Teaching Your Brain to Knit
Brainy Thing:   26:00      Behind the Redwood Curtain:  38:15
 
What we’re learning from our Knitting
Catherine gives an update on the Vanessa Ives Mystery Shawl http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vanessa-ives By Bunny Muff  http://www.ravelry.com/designers/bunnymuff and how even Michael’s failed in providing Japanese beads that would work.  While she’s waiting for her delivery of beads, she’s working on Baby Socks by Bianca Bufran for the Afghan for Afghans project.  The socks are made from Treadsock Yarns that Catherine dyed with Dharma dyed goods.    She’s also been working up some scrubbies for the Dishcloth group she belongs to.  This one is Little Scrubbie http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/little-scrubbie by Arctic Trails Abstract  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/arctictrailsabstractblogspot and made out of leftover Knit Picks Indy Chain Linen in  and leftover AllHemp 6 lux.
 
Margaret tells the “amazing” story of finding a hand dyed indigo boucle cotton at Amazing Yarns in Emerald Hills, CA.  She knit the Miami Vice pattern http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/miami-vice by 3 bags fulled http://www.ravelry.com/designers/threebagsfulledor Hillary Designs and learned of ways to fix the dye from John Marshall of John Marshall Works in Fabric who was at the Natural Fibre Festival in Arcata in September.
 
Brainy Thing
Another reason we crafters should continue to learn?  Catherine talks about the Nun Study, a longitudinal study of Sisters of Notre Dame which indicates that lifelong learners have a lower rate of symptoms of dementia even if there are pathological signs of it in the brain after death.  Also, those with stronger language skills fared better in terms of preventing dementia.
 
Behind the Redwood Curtain
Margaret shares information about the mission of the Friends of the Dunes’ Humboldt Coastal Nature Center.
 
 
Knitting Tips   (technical problems prevented the recording of this.
Learn more about indigo from the “word of the Week” on Indigo expert John Marshall.  http://johnmarshall.to/blog/category/japanese_word_of_the_week/
 
Podcast Business
The incentive to sign up for the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Ravelry Group continues.  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit
Direct download: EP._031_Knitting_Life-long_Learning_and__Your_Brain-.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:20pm PDT

Brainy Thing:   15:47           Behind the Redwood Curtain:  25:35
Welcome to Episode:  How the Distributive Practice Effect or Spacing Effect can help you learn skills in the fiber Arts.
What we’re learning from our Knitting
Catherine got a lot of satisfaction by completing Laura Nelkin’s Butin Collar.  
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/butin-collar
Margaret created felted bangles from Mags Kandis’ Bevy of Bangles pattern, http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bevy-of-banglesfrom the book Gifted, Lovely little things to knit and crochet http://www.amazon.com/Gifted-Lovely-Little-Things-Crochet-ebook/dp/B00DH40MIG/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1by Mags Kandis or get them for free from the Interweave website.  

Brainy Thing:  The Distributive Practice Effect
Catherine talks about the Distributive Practice Effect, first described by Herman Ebbinghaus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Ebbinghaus.    In psychology,it is talked about as the Spacing Effect. http://www.aft.org/periodical/american-educator/summer-2002/ask-cognitive-scientist.   Essentially, practicing something a little bit every day is more effective in learning than practicing for a long time for one day a week.  

Behind the Redwood Curtain:   Ferndale, CA, the Victorian Village
Catherine introduces us to Ferndale, CA which has a large number of well preserved Victorian buildings.   It is very well decorated around Christmas time.

Knitting Tip:
Margaret shares a tip from No Sheep for You by Amy Singer:   When knitting socks in Cotton or a yarn with little memory, use ribbing to help the sock
 

Direct download: ep._030_Distributive_Learning_and_Fiber_Arts.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:45pm PDT

1