Ep. 037 Knitting Wednesdays for Wounded Warriors Support Families, Vets and Current Soldiers

Welcome to Episode 37:  Knitting Wednesdays at Walter Reed Hospital help family and friends of soldiers and veterans recovering from wounds

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  which was another opportunity to use beads.  She used Rizoni  yarn from  The Loom   (The loombangkok.com).   Sasha Ball Rives   was the designer of the free design.   In addition to designing, she owns the Stitch Space yarn shop in Missouri. wildfowerswildflowers 2
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   design Fine Shawl on Diagonal out of Be Sweet Baby Mohair.  Her mother didn’t want it anymore, so Margaret got a new scarf.goat stripes Mom in goat stripes scarf

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

Catherine tells us about the Wounded Warrior Knitting Wednesdays    at Walter Reed Hospital which is not to be confused with the better known Wounded Warrior Group.

Behind the Redwood Curtain:  Statue of President McKinley

220px-Arcata_McKinley_StatueThere’s a statue of President McKinley standing smack dab in the middle of Arcata, CA.   Margaret tells us the story behind it.   One of her references is Roadside America.com

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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     and to send in Knitting Tips continue.
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Ep. 036 New Research on Muscle Memory May Help Knitters and Crocheters

Welcome to Episode 36:  New Muscle Memory Research May Help Knitters and Crocheters

Brainy Thing:    22:00                                Behind the Redwood Curtain:  38:45

What we learned from our knitting:

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Crocheted Heart (called “guest Lapel Pins” in Ravelry) designed by Jennifer E. Ryan.

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-pinshearts

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 to be “scrubbier.”

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Tawashis Catherine received from the scrubbie swap.

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Scrubbies Catherine made using hemp yarn.

Catherine continues to knit baby socks for Afghans for Afghans.   She modified the Kate Atherley Baby Sock http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks-23   to have ribbing on the top of the foot.

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Another pair of baby socks using Kate Atherley’s pattern but with continued 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?

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.

Book Cover Two Peoples, One Place by Ray Raphael and Freeman House

Two Peoples, One Place by Ray Raphael and Freeman House

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  (five past pompom magazine issues).  opulent
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