Brainy: 20:20 Behind the Redwood Curtain. 31:09   What We're Learning from our Knitting: Catherine is enjoying progress on her Stephen West's Twists and Turns shawl knitalong https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/twists--turns-westknits-mkal-2022 and is trying out some fun dyeing techniques for fabric. Margaret reports on mosaic crochet, gnome knitting, and some of her favorite projects from the past. Clearly Helena blog. http://www.clearlyhelena.com/how-to-mosaic-crochet/ Make Gnome Mistake https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/make-gnome-mistake Sarah Schira. https://www.ravelry.com/designers/sarah-schira The pattern I used was I*heart*FATW5. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/iheartfatw5 rosina crochet.  Rosina Plane. https://www.ravelry.com/designers/rosina-plane Brainy Thing: Catherine points out the value of making a plan in case of unexpected events and Margaret talks about how to develop a Joyous Amygdala. She also mentions some of her favorite Brainy segments from the past https://www.webmd.com/brain/amygdala-what-to-know   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine and Margaret report on highlights from the past from Behind the Redwood Curtain and Catherine advocates for independent podcasts . Catherine promotes the podcast Chronicles from Behind the Redwood Curtain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWjuhpiHo-E     This podcast's future For now, this "Ma and Ma" podcast will stop regular production. We thank all our listeners for their support over the years.                                       Welcome to Episode 145 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit where we share information about planing for unexpected events and how to grow a joyful amygdala. We talk about knitting shawls, dyeing fabric, trying mosaic crochet and finishing a knitted gnome. We also mention highlights from past Behind the Redwood Curtain segments and Catherine promotes another Humboldt podcast. Finally we   report on the future of this podcast.

Brainy:  1o:12   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  20:47   What We're Learning from our Knitting: Catherine is continuing her knitting odyssey with Stephen West's Twists and Turns Shawl, http://knittedtoybox.blogspot.com/   Brainy Thing: New words that describe the comfort we lack and long for.  hygge: coziness Solastalgia:   distress of environmental change Here are some links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDDjXhcWB1g https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36459133/#&gid=article-figures&pid=fig-1-uid-0   Behind the Redwood Curtain At the end of 2022, the courts approved a plan to remove four dams on the Klamath River which are destructive to fish species and cause toxic blue green algae.    https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-11-17/regulators-approve-demolition-of-four-klamath-river-dams?utm_id=76610&sfmc_id=4456079   https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/article/Largest-dam-removal-project-in-U-S-history-gets-17592091.php?sid=62c3aa67475d9718370d9a07&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headlines&utm_campaign=sfc_morningfix live condor feed: https://www.yuroktribe.org/yurok-condor-live-feed     Announcement: We announce that after our next episode (145), we will be discontinuing the podcast in its current form.   Welcome to episode 144 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit while we report on Hygge and Solastalgia--comfort and longing for comfort; Catherine updates us on her Twists and Turns adventure and celebrates completing a gnome and a snitch while Margaret reports on teaching her bones to knit and finally talks about the victory on the Klamath River for the fish, the quality of the river, and the environment with four dam removals.

Joy snacks, Insects, Shawls and Knit Blocks, plus Benbow Inn.   Brainy Thing: 19:26 Behind the Redwood Curtain: 27:40   What We're learning from our knitting and crochet: Margaret is working on some amigurumi Garden insects https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/garden-insectsby Marica Coridon for a present for her grandson. Catherine is taking a little break from knitting Stephen Wests' Twists and Turns https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/twists--turns-westknits-mkal-2022to knock out some knitted blocks for Hats and More for Refugees World wide. https://www.ravelry.com/groups/hats-and-more-for-refugees-worldwide. She's using the beginning of the Melanie's Mandala Baby Blanket https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/melanies-mandala-baby-blanket for the blocks. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/garden-insects   Brainy Thing: Margaret shares quick practices that increase happiness in her report on Joy Snacks. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/11/17/feel-happier-joy-flourishing/?utm_campaign=wp_the_optimist&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_optimist&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F386153a%2F637a338d7e2620469f1837c5%2F596c929a9bbc0f2086603b6d%2F12%2F51%2F637a338d7e2620469f1837c5&wp_cu=bab067e80720f9dc4ad7b181c2d7c0c3%7CC0D7373013494969E0430100007FF0C5   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine reports on the historic Benbow Inn south of Garberville https://benbowinn.com/   Welcome to episode 143 of Teaching your Brain to Knit. Today we present Joy Snack or quick things we can do to bring us happiness; We talk about our crochet (making amigurumi insects) and Knitting, (shawl and knitted blocks) plus we report on the historic Benbow Inn

Brainy: 16:30 Behind the Redwood Curtain: 27:11   What We're Learning from our Knitting Catherine is deep into textures and colors with her Stephen West Knit-along Twists and Turns (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/twists--turns-westknits-mkal-2022). She is eyeing a sweater by Andrea Mowry (https://www.ravelry.com/designers/andrea-mowry). that also is very textural. In addition, Catherine shares the dishcloth she received from the Dishcloth exchange (https://www.ravelry.com/groups/annual-dishcloth-swap). Margaret continues to delight in the variety of patterns that creates pumpkins and leaves. She knits Mimi Pumpkin https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/knitted-mini-pumpkin) as well as Oakleaf from Fall Garland (https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=469668145054284). by Jen Lucas and also Leaf from Susan B. Anderson's Fall Harvest Charm   Brainy Thing: Catherine reports on the impact of light on the brain, particularly early morning light: https://bestlifeonline.com/daylight-saving-time-benefits/   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples is located in Arcata and focuses on supporting grassroots initiatives for Indigenous people around the world. https://7genfund.org/     Welcome to Episode 142 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit where we explore the relationship between early morning light and our brains. Catherine is deep within textures and colors with her knitting and Margaret enjoys different designs for little pumpkins and leaves. Finally we spotlight The Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous People located here in Arcata.

Brainy Thing: 15:45. Behind the Redwood Curtain. 25:45   What We're Learning from Our Knitting Margaret fulfills her multi-year goal of knitting some decorative mini-pumpkins, using Susan B. Anderson's Fall Harvest Charm Set https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fall-harvest-charm-set. Catherine completed her dishcloths for her Dishcloth exchange. She used the classic Ballband Dishcloth by Kay Gariner and Ann Shayne. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ballband-dishcloth And despite her efforts to resist, Catherine is starting the Westknits MKAL 2022: Twists & Turns shawl.   Brainy Thing: The book Behave: The biology of Humans at our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky is five years old now but is chock full of information about human behavior and told is Sapolsky's witty style. Margaret reviews it.   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine tells of her visit to the new Redwood Skywalk in Eureka's Sequoia Park, suspended 100 feet above the ground. https://www.redwoodskywalk.com/   Welcome to Episode 141 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit where we review highlights from the book Behave by Robert Saplosky, discuss learning from knitting pumpkins, dishcloths and a mystery shawl, and report on the new Skywalk among the Redwoods at Eureka's Sequoia Park.    

Brainy: 17:34 Behind the Redwood Curtain. 29:52   What We're Learning from our Knitting and Crochet: Catherine finished up her Melanie's Mandala Baby Blanket https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/melanies-mandala-baby-blanket.  by Melanie Grobler at M and M Crochet Designs and she has started knitting up ballband washcloths for washcloth exchange https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ballband-dishcloth https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ballband-dishcloth Margaret Knit up another small amigurumi project that taught her a lot: The Splendid Snail by Tatyana Grigoryan. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/splendid-snail   Brainy Thing: Although experts debate its existence, many people believe Nature Deficit Disorder is a read condition that needs to be addressed. Richard Louv came up with the term in his book "Last Child in the Woods" . https://richardlouv.com/blog/what-is-nature-deficit-disorder/. Other names and terms Catherine describes in this report are green exercise, eco psychologists, Wilderness therapy professionals Frederick Law  Olmstread (American Landscape Architecture), John Muir and Louise Chala, Colorado University professor   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Those beautiful iconic Cliffs of California are eroding away. Margaret reports on a recent study about them. https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/new-high-resolution-study-california-coastal-cliff-erosion-released California Coastal Cliff Erosion Viewer:  https://siocpg.ucsd.edu/data-products/ca-cliff-viewer/ https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/article/California-s-cliffs-are-falling-into-the-sea-17362397.php     Today, in Episode 140 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, Catherine presents information about Nature Deficit Disorder and the importance of being outside in nature; She also talks about her knitting AND crochet: she finished her crochet mandala Baby Blanket and started knitting washcloths for the washcloth exchange. Margaret shares her experience knitting a snail and then reports on the latest information on the eroding cliffs of California  

Brainy thing: 15:26 Behind the Redwood Curtain: 24:14   What We're Learning from our Knitting and Crochet: Margaret knitted a small amigurmi beet, part of Susan B. Anderson's Summer Veggie Charm set. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/summer-veggie-charm-set. This is her fourth charm but she always learns something new from Susan. This time Susan designed a two color saw tooth pattern to create a transition between the white bottom of the beet and the top (In Margaret's case, a beet red left over called cinnabar by Hazel Knits Yarns.). Margaret also appreciated the wavy beet leaves. Catherine continues to crochet her Mandala Baby Blanket by Melanie Grobler at M and M Crochet Designs https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/melanies-mandala-baby-blanket. She's been using the yarn in the Karon rainbow color but without warning the big box store Michael's is out of it and she's been trying to find additional skeins.   Brainy Thing: Margaret reports on Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, a book and theory about how we use two systems for thinking: one fast and instinctive and one slower and more reasoned. But both systems are prone to erros.   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Arcata like many cities is trying to get fewer people to drive and more people to use bicycles but it is encountering some growing pains in this switch.   Welcome to Episode 139 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit where we present the theory of Thinking Fast and Slow, talk about knitting an amigurimi beet and crocheting a mandala baby blanket and discuss trying to make Arcata and other cities less reliant or cars and opening up options for bicycles. I ask for a little more indulgence than usual for the sound quality today because not only are we dealing with the zoom problems in a community that does not have good wifi options, but also, Catherine is sitting outside in the rare but wonderful days around here that offer sunshine, a little warmth and not too much wind -- but as a result you'll hear some background noise of her neighbors.    

Brainy thing: 19:22 Behind the Redwood Curtain: 29:36   What We're Learning from our Knitting (and Crochet) Catherine was struck with Mandala Madness and is now crocheting Melanie's Mandala https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/melanies-mandala-baby-blanket Melanie operates M and M Crochet Designs on Ravelry. Catherine is using Caron Yarnspirations in Skinny Cake in color gradient Rainbow. She also shared information on taking care of our crafting hands -- she's taking a Tai Chi for Arthritis class and also recommends Carson Demers https://www.ravelry.com/people/ergoiknit https://www.ergoiknit.com/. book Knitting Comfortably: The Ergonomics of Handknitting and that he was featured on Fruity Knitting video cast Ep 102 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfWEi57a-4U.   Margaret talks about her reluctance to start the Harmonia's Ring Cowl https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/harmonias-rings-cowl by Sivia Harding despite having been given beautiful yarn Shibui Knits Vine in the Majesty Colorway. It begins with a mobieus cast on that Cat Bordhi made famous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVnTda7F2V4. But she's started now -- at least a few rows.   Brainy Thing: Volunteerism not only helps others, it helps you as well. Catherine reports on it.   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167487012001456?via%3Dihub   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Margaret talks about Sneaker Waves and Rogue waves: both big waves but different. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mathematicians-may-soon-be-able-to-predict-enormous-rogue-waves https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/mathematicians-may-soon-be-able-to-predict-enormous-rogue-waves https://www.surfline.com/surf-news/the-importance-of-swell-period/1555   Welcome to Episode 138 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit. Today we talk about a Mandala Baby Blanket and a Moebius Cast on for the Harmonia's Ring Cowl. Catherine shares how volunteering can be good for you as well as the recipients and Margaret offers information on Sneaker Waves and Rogue Waves.    

Brainy thing:20:20  Behind the Redwood Curtain:32:18   What We're Learning from Our Knitting Margaret makes new discoveries about the granny square and Catherine notes that there's a resurgence in popularity of granny squares. Giant Granny Square Afghan by Crochet Me Lovely https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/giant-granny-square-afghan Catherine also talks about second-baby-sock-syndrome with her Kate Atherley Baby Socks https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks-23 and knitting blocks with patterns from Barbara Walker Treasury of Knitting Patterns 4 volumes published by Schoolhouse Press https://www.schoolhousepress.com/. She also mentions the silent knitting group on zoom as the heritage and remembrance of Cat Bordhi, the late, great knitting teacher and encourager. https://new.catbordhi.com/silent-knitting/   Brainy Section This episode we focus on Highly Sensitive People, a group that has been widely researched. There seems to be both a nature (genetic, brain chemistry) and nurture aspect in the background of HSPs. Quiz -- Are you an HSP? https://hsperson.com/test/highly-sensitive-test/. https://hsperson.com/ https://www.verywellmind.com/highly-sensitive-persons-traits-that-create-more-stress-4126393 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/highly-sensitive-person https://sunkissedhealth.com/modern-mystic-hsp-empath-tools/ brain. https://highlysensitive.eu/en/the-highly-sensitive-brain/#:~:text=Highly%20sensitive%20people%20activate%20brain,especially%20those%20close%20to%20them. https://www.drelaynedaniels.com/4-things-most-people-dont-know-about-being-a-highly-sensitive-person/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4086365/ https://highlysensitiverefuge.com/highly-sensitive-person-brain/ https://highlysensitiverefuge.com/highly-sensitive-person-signs/   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Potawot health village is much more than a clinic for American Indians. It is an environment including land use and cultural events that promotes wellness and healing. https://backcountrypress.com/2018/09/potawot-health-village/ http://www.sonic.net/~water4/main_pages/PHVP.html   Welcome to Episode 137 of Teaching your Brain to Knit. Today we investigate the life and brains of Highly Sensitive People. We mention crocheting granny squares, baby socks, knitting blocks for charity and silent knitting meetups. Finally we share information on Potawot Health Village, a local health facility that creates a wellness environment including clinics, gardens, and cultural events.      

Brainy Thing: 17:34 Behind the Redwood Curtain 26:50   What we're learning from our knitting: Catherine is delighting in quickly-knitted and fun baby items -- a hat and socks from various designers: Kate Atherley https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks---worsted-dk-version; also https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks-23 Bianca Boonstra: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks. Knitty Gritty: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/easy-peasy-newborn-sock-hat Margaret mixed and match gnome parts from Sarah Schira: All Work, Gnome Play. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/all-work-gnome-play Leave Gnome Stone Unturned. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leave-gnome-stone-unturned   Brainy Thing: Who suffered more from covid isolation? Maybe you'll be surprised. https://greaterdivide.com/2020/04/30/the-resilience-of-extroverts-in-a-time-of-lock-downs/   Behind the Redwood Curtain: The ongoing drought and naturally dry areas like deserts require a different type of landscaping. Margaret introduces xeriscaping. https://frontsteps.com/blog/7-principles-of-xeriscaping/ https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/xeriscaping/ https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/xeriscaping-creative-landscaping-7-228/   Welcome to Episode 136 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit where we ask the question "Who suffered more from covid Isolation -- introverts or extroverts. The answer might surprise you. Catherine talks about the pleasure of knitting quick, colorful baby items -- a hat and socks and Margaret shares her experience mixing and matching gnome parts. Then we look at xeriscaping -- a way to landscape for dry and drought-ridden areas.

Episode 135  Hedonic Adaptation; freeform crochet and replacement knitting;  The Craftsman TV series.   Brainy Thing:  18:10  Behind the Redwood Curtain 25:42   What we've learned from our Knitting and Crochet Margaret flirted with freeform crochet in response to a prompt of "Deep Listening." She wasn't happy with the product or the process. Catherine continues her obsession with the mitre square blanket and she shares about taking her knitting out into the world. In one case, it was fun -- lots of love for the Agata (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/agata) Cardigan by Leah Chapman (https://www.ravelry.com/designers/leah-chapman). ; in another, she lost a beloved Stephen West https://www.ravelry.com/designers/stephen-westShawl, Metalouse. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/metalouse   Brainy Thing Margaret reports on Hedonic Adaptation also called the Hedonic Treadmill which is the human emotional set-point that is partly genetic and partly attitudinal. https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/hedonic-treadmill/. https://www.rickhanson.net/being-well-podcast/being-well-podcast-guest-experts/ https://www.healthline.com/health/hedonic-treadmill#what-is-it   Behind the Redwood Curtain Catherine's been watching the new Craftsman television series on Magnolia network which features the Blue Ox Millworks in Eureka. In addition to celebrating handcrafting, the series features beautiful shots of Old Town Eureka and the Humboldt Coast. https://magnolia.com/watch/show/62a3faac-8006-5a79-b673-8c0217e75fbc/the-craftsman/, https://www.distractify.com/p/eric-hollenbeck-the-craftsman.   Myra Wood (Designer) 0.55 Agata 10:10 Leah Chapman: 10:10 Metalouse 15:18 Stephen West 15:18 The Ribbed Faraway Baby Socks 17:20 Amber 17:20 Mittknitter. 17:20 Blue Ox Millworks Today in Episode 135 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we learn about Hedonic Adaptation, our internal thermostat for emotional happiness;  Margaret experiments with freeform crochet while Catherine continues her blanket obsession;  And Catherine reports on a new TV series, the Craftsman which feature the Blue Ox Millworks in Eureka and a celebration of handwork.  As always please forgive and ignore the audio distortions introduced by zoom and unstable networks. 

Brainy Thing: 17:35 Behind the Redwood Curtain: 29:50   What We're Learning from our Knitting: Catherine is continuing on with her mitered square blanket. Margaret hasn't completed anything but continue with a little stockinette knitting here and a little crochet there. She does have a report about Fast Fashion ripping off Crochet Designers https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/crochet-trend-fast-fashion-copy-designs, a recommendation for new video tutorials from Nimble Needles https://nimble-needles.com/category/tutorials/page/4/ , and a major tip for long tail cast ons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcvzB_9o8qc.    Brainy Thing: Catherine reports on Perfectionism and its positive and negative sides. She's wondering if she suffers from a little bit of perfectionism that is stopping her from starting the colorwork sweater Ghost Horses https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ghost-horses. by Caitlin Hunter. https://www.elitedaily.com/wellness/striving-perfection-can-completely-exhaust-brain/2030504 Jody Deluca, Ph.D. https://www.eriecoloradocounseling.com/publications   Behind the Redwood Curtain: The university where Catherine and Margaret worked is changing its orientation and name. It's now Cal Poly Humboldt and is focusing on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs. https://www.humboldt.edu/sites/default/files/polytechnicreport_hsuhighlights.pdf https://pmc.humboldt.edu/portal/climate-action-plan-20 https://facilitymgmt.humboldt.edu/sites/default/files/hsu_stars_path_to_platinum_2020-2022_final.pdf pcci.humboldt.edu.     Welcome to Episode 134 of Teaching your Brain to Knit. Today we talk about Perfectionism, both its positive and negative effects. Catherine and Margaret have been working on blankets and other projects but not finishing things. And Margaret reports on the changes from Humboldt State University to Cal Poly Humboldt.          

Brainy Thing:  18:28. Behind the Redwood Curtain: 27:52   What we've learned from our knitting: Margaret finished a new project and resurrected an old one.  As she was ripping out the yarn from She used the Keanna Chunky Messy bun Hat  pattern by Jocelyn Jones for the general measurements but knit the whole hat in two by two ribbing.  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/keannas-chunky-messy-bun-hat.   Then, as she was ripping out the Big Marl Blanket by Beata Jezek, she began playing around with the yarn making a big Granny Square.  She turned to Jeanne Steinhilber's Marled Modern Granny Afghan https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/marled-modern-granny-afghan for a pattern and she finished her lap-ghan that she'll donate to charity.  Catherine made the first step toward her new sock project -- she wound the skein of yarn into a ball and then inspired by her research on finishing projects, she went back to her mitered Square Blanket and found a tutorial for squaring off the sides to make the edges straight instead of sawtoothed.  Ladybug Laboratory offers a You Tube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14gZfqdZ57k   Brainy Thing: We've talked a lot about meditation on the podcast but an amazing amount of research suggests that Loving Kindness Meditation has many, many benefits.  And Oops.  Margaret talked about Sharon Saltzman as the Queen of Loving Kindness but it is Sharon Salzberg.  Sorry, Sharon.  https://www.organicauthority.com/energetic-health/how-loving-kindness-meditation-transforms-your-brain https://kripalu.org/resources/evidence-based-benefits-loving-kindness-meditation https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2695992/.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ING1BKvjyv8  https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/metta-hour-podcast/.    Behind the Redwood Curtain What could be more fun than a horse drawn buggy ride through downtown Eureka?  Probably not much.  Check it out here:  https://www.oldtowncarriageco.com/     Today in episode 133 of Teaching your Brain to Knit, we report on the many benefits of one particular meditation techniques -- Loving Kindness Meditation.   We talk about work on old projects -- blankets, in this case, and we present new projects -- a messy bun hat and socks.   Then we report on the delightful carriage rides of downtown Eureka.   Welcome.     

Brainy thing: 20:30 Behind the Redwood Curtain. 35:40 Harry Wells: 16:30   What We're Learning from our Knitting Catherine discusses planning knitting while keeping in mind the things she loves to do. She's looking forward to picking up sock knitting again and is eyeing Sivia Hardings Victoriana which is a toe up sock with bobbles, beads and picots. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/victoriana-socks-2.   Margaret returned to some old favorites -- Arne's and Carlos' birds https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-bird. which she decorated with hats. She also took a class with Harry Wells learning to do the hex stitch and other knit one below stitches plus a new stretch cast on and several new stretch bindoffs.   Brainy Thing: Catherine continues to explore why it's sometimes difficult to finish things and dips into theories of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards as motivation   Behind the Redwood Curtain Margaret shares basic information about El Niño and La Niña and looks for an explanation of why Southern California had floods and snow during a year that should be dry.   Welcome to Episode 132 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit where Catherine is deep into planning future projects and Margaret reports on knitting old patterns and learning new stitches. During the Brainy Thing Catherine continues to seek understanding about why it's sometimes hard to finish things focusing on intrinsic and extrinsic rewards as motivation. And Margaret talks about El Niño and La Niña and why Southern California got a lot of rain and snow during a year when that shouldn't happen.        

Brainy Thing:   15.55   Behind the Redwood Curtain:   22:47   What we Learned from our Knitting Welts and tiny mittens were the notable learning for Gnorwen the Gnome in Sarah Schira's All Work, Gnome Play Mystery Knit Along.  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/all-work-gnome-play She added a red beard, eliminated the flower decorations and included a miniature set of skis for what will be her grandson's gnome.      Catherine coaxed herself on with the help of Marcie Bell's beautiful darning needles to finish sewing up her Agata sweater by Leah Chapman. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/agata  She also knit up a few scrubbies and a couple of mitered squares.   Brainy Thing: Researchers say we are biased toward believing each other -- which makes us vulnerable to liars. Starting with Aja Raden's book The Truth about Lies: The Illusion of Honesty and the Evolution of Deceit and then other research, Margaret reports on the Cognitive Bias, The Truth Bias, other biases and the Truth-Default Theory. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/let-their-words-do-the-talking/201306/truth-bias https://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Lies-Illusion-Evolution-ebook/dp/B08BYCS1SG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=OYUJLJXS4KNA&keywords=the+truth+about+lies&qid=1640643756&s=books&sprefix=the+truth+about+lies%2Cstripbooks%2C1059&sr=1-1   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Although first skeptical, Catherine now sees the benefits of the Arcata Gateway project for our town and other small towns. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUsFlnX2xoE          

Brainy Thing:  16:11  Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:01   What We're Learning from Our Knitting Catherine is in the "piecing together" part of her Agata Sweater by Leah Chapman. Sewing up is not her favorite part of project making. She's using https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/agata using Lion Brand Mandala in the Chimera Colorway. She also reports on on the resurrected Welcome Blanket project for new immigrants to this country.   welcomeblanket.org. She has some knitted squares she's done in the past that she's going to sew together for a blanket. Blankets are exhibited in museums and then given to our new neighbors. Margaret didn't accomplish a lot or learned a lot with her project but had a lot of fun: Halloween Eyeball Coasters by Fay Lyth https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/halloween-eyeball-coaster with the iris color matched to her grandchildren's eyes.   Brainy Thing: 16:11 Inspired by her reluctance to sew up her sweater, Catherine discovers an explanation, The Construal Level Theory (CLT) or the Near Mode and Distant Mode of projects and she's using the theory to help her power through. https://medium.com/@Jude.M/read-this-if-you-struggle-with-finishing-things-you-start-a0fdaa83aa6a   Behind the Redwood Curtain: 27:01 Humboldt County is ground zero for sea level rise on the west coast of the United States. Margaret explains why, what's at risks, and things to do to mitigate against it. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2021/jan/15/causeway-over-bay-between-arcata-and-eureka-caltra/ https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/arcata-under-pressure/Content?oid=20284166 https://california.surfrider.org/shrinking-beaches-rising-seas/ https://theconversation.com/high-tide-flood-risk-is-accelerating-putting-coastal-economies-at-risk-164481?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20newsletter%20The%20Conversation%20for%20July%2015%202021%20-%202003819676&utm_content=Daily%20newsletter%20The%20Conversation%20for%20July%2015%202021%20-%202003819676+CID_e71761137d4bdeaef846224ec8b5f2ca&utm_source=campaign_monitor_us&utm_term=High-tide%20flood%20risk%20is%20accelerating%20putting%20coastal%20economies%20at%20risk     Welcome to Episode 130 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit. Today Catherine talks about on her progress in the sewing up part of her Agata Sweater. Margaret shares her small but fun project making eyeball coasters for her grandchildren for Thanksgiving. Catherine reports on the The Construal Level Theory or the near and distant phenomenon and why that sometimes makes finishing projects difficult. And Margaret tells about sea level rise risks in Humboldt county. Thanks for listening.

Brainy Thing: 19:25 Behind the Redwood Curtain. 27:60   What We're Learning from Our Knitting Margaret reports on her learning from Little Things including creating a coaster from her Windmill Dishcloth pattern by Patricia Jared. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/windmill-dishcloth-2 She also finished an amigurumi corn on the cob from Susan B. Anderson's Summer Veggie Charm Set https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/summer-veggie-charm-set. and a Spring Tulip by Jen Lucas. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spring-tulip-4. which was a free pattern and a class from Craftsy's Live Stream (Still available on the website.). She learns a lot from these free classes even if she can execute the pattern because the instructor shares tips as she demonstrates. The Knitting Circle also has free classes with patterns. Most recently Craftsy sponsored the Craft-o-ween series that included cooking, woodwork and quilting. Catherine is nearing the finish of her Agata Sweater by Leah Chapman https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/agata using Lion Brand Mandala.   Brainy thing: Wool and Sleep Studies report that wool bedding improves sleep and REM sleep in particular, thereby increasing all the good benefits of sleep like protein production, improved mental health and memory.   Behind the Redwood Curtain Patrick's Point State Park in Humboldt County has been renamed Sue-Meg State Park, the original Yurok place name. Patrick Beegan was a notorious and ruthless white settler who claimed the area where the Park now stands.     Welcome to Episode 129 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit where we share research studies that show that wool can help improve your sleep. Margaret talks about learning from the Little Things she's knitted like a tulip, a corn on the cob, and a coaster and the free online knitting classes where she gets tip. Catherine nears completion of her sweater and talks about the breaking news that a State Park in Humboldt has changed its name to the original Yurok name.

Brainy Thing:  16:51   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  32:11   What We're Learning from Our Knitting: Catherine may have missed the deadline for the Imagined Landscape Cardi KAL but she's nearly finished her Agata https://www.ravelry.com/groups/imagined-landscapes?s=tab. It's a Knitty's free pattern https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/agata. by Leah Chapman with an unusual construction. She is using Lion Brand Mandala yarn in the Chimera colorway --with a lot of autumnal colors plus a few bright ones. Margaret had a lot of failures but still learned a lot. The first one was The Big Marl by Beata Jezek https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-big-marl where despite multiple mistakes, she learned an icord edging that was knitted as she went along. Then she had fun on a big search for a pattern she discovered on the net without a name. She was intrigued by the shape and couldn't figure out the construction. The answer was short rows. Here's some of the variations: Windmill Dishcloth by Dione Read: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-windmill-dishcloth The Almost Lost Washcloth by Julie Tarsha. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-almost-lost-washcloth Round Dishcloth by Amy Carpenter. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/round-dishcloth Sunburst Dishcloth by Sara Balkwin. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sunburst-dishcloth The Windmill Dishcloth by Patricia Jared. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/windmill-dishcloth-2   Brainy Thing: Grounding Anticipating travel in the future, Catherine talks about how to overcome jet lag (and enjoy other health benefits) with the ancient but not widely know practice of Grounding, or walking on the sand, grass or earth barefooted . https://www.afar.com/magazine/how-to-overcome-jet-lag https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding#:~:text=Grounding%2C%20also%20called%20earthing%2C%20is,positive%20effects%20on%20your%20body.   Behind the Redwood Curtain: The Grange Margaret discusses some of the controversies involved in local California Granges wanting to pull away from the National Organization. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2021/aug/14/grange/ https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/the-state-of-the-grange/Content?oid=3498448 https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2021/aug/14/grange/   Welcome to episode 128 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit where we follow Catherine's progress on the Agata Cardigan, we share Margaret's many failures but much learning on her projects, Catherine gives us a tip about countering jet lag with Grounding, and we report on the local and not so local controversies surrounding the Grange. Thanks for listening to our podcast.

Brainy Thing: 16:41 Behind the Redwood Curtain: 27:41   What We're Learning from Our Knitting: Margaret finished a Sampler Sock using both crochet and knitting and a number of sock making techniques she never tried before. The sock started with leg from Beaux Jestes by Tracy Pipinich a crochet pattern where one leg used small granny square and the other ripples. She then went for a garter stitch modification of Lara Neel's Arithmophobia sock,https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/arithmophobia-socks-top-down moved onto a stripped foot then finished up with Lara Neel's Fork in the Road design https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fork-in-the-road-socks toe. She used left over finger weight yarn in yellows, golds and greens.   Catherine is taking on the challenge of Imagined Landscapes Fall Cardi KAL https://www.ravelry.com/groups/imagined-landscapes?s=tab. She chose Knitty's free pattern Agata https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/agata. by Leah Chapman and is using Lion Brand Mandala yarn.   Brainy Thing: Tips for Helping Your Brain on Zoom Zoom is tough on the brain. Basically it's harder for our brains to process our interactions but fortunately there are a number of tips that might help. Try one or more of them. https://christinamarienoel.com/2020/04/01/5-tips-to-creating-better-virtual-connections-using-zoom/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradtempleton/2020/05/29/your-guide-to-feeling-a-human-connection-with-the-group-in-zoom-meetings/?sh=b4d837f29ec4 https://www.scienceofpeople.com/zoom-fatigue/ https://techcrunch.com/2021/04/21/this-is-your-brain-on-zoom/ https://news.stanford.edu/2021/02/23/four-causes-zoom-fatigue-solutions/ https://www.discovery.com/science/Body-Tired-When-Your-Brain-Is-Fried   Behind the Redwood Curtain: The National Christmas Tree This year, the National Christmas Tree in Washington DC will come from nearby Six Rivers National Forest. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/srnf/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD933469 Catherine is making one of the quilted panels for the tree skirt and featuring an image of Founders Hall of Humboldt State University.   Welcome to Teaching your Brain to Knit, episode 127. Today we are featuring tips to make Zoom easier for our brains to process. Margaret shares her adventures with her sampler socks and Catherine reports on her progress with the Agata Sweater. We also talk about the National Christmas Tree in Washington DC this year coming from the nearby Six Rivers National Forest and we announce that Catherine will be making a panel for the tree skirt.

Brainy Thing:  19:00  Behind the Redwood Curtain 28:00   What We're Learning from Our Knitting Margaret got practice in cables on Sarah Schira's Gnot Just Another Gnome https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gnot-just-another-gnome. She used leftovers plus mini skeins in Leading Men Fiber Arts Showstopper in Envy and Christmas at Green Gables.   knitting reverse stockinette inside out: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+knit+reverse+stockinette+stitch+in+the+round&oq=how+to+knit+reverse+stockinette+stitch+in+the+round&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30j0i390l3.9109j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_jM8FYea8KczF-gSfsqToBw59  speedweve    darning loom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhPUjTxQgHA    Scrubbing Stripes dishcloth by yarnspirations https://www.yarnspirations.com/lily-sugarn-cream-scrubbing-stripes-knit-dishcloth/SCK0512-013829M.html Lily Sugar'n Cream Scrub off yarn:  http://www.sugarncream.com/   Brainy Thing: Brains of introverts and extroverts https://www.quietrev.com/why-introverts-and-extroverts-are-different-the-science/ https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/apparently-there-are-4-kinds-of-introversion.html https://www.lifehack.org/412467/why-introverts-are-introverts-because-their-brains-are-different#:~:text=A%20study%20published%20in%20the,matter%20in%20the%20same%20area. https://www.quietrev.com/6-illustrations-that-show-what-its-like-in-an-introverts-head/.  Drawings of differences https://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-to-be-an-introvert-and-what-everyone-gets-wrong-2018-5#:~:text=Introverts%20have%20different%20brain%20chemistry,called%20the%20Long%20Acetylcholine%20Pathway.   Behind the Redwood Curtain: We catch up on past Redwood Curtain topics including the Art Otter project, Last Pass Grade, and Forest Breathing, this time in mini urban forests     Today in episode 126 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we present research on the differences in brains of introverts and extroverts;  we discuss gnome making, dishcloths, sweaters and shawls and we update some former Behind the Redwood Curtain segments including art otters, and urban mini forests.   

Brainy: 14:50    Behind the Redwood Curtain: 26:21   What We're Learning from our Knitting Catherine is inches away from finishing her Metalouse shawl by Stephen West https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/metalouse. She used Woolemeise and Canon Dyeworks yarns. She is looking for a pattern for a sweater as her next project. Margaret didn't experience much learning but enjoyed a lot of satisfaction knitting her basic top down, heel flap socks using Online sock yarn in a multiple of colors: blue, grey, orange, yellow and pink. Although she has her own modifications, she basically follows Ann Budd's 6 stitches per inch sock. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/6-stitches-per-inch-sock. Margaret also applied several patches in old socks that were wearing thing.   Brainy Thing: Catherine reports on studies that show the link with biodiversity in nature with human happiness. Diversity in birds are particularly important. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201204110246.htm https://theconversation.com/biodiversity-how-our-health-and-happiness-depend-on-a-thriving-planet-157261   Behind the Redwood Curtain Margaret talks about a creek in Arcata, the Jolly Giant Creek, and a new art project to honor it. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2021/may/11/jolly-giant-creek-art/ https://www.arcataplayhouse.org/events/art-and-the-environment-keeping-the-giant-jolly/ arcata parks:  https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=7d73767b6cbd47a1a9ce460f750d03cb   Welcome to Episode 125 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, where we talk about the link between biodiversity in nature and human happiness; Catherine updates her work on the Metalouse and Margaret shares about her basic sock knitting; she also reports on a recent outdoor art project in honor of the Jolly Giant Creek. Thanks for listening to our podcast.    

Brainy Thing: 20:13 Behind the Redwood Curtain. 34:00   What We're Learning from our Knitting Margaret knitted two double stranded hats. The first was the Double-Quick Marled Beanie from Churchmouse Yarns and Teas https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/double-quick-marled-beanie using Rowan Kid Classic from Churchmouse Yarns and Teas in a subtle cream and pale grey color. She modified this slightly using HandMaiden Casbah https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/search#sort=best&query=handmaiden%20fine%20yarns and Casbah Silk Fine. Catherine still needs to assemble her gnome but has started Stephen West's Metalouse from Knitty. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/metalouse. Stephen West. https://www.ravelry.com/designers/stephen-west   Brainy Thing We hear a lot about making positive changes for our mental and physical health but changing habits is difficult. Margaret reports on a video from Dr. Kelly McGonigal on Willpower. She's also written a book on it as well as a book on movement. https://www.bestyear.life/kellymcgonigal https://www.ted.com/talks/kelly_mcgonigal_how_to_make_stress_your_friend movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtc1iWm_KCI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_McGonigal   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine shares information on Fernbridge, the 110 year old structure bridging Highway 101 with the town of Ferndale. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernbridge_(bridge)   In Episode 124 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we explore some of the elements of willpower than could help us make positive change. In Our knitting, we talk about two double stranded hats and a new heavily textured shawl. And we consider a classic landmark of the Northcoast -- Fernbridge. Thanks for listening to our podcast and you can subscribe anywhere you listen to podcasts.    

Brainy thing: 24:14. Behind the Redwood Curtain:  34:50                     What we are learning from our knitting: Catherine arranged her house to tackle the space requirements for blocking large shawls -- Heaven Scent by Boo Knits https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/heaven-scentand Bright Sunny Day by Sivia Harding https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bright-sunny-day. She is happy to start Stephen Wests' Metalouse shawl https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/metalouse. Margaret tackled some knitting in black -- a sphere ornament called RBG Ball by Lexie Bryan commemorating Ruth Bader Ginsberg https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rbg-balland a large and thick potholder called Baker's Twine by Ducathi https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bakers-twine     Revenge bedtime procrastination Postponing bedtime -- even to the point of being unhealthy -- seems to be one way some people are trying to take control of their lives during the pandemic. It's called Revenge Bedtime Procrastination. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene/revenge-bedtime-procrastination:   Honor tax There is a movement in our community called the honor tax -- a voluntary payment to the local Wiyot tribal nation for recognition of the traditional land that we are using. http://www.honortax.org/ https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/cost-of-occupation/Content?oid=2130244 https://madriverunion.com/indigenous-peoples-day-sees-honor-tax-appeal/     Welcome to Episode 123 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit where we focus on the increasingly familiar phenomenon called Revenge Bedtime Procrastination; We share our recent knitting progress including a blocking party for shawls and knitting in black -- including an rbg ornament and a potholder. We also introduce the concept of an honor tax -- a voluntary, self-determined payment to local native tribes. Show notes and links are in the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Group in Ravelry, in Libsyn, and often in the app you use to play your podcasts. We hope that you'll tell others about our podcast and subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Thank you for listening.    

Brainy Thing:   16:14       Behind the Redwood Curtain:   24:21   What We're Learning from our Knitting:  Margaret finished her first poncho -- well, actually a shoulder cosy:  Wave Shoulder Cozy by Eline Oftedal https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wave-shoulder-cosy with beads and starring Dragonfly Fibers yarns from Laura Nelkin's Ducenti Shawl kit.   She also played around with raffia yarn from Churchmouse yarns and teas making their pattern for stars. Catherine finished her second Socky Slouchy Hat of late  in fingering weight yarn:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/socky-slouchy-hat. by Lauren Sanchez: https://www.ravelry.com/designers/lauren-sanchez.   She's frustrated finding a scrubbie pattern she likes and continues working on her gnome.   Brainy Thing: Margaret continues to report on resilience, this time sharing information from Rick Hanson, a psychologist, neuroscientists, and Buddhist. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_hardwire_resilience_into_your_brain https://www.rickhanson.net/teaching/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/ https://www.rickhanson.net/ https://www.rickhanson.net/being-well-podcast/   Behind the Redwood Curtain: There's a little section of roadway on Highway 101 about 60 miles north of Arcata that is prone to rock slides. Catherine reports on Last Chance Grade: https://lastchancegrade.com/#:~:text=The%20Last%20Chance%20Grade%20Project,miles%20south%20of%20Crescent%20City.  

Brainy thing:   23:21     Behind the Redwood Curtain: 28:43   What We're Learning from Our Knitting. Catherine is giving away hats at the dog park. Socky Slouchy Hat: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/socky-slouchy-hat. by Lauren Sanchez: https://www.ravelry.com/designers/lauren-sanchez Margaret finished her ADVENTure Gnome: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/adventure-gnome by Sarah Schira: https://www.ravelry.com/designers/sarah-schira and offers a list of points for finding an instructional knitting video for best learning.   Brainy Thing: Catherine reports on The Brain Booth at Humboldt State University which could be a model for any school, institution or business. https://libguides.humboldt.edu/brainbooth   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Margaret talks about oyster farming in Humboldt Bay and the currently virtual yearly Oyster Festival in Arcata the 3rd week of June. Aqua Rodeo. https://aqua-rodeofarms.com/ Hog Island Oyster. https://hogislandoysters.com/oysters/farming. Coast Seafood https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/coast-seafoods-co/Location?oid=2182300 Peg House: http://thepeghouse.com/ Oyster Festival: https://arcatamainstreet.com/oyster-festival       Welcome to Episode 121 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit where Catherine reports on the Brain Booth at Humboldt State University that offers a wealth of different strategies to support brain growth and decrease stress. It could be a model for any school, institution or business; Catherine and Margaret talk about their knitting: hats and gnomes and Margaret shares some guidelines on instructional videos, particularly for knitting that best help learning. And Margaret dips into oyster farming in Humboldt Bay. Your can subscribe to Teaching Your Brain to Knit anywhere you listen to podcasts and our shownotes are on Libsyn, Ravelry and on some podcast servers when you listen.                                          

Brainy Thing:  13:52            Behind the Redwood Curtain. 21:23     What We're Learning from Our Knitting Margaret investigates the construction of Pom Poms she used in her knitting and the one trick that will make your pom poms neat and tidy.  Stitch and Sheep: https://sheepandstitch.com/library/how-to-make-a-pom-pom/ Purl Soho: https://www.purlsoho.com/shop?q=pom%20pom. Arne and Carlos Bird: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-bird. Catherine is that pause between finishing one project and starting the next, exploring patterns and yarns. Sivia Harding Bright Shiny Day. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bright-sunny-day. https://www.ravelry.com/people/sivia     Brainy Thing:  Resilience In the first of multiple reports, Margaret shares basic definitions and strategies in developing resilience -- the ability to bounce back from adversity. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/202005/the-8-key-elements-resilience#:~:text=Resilience%20is%20defined%20as%20the,bounce%20back%20from%20adverse%20events. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/lifespan-perspectives/202003/seven-skills-resilience https://www.bouncebackproject.org/     Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Public Art in Eureka Ocean Love (or Mother Love) bench along Eureka Waterfront Trail. https://www.google.com/search?q=Ocean+love+public+park+bench+eureka&client=firefox-b-1-d&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=iWSI8R6maQ93PM%252CfKl-MnwYLTBSsM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSKDo1-FX2oiNI1weMq4JSm_Dyqkg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgisK15MbtAhWQjp4KHRmXDPIQ9QF6BAgMEAE#imgrc=C1kHCj0oX8BvuM   https://www.google.com/search?q=Ocean+love+public+park+bench+eureka&client=firefox-b-1-d&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=iWSI8R6maQ93PM%252CfKl-MnwYLTBSsM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSKDo1-FX2oiNI1weMq4JSm_Dyqkg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjgisK15MbtAhWQjp4KHRmXDPIQ9QF6BAgMEAE#imgrc=iWSI8R6maQ93PM       Today on Episode 120 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we begin our examination of resilience -- our ability to bounce back from adversity.  Catherine is enjoying a slight pause between finishing a big knitting project and starting a new one with the fun of selecting patterns and yarn.  Margaret shares her latest projects and her discovery of the many ways to make pom poms, including a tip that makes them neat and tidy.  And Catherine takes us to Eureka along the Waterfront Trail and the public art/bench piece called Ocean Love but nicknamed mother love for the mother and child sea lions sculpted.          

Brainy 16:20. Behind the Redwood Curtain. 25:00   What We're Learning from Our Knitting We're appreciating the community spirit behind swaps and knit-a-longs as Catherine participates in the annual Dishcloth Swap and Sivia Hardings Bright Sunny Day knit-a-long Annual Dishcloth Swap. https://www.ravelry.com/groups/annual-dishcloth-swap Bright Sunny Day shawl. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bright-sunny-day Julia Farwell-Clay. Bodhi Leaf. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bodhi-leaf-washcloth Basic Bird. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-bird. Arne and Carlos   video re gut condition. podcast. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bright-sunny-day   Brainy Thing: The Brain Gut connection goes both ways and food can positively effect your moods. video re Brain gut condition. podcast. https://www.uclahealth.org/SitePages/video-player.html?v=Yb5v-6dUjqA&t=youtube. from UCLA Kirsten Tillisch , MD   Behind the Redwood Curtain We report on the special delights of Fall and Winter Gardening: lettuce, spinach, sprouting broccoli, Chinese cabbage, bok choi among other treats.   And don't forget the role of the vagus nerve ( check out Episode 110.)   Behind the Redwood Curtain: We report on the special delights of Fall and Winter Gardening: lettuce, spinach, sprouting broccoli, Chinese cabbage, bok choi among other treats.   Today on Episode 119 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we discuss the latest research on the brain/gut connection and how it can affect our moods; we report on the community spirit of swaps, in particular Catherine's dish cloth swap and her continuing progress on Sivia Hardings Knit-a-long; Margaret talks more about bird knitting and in addition, leaf knitting; and we share experiences of fall and winter gardening on the North Coast of California. We hope you can tell we are making progress with our distant sound quality but we're still hoping for great improvement. Thanks for listening.

Brainy thing:     17:09   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  24:36   What We’ve Learned from our Knitting: Margaret finished Sarah Schirra’s Mystery Knit-along named Nice to Gnome you.   Knitting with two strands of yarn was challenging — especially with the nose and the center double decrease but she enjoyed watching how the various doubled yarns of different colors worked together.    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nice-to-gnome-you https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/double-vision/?mc_cid=c289c548d9&mc_eid=f7638ac441    She used a combination of colors from Leading Men Fibers. https://www.leadingmenfiberarts.com/ Afterwards, she knit Susan B. Anderson’s Peas in a Pod, a tiny amigurumi project where she made small balls with ease.   Finally, she discovered and knit an Izzy Doll, to be donated to charity https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/summer-veggie-charm-set    sethttps://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#sort=best&inline=&query=izzy  https://cmea-agmc.ca/story-izzy-dolls#:~:text=During%20his%20first%20peace%2Dkeeping,dolls%20and%20Mark%20distributed%20them. Catherine is steadily knitting and enjoying Bright Summer Day, a shawl designed by Sivia Harding as a Mystery Knit along. Catherine is using Canon Hand Dye by Amy Lee in colors of yellow and maroon.  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bright-sunny-day   Brainy Thing: One of the most under-appreciated senses, smell not only is key in our sense of taste but also helps us form emotional links with others. https://www.brainfacts.org/thinking-sensing-and-behaving/smell/2015/making-sense-of-scents-smell-and-the-brain https://www.dana.org/article/the-senses-smell-and-taste/ https://www.fifthsense.org.uk/psychology-and-smell/ https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/smell-disorders#1 https://hms.harvard.edu/news/how-covid-19-causes-loss-smell#:~:text=Analyses%20of%20electronic%20health%20records,to%20patients%20without%20COVID%2D19 https://n.neurology.org/content/smell-brain.     Behind the Redwood Curtain:   Catherine discovers that a small local creek has a big history and has landed right in the middle of the Cancel Culture debate.     Today in Episode 118 of Teaching your Brain to Knit, we explore the sense of smell and how it connects us to others; We report on knitting projects — the Bright Sunny Day shawl, a mystery gnome, peas in a pod, and Izzy, the charity doll, and we discuss the small neighborhood Janes Creek which is now embroiled in local politics.  As has been the case with the last few podcasts, we’ve recorded this on zoom which suffers from occasional sound distortions.  We are continuing to search for solutions which will work with our antiquated digital equipment.  Thanks for your patience and thanks for listening to Teaching Your Brain to Knit.    

Brainy thing: 19:33    Behind the Redwood Curtain (and beyond):  34:15   What We’re Learning from our Knitting: Catherine finished hosting 2020 Potholder exchange which she said was successful.   She has been doing some dyeing with procion dyes which she says was  fun but messy and recommends kool aid dyes (acid)  for beginners.   Her current project that she’s making for the Dishcloth Exchange is Log Cabin Dishcloth by Mary Anne Dinsmore  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/log-cabin-dishcloth.   She also working on the Bright Sunny Day Mystery Knit Along by Sivia Harding Using Canon Hand Dyes by the Other Amy Lee but going slower than the clues are coming out.  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bright-sunny-day Margaret finished the third Potholder for the exchange using Chicken Potholder  by Erangi Udeshika https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chicken-potholder-6 .  She also finished two projects in Laura Nelkins Kit Knit along.  First was a very pleasurable two color Stranded hat call Proto Lola https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/proto-lola  in green and white, Berroco Catena and Istez Lettlopi.   She’s was challenged by the combination of yarn (JaggerSpun Zephyr wool/silk laceweight yarn and small sharp needles.   The pattern is Cassio Collar  and the beads and findings are lovely.   In fact the whole thing is lovely now that it’s done.   I have an extra kit that I’m happy to send to a listener who is the first one on this thread (Episode 117) on our Ravelry Group  Teaching Your Brain to Knit.     Brainy Thing: Catherine discusses the difference between Empathy, Compassion and Pity and the role genetics and the brain plays on compassion. https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/study-finds-that-genes-play-a-role-in-empathy  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201310/the-neuroscience-empathy#:~:text=This%20specific%20part%20of%20your,the%20the%20right%20supramarginal%20gyrus.&text=This%20area%20of%20the%20brain,responsible%20for%20empathy%20and%20compassion.She also shares some compassion quizzes and recommends George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100171h.html  and Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin.    Max Planck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Planck      https://mpfi.org/ Greater Good quiz  https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/quizzes/take_quiz/empathy   Behind the Redwood Curtain The local Natural Fiber Fair is going virtual this year http://www.naturalfiberfair.com/  so all can attend free this year.   Watch out for other local fiber events that may be going online.  Stitches has had virtual events https://stitches.events/  and Vogue Knitting will be putting on Virtual Knitting Live by Vogue Knitting on September 10-13 and October 8 through 11 https://www.vogueknittinglive.com/portal   Marketplace:   https://www.handspunhope.org/events?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwf3OmdbV6wIVxcDACh0OzQ0cEAAYASAAEgI2p_D_BwE.     Welcome to Teaching Your Brain to Knit, episode 117 where we explore the genetic and brain links to Compassion, report on Catherine’s progress on Potholders and Sivia Harding’s Mystery Knit along and Margaret’s completion of two of Laura Nelkin’s kits.  We share that our local Natural Fiber Fair is going virtual and encourage everyone to check out their own local fiber events as well as national fiber shows that are happening online.    

Brainy Thing: 25:48       Behind the Redwood Curtain:  36:28   What We’re Learning From Our Knitting: Margaret got caught up in casting on projects but not finishing them.   She did complete three Chicken Potholders  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chicken-potholder-6  by Erangi Udeshika using Knit Picks Dishy and Dishy Twist in silver and orange and Naturatura organic yarn in pale yellow.   She hopes to finish some of those projects she started.    Catherine also finished potholders,  named “Potholder for my Mother”  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/potholder-for-my-mother by Ellinor Wideen.  She also used Knit Picks Dishy Twist and a number of leftover  cottons in a variety of colors from  her stash. Both are anticipating Myster Knit a longs.   Brainy Thing: We’re familiar with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but some scientists are studying Post Traumatic Growth that we can experience after we process the discomforts of the trauma.   https://sites.uncc.edu/ptgi/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2013/01/PTG-Conceptual-Foundtns.pdf https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BHEABAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=post+traumatic+growth&ots=o4EMAfbxGo&sig=W9vdXDzR7tBiVbyncM_kkt3ct_I#v=onepage&q=post%20traumatic%20growth&f=false  https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=cs2QAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=post+traumatic+growth&ots=ndjgS0-wEK&sig=Fyrz1cEjWkLGF3WkO8po-O4eETE#v=one

Brainy: 16:00    Behind the Redwood Curtain: 25:42   What we’re learning from our Knitting and crochet: Catherine’s comfort knitting is the Socky Slouchy Hat  by Lauren Sanchez.   She’s using a Canon Hand dye sock yarn in a deep black and periwinkle.  Lauren Sanchez  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/socky-slouchy-hat.  And she continues her search for the best gauge to use for a potholder with the Knit Picks Dishie Twist. Margaret is also searching for comfort and returned to Arne and Carlos for their basic bird.   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/basic-bird.  And she picked up the black bird project she tried from Nikki Figikoska’s book:   Knitted Birds.  She started it a couple of years ago but put it aside when she stuffed it and it looked more like a rat than a bird.   She was prepared to rip the whole thing out but as she began to take the stuffing out she noticed it began to look more like a bird so with a little shifting around she has a beautiful bird in a bright aqua and stellina scrap yarn.   She also discovered a list of collective nouns on the wiktionary collective https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Glossary_of_collective_nouns_by_subject       Brainy Thing:  Even just planning a vacation helps our brains     Destination healthy aging https://globalcoalitiononaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/destination-healthy-aging-fact-sheet_final-1.pdf  and Paul Nussbaum How to stiumulate the brain  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhWJGgkPFhsvideo Applied research and quality of life 2010   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Margaret discovered the many benefits of yhe sweet smelling intensely blue ceanothus   https://www.laspilitas.com/groups/ceanothus/california_ceanothus.html   Today in episode 115 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we learn how to get the brain benefits of traveling, without traveling;  Margaret and Catherine report on their comfort knitting , and Margaret discovers the many benefits of the native shrub, ceanothus.   Recorded on zoom with all the vicissitudes that platform presents.   Deadline for the 2020 Potholder Swap is August 1

Brainy thing:  17:42      Behind the Redwood Curtain:  28:36   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Margaret gains an even greater appreciation for well written directions.  Two great patterns, in particular  that she’s worked on lately is Wooly Sheep by  Lucy of Attic 24 https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/woolly-sheep-2.  She used scrap yarn.    She added a touch of embroidery on the sweater/blanket for the sheep.  Also, she’s working on the Baker’s Twine potholder out of  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baker-s-twine  two strands of dk cotton, one black and one white.  The designer is Catherina Duden.   Her company is Ducathi.   Catherine is working away at her Socky Slouchy Hat by Loren Sanchez  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/socky-slouchy-hat.    She’s also trying to find a gauge she likes for a potholder for her potholder exchange:  the 2020 Potholder Exchange:  https://www.ravelry.com/groups/2020-potholder-swap   Brainy Thing:  Countering the Stress of the  Pandemic Experiencing sheltering-in-place and isolation creates stress for most of us.  Margaret shares many strategies for helping to ease your way through the crisis. https://www.businessinsider.com/what-coronavirus-covid19-pandemic-stress-is-doing-to-your-brain-2020-5 https://www.wired.com/story/what-does-covid-19-do-to-your-brain/    cytokines   April 30  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/demystifying-psychiatry/202004/effects-covid-19-the-brain   https://www.sciencealert.com/some-covid-19-patients-are-also-reporting-neurological-symptoms   blood brain barrier   https://theconversation.com/lethargic-global-response-to-covid-19-how-the-human-brains-failure-to-assess-abstract-threats-cost-us-dearly-137119   slow response   research necessary mental health   https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/15/health/covid-19-mental-health-pandemic-wellness-intl-scli-gbr/index.html   upper and lower brain   https://www.forbes.com/sites/rahulrazdan/2020/04/26/sustainability-covid-19-elon-musk-and-a-tale-of-the-upper-and-lower-brain-/#547f277273ba   what we don’t know   https://www.newyorker.com/science/medical-dispatch/what-we-dont-know-about-covid-19   poly vagal  https://acepblog.org/2020/05/05/the-pandemic-zoom-and-polyvagal-theory/ https://www.registerguard.com/news/20200601/prevention-dont-hold-in-anxiety-get-relief-by-talking-about-it https://today.uconn.edu/2020/06/americans-coping-covid-19-stress/ https://www.newswise.com/coronavirus/the-potential-of-covid-19-to-infect-the-brain/?article_id=731490   Behind the Redwood Curtain: The Humboldt Open Studios allows visitors and patrons to see artists where they work.  This year’s event is cancelled but we hope it continues in the future.     Welcome to Episode 114 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit.   Today we shares many strategies for helping you ease your way through the isolation and separation of the Pandemic.  Margaret gains a new appreciation for well written directions and mentions two projects with excellent directions that she’s been working on.   Catherine continues working on her Socky Sloucy Hat and struggles to find a perfect gauge for her potholder.   And she also reports on an annual event in Humboldt, the artists’ Open Studios which sadly has been canceled this year but that we hope you can catch in the future.   Many thanks to KnittyBarb of the Two Knit Lit Chicks Podcast who shared her tips on recording remotely with me.   Unfortunately, both Catherine and I have very old devices and so the sound quality here continues to be less than ideal.   But we’re working on it.     Thanks for listening to our podcast.  We’re going to increase the frequency of our podcasts to a bit more than once a month.   If you subscribe — we’re on most podcast apps and aggregators — you’ll be sure not to miss our episodes.     

Brainy: 21:26  Mind/Body Depression, Pain and the Brain Behind the Redwood Curtain:      28:04   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting Both Catherine and Margaret (without consultation with each other) made hats for themselves.  Catherine knit the Socky Slouchy Hat by Lauren Sanchez https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/socky-slouchy-hat Margaret’s was the Churchmouse Yarns and Teas Boyfriend Watch Cap https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/boyfriend-watch-capMargaret also tried out the famous and infamous ball band washcloth pattern but she extended the length into a towel.   She used Knit Pick’s new twisted Dishie in Black and White with the contrasting yarn in matching solid black.   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ballband-dishcloth  It was a fun pattern to do.  And Catherine is taking up the gauntlet and hosting the 2020 Potholder exchange.  https://www.ravelry.com/groups/2020-potholder-swap.   Brainy Thing: Catherine leads us into a deep dig into the Mind-Body phenomena, specifically the relationship between pain and the brain.     Behind the Redwood Curtain. In our little town and probably yours, dozens of businesses are joining the campaign to protect our communities.   Here are some we mentioned: Holly Yashi https://www.hollyyashi.com/ Kokotat  https://kokatat.com/ Bubbles  https://www.bubbles-arcata.com/?ccUser= North Coast Dance  http://www.atlpublishing.com/NCD/Mobile.html North Coast Repertory https://ncrt.net/   Today in Episode 113 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we dive deeply into the mind/body phenomena specifically  Pain and Depression and how you might improve both;  We discuss our new knitting:  Hats and a dishtowel plus Catherine takes up the challenge to host the Potholder swap.  And in Behind the Redwood Curtain, we celebrate the local business who are making masks, face guards, and sanitizers to help protect our community.   We’re sure there are businesses in your community that are doing the same thing.     And before we begin, I just want to note that I’m not happy with the sound quality in this episode.  We spent a lot of time and some money trying to figure out a way to record remotely with our older computers but this was the best we could do this time.   Rest assured that we will continue to experiment and hopefully have a better quality next time.   Until then, stay well.        

Brainy Thing:  21:11    Behind the Redwood Curtain  29:33    What we’re learning from our knitting: Margaret participated in Sara Schira’s MKAL3 for a new Gnome "Gnome is Where you Hang Your Hat" https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gnome-is-where-you-hang-your-hat.  This one features stranded colorwork.   Margaret also got caught up in other cute projects including Henry’s Bunny https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/henrys-bunny by Sara Elizabeth Kellner and Susan B. Anderson’s Spring Charm set https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/spring-charm-set.   Despite the cuteness of these projects, they have been good skill builders.   Catherine points us toward the March 2020 edition of Better Homes and Gardens which features beautiful visible mending https://www.bhg.com/better-homes-and-garden-magazine/.   She also completed an embellished Jellyfish bath scrubby https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jellyfish-bath-scrubbies by Julie Tarsha.     Brainy Thing: Margaret discovers how “cute” things impact our brains and stimulates dopamine and how an overdose of these neurochemicals can cause aggression.   https://bigthink.com/aeon-ideas/how-the-cute-pikachu-is-a-chocolate-milkshake-for-the-brain https://www.brainson.org/shows/2016/12/06/what-makes-cute-things-cute https://theconversation.com/how-cute-things-hijack-our-brains-and-drive-behaviour-61942 https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/12/31/679832549/when-too-cute-is-too-much-the-brain-can-get-aggressive   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine shares with us the features of the Lady Bird Johnson Grove a superb old growth trail spot.    https://www.visitredwoods.com/listing/lady-bird-johnson-grove/517/ http://www.redwoodhikes.com/RNP/LBJ.html.       Today in Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we discover how cute things trigger happy brain chemicals and how too much cute can cause aggression.   We explore how cute projects can also build skills and then share one of the most popular hiking trails in our area:  The Lady Bird Johnson Grove.  

Brainy Thing:  23:31     Behind the Redwood Curtain:  34:16   What We Learned from Our Knitting Catherine has found the perfect combination of yarn, needles and pattern in the Baker’s Street Scarf https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baker-street-scarf  by Joan of Dark  and on Knitty http://knitty.com/ISSUEff15/index.php.   She used Brittany birchwood needles and Blue Moon Fiber Company’s yarn in the Evermore colorway.     Margaret is proclaiming Sarah Schira the Queen of the gnomes after  investigation into gnome-dom.    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#query=sarah%20schira&sort=best&view=captioned_thumbs&page=1  Margaret knit two of them for gifts and is joining Sarah’s newest mystery knit-a-long for Gnemo:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gnome-is-where-you-hang-your-hat.   There are scores, maybe hundred of other gnome options.  Margaret mentions the Jolly Wee Elf by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jolly-wee-elf    She also knit one of the five designs in Holiday Trees pattern by Yellow Cosmo. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/holiday-trees-2  She bought the kit on Bluprint and used its Cloudborn Superwash in dark green and white.    Brainy Thing: Chocolate just doesn’t taste good, it has a host of natural chemicals that are good for our bodies and minds and she’ll reveal the secret of why it is a particularly good choice for Valentine Days Gifts.     Behind the Redwood Curtain: We visit a boutique craft chocolate company in Humboldt, Dick Taylor,  that ships all over the world. (We got to sample all of their products.)    If you want to join Sara Schira’s gnome-a-long  that starts February 12, check this out:   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gnome-is-where-you-hang-your-hat.    

Brainy thing:  23:46   Behind the Redwood Curtain:   37:07 What we’re learning from our knitting:   Margaret’s knitting this time focused on small items.    She was amazed at the design originality of Rebecca Langford’s Little rustic pumpkin https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/little-rustic-pumpkin that she started in in Kelbourne Woolens, Germantown, Gold but sadly didn’t have enough to complete. Just to be able to complete something she took up the crocheted Fall Leaves Pattern https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fall-leaves-3 by Michelle @ the Painted Hinge.  She completed the  Caps for Kids Swirled Ski Hat https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/swirled-ski-cap by Caps for Kids from the organization but also included in Knitting for Peace by Betty Christiansen.  Finally, her favorite, most fun, quick, quick project this time was the Pint Sized Pines by Julie Tarsha  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/pint-sized-pines made from scraps of Mission Falls 1824 cotton. Catherine worked on crocheted cotton Rainbow Flower Scrubby Dishcloth https://www.mooglyblog.com/rainbow-flower-scrubby-dishcloth-free-crochet-pattern/ https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/rainbow-flower-scrubby-dishcloth by Tamara Kelly but sadly her new puppy loves them and took a bite out of one.  She has fallen love with some yarn that she will work up as a scarf. http://www.bluemoonfiberarts.com/newmoon/   Brainy Thing:  The Vagus Nerve Labeled the “queen of nerves” the Vagus Nerve plays a major role in connection between the trunk of the body and the brain and seems able to affect a host of conditions from inflammation to depression.  Margaret outlines the remarkable connections the Vagus Nerve makes and how to stimulate it for good health.   https://www.mentalfloss.com ›    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › https://www.thecut.com    Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Utility Boxes As Art Who would have thought of using outdoor Utility Boxes as a canvas for art?   The City of Eureka did and the results are fun and engaging.  https://www.ci.eureka.ca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=12986   https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2018/may/4/eurekas-first-utility-box-art-installation-finishe/   https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2018/may/17/outraged-business-owner-convinces-city-cover-cat-p/   Today in Episode 110 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we outline the many ways the Vagus Nerve connects the brain with the body and the many ways you can stimulate it that will improve your health.  Margaret shares the small  but satisfying projects she worked on, Catherine talks about crocheting scrubbies and her excitement about new yarn , and she reports how the city of Eureka used its Utility Boxes as canvases for outdoor art. 

Brainy:  15:22                      Behind the Redwood Curtain:  29:45   What We’re Learning from our Knitting: Catherine has found the same peace with English Paper Quilting that she gets with knitting but she’s not abandoning knitting and has plans for new projects.   Margaret revisited the   Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh, making one for her. Ravelry   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jewish-hearts-for-pittsburgh hearts https://www.planetjune.com/blog/free-crochet-patterns/love-hearts/ 6 pointed stars https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/beginners-flower--6-point-star https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/suzies-6-point-star-embellishment She also discovers an interesting book on an historical look at using crafts for dissent. Crafting Dissent by Hinda Mandell   https://www.amazon.com/Crafting-Dissent-Handicraft-Revolution-Association/dp/1538118394/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=crafting+dissent&qid=1575327532&s=books&sr=1-1 And of course, she found another  Laura Nelkin pattern to knit up — a felted hot pad: Another Contexta  by Laura Nelkin https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/another-contexta using Germantown wool   Brainy Thing: On her way to check out Theta Waves Catherine discovers binaural beats that in one study successfully relieved pre-surgery anxiety.  There are also wild claims about this phenomenon but research is showing that some of those claims may be proven out.   https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2044.2005.04287.x Also, she offers a tip on a show that illustrates the amazing-ness of the human brain: NOVA   4619  Looks Who’s Driving  https://video.aptv.org/video/nova-4619-grmkax/ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20190920pbs30/   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Margaret reports on a must-see North Coast phenomen — Fern Canyon.   https://www.visitredwoods.com/listing/fern-canyon-in-prairie-creek-redwoods-sp/464/     Today, in Episode 109 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we touch on English Paper Quilting, we follow up on Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh, and look at another Laura Nelkin kit — a felted hot pad called Another Contexta.    Although there are some wild claims for binaural beats, some studies are showing useful applications.  We talk about them.   And then we report on the famous, magical Fern Canyon in Behind the Redwood Curtain.     Thank you for listening to our podcast.   You can find the show notes on ravelry and inside some podcast apps.   You can find us on Facebook and rarely instagram.   We hope you subscribe and continue to listen to us.  

Brainy Thing:  16:15    Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:41   Margaret finished the Laura Nelkin Kairos wristlet https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/kairos-2.   She particularly liked the randomness of the bead placement.  This was a kit and Laura offers 5 different colorways on her etsy store.     Catherine hasn’t done much knitting but she’s working on a pair of Baby Socks https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks-23  and has reaped the rewards of her dishcloth exchange.    https://www.ravelry.com/groups/annual-dishcloth-swap: Some of the patterns she received are Blossom (crochet),   The Almost Lost Washcloth https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-almost-lost-washcloth;   in swimming pool colorway, The Sail Away Dishcloth—  (joann’s )  and  Poppy.       Brainy Thing:  Brain Changes in Animal-Human Interactions Why does it feel so good to pet your animal (or even watch colorful fish?)   There’s a whole world of research out there and recent studies show chemical and structural changes in both animal and human brains when they interact.  And those changes make both  feel good.   Book mentioned :  How Dogs Love Us:  A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain   by Gregory Berns     Other research links:   https://www.google.com/search?q=prolactine&oq=prolactine&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.12407j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4625213/ns/health-pet_health/t/puppy-love----its-better-you-think/#.XYve7GRKgUQ https://www.cnet.com/news/my-week-with-aibo-what-its-like-to-live-with-sonys-robot-dog/ http://sciencenetlinks.com/science-news/science-updates/robotic-dog/y.   Welcome to episode 108 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, a bit delayed because of power outages and other events.   Today, we will explore how the brain changes in animal and human interactions;  we’ll talk about a cute little beaded wristlet;  report on the Annual Washcloth exchange,  and discuss a Northcoast landmark — the Samoa Cookhouse.     Thank you for listening to our podcast.  You can subscribe to us on most podcasting platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Shownotes are on Ravelry and on many podcast platforms, embedded in the show.  We’re behind posting on our Webpage but we’ll catch up someday.       Behind the Redwood Curtain:  The Samoa Cookhouse   samoa cookhouse winter hours  https://www.samoacookhouse.net/menu    

Brainy:    13:05           Behind the Redwood Curtain 27:30  What We’re Learning from our Knitting:   It’s socks, socks, socks in our knitting this episode.  Catherine shares the sad tale of her puppy getting to a washcloths she had finished for her Washcloth exchange.   Now she gets to keep the slightly chewed Vortex 5 by Rebecca Hudson  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vortex-5-dishcloth but needs to make another one.  She decided on the perfect traveling project:  Baby socks.   Some patterns she likes are  ribbed far away baby socks   originally from Afghan for afghans made in worsted weight https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ribbed-far-away-baby-socks.  She also like another free baby socks pattern:  jelly bean baby sock spud and chloe  Susan B Anderson  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jelly-bean-baby-socks   Margaret also is working on socks — this time the nugget peds by Laura Nelkin  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#sort=best&inline=&query=Nugget%20peds.  She also offers some of her favorite sock tips:   kate Atherly heel trick  http://kateatherley.blogspot.com/2014/04/more-questions-on-sock-fit.html lucy neatby heel The slippurl and alternative heel stitch  https://www.lucyneatby.com/extras/newsletters/SY19.html   Finchley graft video by Roxanne Richardson:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3sD_RU720c  (watch out! The opening ad is loud)   Lorilee Beltman how to  remember the kitchner stitch:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkW3kP7RZdk    Brainy Thing:   Analysis Paralysis  overanalysis squelches creativity 1959 Barry Swartz  The paradox of choice The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin Podcast recommended:   Happier (also by Gretchen Rubin)   Ambition and balance  blog by Doist Links:       https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/don-t-overthink-it-less-is-more-when-it-comes-to-creativity/   http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/bschwar1/maximizing.pdf   https://gretchenrubin.com/2011/12/dont-fall-into-decision-quicksand/   https://doist.com/blog/category/productivity/   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Fancy Website:  Visit Humboldt https://www.visithumboldt.com/ More basic website:  Humboldt california redwood coast https://www.visitredwoods.com/   Today on Episode 107 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we discuss a beaded cuff sock, Nugget Peds by laura Nelkin plus a few sock tips and tricks to spice it up;   We find baby socks the perfect travel knitting and offer some patterns.  Analysis Paralysis is a real thing and we not share the brain science behind it but offer some tips to kicking it; and we present an overview of tourism on the Northcoast from attractions to wholistic groceries.     Today we have another give away — this time a book from my library — a gently owned book named “Slow Knitting a journey from sheep to skein to stitch”   by Hannah Thiessen.  It chronicles her journey from the “getting it done quickly” attitude with her knitting to slowing down and deep her understanding of all the processes of her practice.  The book is a mixture of patterns, essays from a variety of professionals in the industry and beautiful photographs.  Companies include Green Mountain Spinner and O-Wool.  The patterns include lots of sweaters but also shawls and cowls and hats and mittens.  Hannah divides her book with the themes of “source carefully”  produce thoughtfully   think environmenta  lly experiment fearlessly and explore Openly.  This is a book you slow down with and come back too.       

Brainy thing:  18:37       Behind the Redwood Curtain: 29:19 What We’re Learning From Our Knitting Margaret finished a pair of summer socks:  Top down, 1x1 twist rib cuff, afterthought heel with gusset,  (check out Ariana Hipsagh    gussets in afterthought heel  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUyJM2FBH_o Reena Meijer Dress  Knit better Socks blog  http://knitbettersocks.blogspot.com/) The yarn is  Canon Hand Dyed 80 Merino, 10 Cashmere and 10 nylon.by The Amy Lee Show and the colorway is “I will believe that there are unicorns” a part of her January Shakespeare Club and a quote from the Tempest.   She learned a lot from making the first step from Laura Nelkin’s Ducenti Shawl https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ducenti-mkal— a beaded i-cord. Made from in two different but closely coordinated colors, the two skeins of yarn came in Laura Nelkin’s Ducenti Shawl kit,  originally a mystery kit.They are a wonderfully soft single ply Dragonfly Fibers, Pixie yarn in 100 % merino in a mossy green and a variegated dark putty, with hints of a brassy brown and green. But she’s not making the the full shawl as designed by Laura.    She’s using it as the bottom of Eline Oftedal’s Waves Shoulder Cosy https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wave-shoulder-cosy   Catherine shares a free app from Home Depot for matching up colors.   She finds the matches are a tad on the dark side but still thinks it’s a nifty tool.   She found some yarn she’s long been looking for from  Lion Brand gradient stripe in pink for a dog sweater for a dog who looks fierce but isn’t.   She is working on her Dishcloth exchange using cotton she had on hand plus a  ball of lily’s sugar and cream  in white, lime, teal green, and  lavendar.  The pattern is  Vortex 5  by Rebecca Hudson  (Meditative is her Rav name.)      Brainy Thing Margaret reports on recent research on the Placebo effect  — Among the findings are that it works even if people know they are taking a placebo, it works in animals, and it changes an enzyme in the  brain. https://connect.uclahealth.org/2019/03/14/placebo-effect-sugar-pills-as-medicine/   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513296/ https://www.minnpost.com/second-opinion/2019/03/the-mysterious-and-maddening-placebo-effect-what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-it/ http://programinplacebostudies.org/   Arcata Fairy Festival A new kid-friendly event in Arcata is the Fairy Festival, celebrating its second year and planning for the next. https://www.arcatamainstreet.com/fairy-festival   Give Away Another fun giveaway.  Be the first to request it on the Ravelry thread.     In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we discuss summer socks, beaded i-cord, the dishcloth exchange anda pink striped yarn for a dog.   We share the latest on the Placebo Effect and report on a new area event, The Arcata Fairy Festival.    

Brainy Thing: 15:16               Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:41   In episode 105 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we share our knitting stories with buffalo wool, the log cabin mitts, blankets and blanket squares.  We report on research about the effect of diet on depression and the reintroduction of the condor in the Northcoast.   What we’re learning from our Knitting: Catherine plays "too little/too much" with her Caron Big Cake (https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/caron-big-cakes) a 100% acrylic yarn. But she’ll end up with a smaller baby sized blanket and blanket squares for a charity blanket.  Margaret tries out Buffalo Wool Company Prairie (bison and silk)  https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/stunning-string-studio-prairie on a pair of log cabin mitts https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/log-cabin-mitts by Karen Templer.   Great yarn and a fun pattern.   Brainy Thing:   Is there a relationship between diet and depression?   Catherine reports on recent research designed to show the impact of a healthy, modified Mediterranean and depression.  (It helped.)https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325240.php   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Margaret discovers the history of the condor along the North Coast and exciting news that they will be reintroduced.   A Little Podcast Business:   We miss podcasting as much and plan to increase the number of podcasts we’re putting out PLUS we have a yarn give away.   A little Podcast Busines     After a few months on a less frequent schedule for our podcast, Catherine and I have missed it and plan now to put out a podcast about once a month.  It may vary a bit — 3 weeks or 5 weeks but somewhere around one podcast a month.  For the time being, we’ll stick to the same format.   And, as a special treat today, we have a giveaway from the stash — a beautiful handspun, thick and thin, sken of 100% BFL or blue face leister totally 100 gram and containing 106 meters.  It has a marled look with green, a medium dark purple, tan and a offwhite.  It is from Friday Studios.  The first one to request this yarn in the 105 episode thread will receive it.   Until next time.        

Today on episode 104 of the Teaching Your Brain to Knit podcast we have a special treat:  an interview with master knitting teacher Anna Zilboorg.  I recorded this last October while on an Camp Stitches workshop in Coeur d’Alene Idaho.  I was excited to be registered in Anna’s workshop-- Design as You Go Construction.  I have all of Anna’s book and I’ve long admired her philosophy and approach to knitting that she lays out in her book Knitting for Anarchists.   In this interview about both quilting and knitting, Anna shares a bit of her own history, she touches on meditative knitting,  she celebrates our hands,  she talks about learning through the mind and learning with the hands and she worries about knitting becoming rote and- rule bound rather than people growing into being being craftspeople.   Anna's books on Amazon:   https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Anna+Zilboorg&ref=nb_sb_noss_2   Look for her classes at Stitches events.     Information from Wikipedia on terms Anna uses:     accusative —  i.e.  They like them — they is nominative, them is accusative   reflexive  is used when the object of a sentence is the same as the subjective   myself, herself, oneself  In grammar, a reflexive verb is, loosely, a verb whose direct object is the same as its subject, for example, "I wash myself". More generally, a reflexive verb has the same semantic agent and patient (typically represented syntactically by the subject and the direct object). For example, the English verb to perjure is reflexive, since one can only perjure oneself. In a wider sense, the term refers to any verb form whose grammatical object is a reflexive pronoun, regardless of semantics; such verbs are also referred to as pronominal verbs, especially in grammars of the Romance languages. In the Romance languages, the pronominal verbs is a parent category with reflexive verbs as only one of its sub-categories. Other kinds of pronominal verbs are reciprocal (they killed each other), passive (it is told), subjective, idiomatic (the presence of the reflexive pronoun   In her book Splendid Apparel,  Anna writes that her mother worried she thought too much about her knitting and directed her towards more academic pursuits.   Anna was educated at Harvard and taught at MIT but eventually left the academic world of the mind.   She is skeptical of brain oriented knitting and credits the hands for their own intelligence, especially in crafts.   She encourages people to understand their knitting and not just follow the rules.   She’s a bit like Elizabeth Zimmerman in that way.   But Anna also offers detailed instruction on techniques.  The traveling twisted stitch is one of them.  And she’s unvented and adapted a number of other techniques     I’ve edited out a lot of this free wheeling interview although I believe some of you would have enjoyed discussions of feminism and academic politics.   But I wanted to focus on Anna’s journey from the straight lines and head thinking of the academic world to the wandering and explorative world of her hands and her heart.   She is now an Anglican solitary who lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and she teaches knitting  at workshops and conferences on the side.    Throughout the recording, I’ll stop and explain what I’ve edited out and where we’ll head next.      I begin by asking her about something she said in class and writes about in her books:  Knitting instructions never used to be written and learned from —They weren’t even spoken and listened to.  They were demonstrated and copied.     Just to expand a bit on hand learning versus mind learning.   Anna writes in her book Magnificent Mittens and Socks:  “About learning, there is one thing to say:   it isn’t easy.  It is always difficult for fingers to learn to do something new.  On the other hand, when they do, they learn it.   They never forget it , unlike the mind which learns easily and forgets quickly.”   BAck to the interview.     Even though I got the gist of what Anna was saying, I wasn’t familiar with the terms accusative and reflexive so I looked them up.  In Russian, teach and learn are the same verb but a different form.   The reflexive is when something is done to oneself.  Like, I perjure myself.   A person can only perjure one’s self.   No one else can do it to them.   In this instance I believe , the students teach themselves.    The Accusative is when something is done to someone.   In English we say the teacher teaches the student.   Something is being done to the students.   Like Anna says, like a mother bird stuffing the mouths of a baby bird.  This wasn’t very appealing to her.   From this insight of another way of teaching, Anna was more open to teaching as a career.  But as you can imagine, she didn’t approach it in an orthodox way.   A portion of the interview is edited out although I left in our discussion of climate crisis.  Then we broach the subject of brain or mind learning versus the hands learning.     I’ve edited out a large section of discussion on academic politics.   We discussed Anna's frustration and disappointment with teaching at MIT and her leaving it without any firm idea of how she’d make a living.  She used part of this time to explore her spirituality and her interest in what has traditionally been known as “women’s work”.   She turned to quilting and sold her quilts to help   support herself flirted with getting a post doc in divinity but was not willing to return to academia.        As I mentioned earlier, I took Anna’s classes at Camp Stitches. Camp Stitches is a three day immersive knitting workshop with one teacher hosted by Knitting Universe usually at a luxury hotel in some beautiful place.   Yes, it’s a little spendy but what an incredible opportunity to get to know and learn from a teacher.  Anna was teaching the enormously flexible technique of making a vest or sweater by knitting and embellishing strips or panels and then usually joining them as you go.   This approach allows you to design or change your mind as you go.   In addition to the overall construction, we learned Twisted travel stitches, a number of embroidery stitches,  her perfect button hole,  and a variety of general knitting tips and tricks.   She teaches using the traditional way of one-on-one instruction enhanced by other approaches:  she demonstrates to the class from the front of the classroom, sometimes using the board;  then she goes around to each person and watches them execute the technique or coaches them.  She encourages the class for the tricky parts.   She had us learn to knit and purl backwards and kept saying “You can do it.   You can do it.”  And we did.  In the end, our hands learned these techniques.   Anna teaches at Stitches events.   I encourage you to take one of her classes or indulge and spend a whole camp with her.   You won’t regret it.   In our next podcast, Catherine will be back and we have our classic format:  What we learned from our knitting;  A brainy thing;  and Behind the Redwood Curtain where we live.     Looking forward to connecting with you then.  

Brainy thing:  24:18            Behind the Redwood Curtain:  29:40   What we’ve learned from our knitting (and crochet):   Margaret completed her Quest Shawl by Linda Dean featured in the Jimmy Beans Advent Crochet event.   It was great fun but she was glad to finally finish it.   Quest Shawl:https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/quest-shawl.   Then she completed several small projects:  A souvenir from Stitches West, Rebecca Danger’s Wickedly Peaceful Polar Bear:   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wickedly-peaceful-polar-bear-christmas-ornament.   Some eggs including one by Nicky Fijalkowska in her book  Knitted Birds    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/knitted-birds-by-nicky-fijalkowska and one that Margaret freelanced on her own.   Finally, to mix up needle sizes, she finished the Jolly Wee Elf by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jolly-wee-elf in worsted weight yarn and size 5 needles.    In this process she became curious about casting on small circular objects and found the following links helpful:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRHzIYEK7a8   and circular  Cast on:   https://knitmuch.com/4-cast-ons-for-knitting-circular-lace/ She also found a great tutorial for stuffing these items by Sarah Schira from Imagined Landscapes, famously a gnome designer:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkSFzJDULFA   Catherine sadly lost the bag with her textured blanket squares but started with a new project for the Welcome Blanket project:   https://www.welcomeblanket.org/patterns/ .She’s  using Caron's Yarnspirations in the summer berry colorway.   Brainy Thing: How do birds migrate and bees find their way?   One way is through magnetoreception and now scientists have recorded human responses to changes in the magnetic field.   But test subjects didn’t seem able to consciously feel those changes.   https://www.livescience.com/65018-human-brain-senses-magnetic-field.html  http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2019/03/18/human-brain-magnetoreception-magnetic-field-sense/#.XJBsGGRKhFQ http://theconversation.com/new-evidence-for-a-human-magnetic-sense-that-lets-your-brain-detect-the-earths-magnetic-field-113536   Behind the Redwood Curtain: County residents are concerned that the Netflix series Murder Mountain will cast a negative shadow on Southern Humboldt County, but Catherine tells us about a little known treasure in the middle of remote and wild SoHum:  The Redwoods Monastery  or  Our Lady of the Redwoods  in White Thorn operated by  Cistercian nuns and who also market their delicious honey. https://www.redwoodsabbey.org/ https://store.redwoodsabbey.org/collections/honey     We’re back with Catherine and Margaret in the classic format of our podcast Teaching Your Brain to Knit, number One Hundred and Three.  We share what we’re learning from our knitting:  crocheting a shawl, knitting small items and starting a new welcome blanket.  Margaret reports new studies that show that human brains respond to changes in the magnetic field but people don’t consciously perceive them.  What does that mean?   We don’t know.    And Catherine talks about a remote monastery and retreat in Southern Humboldt.  

What makes a master teacher?   After years of experience designing, teaching, writing, and illustrating, Franklin Habit shares his story of learning and teaching the fiber arts.   From knowing five ways to teach a class to managing different types of learners, Franklin offers information and hints.  He has years of experience and is a Fiber teacher in demand all over the world.    Find him at his website http://franklinhabit.com/home   at Skacel Makers/Mercantile with Fridays with Franklin https://wearemakers.com/category/fridays-with-franklin/ at Lionbrand http://www.lionbrand.com/blog/author/franklin/   at events and classes http://franklinhabit.com/class_calendar   and his online classes are  (free)  ttps://shop.mybluprint.com/knitting/article/franklin-habit/ (for a fee)  https://shop.mybluprint.com/knitting/classes/a-practical-approach-to-color-for-knitters/44696 (for a fee) https://shop.mybluprint.com/knitting/classes/heirloom-lace-edgings/35198   Franklin’s essay on “the uglies” mentioned in in the interview.   http://www.lionbrand.com/blog/sheep-to-shawl/

Brainy:  20:17             Redwood Curtain:  26:10    What We’re Learning from our Knitting: Catherine discovers new stitches from Barbara Walker’s Second Treasury for blocks for her Charity Blanket (https://www.amazon.com/Second-Treasury-Knitting-Patterns/dp/0942018176/ref=pd_cp_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0942018176&pd_rd_r=2a3d2895-acb1-11e8-8e51-357518f34f72&pd_rd_w=XOqrD&pd_rd_wg=BKXpo&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=fcaa6d12-8b2b-4ad7-b277-864b2da79f6e&pf_rd_r=VQJFH22H6YV78WKN6KQT&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=VQJFH22H6YV78WKN6KQT&dpID=515Z57E66YL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=detail)   This time she tried the Grapevine Twist,  Briar Rose and the Heart Pattern.  She hopes to knit the Rosecrusian Scarf by Joselyn Tunney in the future.    Meanwhile Margaret reports on mitts and birds for Christmas and not one, but two advent yarn clubs.   The mitts pattern is from Ann Budd’s The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns   https://www.amazon.com/Knitters-Handy-Book-Patterns/dp/1931499047 .  The bird pattern Margaret’s favorite so far, Arne’s and Carlos’   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vogel-grundanleitung/people?page=8&view=cards.   Brainy Thing: The documentary Innsaei  illustrates  the human gifts of intuition and empathy and ways we can learn them.  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4924624/   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Murder Mountain Margaret and Catherine offer commentary on the new Netflix documentary series Murder Mountain about a young man who seeks money and adventure then goes missing in the Southern Humboldt marijuana industry.   https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9078908/   A Little Podcast Business We outline some upcoming changes in our podcast in the future — including catching up on long tardy documentation.   Give Aways And we give away two books and a skein of self striping sock yarn. https://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit   Podcast Links. Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine     Today in Teaching your Brain to Knit we report on a film that explores science, intuition, creativity, and empathy called Innsaei; Catherine finishes up  a dog and plans for a scarf;  Margaret makes some mitts and a knitted bird for Christmas;  We both give commentary on the new Netflix documentary series Murder Mountain about the Southern Humboldt marijuana industry;  and we offer not one, not two but three giveaways.       And just to offer you a little anticipatory excitement, in our next podcast, probably within a month, we will be interviewing Franklin Habit and getting his wisdom about teaching and learning.   Thank you for listening to our podcast and supporting us all these years.  We recommend that you subscribe to Teaching Your Brain to Knit so you don’t miss any of our upcoming episodes.   You can find us on Overcast, Stitcher, Apple podcasts, Spotify,  and many other fine podcast aggregators.   Shownotes are on Ravelry, the Teaching Your Brain to Knit website, and right below this image on most podcast apps if you are listening on your phone.                               

Brainy Thing:   10:43       Behind the Redwood Curtain:   22:25   What We’re Learning From Our Knitting: Margaret, yet again, referred to Ann Budd’s The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns   https://www.amazon.com/Knitters-Handy-Book-Patterns/dp/1931499047  to make mitts for her granddaughter in leftover Viking Nordlys yarn in 75 wool/25 nylon yarn.  This long repeat yarn was originally suggested by Theresa Schabes for the Maya hat and mittens:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/maya-hat-and-mittens-set.   Catherine finishes (well, almost —except for weaving in the ends)  a dog sweater and is working on another block for her charity blanket.   Knit Dog Coat (by Bernat):  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dog-coat-11. https://www.amazon.com/Second-Treasury-Knitting-Patterns/dp/0942018176/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1546545118&sr=1-5&keywords=Barbara+Walker+books   Brainy Thing:  Brain Games Do Brain Games really work?   There’s not much evidence to support that they do but there are some glimmers of research that some activities do help increase brain function and resilience.   https://www.johnshopkinshealthreview.com/issues/spring-summer-2018/articles/a-brain-game-that-works https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322648.php https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/brain-games-are-bogus   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine presents the pleasures and health benefits of Humboldt Grass Fed Beef.     A Little Podcast Business We’ll be slowing down the frequency of our podcast episodes but we’re not stopping.   In addition, we’ll be adding some nifty interviews with world class knitting and crochet teachers who will talk about learning and their approach to learning.     Links Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine      

Brainy Thing:   11:58               Behind the Redwood Curtain  22:08   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting (and Crochet): Catherine tackles a new dog sweater for her son’s dog.  Knit Dog Coat (by Bernat):  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dog-coat-11.   Margaret adds beads to the sweater for her crocheted sheep by Lucy of Attic24:  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/woolly-sheep-2 .   She used scraps of fingering weight yarn although the pattern called for DK.       Brainy Thing:  Housing and Happiness Catherine finds research that shows the location of housing can change reports of happiness level even if nothing else changes.   http://science.sciencemag.org/content/337/6101/1505   Behind the Redwood Curtain:   Salmon is Everything For local tribes, especially those along the Klamath river, Salmon is essential spiritual and physical food.  Margaret reports on this:  http://discovertheredwoods.com/salmon-fishing-humboldt-county https://www.hcn.org/issues/50.10/tribal-affairs-how-the-yurok-tribe-is-reclaiming-the-klamath-river http://sites.coloradocollege.edu/indigenoustraditions/sacred-lands/salmon-as-a-sacred-resource-in-the-klamath-river/ https://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/indian-tribes/klamath-tribe.htm   http://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/salmon-is-everything-0   http://stagematters.blogspot.com/2015/08/anna-deavere-smith-and-salmon.html       Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine     In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we present research about Housing and Happiness;  Catherine tackles a dog sweater;  Margaret’s Sheep Gets a Beaded Sweater;  and why for the Klamath Tribe, Salmon is Everything                      

Brainy thing:  13:40      Behind the Redwood Curtain:   19:10   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Margaret wonders if her yarn can hold negative energy on her Dragon’s Egg Socks by Anne Podlesak https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dragons-egg-socks  from The Unofficial Harry Potter Knits.   Catherine faces harsh realities with the man’s pullover pattern, Andoa, https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/andoa-pullover ( free on Ravelry, from Nora Gaughan and done for Berroco).   Brainy Thing:  For decades the cerebellum has been overlooked but now it’s getting more attention into its role with higher order thinking:    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201810/cerebellum-studies-challenge-ancient-notions-how-we-think   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181025142018.htm   Science Daily   npr  https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/10/25/660504533/the-underestimated-cerebellum-gains-new-respect-from-brain-scientists   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine shares with us the secrets of Albino Redwoods and Chimera trees.    https://chimeraredwoods.com/         Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit we report on  how the mighty "little brain", the cerebellum, has invaded our thinking processes, Margaret explores the question can bad energy permeate sock yarn, Catherine faces harsh reality with the Andoa pullover sweater and she shares the secrets of the rare Albino Redwoods.         Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   MargaretKelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine      

Brainy:  12:49       Behind the Redwood Curtain:  21:21   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Catherine reaps the rewards of the Dishcloth Swap https://www.ravelry.com/groups/annual-dishcloth-swap. Margaret finds comfort from yarn crafts after the Tree of Life mass shooting with the Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh group.  In Ravelry:  https://www.ravelry.com/groups/jewish-hearts-for-pittsburgh    Also on Facebook.   Brainy Thing:  Good Brain Chemicals from Group Singing Let’s raise our voices for the good brain chemicals we get from singing — especially in groups.      Behind the Redwood Curtain: Margaret shares a little research on the redwood trees canopy, that ecosystem high in the air.     Podcast Links:  Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine   Today in Teaching Your Brain to Knit Catherine reaps the rewards of her Dishcloth Swap and shares them with us, Margaret Finds comfort in a crochet version of Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh, Catherine reports on research that confirms    that singing helps us feel better, especially when we’re in a group, and Margaret reveals research on the surprising ecosystem hundreds of feet above the ground in the Redwood canopy.         

Brainy Thing: 13:22                  Behind the Redwood Curtain: 21:37   What We’re Learning from our Knitting (and Crochet) Margaret finished the crocheted blocks (from The Big Book of Granny Squares by Tracey Lord) for a lap blanket.  She finished #33, #133, #66 and #178 and two others she didn’t write down.  Now she plans to piece together the blocks with a stitch of some sort but she’s not sure what yet.  Finally she wants to felt it.  She hopes the finished results will be a nice felted blanket that she’ll donate to charity.  The yarns are  Valley Yarns  100 % Wool  Northampton Bulky Light Grey and Araucania Yarns Nature Wool  Chunky  Deep red/black  or black/red.  Her hook size was K.   Catherine is working on her template sweater or test sweater out of an inexpensive acrylic (Caron) for her son-in-law.   The name of the yarn is Yarnspirations by Caron Big Cakes in the Summer Berry Tart Colorway (gradient) out of 100% acrylic.   She’ll check against this sweater to be able to get accurate measurements and then make a new one out of a pricier yarn.  The one she’s doing now can also go to him as a house sweater or to charity.  The pattern, Andoa, https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/andoa-pullover is free on Ravelry, from Nora Gaughan for Berroco.   Brainy Thing Today Margaret discusses a mix of fun facts about the brain from https://www.livescience.com/12916-10-facts-human-brain.html with an update about a challenge to the myth of multi-tasking :   (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/creativity-without-borders/201405/the-myth-multitasking)   Behind the Redwood Curtain Catherine reports on an easy trail in Trinidad CA called Elk Head https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7029875/elk-head-trail with an option for the adventurous:   a terrifying spur call Megwil Point with an incredible up-high view of the beach and ocean.      A Little Podcast Business We have another give-away — a book of knitted baby hats and a commentary on Slow Podcasting which details our future plans for the podcast.     In this Episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we share some fun facts about the brain from its texture (like tofu) to the question of multitasking;  Margaret wonders how she’ll piece together her crocheted granny squares and Catherine reports her progress on her template sweater.  She also reveals a little known outcropping from the Elk Head Trail in Trinidadcalled Megwil Point.   We have another giveaway and we talk a little bit about Slow Podcasting and the future of our podcast.     Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine          

Brainy Thing:  25:39    Behind the Redwood Curtain:  39:10 What We’re Learning from Our Knitting Catherine is doing what she calls a "template sweater”.  A sweater out of acrylic yarn that she later modify according to fit for her final sweater.  She didn’t feel like a formula sweater so thought this would be more fun.  The yarn is Yarnspirations by Caron Big Cakes in the Summer Berry Tart Colorway (gradient) out of 100% acrylic. She also calls out for some extra yarn for her Heaven Scent pattern:  She needs just a little of the end of the ball of zauberball cotton in “Rosey Times" color gradient.     While looking at bias squares on Ravelry, Margaret fell into a leaf exploration;  trying out a few and looking forward to trying others. Leaves by Robin Hill https://www.ravelry.com/projects/RobinHill/l-e-a-v-e-s The leafy washcloth by megan goodacre  trixy knitter  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leafy-washcloth Nai nai’s Favorite washcloth by Ali Crockett https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/leafy-washcloth Woodland Wreath, Leaves by Frankie Brown Frankie’s knitted stuff  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/woodland-wreath-leaves Derr Wibbo or  Jan eaton  (similar to pattern mentioned)  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amber-leaf 200 Knitted Blocks   150 knit and crochet motifs   Heather Lodinsky   https://www.ravelry.com/designers/heather-lodinsky     Brainy Thing:  Somatosensory scaffolding A new study shows that touch is especially important for infants, especially premature infants in nicu’s.  Touch helps infants set up there somatosensory scaffolding so they respond or don’t respond to touch the rest of their lives.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28318973   Giveaway Checkout our latest yarn give away.   It’s a big one.   A little podcast business. We’re not going to fade but we’re going to slow down and modify our podcasts.   More information will be upcoming in the next few podcasts.       In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we report on a new study that reports very early touching can create healthy behaviors for the rest of one’s life;  Catherine creates a “template sweater” to modify for the final sweater;  Margaret falls for leaves in Ravelry,  and we offer a spin on skate parks.     

Brainy thing:   16:26          Behind the Redwood Curtain:  28:03   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting Catherine finishes her quadrant dishcloths (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/quadrant-dishcloth)for her dishcloth exchange and even adds a fancy tag.  By Jenny Konopinski quadrant is  free at knitpicks For little or no discernible  reason, except a whim, Margaret makes Nai Nai’s Favorite Dishcloth (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nai-nais-favorite)  by Ali Crockett and discovers the bias or corner-to-corner structure for the first time — after all these years.   Both of these are on Becky Stewart’s lis of 12 dishcloth knitting patterns.    https://knitom.com/2016/02/28/dishcloth-knitting-patterns/ Some crocheted diagonal washcloths Judith Prindle Crocheted Diagonally  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/dishcloth-crocheted-diagonally Bias Crochet Washcloth Beth Major  knit picks diagnonal cloth good for beginners https://www.knitpicks.com/patterns/Diagonal_Cloth_Crochet_Pattern__D55803220.html Lauri Bolland  corner to corner or c2c Dishcloth https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/corner-to-corner-c2c-corner-start-tutorial   Brainy Thing:    When does Performance Art become a science experiment.  Performance artist  marina  Abramovic    (The Artist is Present)   teams up with neuroscientist Suzanne Dikker to create:  Measuring the Magic of the Mutual Gaze;   http://arhiv.kiblix.org/kiblix2012/softcontrol/?p=4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS0Tg0IjCp4 Suzanne Dikker  neuroscientist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEcqoqvlxPY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut9oPo8sLJw   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Margaret explores the mysteries of the Carson Mansion and Ingomar Club.  Photo tour   http://www.ingomar.org/about/tour-carson-mansion photo tour     Art Meets Science with Marina Abramovic and Suzanne Dikker’s Brain Project:  Measuring the Magic of Mutual Gaze;  Examining the Pleasures of the Dishcloth;  The mysteries of The Carson Mansion and Ingomar Club.     In this episode Of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we examine the line between art and science in the brain;  We Discover the pleasures of the lowly dishcloth;  and we Explore  the mysteries of the Carson Mansion and the Ingomar Club.     Marina Abramovic,  Suzanne Dikker, Becky Stewart,  Jenny Konopinski   Links:   Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   MargaretKelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine  

Brainy thing:      13:56      Behind the Redwood Curtain:   21:00     What we’re learning from our knitting: With no finished project, Margaret offers an update of her knitting:   Knit the sky Scarf  (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sky-scarf);  Bathroom jar covers;   Nair-Nai’s favorite wash cloth (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nai-nais-favorite);   30 day knitting challenge  (https://knitom.com/30-day-challenge/)   Catherine falls in love with Patty Lyons Cable Cardigan in Vogue Knitting Fall 2018  and she is searching for non-wool yarn that will work for a sweater ;     https://www.ravelry.com/designers/patty-lyons https://store.vogueknitting.com/p-4933-vogue-knitting-2018-early-fall.aspx     Brainy Thing:   Yes, Sitting a lot — even with other exercise in the day is bad for your heart and your metabolism but new research shows that it may also be bad for your brain:  http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/researchers-link-sedentary-behavior-to-thinning-in-brain-region-critical-for-memory sitting and thinning of the brain https://nutritiousmovement.com/tag/floor-sitting/ poster of sitting postures    for pay    https://nutritiousmovement.com/tag/floor-sitting/ https://nutritiousmovement.com/sitting-in-heels-is-the-new-smoking/ facebook instagram The Conversation — academic rigour with a journalistic flair https://theconversation.com/us Elizabeth Bagwell Love Knitting   https://blog.loveknitting.com/how-to-knit-while-walking/ One commenter, emmer, adds   “ . . .was surprised to learn that it [knitting while walking] dates at least to the time of elizabeth the first of England. It seems she was given a pair of silk stockings and declared them wonderful. Of course they became all the rage at court and the style trickled down to all who could afford them. Prior to this era, those who could afford it, wrapped their legs with a length of cloth, rather like wide ace bandages. Poor folks went bare-legged. The fashion for stockings created a peasant cottage industry. to facilitate walking while knitting, belts with a small rigid horizontal leather strip were worn. The end of a knitting needle rested on the leather strip, helping to stabilize the work."   Behind the Redwood Curtain:    Blackberry season: https://www.visitredwoods.com/event/blackberry-festival-westhaven/7761/   Podcast Links:   Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine     In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we report that new research shows that being sedentary not only is bad for your overall health but also may thin the part of the brain responsible  for memory;  Margaret offers updates on her knitting projects and Catherine shares her early adventures in knitting a Vogue knitting sweater pattern by Patty Lyons;  and we celebrate Blackberry season on the North Coast.   We also have another giveaway.      

Brainy thing:   15:37               Behind the Redwood Curtain:  28:36   What we’re learning from our knitting:   Catherine picks another pattern from Barbara Walker’s A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns (https://www.amazon.com/Second-Treasury-Knitting-Patterns/dp/0942018176/ref=pd_cp_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0942018176&pd_rd_r=2a3d2895-acb1-11e8-8e51-357518f34f72&pd_rd_w=XOqrD&pd_rd_wg=BKXpo&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=fcaa6d12-8b2b-4ad7-b277-864b2da79f6e&pf_rd_r=VQJFH22H6YV78WKN6KQT&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=VQJFH22H6YV78WKN6KQT&dpID=515Z57E66YL&preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=detail) Fractured Lattice, (https://www.bromefields.com/day-12-fractured-lattice-knit-stitch-100daysofknitstitches/) and learns to better read her knitting.     Margaret battles another problem, beyond holes, that she has with socks:  pills and fades.   For pills, she recommends The Gleener   (https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/931B9447-8431-4880-B169-766490511074?store_ref=HSA_AC3KAGGW5J1ECVV&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=54dc821a-0937-4e6f-9da9-f8dd5443145d&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=gleener&hsa_cr_id=9949073490601&lp_slot=auto-sparkle-hsa-tetris&lp_asins=B01N0QVOYG,B0763S5B7Q,B078J3HZQ3&lp_mat_key=gleener&lp_query=gleener&sb-ci-n=headline&sb-ci-v=Gentle%20on%20Fabrics%2C%20Tough%20on%20Fuzz.%20Shop%20Gleener.) and to help prevent fading and bleeding dyes she suggests Jasmine's from the Knitmore Girls Citric Acid ( http://www.betterthanyarn.com/2014/10/problems-and-solutions.html#dyefix).     Brainy Thing: Research suggests that taking notes by hand may be a better way to learn and retain information.   Catherine explains why.  http://www.indiana.edu/~canlab/assets/2017-kjames-imp.-of-hw-on-dev.-brain2.pdf   Behind the Redwood Curtain  http://www.bigorrin.org/wiyot_kids.htm http://nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/2536   https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24035 https://www.treesofmystery.net/museum.php     Giveaway Don’t miss our yarn giveaway.   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine   Today in Teaching your Brain to Knit, we discover that handwriting may beat the keyboard for learning;  Catherine tries a new pattern for her charity blanket;  Margaret battles pills and fades;  we explore the art and craft of Wiyot basket caps and we offer another giveaway.     

Brainy Thing:  15:35               Behind the Redwood Curtain:  26:30   What we’ve been learning from our knitting: Margaret has been focusing on Process over Product on the Tree Afghan.   To find podcasts on the Tree Afghan Patterns check out Webs Yarn Store Shows 100, 101, 102, 103, 104.  (I had trouble linking to the patterns)  Catherine is trying new blocks for her charity knitting blanket and reports on her Bias Square with a diagonal design.     Brainy thing:15:35 For most of us, starting a meditation practice is challenging.   Margaret shares a number of ways to get started including classes and support groups.   And she reveals a meditation program designed for knitters: Knitting Om's 30 day Challenge created by Becky Stewart.     https://www.mindful.org/choosing-a-mindfulness-program/ https://knitom.com/30-day-challenge/ https://knitom.com/   Redwood Curtain:  26:30 The beach dunes are a delicate ecosystem and can get destroyed by having non-native plants brought in from other places.   Catherine talks about the annual Lupine Bash, a family friendly outdoor project to help eradicate non-native plants on the dunes.   http://www.friendsofthedunes.org/lupine-bash/ https://www.google.com/search?q=lupine+image+on+dunes&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=mKVNzCAV_ckJtM%253A%252CaNUbjjc-k4jW7M%252C_&usg=AFrqEzeqvx1D2UeEolWbdiOGjGXXbUS6aQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiYrIPrkfXcAhVIOq0KHa8xBooQ9QEwAXoECAQQBg#imgrc=mKVNzCAV_ckJtM:   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine     In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we explore ways to find support for starting a new meditation program including Becky Stewart’s Knitting Om 30 Day Challenge;  Margaret focuses on Process over Product on the Tree Afghan;     We knit a bias square for a blanket;  and we spotlight a family friendly activity to help the dunes — the Lupine Bash.  

Brainy thing:  20:25                   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  32:27   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Margaret is exploring new approaches to knitted birds with Nicky Filakowska’s aptly named book Knitted Birds .  These birds  are knitted in pieces and then assembled and stuffed. Catherine is realizing the importance of gauge with a seemingly simple dishcloth pattern —  the Quadrant dishcloth/washcloth by Jenny Konopinski https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/quadrant-dishcloth   Brainy Thing:   The Matilda Effect Women not only were prohibited from getting advanced education and entering fields like science and medicine; but also when they did, their work was often overlooked.   Catherine introduces the phenomenon named after Matilda Joslyn Gage this week http://www.matildajoslyngage.org/ Women’s work, the first 20,000 years  www.amazon.com/Womens-Work-First-Years-Society/dp/0393313484/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1533162658&sr=1-1&keywords=women%27s+work+the+first+20+000+years   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  The Madaket We talk about touring Eureka from the Bay:  Harbor Tours on the Madaket:  https://www.humboldtbaymaritimemuseum.com/madaketmainpage.html   Give Away: Don’t miss out on the Book Give Away.     Links:    Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit we introduce the Matilda Effect —Overlooking Accomplishments of Women Scientists;  Catherine searches for gauge on a simple but elegant dishcloth;  Margaret learns techniques and discovers biases that are for the birds;  She also    shares information and experiences on two Madaket Harbor Cruises and we have another book giveaway.      

Brainy Thing:    21:10               Behind the Redwood Curtain: 32:54 What We’re Learning from Our Knitting Margaret caught the Virus fever when she needed a bright, sunny shawl before the sun came from its winter’s sleep in Humboldt.   It’s a four row repeat crochet triangle shawl -- Virus Shawl  No one know who the original designer is but you can find it at: Written http://giftsbyhelen.co.uk/2016/06/virus-shawl-a-written-pattern/ video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6gJPoo5t60 chart  https://www.woolpedia.de/english/crochet-tutorials/shawl/ colored chart:  https://www.ravelry.com/projects/theped/virus-shawl---virustuch https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/virus-shawl-flower-edge https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/virus-shawl-flower-edge https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/scallop-border-for-virus-shawl   Catherine talks about starting new projects and finishing old ones.  And it’s time for the annual dishcloth swap again.  Annual Dishcloth swap:   https://www.ravelry.com/groups/annual-dishcloth-swap.  This year’s theme is beauty.   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/heaven-scent Dishcloth swaps https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/quadrant-dishcloth    Quadrant Dishcloth   Jenny Konopinski     Brainy Thing: Why don’t we want to change our minds but how we overcome it — that’s what Margaret shares on the Brainy Segment. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20180622-the-surprising-reason-people-change-their-minds http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140521-the-best-way-to-win-an-argument https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/201504/what-is-confirmation-bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias   Behind the Redwood Curtain: We talk about how remote Humboldt is but how do you actually get there?  Catherine shares information and pitfalls about getting to Humboldt   Links Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post   Today in Teaching Your Brain to Knit we explore how we change our minds and why we don’t want to, Margaret beats the winter blues with a yellow shawl;  Catherine shares her finishing old projects and beginning new ones;  and she also shares how to get to the isolated Humboldt county. 

Brainy Thing:   19:24             Behind the Redwood Curtain: 36:24    What We’re Learning from Our Knitting:   Catherine is almost finished the heavenly Heaven Scent by                  aand is switching to blocks for her charity blanket.  Margaret switches from birds to eggs with a decorative knitted egg, again from Arne and Carlos.   She offers a giveaway on the book.   Brainy Thing: Catherine finishes off her three part series on the controversy— Can there be positive addictions.  She focuses this time on William Glasser who literally wrote the book on Positive Addictions.  https://wglasser.com/;   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPDRyjS53_A   Behind the Redwood Curtain: OLLI, the Osher Life Long Learning Institute offers summertime classes on Destination Humboldt, highlighting a diverse range of Humboldt features — from Nature to Industry.  https://extended.humboldt.edu/olli/destination-humboldt   Podcast Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   MargaretKelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine   Today on Teaching your Brain to Knit, Catherine finishes her three part series on the controversy of positive addictions;  Margaret tries out knitted eggs;  Catherine approaches the finish line for Heaven Scent;  and we talk about OLLI — classes with a theme of Destination Humboldt.  

Brainy thing:   14:25            Behind the Redwood Curtain  25:16   What We’re Learning from our Knitting Margaret is playing around with Embellishing Birds from Arne’s and Carlos’ book Field Guide to Knitted Birds. arne and carlos  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scnTbAFiwtc\ embellish   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zcc5JhkT5Q Judy’s magic cast on  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhBIS0AhhQY Catherine is continuing her adventure with knitted beads and lace with Knitting Boo’s Heaven Scene shawl.  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/heaven-scent   Brainy Thing: Contrary to some beliefs, we have lot of evidence — hard evidence— that knitting and other handcrafts, particularly for charity — helps people’s health in many ways:  reduces stress, reduces blood pressures, reduces depression and many other issues.     www.knitforpeace.org.uk/   Behind the Redwood Curtain Catherine appreciates the Egret rookery on Indian Island (Duluwat for the Wiyots) https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/the-egrets-of-indian-island/Content?oid=2132126     Podcast Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine     Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit we outline the bounty of hard scientific evidence of the benefits of knitting listed in The Knit for Peace Report plus the added benefits of knitting for Charity;  Catherine continues her adventures in Lace and bead knitting;  Margaret plays with embellishing knitted birds;  and Catherine shares the story of the egret rookery on Indian Island or Duluwat Island in Eureka.            

Brainy Thing:  23:05                 Behind the Redwood Curtain:  43:15 What we’re learning from our knitting: Using Zauberball cotton Catherine continues her adventure with lace shawl Heaven Scene by Knitting Boo.  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/heaven-scent.   Margaret makes Lara Neels Reclaiming Our Time https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/reclaiming-our-time and talks about some other sock patterns that allow you to easily reknit the sole and heel where holes and wear are most likely to appear.     Brainy Thing: Second in our series on creativity, Catherine examines her own creative process for theatre costumes and advises allowing ideas to “bake.”      Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine outlines some of the active community theatres behind the Redwood Curtain.   Links:    Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine     Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit we continue examining the creative process, this time focusing on CAtherine’s as a theatre costume designer;   Catherine continues her lace shawl adventure;  Margaret tries new sock architecture to make repair easier;  and we check out the local live community theatre scene.       

Brainy Thing:   24:21             Behind the Redwood Curtain:    32:25 What We’re Learning from our Knitting        Catherine started a new project:   a lace shawl called Heaven Scent by Boo Knits. She is using a skein of zauberball cotton  https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/schoppel-wolle-zauberball-cotton in “Rosey Times” colorway.  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/heaven-scent Margaret searches  for sock longevity and discovers a trove of information in The Knitter’s Book of Socks by Clara Parkes.  She finds fibers, twists, and stitches that help socks last longer.     Brainy Thing: Catherine continues our exploration of the possibility of positive addiction.  From an online sources, Changing Minds  https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/schoppel-wolle-zauberball-cotton, she presents differences in addiction, habits and compulsions.    Behind the Redwood Curtain: Making hats and dresses was one of the few occupations women could choose from 1860 to the 1930’s in Humboldt County.  She shares the stories of a couple of women who succeeded here with excellent needle skills. https://www.facebook.com/Vintage-Avenger-163731777018458/    Give Away: We have a sock book give-away this week.  Be the first person to ask for it on the Episode 85 thread to win.      Links:    Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine     In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, We continue our exploration of positive addictions, do they exist and are they different from habits and compulsions;  Catherine starts a new lace shawl l— Heaven Scent;  Margaret searches for sock longevity;  and we trace the history of women and hats in Humboldt County.  We also have a new book give away.      While editing this podcast, I searched for a link to Humboldt Millinery and I discovered a “permanently closed” notice online.    There are, however, stores in Ferndale that carry vintage clothes and hats and even a dedicated vintage dress shop in arcata called Vintage Avenger on H Street.        

Brainy Part:   22:40              Behind the Redwood Curtain: 31:20   What We’re Learning From Our Knitting Catherine continues her exploration of knitting textures in blocks she’s planning to turn into a charity blanket. This time the patterns are from: http://www.knittingstitchpatterns.com/  She will send her blanket to:  Hats and More from War Torn Syria https://www.ravelry.com/groups/hats-and-more-for-war-torn-syria Margaret’s knitting turns toward the birds from Arne and Carlos’ “Field Guide to Knitted Birds” and learns all sorts of things.  https://www.amazon.com/Carlos-Field-Guide-Knitted-Birds/dp/1570768234/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525027997&sr=1-2&keywords=arne+and+carlos+knitting+books;   https://arnecarlos.com/   Brainy Thing: Catherine questions if there is such a thing as “positive addictions.”   Dr. William Glasser Peg O'Connere ttps://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/philosophy-stirred-not-shaken/201411/are-there-positive-addictions http://changingminds.org/   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Humboldt enjoys the longest running collegiate baseball team in the country:  Humboldt Crabs Baseball  http://humboldtcrabs.com/     Links Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine     In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we ask the question “Is there such as thing as positive addiction,” ;  Catherine continues her exploration of texture stitches, learning about gauge in the process;  Margaret takes flight on the subject of knitted birds, from Arne and Carlos;  and we celebrate the Humboldt Crabs Baseball Team— the longest operating collegiate semi-pro baseball team in America  

Brainy Thing:    26:17   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  37:36   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Margaret explores the seed stitch and its alternatives:   https://www.amazon.com/Treasury-Knitting-Patterns-Barbara-Walker/dp/0942018168   One “Crochet Seed Stitch”  Marly Bird  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aeGlbpmYx8 Another Crochet Seed Stitch:  Dora Orhenstein The Crocheters workshop   Brainy Thing:  Creativity I Who’s creative and how you can be (already are) too.:   Make it mighty Ugly — Kim Werker  https://www.amazon.com/Make-Mighty-Ugly-Exercises-Creative/dp/157061914X   Behind the Redwood Curtain Arcata addresses universal human needs:  Portland Loo  http://theloo.biz/   Links:   Podcast Links Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post  

Brainy Thing:  19:55              Behind the Redwood Curtain:  29:10   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting Margaret calls for emergency help from Catherine to help her figure out a supposedly invisible repair (Knit Freedom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXD3TdbpDbM;  Kate Atherly in Knitty 2006 http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATrepairs101.html;  Rina Crochet’s book Flawless Knit Repair  19 pages of gold, I’m guessing, used  for $99 )  of her Multnomah Shawl by Shawl repair The shawl design is Multnomah by Kate Ray.  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/multnomah Recommended by Chrissy the Great https://www.ravelry.com/people/chrissythegreat  formerly of the Manic Purl audio Podcast and currently (well, currently in a break from ) Snappy Stitches video podcast.   Purl soho has picture tutorial of  duplicate stitches initials on a cap using the “A”s and not the “V”s of the knit stitch.     Brainy Thing Margaret explores a comprehensive approach to learning and teaching in the Universal Design for Learning method.  http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl/3principles     Behind the Redwood Curtain Want a dog park, spectacular views of the Pacific. an eco preserve of a coastal forest, paths in the woods where you won’t get lost?  Try Hiller Park in McKinleyville.   http://mckinleyvillecsd.com/hiller-park   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine     In today’s episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we explore Universal Design for Learning to help us learn and teach from a more comprehensive approach,  we put our brains together to mend a shawl using what we’re calling the duplicate stitch/weave method, and Catherine reports how Hiller Park in McKinleyville serves many needs from dog park to eco preserve of a coastal forest.  

Brainy Thing:  24:21            Behind the Redwood Curtain 35:41   What We’re Learning from our Knitting Margaret’s further exploration of Fair Isle veers into Crochet Fair Isle under the instruction of Karen Whooley.  (https://www.ravelry.com/designers/karen-whooley)  Other Fair Isle references in the report.     http://kelbournewoolens.com/blog/2017/5/stranded-colorwork-vs-fair-isle-knitting Fai https://arnecarlos.com/why-there-is-no-dominant-color-in-norwegian-knitting-by-arne-carlos/ https://course.craftsy.com/play/3984?startLectureId=7160&t=0   Catherine finds an “Interim Project” until she’s ready for a full commitment.   Brainy Thing: Can training to be ambidextrous improve your brain?  Maybe but one expert says maybe not.   https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/3194/are-there-cognitive-benefits-to-two-hand-typing-versus-one-finger   https://www.dovepress.com/differential-brain-response-to-one--or-two-hand-handling-action-an-fmr-peer-reviewed-article-NAN Differential    http://www.nwitimes.com/niche/shore/health/using-your-other-hand-benefits-your-brain/article_6da931ea-b64f-5cc2-9583-e78f179c2425.html Using Your https://www.wikihow.com/Become-Left-Handed-when-you-are-Right-Handed    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-training-to-become-ambidextrous-improve-brain-function/   Behind the Redwood Curtain   Morris Graves Museum  How  an artist escapes “the noise of machine age America.”   Morris Graves   http://humboldtarts.org/visit        http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists/mark-tobey.htm http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-artists/mark-tobey.htm Links:  Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine   Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit we ask “Can learning to be ambidextrous help improve your brain?” also Margaret further explores Fair Isle;  Catherine finds  an “interim” project and we learn how one artist found an escape from the “the noise of machine age America."  

Brainy Thing:    12:30                     Behind the Redwood Curtain:  24:42   What we’re learning from our knitting:   Catherine likes her Coffee Shop Wrap by Alexandra Tavel https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/coffee-shop-wrap    (free through Lion Brand Yarns,) but has been yearning for lace knitting.    Margaret tries creating a design for an elongated fair isle ornament.   The project fails but she learns a lot.  https://www.craftsy.com/knitting/classes/fair-isle-holiday-ornaments/497492.  It’s Margaret’s design but Sunne Meyer’s ornament pattern.     Brainy Thing:   Catherine reviews the indie documentary “Beyond Food” http://beyondfoodthemovie.com/.   Among other topics the film highlights parkour sports:  https://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/07/19/beginners-guide-to-parkour/ A beginner's guide in case anyone wants to take it up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX7QNWEGcNI   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Enjoy the history and the continuing beauty of the city of Eureka with the Eureka Walking Tour  https://eurekaparksandrec.wordpress.com/2016/06/29/old-town-walking-tours/.   If you want to see photos of the work that was put into the Carson Block:   (https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/witness-marks/Content?oid=3635632 )   Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine   In Episode 80 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, The documentary Beyond Food endorses the idea that to improve your brain and your body, you need to find the right approach for you;  Catherine identifies herself as a lace knitter for now;  Margaret fails at a design for fair isle ornaments but learns a lot;  and both podcasters explore Old Town Eureka on a walking tour.

Brainy Thing:  12:50      Behind the Redwood Curtain:   22:40   What We’re Learning from our Knitting:   Margaret learns to love Luxury with Lhasa yarn:   50% yak, 50% cashmere.  She used the Lhasa  Snuggle Mitts pattern by Laura Lamers. https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/snuggle-mitts  Catherine found a crochet pattern for her annual scrubbies exchange : the  zinnia dishcloth  pattern from  Lily/Sugar’n Cream.  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/zinnia-dishcloth   https://www.ravelry.com/groups/annual-dishcloth-swap.    Brainy Thing:  If you can’t reproduce the results of a scientific experiment, can you rely on it?  Margaret talks about the Replication Crisis in Science.    www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39054778 https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/when-study-can%E2%80%99t-be-replicated https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replication_crisis   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine explores a landmark and historic hotel, the Eureka In —where else— Eureka. https://www.eurekainn.com/   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine   In Episode 79 of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we uncover the Replication Crisis in scientific research;  Margaret learns to love luxury making Mitts with Yak and Cashmere yarn;   Catherine switches to crochet for her scrubbies swap;  and we chronicle the rise and fall and rise again of the historic Eureka Inn.

Brainy Thing:  16:44              Behind the Redwood Curtain:   30:32   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Catherine is surprised when she learns (again) that colors online don’t always match colors in yarn when she buys a Lion Brand Yarn pattern  Coffee Shop Wrap kit by Alexandra Tavel   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/coffee-shop-wrap only to discover that a color that she thought was a mild creaming yellow turned out to be a zangy mustard.   Margaret   patched two more socks, including removing and replacing an afterthought heel and it turned out beautifully, just like it was planned to be.   One sock was out Austermann Step yarn in a   Blueberry Waffle  pattern https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/blueberry-waffle-socks and the other was out of  Fish Knits Yarn  warm heart     She also added to her crocheted bathroom accessories collection using adventuresome techniques from Crocheter’s Skill Building Workshop by Dora Ohrenstein.  The pattern is two color diamond stitch from the book.    https://www.amazon.com/Crocheters-Skill-Building-Workshop-Techniques-Adventurous/dp/1612122469 She compares this book to two others to two others:   Ultimate Crochet Bible:   A Complete Reference with Step-by-Step Techniques https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Crochet-Bible-Step-Step/dp/1910231797/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1517428360&sr=1-2&keywords=crochet+bible by Jane Crowfoot and Crochet 101:  Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily   https://www.amazon.com/Crochet-101-Step-Step-Instruction/dp/1589236394/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1517428471&sr=1-1&keywords=crochet+101 by Deborah Burger.   Brainy Thing: Not exactly brainy but thinking along the line of how colors impact our lives, Catherine talks about the Pantone color of the Year for 2018 which is ultra violet.   Associated with mysticism and vision, expect to see the color around for awhile.     https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2018   Behind the Redwood Curtain One of the high points of North Coast Living is the Dungeness crabs https://www.google.com/search?q=dunegeness+crab&oq=dunegeness+crab&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.6582j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8  from December through Spring.   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine     In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we ask will the Pantone Color of the Year lead us to a higher spiritual level?, Also Catherine is surprised by a color she receives in a shawl knitting kit;  Margaret offer guides for choosing books that have the best pace for you, and the North Coast celebrates Dungenes crab season.  

Brainy Thing:    15:40       Behind the Redwood Curtain:  26:20   What we’re learning from our knitting: Margaret learns about knitting different specialty textured yarns for her textured amigurumi The Three Little Kittens by Sara Scales https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/three-little-kittens-4.  Catherine ventures into sweater knitting for a dog using The Darling Darby Sweater:   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/darling-darby-sweater.     Brainy Thing: Sensory Stimulation Helps People with Dementia General on Alzheimers:  https://yourbrainmatters.org.au/about-dementia/what-is-dementia Snoezelen:  https://www.snoezelen.info/history/ Paul Shepard quote:    http://dreamingup.blogspot.com/2018/01/shepard-for-day5.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CaptainFuturesDreamingUpDaily+%28Captain+Future%27s+Dreaming+Up+Daily%29 Herdlevar’s research:  https://www.ntnu.no/documents/10401/1264433962/AshildArtikkel.pdf/8f8ba50d-7425-43c7-9e5f-bfef4380e206   Behind the Redwood Curtain:   Humboldt Handweaver’s and Spinners Guild:  http://www.hhsguild.org/   Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine   In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit we investigate using Sensory Stimulation to Ease the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Dementia;  We tackle using different types of specialty yarns for texture and try a strangely shaped design for a dog sweater;  And w e give a shout out to the Humboldt Handweaver’s and Spinners Guild.  

Brainy Thing:  15:52      Behind the Redwood Curtain:  25:25   What We Learned from Our Knitting Catherine finishes a lace shawl (with beads, of course) called Ocean Kelp and designed by Harry Wells  whose Rav name is knitting ninja  and his design studio is  Good for a Boy Designs.  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ocean-kelp   Catherine got more practice with  charts, not her favorite way to follow a pattern. Margaret knits a family of Creature Mittens from Morehouse Farms kits for her family and learns a bit about Mitten thumbs from Anna Zilboorg in Magnificent Mittens and Socks .   She also corrects the mistake she made between Churchmouse Yarns on Bainbridge Island, Washington and Morehouse Farms that raises Merino Sheep in Upstate New York.    https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/owl-mittens-2   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/penguin-mitts   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/buggy-mitts   Brainy Thing Catherine explores Gamma Waves, “Ah Ha” moments and lucid dreaming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA5HOgf3znw   Behind the Redwood Curtain Discovering local politics behind the redwood Curtain and in your neighborhood too.   Links Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, Catherine explores the link between Gamma Brain Waves, “Ah Hah” moments and Lucid Dreaming;  She practices her not so favorite way of following a pattern —that is,  charts;  Margaret learns about different types of mitten thumbs with help from Anna Zilboorg;  We delve into local politics and how you can do the same in your local community; plus we announce updates to indices or indexes for our brain, redwood and knitting topics.  

Our Learning and Favorite Projects in Knitting over the last year Margaret shares insights she’s learned about in her knitting in general (like she loves stockinette aesthetically but doesn’t enjoy knitting a lot of it) and Catherine states that she’s enjoyed observing how her skills have increased.   Favorite Brainy Segments Catherine was fascinated by learning about the Forgetting Curve (Ep. 34  3.1.16) and Margaret by Happy Brain Chemicals (Ep. 69 4.1.17)    Memorable Behind the Redwood Curtain Segments Catherine enjoyed delving deeper into the life of the sand dollar even though she’s been picking them up all her life.  Margaret is still smitten with the Humboldt Botanical Garden.   Podcast Links Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.     This episode of Teaching your Brain to Knit is a little bit different than our usual ones.   It is episode 75, and as Catherine points out, our diamond jubilee and we review some of our favorite knitting, brain information and Behind the Redwood Curtain segments.  We’ll return to our regular format in the next episode.

What We Learned in Our Knitting: Margaret tried a Knit-in-place patch for her holey socks: http://jackie-es.com/the-designing-day/repairing-a-hand-knit-sock-with-a-knit-in-place-patch.php  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdecrGLzBhw       Catherine ran into some “learning opportunities" for knitting a pattern for a second time:  lady violet’s gauntlet  originally with Bugga  Cotton Stainer .  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lady-violets-dinner-gauntlets      Brainy Thing:  Finding red flags in scientific research:  Jennifer Raff  University of Kansas   How to read a scientific report example:  coconut oil  https://www.snopes.com/2017/06/28/aha-coconut-oil/   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-raff/how-to-read-and-understand-a-scientific-paper_b_5501628.html checking who is sponsoring research   Redwood Curtain: Catherine shares about Headwaters Forest,  -= last coastal redwood forrest https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/california/headwaters-forest-reserve https://redwoodparksconservancy.org/visit-headwaters   Giveaways: We have another membership incentive give away and another book giveaway.   Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.  

Brainy:    15:17              Behind the Redwood curtain:  24:25 What We’re Learning From Our Knitting: Catherine enjoys community and patterns  — and sprucing up her kitchen on Ravelry called the Annual Dishcloth Swap, https://www.ravelry.com/groups/annual-dishcloth-swap.   Margaret Found the “Goldilocks” amount of challenge in Tranis Gray’s Craftsy Fair Isle Ornaments class and improved her Fair Isle techniques, make one left and right, provisional cast on, and working with double point needles on a small circumference.   The result was fun, learning and beautiful Christmas Ornaments.    Class:  https://www.craftsy.com/knitting/classes/fair-isle-holiday-ornaments/497492 Often referred to instructions on fair isle. Philosopher’s Wool: https://www.philosopherswool.com/Pages/Twohandedvideo.htm   Trapping Floats:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2A-aZWpArY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajppfcE_HAA Photos:   The stripped ornament was a practice one — less complicated to be able to concentrate on knitting with double  points.  (not pattern)       BrainyThing:   :   Catherine shares Newark University research by Gregori Busaki and his group on just how sleep helps to anchor our memories of the day.   Rutgers University 2009, Newark University gregori busaki  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915174506.htm http://www.college-de-france.fr/site/en-cirb/zugaro.htm She also mentions Dr. Kirk Parsley who specializes in Sleep.  http://www.docparsley.com/about/ Rutgers University 2009   and Newark University gregori busaki    Behind the Redwood Curtain: HSU Natural History Museum http://www2.humboldt.edu/natmus/index.html   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.     Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit we explore enhancing your memory with Sleep;  Getting the Pleasure of Community (and patterns) in the Dishcloth Swap;   Finding the “Just Right” amount of Challenge in Fair Isle Christmas Ornaments; AND Exploring treasures in the HSU Natural History Museum 

Brainy Thing:    13:34             Behind the Redwood Curtain:  21:34   What We Learned From Our Knitting: Margaret made a cowl and added beads to the edges of the Churchouse Yarns and Teas’ Bias Before and After Scarf.  — http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bias-before--after-scarf She struggled with the stiff  fiber of Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Drama Linens  but loves the results in  the Sage Paradise color way which to her eyes looks likes an aqua blue. Catherine finished her third pair of Charity Socks and also finished the Fatima Shawl https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fatima-3 by Bunny Muff (Mona8pi) https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fatima-3 and featuring the nupps that Catherine has grown to love.     Brainy Thing:   13:34 How does your brain react to the seasons.   More differently than you would expect.   Behind the Redwood Curtain The Ocher Sea Star, common along the North Coast, is one of the keys to ocean harmony.  We spotted a lot of these fellows during our hike at the minus tide.  Its Latin name is Pisaster ochraceus .https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisaster_ochraceushttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisaster_ochraceus http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pisaster_ochraceus/   Book Giveaway We have another Book Give Away   Links Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we learn surprising things about how your brain works in different seasons, Margaret wins the struggle with stiff linen yarn for a cowl with beads, Catherine finishes a Charity Project and a long term project, the Starfish comes back to the North Coast and we have another book giveaway.  

Brainy Thing:   25:07   Redwood Curtain:  45:31 What We’re Learning From Our Knitting and Teaching (crochet.) Catherine focuses on her charity knitting , finishing her Socks for the Homeless and trying to find a good charity to donate some older projects:  a child’s cardigan, an adult raglan sweater, and some baby socks.    Catherine’s Charity Knitting:  Fantasy Red Cardi by Catherine Foster generic baby socks worsted weight sweater The Incredible Custom Fit Raglan Sweater  by Pamela Costello   woolworks   Margaret shares some more insights she’s gathered from teaching a small group how to crochet Hats for the Homeless.  Simple Single Crochet Hat  by K T and the Squid  (  Katy Petersen.)  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/simple-single-crochet-hat   Catherine’s Charity Knitting:  Fantasy Red Cardi by Catherine Foster  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fantasy-red-cardi generic baby socks, and a worsted weight sweater The Incredible Custom Fit Raglan Sweater  by Pamela Costello  ( woolworks)  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/incredible-custom-fit-raglan   Brainy Thing Catherine gives a broad view of Meditation describing five categories of meditation outlined  by Jules and Michelle Levey  in Luminous Mind  http://www.wisdomatwork.com/.     Chopra Center  7 myths about meditation  http://www.chopra.com/articles/7-myths-of-meditation blog   Live and Dare   Giovanni Dienstmann  http://liveanddare.com/   Behind the Redwood Curtain Catherine and Margaret recount their adventure during a Minus Tide in Humboldt. surfrider foundation  https://shop.surfrider.org/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlfD4nt3Q1gIVCqhpCh2d9g2AEAAYASAAEgLaqvD_BwE   Links Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.       In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we offer 5 basic styles of meditation with scores of specific types in each category;  we share an update on lessons learned from teaching; And Some experiences with Charity Knitting; and we explore the bounty of the minus tide in Humboldt.

  Brainy Thing: 18:02       Redwood Curtain  31:02   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Margaret learns a lot about teaching and learning by  teaching a beginner crochet to a group using the pattern of Simple Single Crochet Hat  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/simple-single-crochet-hat by K T and the Squid  (  Katy Petersen.)  She and the class used  Valley Yarns aran (discontinued).     Catherine also was into crochet this time for her dishcloth swap group.   She learned some new techniques  with the Partly Sunny pattern (99 cents) by Stacey L W   Lee   Partly sunny   toots and momo designs   BrainyThing We hear the phrase Hand-eye coordination but why is that so important to us and our brains.  Margaret explores the topic.   OT Mom Learning Activities  Shirley Brice Heath   Journal of language and literacy journal of education  http://www.ot-mom-learning-activities.com/hand-eye-coordination.html http://www.livestrong.com/article/252448-the-importance-of-hand-eye-coordination/ http://jn.physiology.org/content/92/1/10     Redwood Curtain For a small town, Arcata, CA has unexpected cultural diversity in it’s business.  Catherine shares information about Los Bagels, a Jewish-Mexican Bakery and how they unite the community with their dia de los muertos  or dia de muertos altar.           

Brainy Thing:   15:53             Behind the Redwood Curtain  27:23 What We’re Learning From Our Knitting Catherine is trying crochet this time with Stacey LW Lee’s $ 0.99 pattern Partly Sunny.  She needs five for her dishcloth exchange.   Margaret relates her journey with Argyle Sock Knitting.  She took a class and there are not a lot of online classes on Argyle.  Photo tutorial:   yarn harlot:   http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2007/12/31/at_the_last.html http://scrubberbum.typepad.com/moth_heaven/2006/07/argyle_origami.html http://scrubberbum.typepad.com/moth_heaven/2006/01/resources_for_a.html http://www.socknitters.com/argyle/index.htm   Brainy Thing: Catherine talks about boosting your brain’s happy chemical GABA and some of Barit Brogard, PhD’s from the University of Miami’s work.  https://www.amazon.com/Superhuman-Mind-Free-Genius-Brain/dp/1594633681?SubscriptionId=AKIAIRKJRCRZW3TANMSA&tag=psychologytod-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1594633681   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Humboldt Botanical Gardens Margaret shares the delights of Humboldt Botanical Garden.   Giveaway And we have another book give-away   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post. Instagram:  MargaretKelso and MagicWombat1      

Brainy Thing:   16:06    Behind the Redwood Curtain:  24:40   What We’re Learning from our Knitting: Margaret explores the planning/creative phase of a project with Lea Redman's  Knit the Sky Scarf   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sky-scarf.  Redman also has a book called Knit the Sky that promotes creativity and playfulness in knitting.  http://www.knitthesky.com/  book  Margaret heard of Lea Redman through Becky Steward's  Knit Om newsletter.  http://knitom.com/author/becky-stewart/   Catherine declares that she is fine being a slow knitter (and later in the episode that she is also fine being a slow reader.)  She is continuing her progress on charity socks  https://northcoastknittery.com/blogs/shop-tidbits/socks-for-the-homeless  sponsored by Northcoast Knittery and on Bunnymuff’s Fatima Shawl. continuing Fatima shawl   Brainy thing: Kwik Learning Turning on  you superpower brain with Jim Kwik episode of Srini Rao on the Unmistakeable Creative Podcast.  https://unmistakablecreative.com/podcast Jim Kwik’s podcast:  Kwik Brain:  Memory Improvement Accelerated Learning   Kwik Brain:  Memory Improvement Accelearated Learning https://kwikbrain.com/podcast Kwik Learning website:  https://kwiklearning.com/   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Links to :  Shrine Drive Thru Tree;  Drive-Thru Tree Park, and Klamath Tour Thru Tree.  https://www.google.com/search?q=drive%20through%20redwoods&oq=drive+through+redwoods&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.4302j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&npsic=0&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=40082771,-123811564,26098&tbm=lcl&rldimm=4847466927078880757&ved=0ahUKEwiRoezgtd3VAhWN14MKHVG9Cn8QvS4IRTAA&rldoc=1&tbs=lrf:!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:1   Knitting Tip: Dealing with ladders that are created in the round knitting.   Links for Podcast: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, Read and learn Kwikly using Jim Kwik’s methods and tips;  Follow Margaret’s process and stumbles planning a new project — Knit the Sky;  Listen to Catherine “Embrace the Slow” with Charity Socks;  Drive through giant redwood trees;  and get a tip on dealing with ladders knitting in the round.          

Brainy Thing:   15:40          Behind the Redwood Curtain:  31:50 What We’re Learning from our Knitting:   With her first shetland lace shawl, Catherine learns that the secret to lace knitting for her is to count stitches after completing each row in the Fatima shawl http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fatima-3  with Sincere Sheep’s  Hester colored (peachy) silk/linen blend.  It also includes  beads and nupps.   Margaret starts Christmas gifts with the Buggy Mitts.http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/buggy-mitts with Morehouse Farms wool.  (It was a Morehouse Farms Kit when she bought it years ago.     BrainyThing:   Dr. Bill Hettler  proposes Six Dimensions of Wellness      http://www.nationalwellness.org/?page=Six_Dimensions  which offers a concept beyond physical health.   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Margaret talks about Sequoia Park in Eureka. http://www.sequoiaparkzoo.net/visit/sequoia-park/   Book Give-Away continues   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.        

Welcome to Episode 66. Brainy Thing:   14:45       Behind the Redwood Curtain:  31:50 Catherine’s grand finale of Bunnymuff's  Absolutely essential shawl.  She bound off with  Jenny’s stretchy bindoff.   Margaret finished her Inversible Socks, yarn by Fibernymph.   She used an afterthought heel with a gusset in the corners.        Amygdala Why is it the political discussion is so toxic these days?  Catherine discovers answers hidden in the Amygdala.   The Oatmeal:;  You Are Not Going to Believe What I’m About to Tell you    http://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe USC Brain and Creativity Institutem article:  Lead researcher Jonas Kaplan;  Sarah Kimball and Sam Harris  Scientific Report 6 Article 39589 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161223115757.htm   Behind the Redwood Curtain Catherine Tells us all about the  Roosevelt Elk which love hanging around Prairie Creek Park.     Book Giveaway Margaret is offering Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s book Knitting Rules to the first person who asks for it on the Episode 66 Thread on Ravelry.   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   This episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit reveals a surprising discovery of why we can’t talk across the political divide (but don’t worry we’re not going to talk about politics itself.  It’s about the brain, of course and how to counter its sometimes bad habits                                                                   )  Catherine recounts the finale to Bunnymuff’s Absolutely Essential Shawl;  Margaret presents Fibernymph’s Inversible Yarn in an afterthought heel sock;  Catherine introduces the stately Roosevelt Elk;  and Margaret gives away a copy of Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee       

Brainy thing:   19:29             Behind the Redwood Curtain 30:45   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting Nothing could be easier than Kirsten Hipsky’s   #576  Knit Lace Jar Cover http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/knit-lace-jar-covers so of course Margaret had to complicate it by learning a new technique:  this time a garter stitch kitchener which turned out less complicated than the standard stockinette kitchener. Garter stitch Kitchener:  http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/grafting-garter-kitchener-stitch Catherine  is starting a new Bunny Muff project that includes beads and nupps.   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fatima-3 and she continues to work on the Charity Socks project sponsored by the Northcoast Knittery:  https://northcoastknittery.com/blogs/shop-tidbits/socks-for-the-homeless   Brainy Thing:  Kristy Glass Podcast Interviews Betsan Corkhill: Kristy Glass is a prolific video podcast and recently designated May Mental Health Month.   She interviewed Betsan Corkhill https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujY79nFUDVY who recently published   Knitting for Health and Wellness  https://www.amazon.com/Knit-Health-Wellness-knit-flexible-ebook/dp/B00KVL5OQ8.  (She also interviewed us in May  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vPppbZTkF0)   Behind the Redwood Curtain Catherine shares what one woman can do to help the homeless:  Betty Chinn and the homeless http://bettychinn.org/   Giveaway: Help Margaret Destash:  this time it’s Japanese Inspired Knits by Marianne Isager.       Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit we review an episode of the Kristy Glass Knits Podcast where she interviews Betsan Corkhill and discusses the topics of Betsan’s new book, Knitting for Health and Wellness.  Margaret tries out a garter stitch variation kitchener stitch;  Catherine starts a new Bunny Muff patter with beads and Nupps;  We celebrate Betty Chin in our community who has made great progress helping the homeless in ourarea;  and we give away another book.        

Brainy Thing:     13:44             Redwood Curtain:  19:26   What We’re Learning From Our Knitting; Margaret continues her exploration of new techniques through the creation of jar covers (to use as vases, crochet hook holders, pencil holders, etc.).   This time she tries out foundation crochet with the pattern  Crochet Jar Cosy by Emma Escott  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jar-cover-5 Foundation Crochet :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY6Iy7gdVEM Crafsy:  class  mastering foundation crochet stitches craftsy blog:  https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2015/05/foundation-single-crochet-how-to/ photo tutorial:  .futuregirl.com/craft_blog/2009/3/tutorial-foundation-single-crochet.aspx    lots of markers and arrows   Catherine reports her progress on  worsted weight charity socks sponsored by the NorthCoast Knittery—https://northcoastknittery.com/blogs/shop-tidbits/socks-for-the-homeless with using Kramer Yarn in the Garnett color.  Harry Wells designed the basic sock pattern.  She also talks about what she learned at  Sunny Grove Alpacas, a local farm with goats and alpacas.   Brainy Thing What can Silence do for the brain?   Good things, says Margaret.  Hear what she has to say about noise and silence.   Daniel A. Gross http://nautil.us/issue/16/nothingness/this-is-your-brain-on-silence Dr. Michael Wehr Imke kerste:  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00429-013-0679-3 Benefits of Silence:   Medical Daily 5 health benefits of silence http://www.medicaldaily.com/5-health-benefits-being-silent-your-mind-and-body-396934   Redwood Curtain    Humboldt State University, locally called HSU, started out as a teacher’s college.   Catherine traces its history over a hundred years.     Give away   Knit Baby Head and Toes by Gwen Steege will be given to the first person who asks on Episode 64 thread on Ravelry.   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   On this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we look at what is the impact of noise and silence on the brain, what’s the benefit of the foundation crochet technique, following progress on charity socks and learning about raising alpacas, checking out the   over 100 years of history of Humboldt State University, and offering another book give away.      

Brainy Thing:    26:15   Behind the Redwood Curtain  42:55 What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Catherine learned an important lesson about life lines on her Absolutely Essential Shawl by Bunny Muff http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/absolutely-essential.  She also started a sock for a charity project sponsored by the Northcoast Knittery made of from Kramer Yarn.   Margaret finally used some organic cotton, naturally colored yarn she had had in her stash forever.  She doesn’t know if they are FireFox yarns, the organic cotton of different colors started by Sally Fox (the labels have disappeared)  but she likes the idea and the yarn.  http://www.foxfirefiber.com/yarn.html.  She made two jar covers by Sara Delaney #575 Crocheted Lace Jar Covers.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-lace-jar-covers  Her Ravelry name is. Chickenbetty.   She used a cute little flower and leaves by Carolina Guzman  from the  One and Two Company with an excellent pattern.     Brainy Thing: Studies show that the fiber arts (knitting, crochet, weaving, etc.) can help students, particularly women, become more comfortable with STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and math.   Catherine tells us about it in this segment.   Behind the Redwood Curtain Dozens of things from rivers to frogs were named after Alexander von Humboldt but why and who in the U.S. knows who he is?  Margaret reports on him.     Knitted Babes Give away As part of her de-stash efforts, Margaret offers up the book Knitted Babes by Claire Garland book — free to the first person who asks for it on the Ravelry Thread   Winners of the Learn-along.   Listen to the episode for the winners of the 2017 Learn-along.  Prizes are Bamboo So Fine in peach and a cute notions case in a  guitar fabric.     Podcast Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit why educators are trying to  channel STEM students into the fiber arts; who was Alexander von Humboldt and why was he forgotten in the U.S.; What did Catherine learn about Life lines and Margaret about organic cotton; how to get a free book— from us -- and who won the 2017 spring  Learn-along.    

What We’re Learning From Our Knitting   Margaret isn’t ready for the challenges of The Forzo Cuff by Laura Nelkin  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/forzo-cuff.  She will give away her slightly used kit to someone who is.   Just post on the Ravelry thread — first come, first served.   It is knitted lace.  Find the difference between that and lace knitting:    http://theknittingbuzz.typepad.com/the-knitting-buzz/2011/03/knitted-lace-vs-lace-knitting.html.  I   Catherine  continues her long trek with  Absolutely Essential Scarf by Bunny Muff   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/absolutely-essential;  now becoming bored with a stitch that was frustrating her awhile ago.  She is also starting socks for a local charity campaign organized by The North Coast Knittery using Kramer Yarn https://northcoastknittery.com/.     Brainy Thing From the book How Learning Works  by Susan Ambrose et al. comes an outline of  William G. Perry’s theory of stages of Intellectual Development later modified by Marcia Baxter-Magolda.     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_G._Perry    His ideas don’t judge what you believe but how those beliefs are formed and held.   Behind the Redwood Curtain Rock slides are a fact of life in this area, particularly during a very rainy season.   Margaret talks about recent slides.    Knitting Tip:   Cokleymonster on our Ravelry Thread reminds us to  keep notes on our knitting as we go along.    Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   This episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit outlines Levels of Intellectual Development   How Intellectually developed are your ideas?   In this episode of Teaching your Brain to Knit we outline William Perry’s theories.  We also share how Margaret faces a wall of learning challenges with the Forzo Cuff;  how Catherine finds Persistence on the Absolutely Essential Scarf;  how to deal with rockslides in the Redwood area and a tip about remembering details of your Knitting.       

Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit,  a special episode-long interview with Stan Vanella, a  local Humboldt biofeedback practitioner.  So, no knitting, no crocheting, no Behind the Redwood Curtain, but an information packed introduction to Neurofeedback.  All of our other segments will return next episode.   Stan defines Neurofeedback and distinguishes between Neurofeedback and biofeedback.   Stan Mentions the App Belly Bio,  an Apple App that measures your breathing.   If you’re looking for a Bio/Neurofeedback practitionner, the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research ISNR) and the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance both have lists of practioners.     You also might want to check out:   https://www.isnr.org/neurofeedback-introduction   International Society for Neurofeedback and Research's  short video  introduction and some introductory articles.   Thanks again to Stan Vanella for giving us an introduction to Neurofeedback.  Next episode, we will return to our regular format where Catherine and I talk about what we’re learning from our knitting and sometimes crochet;  present a segment on learning, teaching or the brain;  share something about Behind the Redwood Curtain in  Northern Coastal California area and offer a knitting tip.  You can subscribe to our podcast on itunes, on the Podcast app on your apple smart phone or on the Stitcher app on android phone devices.         

  Brainy Thing:   23:50  Behind the Redwood Curtain:  45:03   What We’re Learning from our Knitting and Crochet CatherIne continues on the lacey Absolutely Essential Shawl  by Bunny Muff.  She talks aboutLace Knitting versus Knitted Lace.   Here’s a resource for knowing the difference.    http://theknittingbuzz.typepad.com/the-knitting-buzz/2011/03/knitted-lace-vs-lace-knitting.html Margaret completes the Queen Anne’s Lace crochet scarf with a lot of help from Sue Perez’ blog, Mr. Micawber’s Recipe for Happiness http://mrsmicawber.blogspot.com/     Brainy Thing:     Natural Happy Brain Chemicals Sourced from Christoper Bergland’s The Athlete’s Way:  Sweat and the Biology of Bliss and The Athlete’s Way:  Training Your Body and Mind to Get Joy Out of Exercise, Catherine briefly reviews seven natural brain chemicals that make us happy.     Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Queen Anne’s Lace Wildflower The ubiquitous wildflower/weed has many uses and ties to the fiber world.   Knitting Tip: Door Stopper advises that when knitting a sweater, knit a sleeve as the swatch.   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit, what you need to know about natural happy brain chemicals, Continuing progress on the Absolutely Essential lace shawl, what to do when you’re stumped on the crocheted Queen Anne’s lace pattern, and the versatile Queen Anne’s Lace wildflower.   

  Brainy Thing:   23:50  Behind the Redwood Curtain:  45:03   What We’re Learning from our Knitting and Crochet CatherIne continues on the lacey Absolutely Essential Shawl  by Bunny Muff.  She talks aboutLace Knitting versus Knitted Lace.   Here’s a resource for knowing the difference.    http://theknittingbuzz.typepad.com/the-knitting-buzz/2011/03/knitted-lace-vs-lace-knitting.html Margaret completes the Queen Anne’s Lace crochet scarf with a lot of help from Sue Perez’ blog, Mr. Micawber’s Recipe for Happiness http://mrsmicawber.blogspot.com/     Brainy Thing:     Natural Happy Brain Chemicals Sourced from Christoper Bergland’s The Athlete’s Way:  Sweat and the Biology of Bliss and The Athlete’s Way:  Training Your Body and Mind to Get Joy Out of Exercise, Catherine briefly reviews seven natural brain chemicals that make us happy.     Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Queen Anne’s Lace Wildflower The ubiquitous wildflower/weed has many uses and ties to the fiber world.   Knitting Tip: Door Stopper advises that when knitting a sweater, knit a sleeve as the swatch.   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit, what you need to know about natural happy brain chemicals, Continuing progress on the Absolutely Essential lace shawl, what to do when you’re stumped on the crocheted Queen Anne’s lace pattern, and the versatile Queen Anne’s Lace wildflower.   

Brainy Thing:  20:45     Redwood Curtain:   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Margaret is learning Intarsia, a technique she’s been wanting to learn for a long time.  She presents her experiences so far and a variety of sources for learning intarsia from books, videos, You tube, Craftsy   You Tube Marlene Dysert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK07PBQMTE8 Edie Eckman   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzMEL2C7EHM K1p1 TV  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyusrCZzftY Eunny Jang:  untangle yarns in Intarsia  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgpA1-Xa4Pw   photo tutorial   https://www.thespruce.com/learn-to-knit-intarsia-2116388 http://makezine.com/2011/09/28/intarsia_101_add_a_color_desig/   Craftsy: Next Steps in Intarsia  http://makezine.com/2011/09/28/intarsia_101_add_a_color_desig/ Sally melville   https://www.craftsy.com/knitting/classes/intarsia-basics-beyond/35719   including intarsia in the round Lucy Neatby  two CD;s:    Intarsia Untangled   How to make a yarn bobbin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeR5M8MGfQE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm9VjvDgK-w   Catherine has been struggling to find knitting time but sneaking in a row or two of Absolutely Essential by Bunny Muff. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/absolutely-essential   Brainy Thing:  The Dana Foundation supports Brain Research and education about the brain.   Dana foundation  http://www.dana.org/   Behind the Redwood Curtain: 2017 Redwood Yarn Stomp  https://www.facebook.com/Redwoodcraftstomp/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf   Knitting Tip Crochet more foundation chains than you need and count your stitches in each row as you finish them.   A Little Podcast Business Winners for joining the Ravelry Group announced.   2017 Learn Along: Ends on May 1st.   Get those projects done and post them on the thread in the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Ravelry Group.   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   Summary Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit learn how the Dana Foundation supports research and education  about the brain;  Margaret offers sources and tips for learning intarsia; Catherine discovers how absolutely essential knitting is for her while she works on Bunny Muff’s shawl:  Absolutely Essential, Get the details on the Redwood Craft Stomp April 27 -29, Learn two crochet tips from our listener thread and finally find out who wins prizes for joining the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Group on Ravelry.

Brainy Thing:   25:25    Behind the Redwood Curtain:   35:25  What We Learned From Our Knitting Catherine knit not one, but two Poncho Perfectos by The Knit Cafe Toronto for a production of Julius Caesar.   Listen to her tale.    The pattern is no longer  available but Catherine used raveler raplib’s Pacific NW Poncho notes as a guide.   http://www.ravelry.com/projects/raplib/poncho-perfecto  She used Jenny’ super stretchy bind off   Margaret has been playing with a number different projects but she finished two crochet ball ornament covers.  The directions are free and are:  Joy M. Prescott's  Elegant ornaments:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elegant-ornaments  in #10 orange cotton thread and Teresa Richardson's Thread crochet ornament   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/thread-crochet-ornament---christopher  The video tutorial  is  at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL0i4TTlGyM   Brainy Thing:   Catherine tells us that receiving appreciation and giving appreciation fire the same parts of the brain as offering gratitude does and it does great things for our well being.  She mention the O T Tanner company, Positive Psychology Researc, Psychiatry Seven, Dr. Tard Khastan from George Mason University and Dr. Robert A Emmons, the world’s leading expert on Gratitude.  He’s at UC Davis and is the founder of the Journal of Positive Psychology.   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Today Margaret Explore the Temperate Rainforest, the ecosystem of the Redwood Forest.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperate_rainforest     and w3.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/temprain.htm   Knitting Tip: Seven7seven (one of our group members) gives a tip that to keep track of yarn care instruction, take a photo of it when you’re photographing the yarn to add to the Ravelry stash pages.   The Learn-along The Learn-along continues.   It ends May 1.  There’s prizes and learning to be had.   Links:   Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit, how you can improve your quality of life with gratitude and appreciation;  Catherine takes a journey in knitting for the theatre;  Margaret enjoys the plasticity of crochet;  We learn what a temperate rain forest is, we get a tip about how to never lose your yarn’s care instruction, and we give a reminder about the 2017 Learn along.  

Brainy Thing:  17:29           Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:00   What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Catherine rages against the bulky yarn she’s using in some mystery yarn she’s using and returns to a more comfortable yarn she used for but the Funky Baby Kimono by Melilab   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/funky-baby-kimono       Margaret muses about several shades of black after finishing a generic top down,   Fish Lip Kiss Heeled generic sock with Soft Like Kittens yarn from independent dyer, Annette M Russell in Auckland, New Zealand (now on indefinite hiatus)  http://www.softlikekittens.com/     Brainy Thing: Catherine takes a playful (but probably not scientific approach) to playing with color, first on Facebook and then with Pantone’s color of the year, greenery.    Check out the color and personality quiz on our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/ and see the information about the color “greenery” from Pantone:  https://www.pantone.com/color-of-the-year-2017   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Margaret shares the story of the Little Sailboat Who Could, The Golden Rule which is a project of the Veterans for Peace to teach the world about the dangers of nuclear war and testing.      Tip: Our Ravelry board is a great source of information.   Check out what BeadWeasel has to say about Beads on our Episode 54 thread.     Learn Along Remember, there are prizes and fun on our 2017 Learn-along.  Check out the thread on our Ravelry page.   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   This time on the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Podcast we explore probably a not very scientific view of how personality and mood impact color and vice versa, Catherine rages against bulky yarn but gets comfort from baby yarn, Margaret muses on several shades of black, she also tells the story of the Little Sailboat Who Could, a veterans for peace project teaching about the dangers of nuclear war and testing and then there’s a tip from one of our listeners, bead weasel about beads.    

Brainy Thing:    14:14              Behind the Redwood Curtain:  22:40   What We Learned from our Knitting Finish up Party Margaret finally finished her grandson’s socks (for the second time (no pattern— the first time it was too tight) and Catherine finished up two projects.    Margaret mulls over the product versus process question with the help of some famous knitters:   process vs. product at Knit Purl   https://www.knit-purl.com/blogs/blog/process-vs-product-knitting  Yarn Harlot  http://www.yarnharlot.ca/2015/01/product-vs-process/ Franklin Habit   essay    http://www.twistcollective.com/collection/component/content/article/35-articles/features/1405-process-this Catherine’s finishes another baby sock recipe that she usually donates to Afghans for Afghans and two little cowls for a friend’s children — on of a fox and the other a teen aged ninja turtle.  Heidi May of Velvet Acorn Designs is the designer  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#query=heidi%20may%20&page=1&view=captioned_thumbs&sort=best Failynn Fox Cowl   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/failynn-fox-cowl   Brainy Thing: Two new-ish studies explore depression and agin looking at the brain split front and back.    http://www.paulnussbaum.com/gettoknow.html  http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/d/d_05/d_05_cr/d_05_cr_her/d_05_cr_her.html https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110822091556.htm https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/make-your-brain-smarter/201510/unlock-brain-potential-protect-against-decline   Behind The Redwood Curtain:   Arcata’s Sister City, Camoapa, Nicaragua,  supported in part by the I Street Party  https://www.facebook.com/sistercityproject/   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.     Today in Teaching Your Brain to Knit we find two studies that focus on the front of the brain one on depression, the other aging;  , in knitting synchronicity both Margaret and Catherine finish-up- languishing projects,  we share the story of  how the little  town of Arcata helps a sister city in Nigaraguan with a big party, Catherine gives us a knitting tip from her hard earned wisdom, and don’t forget the Learn-along where you try some new technique, pattern, yarn or craft to sharpen your brain and maybe win some prizes.    Check out the details on Teaching Your Brain to Knit Page on Ravelry    

Brainy thing:   17:11  Behind the Redwood Curtain:  30:42   Catherine was deep into the production of Pussy hats by   Jayna Zweiman and Krista Suh https://www.pussyhatproject.com/knit/ .   Bunches more patterns on:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#query=pussy%20hat&view=captioned_thumbs&page=1&sort=best  Margaret steals, uh, appropriates one of them.  Catherine took this opportunity to repurpose a cowl that was beautiful —Cuppa Java Cowl  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cuppa-java-cowl  by Sarah Wilson or The Sexy Knitter http://www.ravelry.com/designers/sarah-wilson— but didn’t quite work for her.   She loved the yarn, though: A Gothling merino cashmere blend by Rainy Days and Wooly Dogs Goth Sox in the colorway "Home Coming Queen’s got a gun.”  She made other hats out of Cascade 220 and some mystery yarns from her stash. Margaret features some knitting made by other people and shares her delight with the Faberge’ egg-like ornament designed by Laura Lamers’ (http://www.ravelry.com/people/northcoastknit)  of the Northcoast Knittery.     Brainy Thing: Catherine describes the “Love Hormone” Oxytocin and some recent research that shows bonding between dogs and their owners.  There are lots of studies on this including several by Jessica Oliva. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2015/04/how-dogs-stole-our-hearts https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/the-look-of-love-is-in-the-dogs-eyes/   Behind the Redwood Curtain: A paved, multi-use trail just south of Bay Shore Mall and along the Eastern Edge of Humboldt Pave meets lots of needs.   It’s the Hikshari’ trail   http://www.redwoods.info/showrecord.asp?id=5666   Podcast Business: There’s an ongoing incentive to sign up for the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Podcast Ravelry Group and a current contest for the 2017 Learn-along.           How the hormone Oxytocin can increase happiness, How knitting can unite sides in activism, The discovery of a new stitch which brought joy,  Finding a new humboldt trail that accommodates a range of needs, Repurposing yarn for a -not-quite-right finished project

Brainy Thing:   15:59             Behind the Redwood Curtain:  23:56 What We Learned from Our Knitting: Margaret finished Laura’s Lamers' Silken Straw Kerchief (unpublished) which was a long term but pleasant pattern. The yarn is challenging but so worth the extra attention it needs.   The pattern includes beads and silk — what more could you want? Catherine finished her  Age of Brass and Steam shawlette by Orange Flower http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-age-of-brass-and-steam-kerchiefwith a self striping skein from Canon dye works.   Brainy Thing: Margaret reports on “Neurosociety," the immersion/interactive theatre experience currently in Menlo Park, California that explores how our brains influence our perceptions and how our perceptions impact what we believe.  It was created by David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar.  http://www.pacegallery.com/exhibitions/12834/the-institute-presents-neurosociety and runs through March.   Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine talks about how Arcata’s Big Scoop ice cream shop is an excellent example of a locavore business and one that reflects the owners’ values.   Knitting Tip: Margaret got feedback from listeners about more information on Color Dominance.  Here is some  particularly helpful information she found:    Ysolda Teague’s blog  http://blog.ysolda.com/ysolda-blog/2014/5/29/technique-thursday-colour-dominance Dianna at the Paper Tiger blog  http://paper-tiger.net/blog/13911317/colordominance   2017 Learn-along: The 2017 Learn-along runs from January 1 to May 1.   There are two threads on the Teaching Your Brain to Knit page of Ravelry:  one for the finished projects and one for chatter — to admire, offer advice and muse.   Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit, an interactive theatrical event that teaches you about your brain; a new strategy for dealing with challenging yarn, having fun with self-striping yarn, how an Arcata ice cream shop supports the locavore movement, More on color dominance and a reminder about the 2017 Learn-along.        

Brainy Thing:   13:02    Behind the Redwood Curtain:   What We’re Learning From Our Knitting: Catherine returns to an old favorite, The Age of Brass and Steam by Orange Flower http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-age-of-brass-and-steam-kerchief Margaret tries a new tool, Embellish-Knit https://www.amazon.com/Caron-20293-Embellish-Knit-Machine-Kit/dp/B003W0AUQ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483493507&sr=8-1&keywords=embellish-knit+machine+kit which makes a wicked-fast i-chord to create some Wreath Ornaments by Lorna Miser.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wreath-ornaments-3  and the Fino necklace by Laura Nelkin.    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fino   Brainy Thing:  Gut Instinct and the Brain Scientists are showing a direct link between the human gut and the brain which accounts for those “gut feelings we get.  Switzerland science researchers at ETH in Zurik,  Urs Meyer  German and his team at the  Swiss Federal insititude of technology,  research gut brain afferance   https://www.ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2014/05/how-the-gul-feeling-shapes-fear.html   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Sequoia Park Zoo A small but sweet zoo in Sequoia Park in Eureka concentrates on education and species preservation.   Knitting Tip:  Prevent Repetitive Stress Syndrome Keeping your hands in a C shape with your palms facing upward helps to prevent repetitive stress syndrome   Learn-along Our all-new Learn Something New Incentive with randomly selected prizes.   See thread on the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Ravelry page.   One prize will be a skein of 650 yards of Kristin Omdahl’s  B so Fine yarn  (in bamboo)   by Kristin Omdahl Yarns.   Other prizes to be announced.     Links: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.   Is there anything to  “gut feelings” that people are always talking about, We return to an old favorite   Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief, using a new tool dramatically speeds up making i-chord, Spot lighting Eureka’s small but educational zoo, a way to prevent repetitive stress syndrome, and the beginning of a new Learn-along  

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: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, 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: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel Ravelry Teaching Your Brain to Knit 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, 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.   Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.  

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   Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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, 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: Facebook:  Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel 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:  https://teachingyourbraintoknit.com/ Teaching Your Brain to Knit Podcast group on Ravelry:  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit

Brainy Thing: 18:27     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/ http://kellybroganmd.com/from-gut-to-brain-the-inflammation-connection/   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 Listen for the winners of the membership incentive and the tips contest next episode.   In the meanwhile, become a member of our Ravelry Group http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit,  and check out our 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.   Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

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.  

Brainy Thing:    22:00                                Behind the Redwood Curtain:  38:45   What we learned from our knitting: Margaret played with  crocheted hearts from  DIY Wedding by Jennifer E. Ryan either in Interweave Crochet Summer 2015 or as a special collection on the Interweave Website.  They were cute, quick and fun. They are called Guest Lapel Pins on Ravelry. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/guest-lapel-pins   Catherine shares Towashis  she received from her swap. One was made of a  worsted cotton, the second from sugar and cream and the third was sugar and cream with a portion from the specialized yarn, Sugar and Cream Scrubby  which is more specialized Catherine continues to knit baby socks for Afghans for Afghans.   She modified the Kate Atherly Baby Sock http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks-23   to have ribbing on the top of the foot.   Brainy Thing:  New Research Finds Way to Speed up Muscle Memory Learning John Hopkins’ researchers find keys to speeding up learning for patients with neurological conditions, including post stroke.   Could these techniques work for knitters and crochets? http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/want_to_learn_a_new_skill_faster_change_up_your_practice_sessions   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  38:45 Margaret talks about the “scientific” and the oral  history of the native tribes still thriving in the Humboldt Bay area. Much of her research is based on  Two Peoples, One Place by Ray Raphael and Freeman House.  http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Place-Freeman-House-Raphael/dp/1883254019.   Podcast Business: The incentive for joining the Ravelry group  Teaching Your Brain to Knit  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit  and the contest for Knitting Tips continue.  

Brainy thing:  23:33        Behind the Redwood Curtain:  33:33 What We’re Learning from our Knitting: Catherine’s been doing some knitting for a theatre production:  She made a pair of fingerless mitts in bright pink for the monkey character in Jungalbook, just relying on measurements and her memory of doing mitts.   She used Deceptive Cookie's  http://www.ravelry.com/people/DeceptiveCookie Bias Stripe Shawl Recipe http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bias-stripe-shawl-recipe  (free) for a black and orange scarf for the tiger character.   Margaret talks about her marathon sock-darning event using different methods on socks of hers that have developed holes.     Brainy Thing:   Neural Knitworks:   http://www.scienceweek.net.au/neural-knitworks/ Catherine shares Australian Pat Pillai’s idea to knit and weave brain cells as a way to celebrate Austrailia’s National Science Week in August.  Knit, crochet, and knotting patterns of neurons are available for free on the website for the project Neural Knitworks.    Behind the Redwood Curtain Margaret talks about the hiking trail of Trinidad Head in Trinidad, California — a short but pretty steep uphill climb that rewards with a fantastic almost 350 degree view at the top.   Podcast Business: The incentive for joining the Ravelry group  Teaching Your Brain to Knit  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit  and the contest for Knitting Tips continue.  

Brainy thing:   21:40  Redwood Curtain 31:40  What We’re Learning from our Knitting: Margaret does realize that the Forgetting Curve threw her a curve on the Fish Lip Kiss heel.  She made a sparkly pair of blue socks out of Knit Circus Pixie Dust fingering  weight  merino/silk/nylon/polyamide/metallic yarn.   Years ago she got a similar yarn as a kit from Knit Circus for Jaala Spiro’s half circle Coirrina Shawl (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/corrina-shawl) in the Casseopeia  color way.   When she ran out (she didn’t do a gauge swatch—for shame)  Jaala dyed a skein that would especially go with the older color way.  So she had quite a bit of the yarn leftover. Catherine continues making socks for the Afghans for Afghans organization.  This time she use Kate Atherly’s Baby Socks pattern (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks-23).   She also made Lee Burstein’s Organic Cotton Heirloom Baby Hat (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/organic-cotton-heirloom-baby-hat), but out of wool instead of cotton.   Brainy Thing:   The Forgetting Curve Baffled by her botched attempt at the Fish Kiss Lips Heel (she did it once and she thought she remembered it) Margaret delves into the world of forgetting and meets our old friend Hermann Ebbinghaus who first described the Forgetting Curve.  Elizabeth Loftus, a cognitive psychologist, describes different types of forgetting. Behind the Redwood Curtain: Catherine tells us about an icon of the Humboldt Bay, the statue of “The Fisherman” by Dick Crane.  He and his wife Sally own Dancing Crane Studios. Knitting Tip:   Listener Kate Pricey offers a tip about making knitting into the Backward Loop Cast-on easier — go through the back loop.  Knitting Tip Contest: Five back issues of Pom Pom magazine is the prize for a randomly selected winner from our Knitting Tip thread of on our group on Ravelry. Podcast Business: We continue to have an on-going incentive prize for each 100 people who join our Teaching Your Brain to Knit podcast group on Ravelry.  (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit) 

Brainy Thing: 20:47      Behind the Redwood Curtain 33:15 What We’re Learning from Our Knitting: Catherine updates us on her process knitting with Vanessa Ives Shawl by Bunny Muff  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vanessa-ives She is knitting baby socks by http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks--hat Bianca Boonstra  for her favorite charity  Afghan for Afghans  http://www.afghansforafghans.org/index.html.  They are out of her 2nd pair of Catnip Yarn that she died with Dharma dyes  Margaret has made more Bevy of Bangles http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bevy-of-bangles by Mags Kandis     The pattern is free on the interweave  press site and is featured in the book Gifted by Mags Kandis. She reacquainted her self with Judy's magic cast on.  As a reminder, she used the illustrations of Judy Becker’s book:    Beyond Toes:  Knitting Adventures with Judy’s Magic Cast-on.   Brainy Thing:   Catherine tells us more about Stitchlinks and their work on Knitting and Addiction.  Stitchlinks was started by Betson Corkhill.   Catherine also mentions a HBO series  http://www.hbo.com/addiction/on addiction that she found very informative. Stitch Links http://stitchlinks.com/   Behind the Redwood Curtain Margaret talks about the Standish Hickey State Recreational Area http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=423  and The Peg House http://thepeghouse.net/ complex across the street from the entrance.   Knitting Tips: Catherine tells Cat Bordhi’s tip on dealing with ladders in your knitting.   Podcast Business: There’s a new contest — send in your knitting (or crochet) tips for an opportunity to win five back issues of PomPom magazine.  Also, there is the continuing incentive to join the Ravelry Teaching your Brain to Knit  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit group.    

Brainy Thing:   13:45                             Behind the Redwood Curtain 23:10 What we’re learning from our Knitting    Margaret is knitting a cowl out of Katia Temis or Colibri —she’s lost the ball band   There’s no pattern:  She just casts on 25 or more stitches and knits in garter stitch on very large needles (size 13) until she runs out of yarn.   This is her exercise bike knitting.  She also reports on how much she likes the Designing Vashti Yarn:  Lotus Z-twisted sport weight fashion yarns:  52 cotton, 48 rayon.  She knit up Kira K’s Belle Epoque shawl (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/belle-epoque-shawl) with it and has had a chance to try it out and she loves the mix of cotton and rayon.   After years, Catherine finished her first pair of socks.  She’s knit many since this first pair that she never quite4 finished.  She used a generic cuff down sock recipe that she got from the sock knitting class she took and used a Brown Sheep Fleece cotton and wool yarn.   Brainy Thing:  Lily Chin:  Teacher Extraordinaire Margaret analyzes why she thinks Lily Chin is an excellent teacher. Margaret recently finished viewing the Crocheter’s Toolbox video and also took a class in person with Lily on knitted closures.   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  ACV The Arcata/Eureka or the Eureka/Arcata airport (which actually is in McKinleyville) according to some people is the foggiest airport in the U.S.   Whether that is true or not, it has a fascinating history.   Knitting Tip:  SSK Catherine tells us about a neater, more “perfect” left leaning decrease.  

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

Brainy Thing:   15:47           Behind the Redwood Curtain:  25:35Welcome 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-collarMargaret 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 EffectCatherine 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 VillageCatherine 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  

Brainy Thing:  17:37         Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:54 What We’re Learning from Our Knitting and Crochet: Catherine needed a quick, satisfying, completed project so she whipped up the crocheted Skinny Mini Scarf by Carla Fanton in Feza Purl in gold.  Margaret was in the same need-a-quick-success mood and worked up two Javori Designs bracelet kits: Arya crochet in sapphire;   Paloma Knit beaded bracelet in Starry night Brainy Thing Catherine discovers the connections between multi-sensory learning, concept maps and JC Briar's Stitchmaps.  Here's a YouTube link for our authors.  Also check http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Science-Learning-Harmony/dp/1620360098  The New Science of Learning:   How to Learn in Harmony with your brain by Terry Doyle and James Zulle:  The Art of Changing the Brain  Behind the Redwood Curtain We talk about (you can see photos on the Shownotes on Teachingyourbraintoknit.com)  murals, many of which were done by local artist Duane Flatmo.  

Episode 28   Process versus product in your knitting and crochet  Brainy Things: 10:40   Redwood Curtain: 18:35 What we’re learning from our knitting and crochet Margaret crocheted a super quick project:  the Crochet cobweb pattern by Jennifer Hansen.   It's free!  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crochet-cobweb After a rough start, Catherine is now enjoying the Vanessa Ives Mystery KAL.  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vanessa-ives Brainy Thing: Process vs. Product in our Knitting and Crochet through the lens of the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/judging-or-perceiving.htm Behind the Redwood Curtain Haunted House Tour of Eureka:   http://www.oldtownhauntedhistorytours.com/Home_Page.php   Why some of these houses have mezzanines. Knitting Tip Cat Bordhi ‘s tip of using Kid Silk Haze or an equivalent to reinforce socks. http://www.ravelry.com/people/CatBordhi

Episode 27: Reading/Writing Learning Preference and Your Knitting Brainy thing:   25:10                   Redwood Curtain:   33:50 What Our Knitting is Teaching Us Margaret concludes (at least for now) her cotton sock yarn comparison with Feel Good Yarns sock yarn knitted in a generic sock pattern and using the new-to-her Fish Lips Kiss Heel by Sox Therapist http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fish-lips-kiss-heel in Feel Good Yarn Company http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/feel-good-yarn-company-silverspun-sock She compares Feel Good Yarn with Cascade Fixation and Cobasi by HiKoo, which is currently her favorite.  Catherine talks about her painful learning from the Mona8pi or Bunny Muff’s Vanessa Ives Mystery shawl http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vanessa-ives-mkal out of Woole’s Yarns Creations Color Changing Cotton Brainy Thing In earlier episodes, we’ve talked about the VAK learning style – Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic preferences for taking in information. An updated version of that is the VARK system. The “R” stands for the Reading/Writing preference.   While many people including educators find these systems useful, other criticize the research that has been done. http://easychangeworks.com/articles-nlp/markova-quiz.htm http://teachertools.londongt.org/?page=VAK learningpath.org/articles/30_of_the_Best_Educational_Tools_for_Auditory_Visual_and_Kinesthetic_Learners.html http://easychangeworks.com/articles-nlp/markova-1-intro.htm https://www.evernote.com/shard/s351/nl/58815065/110e2ccb-0fba-40e4-9887-e173ce46a227/ http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2012/05/fleming-vakuous-learning-styles.html http://learningstylesevidence.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-meta-analysis-of-vak-pre-vark.html Redwood Curtain The facts and mythos of Highway 101 that runs from Los Angeles to the Washington State Border. A Knitting Tip How to cut out a row of knitting:Margaret Ratcliff The Knowledgeable Knitter http://www.amazon.com/Knowledgeable-Knitter-Margaret-Radcliffe/dp/1612120407/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446325007&sr=1-1&keywords=the+knowledgeable+knitter

Brainy Part Starts: 18.01;  Behind the Redwood Curtain Starts: 28.54 What we’re learning from Our Knitting and Crochet Catherine took a class from Patti Subik, dyer extraordinaire and owner of Great Adirondack Yarn. http://www.greatadirondackyarnco.com/ http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/brands/great-adirondack-yarn-coShe experienced one of those great insights that opened up her world using procine dyes. She also made a cute pair of Baby Uggs http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-uggs-2designed by Autumn Street (Baby Lee) http://www.ravelry.com/designers/autumn-street whose website is Thingsforboys.com Catherine used the leftovers from her Red Cardi project. (see Episode 26) Margaret sings the praises for Kira K Designs who is Kira Dulaney http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/kira-k-designs Belle Epoque http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/belle-epoque-shawl crocheted Shawl.   In addition to being a great design (and good for a new-ish crocheter), the design is extremely well laid out on the page. She used Lotus Yarn http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/designingvashti-lotus designed by crocheters Designing Vashti, Vashti Braha and Doris Chan that is half cotton, half rayon and features a Z twist. Brainy Thing: Catherine tells us about Gamma Waves which are associated with learning, memory, linguistic process and other cognitive ability.   Maybe even consciousness itself. http://www.transparentcorp.com/research/gamma-brain-waves.php.   She hypothesizes that Knitting and Crochet may be linked to Gamma Wave production Behind the Redwood Curtain Samoa  Dunes Recreational Center. http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/arcata/samoa.html offer a variety of recreational options and feature the curious Dolos https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolos  Knitting Tip Catherine talks about life lines.   A little Podcast Business: The winner of the Berroco Origami yarn is announced as is the winner of the incentive to sign up for The Teaching Your Brain to Knit Podcast group(# 3012 to 400) http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit.   Both randomly selected.

Welcome to Episode 25  Brainy Thing: 18:37  Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:53  What We’re Learning from our knitting:  Catherine is finishing up her second Fantasy Red Cardi (that’s the name but this one is a green and blue variegated with trim in a robin egg’s blue) by Kathryn. She has bought the yarn Wolle’s Yarn Creations Color changing cotton tape yarn by Elizabeth Drum to do the Vanessa Ives Mystery Knit along by Mona8pi. She bought two colors but hasn’t decided which one yet.  Margaret knit about 10 inches of a cowl in Borroco Origami in a black/grey/brown color and decided she didn’t like the yarn for around her neck.   She has four skeins of it, 98 yards per skein. It is 58% acrylic, 16% linen, 15& nylon and 11% cotton and has a lot of high ratings in Ravelry. Borroco has discontinued the yarn.   She’s offering it to a member of the Ravelry group for free:   Just post in the thread.   If more than one person wants it by October 13, we’ll select someone by random number generator.  Both Margaret and Catherine learned to create fabric cords with the simple cordage method at the Natural Fibre Fair in Arcata.. The demonstration was taught by the Julie Mueller-Brown from Cinnabar and Indigo, a vendor at the fair that sells handmade glass beads and other beautiful items.  Brainy Thing: Do colors change when we’re depressed or are we depressed by dull colors in our environment?  Catherine will explore this topic and the controversy around it in this segment.  She investigates the work of Christopher Thorstenson of the University of Rochester  Behind the Redwood Curtain: Margaret talks about the mystery of the little town or Orick, CA and why it hasn’t prospered.   Check out Jensen Rufe’s Film, Orick, California USA.  Knitting Tip: Consider cutting your knitting to make repairs. Margaret makes plans to cut her Hermione’s Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder in half to attempt to re-heel it.

Brainy Thing:  17:17   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:10 Margaret took a course in Multi-Directional Knitting from JC Briar and has made wristlets to reinforce that learning.   She also made the Mudra Cuff by Laura Nelkin. Catherine is blocking her second Fantasy Red Cardi by Katherine Foster.   She can't travel with her other projects. Catherine describes the iconic (and contemporary)  Humboldt Honey who still walk the streets of Arcata, California.   Margaret offers a knitting tip that by making small projects ( like a wrister, coffee cozy, or coaster) after learning a new technique, you can improve your muscle memory and anchor the learning. 

Brainy Part 20:18   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  39:38 Catherine is learning from Heidi May's (Velvet Acorn) Failyn Fox Cowl and from Melissa Mall's Simple Man Slipper. Margaret is learning from Rebecca Velasquez' Terra Cotta Shawl (or Thorns). Catherine talks about we see and perceive color. She also talks about the Giant Coastal Salamander. Catherine offers a tip about the Princess Sole in your socks.

Episode 22:  The Kinesthetic Learning Mode in Knitting and Crochet   Brainy Thing starts:  22:17   Behind the Redwood Curtain starts:  30:45   What we're learning from our knitting.    With her Fantasy Red Cardi by Katherine Foster (see prior posts) behind her and her Among the Wildflowers by Sasha Ball Rives on hold, Catherine turns to two bits of production knitting.  She is working on Failyn Fox Cowl by Heidi May in Lion Brand Thick and Quck for a friend's child and the Chain Mail Hood and Cowl offered by the Utah Shakespeare Festival (Chain Mail Techniques).  With a re-envisioned yarn choice (Patons Metallic in Pewter), Catherine is making this  for a local production of Plays in the Park for the play The Unprincess.   Margaret talks about Laura Nelkin's Beaded Waves Cuff and why Margaret sometimes like buying a kit instead of gatherine various elements of a project herself.   Brainy Thing:   Kinesthetic Learning   The last element of the VAK (Visual Auditory Kinesthetic) learning style discussion (but not the end of the topic itself), Margaret shares general and personal experiences of learners who take in information kinesthetically.   Behind the Redwood Curtain   Catherine talks about the Natural Fiber Fair which is held in Arcata, CA.   Knitting Tip   Margaret shares that designers (Laura Nelkin, for example) and yarn companies often have wonderful tutorials on their sites.          

  Welcome to Episode 21:   Knitting supports Cancer Recovery and other Health IssuesBrainy part starts:24:05.     Behind the Redwood Curtain (Trillium) Starts: 33:35   What We're Learning from Our Knitting (and Crochet):   Catherine is finishing up the Fantasy Red Cardi designed by Katherine Foster.    She's also made two hats as part of the North Coast Knittery's Hats for the Homeless Campaign.   The pattern is The Tyson Hat by Robyn Devine and the yarn is Naturally Nazareth.by Kraemer Yarns.   Catherine is well along on the Failynn Fox Cowl by Heidi May who goes by the Velvet acorn.  She is using Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick in pumpkin for it   Margaret is continuing her exploration of cotton sock yarns.   This week she talks about Cascade Fixation using the Fixation Ankle Sock pattern by Dawn Friske or Knitamazoo.   Margaret also re-crocheted the Quotidian or Flapper Bucket Hat by the Stitch Diva to make it just a little larger to accommodate her Mom's bun.   The Brainy Part:  Knitting to Support Cancer Recovery   Catherine introduces the Knit for Life Program started by Tanya Pariequz.  She also talks about Team Survivor Northwest.   Behind the Redwood Curtain:   Trillium   Margaret talks about the beautiful little trillium that bloom in the spring at the base of the redwood trees.   Knitting Tip   Margaret shares Edie Eckman's tip in Connect the Shapes Crochet Motifs about using the principle of the Golden Mean in choosing a pleasing proportion of colors in a multi-color project.  

Brainy Thing:  25:05   Behind the Redwood Curtain 32:36 Margaret talks about how much she learned from the Multnomah Shawl by Kate Ray while Catherine talks about tension for crocheting the Misty Rose by Kim Camera.  She's also working on the Among the Wild Flowers by Sasha Ball Reeves. Margaret shares some tips from the Book "Organizing for the Right Brain" and mentions Jill Bolte Taylor's Ted Talk "Stroke of Insight." Catherine talks about the Humboldt Marten, who people are trying to get on the Endangered Species List. We correct an error about using a a larger needle to creat a stretchier cast-on and Catherine shares a tip about starting a busy day with a little knitting to find peace.  Our Learn-along will be over August 1.

Brainy Stuff starts at 15:26 Behind the Redwood Curtain stats at 24:13 Catherine is using her Fantasy Red Cardi by Katherine Foster as her carry along knitting project and has just started a crochet project:  Dogwood Scarf by Suzann Thompson.  Margaret has been experimenting with making samples of different ways to top off the top of a simple hat. Catherine reports on a study done by Dr. Arne May who found that teaching people to juggle grew their brain cells.   She asks, can knitting and crochet do the same thing? Margaret talks about clams, clamming and Clam Beach, California. Margaret suggests that people try different tools and is now experimenting with 12 inch and 9 inch knitting needles. The incentive prize and the Learn along continue over on Ravelry.

Brainy Part starts at 24:25 Redwood Curtain starts at 32:55 Margaret talks about trying to find the perfects cotton yarn for socks and Catherine tells of her adventures with the Fantasy Red Cardi. Margaret explains auditory learning from the VAK Learning style perspective and how we use all our senses when we are learning. In Behind the Redwood Curtain, Catherine celebrates the California Poppy.

Brain Stuff starts at 23:17 and Behind the Redwood Curtain (Arcata Community Forest) begins at 32:33. Catherine is learning from her Putney Shawl, Clapo-ktus, and the Fantasy Red Cardi.   Margaret is learning from the Flapper Bucket Hat. Catherine shares the long tradition of handmade wraps to comfort people who are sick, who have had a loss or who are moving away.  One of the current projects is the Prayer Shawl Ministry. Margaret offers information about the Arcata Community Forest, one of the few community owned forests in the West. Catherine has a knitting tip to use larger needles to cast on and bind off. We are starting our first "Learn-a-Long"   See our Ravelry Group for the rules. And we have a new incentive prize for people who join our Ravelry Group.

Brainy Stuff Starts at 22:00 and Behind the Redwood Curtain begins at 34:07 Margaret tells what she's been learning from Kristen Omdahl's Seamless Crochet Shawl where she tested out the Ninja Star Pattern with the AllHemp6 DK yarn.   She likes the pattern and the yarn but not with each other.  Catherine talks about her progress on her projects:   Meadowlark Shibori Jacket by Gina Wilde and Clapo-Ktus by Loredana Gianferri and Some Pig washcloth by Eimly Guise In Part I of why we put down one project and start the other in the Brainy Part, Margaret talks about Novelty and how it impacts our brain.   Then Catherine talks about the Godwit bird and the Zen Center in Arcata.  Finally Margaret suggests trying different yarns and being aware that you might to use different tension and even different tensioning hand postures. 

Brainy Part starts at: 14:05; Behind the Redwood Curtain starts at 28.20. Catherine talks about her progress on the Meadowlark Shibori Jacket by Gina Wilde out of Alchemy yarn and her new project Clapo-Ktus by Loredana Gianferri in a beloved skein of Goth Sock.  Margaret kind of winged it with a long, narrow drop stitch scarf out of  Recycled Sari Silk. Then in the Brainy segment, Catherine talks about how meditation can actually increase the grey matter in your brain and reduce the size and therefore the reactivity of the amygdala.   She also shares information on a program called Knitting Behind Bars. Margaret describes the logging history of the redwoods and current efforts to be more sustainable. Catherine's knitting tip is change up needle sizes when you're knitting -- have one project on larger needles and another on smaller. The incentives to join the Ravelry group continue. 

Brainy part starts at 17:50 and Behind the Redwood Curtain begins at 32:20. Margaret talks about her adaptation of the Sweet November crocheted scarf and Catherine gives updates on her Meadowlark Shibori jacket and Sock Yarn Blanket. Margaret talks about the once popular Right- and Left-brain theory and how current brain scientists see those terms as metaphors.  She mentions that knitters sometimes identify as Right- or Left-brained. Catherine talks about Blue Ox Millworks in Eureka, CA which uses old fashioned methods to make replicas of pieces for residents and business.  It has expanded to have a school and veterans' services. Catherine also suggests knitters have a number of cast-ons and bind-offs to choose from when they knit.

Brainy Stuff starts at 21:47  and Behind the Redwood Curtain begins at 38.:36. Catherine shares what she's learned from her knitting of the cowel she completed and her adventures with the Meadowlark Shibori Jacket.  Margaret talks about a Knit-a-long she began many years ago sponsored by Webs Yarn Company that featured tree motifs from Barbara Walker Today's question is how does Knitting qualifies as an engaged mental activity.   The answer lies in the various brain lobes and brain waves and the location and the wave activity changes depending on what you do including knitting, watching TV, reading or listening to audio books.  In Behind the Redwood Curtain, Catherine talks about the Arts Alive events in Arcata and Eureka, CA. The knitting tip this episode is from Josh Bennet who says that if you want long lasting garments, that seaming the pieces is your best bet and that 1x1 ribbing is more durable than other kinds

Brainy stuff starts at 15:40 and Behind the Redwood Curtain begins at 26:55. Catherine finds a patterns for her Great Adirondack yarn from 50 Fabulous Borders by Rita Weiss.  She also finished a jelly fish from Hansi Singh's Amigurumi Knits. Margaret has been making washcloths from Stitch Diva's (Jennifer Hansen') pattern and loving the Lucci DK cotton tape yarn. Catherine relates some research suggesting the knitting and other acitivities reduce the chances of dementia and age-related Alzheimer's.   The evidence is anecdotal and researchs say they need more research before they can find a causal link. Margaret talks about the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  She also offers a tip to suggest you can sketch out a graph on a challenging knit or crochet pattern that doesn't have one. 

Brainy stuff starts at 22:40 and Behind the Redwood Curtain starts at 32:05. Margaret shares what's she's learned from the Gallatin Scarf and the Silk Curved Scarf while Catherine talks about new (Meadowlark Shibori Jacket) and old (Sock Yarn Blanket) projects. Margaret discusses the concept of metacognition and how it helps make knitting projects more successful.  She also talks about the First Street Gallery in Eureka and Catherine offers a knitting tip about soaking your project for 20 minutes before blocking. 

Brainy Stuff starts at 25:40.  Redwood Curtain starts at 37:40. Catherine is learning more about the structural construction of knitting from Josh Ryks' Scarfy Shenanigans.  She also enjoyed the construction of Laura Aylor's Outlier.  And for charity, she knitted one of her standbys -- Magic 28. Margaret knit a black and white striped hat and added fringe.  She learned that cashmere is lovely soft but shows her botched efforts to pick up a stitch. Catherine discusses the Arcata Waste Management Plant and Wildlife Sanctuary and Margaret offered a tip about getting spiral binding on knitting techniques books.

Brainy stuff starts at 22:30  Behind the Redwood Curtain begins at 39:00 Catherine talks about mystery knitalongs, both Laura Aylor's mystery shawl and Josh Ryks' Scarfie Shenanigans.  Margaret describes her learning on three pairs of children's socks including two zebra socks and one generic toe up.  In the Brainy section, Catherine explains some of the work of Betsan Corkhill at Stitchlinks about how knitting is therapuetic in a number of ways for a number of conditions. In Behind the Redwood Curtain, Catherine shares information about how our climate is ideal for artisan goat cheese. Margaret offers a knitting tip about how getting stitch markers to closely match the size of the needle will help to prevent those yarn overs from slipping under the markers.

Brainy stuff starts at 28.25 and Behind the Redwood Curtain begins at 44:50.   Catherine talks about finishing her PANEM Katniss Cowl Wrap by Dahlia in Bloom and the Two-toned Tawashi by Maryann Walsh.  Margaret talked about knitted and crocheted jewelry:  Ribband by Laura Nelkin, Crocheted Wrap Around Bracelet by Yuli Nilssen, Kaitlyn Necklace Rose by Javori Designs, and the Gatsby Necklace by Shaina Bilow. Catherine lays the foundation for understanding brain chemicals that make us happy and how knitting influences that.  She talks about Dr. Barry Jacoibs, EMDR, Betsman Corkhill and Stitchline. In Behind the Redwood Curtain, Margaret talks about the Mad River (the California one.) And in the knitting tip, Margaret talks about flipping a blocking board upright to save space.

Margaret talks about what she is learning from knitting and crocheting long beaded strands including Laura Nelkin's Ribband and Yuli Nilssen's Wrap Around Crochet bracelet.  Catherine talks about her work on the PANEM Katniss Cowl Wrap by Dalhia in Bloom using Lion Brand Wool-ease Thick and Quick.   Margaret and Catherine discuss rating patterns by levels of difficulty versus levels of concentration.   Margaret talks about visiting Table Bluff in Loleta, California and then discusses the benefits of using a kitchen scale to measure yarn.

Catherine talks about creating the braid in Laura Aylor's Faberge', Margaret talks about Mel Ski's hat Drizzle, Catherine introduces Dr. Perri Klass' work on how knitting can create focus and she also describes all the mushrooms she's been seeing this year.  (Photos are in the Shownotes on the blog.)  Finally, Margaret offers some tools-- paper and electronic -- on how to estimate the yardage for projects.

In this episode, Catherine and Margaret talk about what they are learning from Hilary Smith Callis' Citron and Laura Aylor's Faberge'.  Margaret delves a little deeper into Visual Learning and Catherine talks about the Redwood Curtain's famous denizen, Bigfoot.  She also talks about how the type of needle can impact gauge.

Catherine and Margaret talk about what their knitting is teaching them.  For Margaret it is the Kirklees sock and the Hermione's Everyday Sock.  For Catherine it is knitting a sweater for a theatre production.  (No pattern.)  In Behind the Redwood Curtain, they discuss the annual Fall North Country Fair and in the Brainy Part, Margaret introduces the VAK Learning Style.  Catherine offers a knitting tip about how gauge changes throughout a project. 

Brainy part at 18.60 minutes.  Catherine talks about what she is learning from casting on Fabrege'.  Margaret talks about her infatuation with Triplets Scarf.  Catherine contines to talk about Flow and the conditions at least one psychologist believes is necessary to achieve it. In Behind the Redwood Curtain Catherine talks about Banana Slugs and in Knitting Tips she talks about gauge -- everyone's favorite subject

Margaret and Catherine talk about what their knitting is teaching them, (Chameleon Scarf and Fabergé), Mihály's Csikszentmihály's theories on Flow, Redwood trees from a gardening perspective, and KnittingHelp.com's tips on making decreases.

In this episode Catherine and Margaret both talk about what they have learned from their knitting;  they discuss Carol S. Dweck's book Mindset, describe in general terms The Redwood Curtain, and offer a knitting tip