Brainy Thing:   11:37  Behind the Redwood Curtain:  24:21

Catherine has declare “Hat Day” by knitting Marsha McCormack’s “Easy Watch Cap With A Twist” http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/easy-watch-cap-with-a-twist.  Marsha designs under the name of Lena’s Legacy Hand Knits, honoring her grandmother who taught her to knit.   The pattern is free.

 Catherine also knit the "Countless Baby Hat”  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/countless-baby-hata free top down pattern by Cindy Davies that features a little i-chord twist at the top.

Margaret practiced working with double pointed needles on a free eyeball pattern http://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/Eyeballs__D55679220.html  featured on the Knit Picks site and designed by Stana D. Sortor.

 

Brainy Thing:  Gratitude Changes Your Brain

For some time people have recognized that actively practicing gratitude can improve our moods but Catherine has found research that shows that gratitude practice can change our brains for the better.     Research by Glenn R Fox et al reports their research:  http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01491/full.  Also cited by Catherine is this research:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588123/

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Bull Kelp  aka Bull Whip Kelp etc.  

Margaret tells the tale about how sharing her grandson’s “screen time” of the Octonauts, she learned more about the plant life behind the Redwood Curtain.  Giant Kelp Forest episode on Octonauts:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szJd0rGJUTA  and source on what it looks like when it washes up on shore:  http://www.seaweedsofalaska.com/species.asp?SeaweedID=47

 

10 things you can do with Bull Kelp:  https://oceans52.wordpress.com/2015/03/21/10-cool-things-you-can-do-with-bull-kelp/ 

 

Monterey Bay Aquarium:https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animal-guide/plants-and-algae/bull-kelp

 

Knitting Tip:     

You can stuff tiny places in your knitting with a mosquito clamp.  http://www.surgical-instrument-pictures.com/instrument-index-kelly-mosquito.html

 

A Little Podcast Business:

Learn-along 2016

 

Links:

website https://teachingyourbraintoknit.com/ for show notes, photos of our knitting and crochet projects, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.

 

 

Today in Teaching Your Brain to Knit how gratitude not only changes your attitude but changes your brain, Catherine declares Hat Day, Margaret learns knitting techniques by knitting eyeballs, how a children’s television show can lead to understanding your own environment, and repurposing surgical instruments into knitting tools.  

BrainyThing:  27:30     Behind the Redwood Curtain: 32:45

 

What We Are Learning from Our Knitting:

Margaret was inspired by the  Maya hat and mittens  designed by Theresa Schabes

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/maya-hat-and-mittens-set using 

Viking Norway Nordlys which is a thick fingering weight 75% superwash wool 25% nylon single loosely plied yarn.  What is striking about the yarn is the intense colors.   They have long irregular stripes that are what I call a true gradient  — they seem to blend into each other unlike some gradients that just seem to strop abruptly and switch to a different color.

Margaret points to Elizabeth  Zimmerman's   Knitting Workshop  book (and video) https://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Zimmermanns-Knitting-Workshop-Zimmermann/dp/0942018001/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1480640438&sr=8-1&keywords=Knitters+workshop

 

Catherine finished her small projects and started another  Bunnymuff’s Mystery Knit-along for September  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sept-mkal-2016.   She's using Wolle’s Yarn Creations gradient yarn in peach and sand color which she finds easier to knit than she did before.   Practice makes better!

 

Brainy Thing:  

In addition to increasing oxygen to the brain, exercise bolsters brain health in a number of ways.  Margaret reports on this.

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain

The city of Arcata in 2012 taxed excessive utility use as a measure to reduce illegal marijuana grows in residential houses.

 

Knitting Tip:

Rolenstone on our Ravelry group says that you can use recycled bleach wipes container to hold yarn (be sure to rinse out thoroughly.)

 

Links:

website https://teachingyourbraintoknit.com/ for show notes, photos of our knitting and crochet projects, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.

 

Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit: Learn how Exercise can improve your brain in many ways, Do you always need a class or a tutorial  to learn new techniques, will repeated practice with a challenging yarn can increase your skill, How the city of Arcata found an innovative way to increase the availability of housing, and a tip on how you can upcycle a wipes contain to become a useful yarn tool

 

Brainy thing:  12:46              Behind the Redwood Curtain: 26:38

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting:  

Twice Margaret made the ribbed brim of the Top Down lace beanie from lion brand http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lace-beanie-70177 too tight.  She tells how Lori’s Twisty bind off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWS77BKk5NQ saved the day.  She used Plymouth Kudo yarn in cotton and silk.  And Catherine enjoys the pile of washcloths that she received from her Ravelry washcloth exchange — all in cotton yarn she’s never used before.

 

Brainy Thing:

We’ve probably all  heard of the left brain/right brain concept what about the top brain/bottom brain paradigm?  Take the quiz here:  http://www.gwaynemiller.com/test.html#.WC4GXls5yPU.  Look into the theory at:  http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304410204579139423079198270

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain.

Catherine shares how Humboldt Bay clams not only star in the 7th best Food Festival in the country but also help clean up the bay.

 

Knitting Tip:

Catherine finds an answer to an annoying (for her) Knit Three Together stitch from Barbara Walker and speculates that just about any problem you’re having with your knitting, someone else has too and has found a solution and shared it.

 

 

Brainy Thing: 18:46                 Behind the Redwood Curtain: 24:36

 

What We’re Learning From Our Knitting:

Catherine scores a spectacular finish to the Vanessa Ives Knit-along by Bunny Muff or Mona8pi http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vanessa-ives

Margaret struggles with a crocheted stuffy, Aitches by Brenda K. B. Anderson  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/aitches

 

Brainy Thing:

Catherine find a study that specifically links “mood repair” or depression relief from knitting done at the Arizona State University Well Being lab study by Ann Futterton Collier  http://www.jkp.com/jkpblog/2012/02/interview-ann-futterman-collier-using-textile-arts-and-handcrafts-in-therapy-with-women/

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ann_Collier

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain

A pretty, yellow  stalk like glandweed flower unexpectantly  pops up in Margaret's back yard.  http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PAVI3

 

 

Knitting tip  — round out curved edges

Catherine offers a solution for those awkward stair-step like edges on parts of your knitting that is supposed to be curved.

 

 

 

Today in Teaching Your Brain to Knit A spectacular ending to the Vanessa Ives Knitalong;  how to fudge a troublesome crochet stuffy, learning to appreciate surprises in the garden and finding a way to improve a jagged edge on curved knitting.

Welcome to Episode 48:  How You Can Learn the Holistic Way

Brainy Thing:   22:20      Behind the Redwood Curtain:  29:50

What We Learned From Our Knitting

Margaret learns a lot about her knitting by not knitting.   Catherine confronts some of the challenges of long term knitting projects, this time the Meadow Lark  Shibori Jacket http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/meadowlark-shibori-jacket by Gina Wilde out of Alchemy yarns.

 

Brainy Thing:  Holistic Knitting

When is learning like a piece of knitting  Whhen it’s holistic and interconnected.  Margaret shares the theories of Shawn Whitely from his now out-of-print book Memletics.

 

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Sumeg Village in Patrick’s Point State is a recreated Yurok village that is not a museum but a living location for local native events.  

http://redwoods.info/showrecord.asp?id=487

 

Knitting Tip:

Danica53  from our Ravelry group shares a new loose bind off:   Lori’s twisty bind off  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWS77BKk5NQ

 

website https://teachingyourbraintoknit.com/ for show notes, photos of our knitting and crochet projects, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.

 

Coming up in Teaching Your Brain to Knit we examine how to learn about your knitting by not knitting, the dangers of multi year projects, how learning might be like knitting and crochet fabric, how sumeg village helps Yurok Indians walk in two worlds and another solution for loose bind-offs.

Welcome to Episode 47 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit

Brainy thing:      11:29   Behind the Redwood Curtain 21:56

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting

Margaret has been looking for modifications of the Afterthought Heel to prevent (or reduce) those strained stitches in the corner.   She found Afterthought Heels Revisited (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/afterthought-heels-revisited) by Laura Linneman of the Kinitgirlllls (yes, three “l”s) Podcast fame and the Knit Better Socks blog by RMD (http://knitbettersocks.blogspot.com/2011/12/improving-afterthought-or-forethought.html).  She used Vesper yarn  in a color way she calls “Neopolitan ice cream with blueberries”— pink, blue white and blue.

Catherine finished up her Double Lattice Dishcloths by SmarieK (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/double-lattice-cloth).  She used various leftovers from Knit Picks and Peaches and Cream

The Brainy Thing: Breathing and the Brain

Margaret was inspired by this topic by Memletics writer Sean Whitely which unfortunately had no references.  So she looked for some research the (self evident) idea that breathing would help your brain function.   She started with Breathing and the Brain (http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2013/05/14/breathing-and-your-brain-five-reasons-to-grab-the-controls/#2e5150ae52aa) then found a MIT study from 2005 headed by Sara W. Lazar, et al (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361002/)  (she also has a Ted Talk at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8rRzTtP7Tc.

Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Trees of Mystery 

Catherine focuses on the giant interactive Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox of Trees of Mystery in Klamath, CA.  https://www.treesofmystery.net/

Knitting Tip: decreases on the edges of garments

Catherine shares a tip for making neater knitting decreases along the edges of garment.

Links:

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

website https://teachingyourbraintoknit.com/ for show notes, photos of our knitting and crochet projects,  and indexes for Behind the Redwood Curtain places and Brainy things and anything else we decide to post.

 

 

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.