Monthly Archives: January 2019

Ep. 101 Commenting on documentary Murder Mountain;  Finishing and planning new knitting project; Reporting on mix of science and intuition in film Innsaei; Offering three giveaways

Posted in Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 101: We give our comments on documentary Murder Mountain about the marijuana industry in Southern Humboldt;  We finish knitting projects:  blocks for charity blanket, mitts, bird and plan new ones;  we report on the mix of science an intuition in the film Innsaei;  We update news on the podcast and offer three giveaways.

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: film Innsaei

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.

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.

Ep. 100 Do Brain Games Really Work; We finish a dog sweater, blocks for charity, fingerless mitts and a knitted bird, Humboldt Grass Fed Beef a new county brand

Posted in Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 100 where we explore whether Brain Games really improve your brain;  Catherine finishes (almost) a dog sweater and some blocks for a charity blanket;  Margaret finishes Christmas gifts — fingerless gloves and a knitted bird;  and Catherine reports that one of the advantages of year round grass is ideal conditions for Humboldt Grass Fed Beef.

Brainy Thing:   10:43       Behind the Redwood Curtain:   22:25

What We’re Learning From Our Knitting:

Ann Budd’s Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns

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.
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.

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Catherine presents the pleasures and health 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 that will talk about learning and their approach to learning.
Links
website https://teachingyourbraintoknit.com/ for show notes, photos of our knitting and crochet projects, Behind the Redwood Curtain places and things and anything else we decide to post.
Instagram:   Margaret Kelso for Margaret and MagicWombat1 for Catherine

Ep. 099 How Housing impacts Happiness; Modifying a dog sweater; Adding bead to sweater for sheep; How Salmon is Everything

Posted in Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 99:  How Housing can impact Happiness;  Catherine modifies and finishes (almost);  Margaret adds beads to the sweater for crocheted sheep;  We explore the role of Salmon for thousands of years for the North Coast

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

Podcast Links:

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

Ep. 098 The little brain cerebellum does big work; can yarn absorb bad energy; facing reality in your knitting project; Discovering albino redwoods

Posted in Knitting by
Welcome to Episode:  How the “little” brain does “big” work;  can “bad” energy infuse yarn;  Facing reality in a knitting project;  Discovering albino redwoods
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:
Behind the Redwood Curtain:
Catherine shares with us the secrets of Albino Redwoods and Chimera trees.

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.

Ep. 097 Group Singing Creates Happy Brain chemicals; Reaping the Rewards of the Dishcloth Swap; Sharing Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh; Exploring the Redwood Canopy

Posted in Knitting by

Welcome to episode 97  Singing in Groups creates happy Brain Chemicals;  Exploring the Redwood Canopy;  Reaping the Rewards of the Dishcloth Swap;  Sharing Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh;

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.  https://www.savetheredwoods.org/blog/wonders/redwood-canopy-a-research-frontier/

https://www.savetheredwoods.org/blog/wonders/200-feet-up-a-redwood/

https://www.savetheredwoods.org/grant/what-is-growing-in-the-canopies-of-the-tallest-trees-in-the-world/

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/02/14/climbing-the-redwoods

 

Podcast Links:

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