help - Slow Motion Judy's Magic Cast-On (VeryPink Knits)](https://youtu.be/MglfYj7tMiU)


Here are a few things I learned today (August 5th, 2023).

TIL #2: grid-auto-rows CSS property and Judy's Magic Cast-On


💡 _This post is part of [my Today I Learned (TIL) series](/blog/series/today-i-learned). Each section below describes a thing I learned today and the resources I used to learn it._

## Figma Boolean Operations

- **Why I learned this:** I'm currently working on migrating my website to use [the Next.js App Router](https://nextjs.org/docs/app). In this process, I'm cleaning up old code and dependencies that I don't really need. One of those dependencies is [FontAwesome](https://fontawesome.com/). I only used a few of the icons, and I wanted to give creating my own icons a try. I started with basic arrows.
- **How I used this:** I made my arrow Icons out of 3 rectangles, each with the same `border-radius` on every corner. After I placed them in an arrow shape, I selected each rectangle, clicked the boolean operation menu in the top center toolbar, and selected the "Union selection" option. It was a lot easier to do than I thought it would be! Then I coped the new union as SVG, and pasted it into an `.svg` file in my code. Tada! Icon created.
- **Resource I referenced:** [Boolean operations - Figma Help Center](https://help.figma.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039957534-Boolean-operations)

## Knitting Duplicate Stitch

- **Why I learned this:** My friend is having a baby soon, and I'm making a few knit items to gift at the baby shower. She loves all things spooky and fall so I chose the pieces based on that. One of the pieces uses the stranded colorwork technique for its pattern, and the other uses the duplicate stitch. I'd never done duplicate stitch before, but I didn't let that stop me! I'm an experienced knitter so I was ready for the challenge.
- **How I used this:** The piece that I needed the duplicate stitch for is a small black hat with a pumpkin. The pumpkin and its stem are the contrasting colors, so that's where the duplicate stitch was required. IT TURNED OUT SO CUTE. I'll post it under [the projects section of my site](/projects) after it's been gifted.
- **Resources I referenced:**
  - [Knitting Help - Duplicate Stitch - VeryPink Knits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cfmjyaaAdw)
  - [Knitting Help - Slow Motion Duplicate Stitch - VeryPink Knits](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q5Qx5NEzUU)

## Next.js Absolute Imports

- **Why I learned this:** As I mentioned above, I'm migrating my website to use [the Next.js App Router](https://nextjs.org/docs/app). Since I have cleanup tasks that affect most of the codebase, I decided to create a new project from scratch. I took the opportunity to remind myself how to configure absolute imports.
- **How I used this:** When I added the arrow icon to my fresh project, I wanted to add it to the main `components` folder. It was my first main component, so I had to create the folder. When it came time to import the icon the import statement wasn't very pretty! I knew changes needed to be made in my `tsconfig.json` file, but I couldn't remember it exactly. I did a quick Google and it turns out all I needed to do was set the `compilerOptions.baseUrl` option to `"."`. Easy peasy!
- **Resource I referenced:** [Configuring Absolute Imports and Module Path Aliases - Next.js](https://nextjs.org/docs/app/building-your-application/configuring/absolute-imports-and-module-aliases#absolute-imports)


Here are a few things I learned today (August 4th, 2023).

TIL #1: Figma Boolean Operations, Knitting Duplicate Stitch, & Next.js Absolute Imports


The vast knowledge of the tech world can be so overwhelming. People throw out buzzwords all the time on Twitter: Kubernetes, Rails, React, Angular, Elixir, etc. What are all of these things and how does everyone else know about them?

If you're like me and don't know that many people in your area who are part of the same industry, it can be hard to figure out what frameworks everyone is hyping up through regular discussion. It doesn't have to be that hard, though. The internet is _right here_! You might be wondering, "But how am I supposed to know what words to Google for results about things I have no clue about?"

It's so easy, you already have the answer in your head. Just go over to a job search site (I'm recommending [Glassdoor](www.glassdoor.com) because it helps you get a good idea of salaries and whether or not companies are credible), search for either your current job title or the one you're interested in getting, then grab some good job listings.

You'll want to look at listings for positions that are higher than your current one. For example, being a junior-level front-end web developer, I might look at some senior-level positions. As another example, I'm really interested in learning more about web UI/UX, but don't know any of the terminology or what jobs with that focus even look like. I might search for "UX Researcher", "UX Designer", or "UX Intern" in that case.

Use all of these flashy and intimidating job listings to your benefit. The more buzzwords, the better. Also, don't be afraid to dream big. Who knows what you may come across?


Whether you're looking to move up in your career or are simply interested in learning more about your field, finding the gaps in your knowledge is a lot easier than you think.

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