Brainy Thing:   13:19       Behind the Redwood Curtain:

We modify our podcast a bit this podcast as we synthesize and review two years of our podcasting episodes.

 

What We’ve Learned from Our Knitting (and Crochet)

Catherine and Margaret talk what they’ve learned from their knitting over the past two years.  Margaret has learned about her ADD with knitting and how she needs variety.   Catherine has learned that she needs two projects — one a simple carry-around project and another one that challenges her.  Catherine mentions that she knit the Harmonia’s Ring Cowl (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/harmonias-rings-cowl)  by Sivia Harding but although she loves it, she can’t wear it because she knit it out of wool and she’s sensitive about it.  

 

Brainy Thing:  

Margaret and Catherine review some of the most notable (for them) topics they’ve covered in the Brainy segment over the past two years.  For Margaret, they include Open Mindset (Episode 1), Flow (Episode 2 and 3), Betsan Corkhill (Episode 9), and Novelty.  For Catherine the the Open Mindset (Episode 1), Focus (Episodes 2, 3, 6),  Flow (Episode 2 and 3) and Novelty (Episode 16.)  

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Margaret was inspired to create this segment by Paula or Prairie Piper’s (http://www.ravelry.com/people/PrairiePiper) Nature Notes on the Knitting Pipeline Podcast (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/knitting-pipeline)  .   One place in the area that stands out for Margaret is Table Bluff discussed in Episode 7 and for Catherine the lowly but resilient banana slug in episode 3.

 

Knitting Tip:

This segment has been the most challenging for Margaret and Catherine is the Knitting Tip and they are grateful to readers who post their tips on the Knitting Tip thread on Ravelry.  One of the recent tips most helpful for Margaret was the the cd case converted to a bead holder submitted by Knitty Barb from Two Knit Lit Chicks podcast (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/2-knit-lit-chicks-podcast).  

 

A Little Podcast Business:

Catherine and Margaret are both grateful for their listeners and for those who communicate via the Ravelry Group.

 

Teaching Your Brain to Knit Podcast group on Ravelry:  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit

Brainy Thing: 18:27     Redwood Curtain:  33:43

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting (and Luceting):  Ta Dah!  Catherine finished her Garden Arbor Shawl  by Kira K Designs, a  kit she got from The Natural Fiber Fair in 2015.  The yarn is the Sky colorway in Bamboo from Be Sweet Yarns.

Margaret made a lucet bracelet that was a modification of the pattern that Jennifer Hansen, from Stitch Diva offered as a bonus after completing her free 7-Day Lucet Challenge.  https://app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/38006.  She used Magnetic clasps. She also tested out the KonMari method http://tidyingup.com/ of organizing all her knitting, crocheting and lucet supplies.  

Brainy Thing:  Catherine introduces us to Shinrin Yoku the Japanese codification of a worldwide ancient custom of Forest Breathing. The phenomenon of the healing from forest is getting a lot of research interest and an American study shows that walks in nature can help children with ADD and ADHD.  Some resources:

The Little Handbook of shinrin yoku   http://www.shinrin-yoku.org/

https://www.amazon.com/Little-Handbook-Shinrin-Yoku-Amos-Clifford-ebook/dp/B00EP6BDFG/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_title_sr?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1472775354&sr=1-1

The Association of Forest Therapy:   http://www.natureandforesttherapy.org/

On ADD and ADHD:   Andrea Faber Taylor and Frances E. Kuo  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448497/

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Breaking news (at least relatively from us) — Redwood trees are  best at fixing oxygen.

http://www.times-standard.com/article/NJ/20160706/NEWS/160709929

 

Teaching Your Brain to Knit Podcast:  https://teachingyourbraintoknit.com/

Teaching Your Brain to Knit Podcast group on Ravelry:  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit

Brainy Thing: 18:30                   Behind the Redwood Curtain  30:00

 

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting and Crochet

Margaret completed the Alpaca Angel Crochet Shawl pattern PO6134 by Kristen Omdahl  http://www.amazon.com/stream/ref=strm_swm_all_nav_IF?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=nav-sitewide-msg&pf_rd_r=5S5CKKRATKXE71SVA3NT&pf_rd_t=4201&pf_rd_p=1858d2e6-f93a-4246-9790-e206ebea43d1&pf_rd_i=navbar-4201 using Knit Picks Diadem KD in silver and gold.  

Catherine’s potholder swap is completed now that she has received hers from others in the community.  This reminds her of a program she recently watched on the Missouri Star Quilting Company of Turning Point TV:  another example of how fiber can bring people together.  http://www.byutv.org/watch/bf7e0de7-69e2-4aaf-a538-5605e64a350f/turning-point-the-missouri-star-quilting-company

 

Brainy Thing:

Margaret and Catherine talk about the loss of their mothers and their relationship to knitting and crochet.

Healing your Grieving Soul book by Alan D. Wolfelt 100 spiritual practice for mourners   Alan D. Wolfelt

Lynn Newman’s blog Tiny Buddha:  http://tinybuddha.com/blog/dealing-with-loss-and-grief-be-good-to-yourself-while-you-heal/

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Catherine shares with us the Humboldt Plays in the Park and how important community is to all of us.  http://www.playsinthepark.net/

 

 

Knitting Tip:

Margaret talks about too quickly judging the Addi company on their crochet hooks and keeping an open mindset can help us with our encounter with new tools.  

Brainy Thing:  18:45      Behind the Redwood Curtain:  33:15

What Our Knitting and Crochet is Teaching Us:

Margaret crocheted the Boteh Scarf   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/boteh-scarfin by Kathy Merrick out of nearly three balls of Bella Lino  58% Linen, 26% viscose, and 16% cotton  http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/classic-elite-yarns-bella-lino .

It looks like since Bella Lino is not part of Classic elites yarns' verde collection — like Sprout in chunky or Seedling in worsted/aran, it is not organic.

Catherine is working on the Garden Arbor shawl  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/garden-arbor-shawl by Kira K Designs in the Be Sweet Bamboo http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/be-sweet-bamboo  

 

Brainy Thing:  Feeding Your Brain

Margaret introduces the relationships between our diets, inflammation, and our brains.  Some of her sources include:

anti-inflammatory diet   http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02012/anti-inflammatory-diet

Brain foods  http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/food/brain-foods?slide=1 

feed your brain  http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2011/1/feed-your-brain/page-01

inflammation and the brain:    https://www.google.com/search?q=food+that+causes+inflammation&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

scholarly article:  http://www.brainfacts.org/diseases-disorders/psychiatric-disorders/articles/2015/the-brain-inflamed/

 

Also check out Lee Bernsteins’s (a member of our Ravelry Group and with her own Ravelry Group)  http://knittingisglutenfree.com 

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Catherine tells us all about the blues associated with the grey California Coastal Marine Layer

 

Knitting Tip:

Knittybarb of the Two Knit Lit Chicks podcast http://www.ravelry.com/groups/2-knit-lit-chicks-podcast offers a tip about how to wrangle your beads when knitting (or crocheting) with beads.  

 

A Little Podcast Business: 

There is an ongoing incentive for joining our Ravelry Group and another one for posting a tip on our Knitting Tips thread.

 

Brainy Thing:    22:56               Behind the Redwood Curtain:  32:23

 

What We’ve Learned from Our Knitting:

Catherine recently bought a skein of Be sweet yarn, African Bead Ball, to celebrate Knitting in Public Day.     http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/be-sweet-african-bead-ball.  She started knittingKira Designs'  Garden Arbor shawl (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/garden-arbor-shawl) out of another  Be Sweet yarn, Bamboo. 

Margaret learned a new skill through the 7 day lucet challenge.  Check out  Jennifer Hansen's Stitch Diva  http://www.stitchdiva.com/blog/lucet-challenge/.  

 

Brainy Thing

Scientists are researching the common Brain Freeze   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522095335.htm  to see if it could reveal secrets that might help treat migraines.  

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Margaret shares some cool facts about the sand dollar.  The best source she found the best source on sand dollars was http://echinoblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/sand-dollars-are-sea-urchins-please.html

 

Knitting Tips

Catherine tells us that part of creating gauge is where on the knitting needle you work your stitches.   

 

Brainy Thing:   19:01    Behind the Redwood Curtain

What We’re Learning From Our Knitting:

Catherine is knitting washcloths using SmarieK’s free pattern Double Lattice free pattern.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/double-lattice-cloth using scraps of cotton including Knit One Crochet Two and Cotlin.

 

Margaret had another Mending Party.   Thanks to oekmama1in our Ravelry Group for referring her to Kate Atherley’s article in  Knitty 2006 on Repairs.   http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATrepairs101.html

uses sewing thread to loosely graft stitches at top and bottom.  Among piles of socks, Margaret mended the  As You Like It Cardigan by Judith Shangold  our of Cascade 220 super wash in a brown. 

Some of the socks were made from  Fish knits warm sock; Online commercial; Misty alpaca hand dyed sock yarn (alpaca, merino nylon, silk) ;  Fiber lady luxury sock yarn easy.   Her favorite pattern in this lot was  Mystery Sock V: April Showers by Wendy Gaal, in Sock-aholic yarn from Knitters Brewing Co (75/25 wool/ nylon 480 yards).  She also tried to make the brim of the  Lace Beanie #70177 by Lion Brand Yarn out of Plymouth Yarn Kudo  top down lace yarn larger but even after vigorous blocking it is still too tight.  She’ll have to revisit that. 

 

Brainy Thing:  Adequate Sleep is Essential to Long Term Memory

Catherine talks about the research between developing long term memory and sleep.  

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleep-newzzz/201106/sleep-and-long-term-memory-maybe-s-why-we-sleep

http://news.mit.edu/2009/memories-0624

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Margaret shares how she spotted a blue grey heron down the street from her and her resultant research on them,    The Audubon site not only has a beautiful close up of the bird but also recordings of its calls and songs.   http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/great-blue-heron

 

Knitting Tip

Concerned about running out of yarn on your row?  Catherine advises you to lay out your yarn, back and forth and back again (three times the length of what you have left)  to determine how much you need. 

 

A Little Podcast Business 

We announced winners of our Knitting Tip contest (She will receive Pom Pom magazine) and our Incentive to join our Ravelry Group.

 

Ravelry group:  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit

Show Notes:  https://teachingyourbraintoknit.com/

Brainy Thing:   20:35                Behind the Redwood Curtain  32:40

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting

Margaret  was inspired by Catherine to try Sasha Ball Rives wonderful pattern Among the Wildflowers  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/among-the-wildflowers  with her own “learning opportunities”, of course.

For a Ravelry swap, Catherine completed the Crochet Flower Potholders pattern by Jennifer Martin  Blue J  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flower-potholders using scraps of cotton.

 

Brainy Thing:  Negativity Bias:  

Studies have shown that are brains are hardwired toward the negative which is a great advantage on the Savannah but probably not now.  Check out:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200306/our-brains-negative-bias  and

http://www.rickhanson.net/how-your-brain-makes-you-easily-intimidated/ )

For ways to counter that bias, try  Marelisa Fabrega  http://daringtolivefully.com/overcoming-negativity-bias.

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Catherine tells us about the historical Phillips house in Arcata built in 1853/4 in the  Greek Revival style which is open Sundays 2 to 4  http://www.arcatahistory.org/phillips_house_museum_arcata .

 

Knitting Tip

One of our Ravelry Members, puffygriffinclaw, offers some tips on Felting.

 

A Little Podcast Business

Brainy Thing:      14:20  Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:50 

 

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting:  

Margaret crocheted Easter Egg motifs   She never got the Easter Egg Garland http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/easter-egg-garland by Michaela Krause http://www.ravelry.com/designers/michaela-krause correct but was able to fudge it and she liked this one best.  The other pattern was the Easiest Crochet Egg Pattern Ever http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-easiest-crochet-egg-pattern-ever by Michelle @ the Painted Hinge. Also a great pattern.   Each of these patterns was slightly different.   She also tried crocheting with a lot of improvisation Wedding stones  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wedding-stones by Monica Johnson  from the Interweave Crochet summer 15 issue.  She hasn’t mastered these yet but she’s looking forward to further exploration.

          

Catherine continued making baby socks for Afghans for Afghans, this time switching to worsted weight yarn for the Ribbed Far Away Baby Socks http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ribbed-far-away-baby-socks by Amber Ward   or Mitt Knitter on Ravelry.

 

Brainy Thing:

Barbara Arrowsmith talks about the limitations she had with the brain she was born with and how she changed them for the better with exercises, a great example of neuroplasticity.   Her Tedx Talk Toronto is here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0td5aw1KXA.  She now heads a school with folks who have a variety of brain-related problems.  Specific exercises she’s developed are noted here (with a nifty picture of a knitted brain hat):  http://www.barbaraarrowsmithyoung.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/topsante.pdf

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Recycled Folk Art

Catherine discovered a private house when the residents obviously delight in recycling plastic milk cartons and soda cans to make a magical landscape.

 

Knitting Tip:

Margaret shares Lucy Neatby’s tip for closing up those holes at the side of a sock heel.

 

A Little Podcast Business

The ongoing incentive for joining the Ravelry Group (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit) is a sumptuous skein of yarn.   The Knitting Tip prize is a set of five back issues of Pom Pom Magazine.

Brainy Thing:  14:50   Behind the Redwood Curtain   25:05

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting

Margaret conquers (almost) the Fish Lips Kiss Heel http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fish-lips-kiss-heel with a sock for her grandson out of Fridays Studio Monday Base (Superwash 75% and Polyamide 25%) in the Halloween color way.

Catherine is continuing knitting baby socks for Afghans for Afghans using the Kate Atherly Baby Socks http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks-23 with the modification of continuing the ribbing on the top of the foot.  This time she’s using scraps.  She is near completion of the Vanessa Ives Mystery Shawl by Bunny Muff  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vanessa-ives out of Woole’s Yarn Creations.

 

Brainy Thing:   Waldorf Schools Integrate Knitting into their Curriculum

Margarets offers some information about the role that knitting plays in the Waldorf School Curriculum and some of the philosophy behind it.  http://millennialchild.com/film.html

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain:   McKinleyville Totem Pole

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/roadside/California-McKinleyville-Totem-Pole.htm

Knitting Tip:

A practical swatch from listener Think.   Knit a sleeve as a swatch.

 

Podcast business:

The Knitting Tip contest and the  incentive to join our Ravelry Group continue.  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit

Brainy Thing:     19.28                           Behind the Redwood Curtain:  29:14

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting

Catherine finished her Among the wildflowers bandana  cowl http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/among-the-wildflowers which was another opportunity to use beads.  She used Rizoni  yarn from  The loom   (The loombangkok.com).    Sasha Ball Rives http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sasha-ball-rives    was the designer of the free design.   In addition to designing, she owns the Stitch Space yarn shop in Missouri.

 

On her travels back home to help her mom pack up her house of 65 years, Margaret discovered several knitting pieces she has done over the year.   One was an amorphic scarf out of unidentified specialty acrylic yarn that was her first knitting project.   Another was Adele Cutten’s  http://www.ravelry.com/designers/adele-cutten   design Fine Shawl on Diagonal  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fine-shawl-or-scarf-on-diagonal  out of Be Sweet Baby Mohair.  Her mother didn’t want it so Margaret got a new scarf.

 

Brainy Thing:   Knitting Wednesdays for Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed Hospital

Catherine tells us about the Wounded Warrior Knitting Wednesdays   http://www.oakleafdc.org/wounded-warrior-support/wednesday-knitting-classes at Walter Reed Hospital which is not to be confused with the better known Wounded Warrior Group.  

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain

There’s a statue of President McKinley standing smack dab in the middle of Arcata, CA.   Margaret tells us part of the story behind it.   One of her references is Roadside America.com   (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/) 

 

Knitting Tip

Catherine explains the value of making a sloper, or a model of more complicated knitted projects (sweaters and ponchos.)  

 

A Little Podcast Business

The ongoing challenge to join the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Ravelry Group ( http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit)      and to send in Knitting Tips continue.