Author Archives: teachingyourbraintoknit

Ep. 089

Posted in Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 89  How do We Change Our Minds;  the Entering the next Dishcloth Swap;  Catching the Virus Fever;  Getting to Humboldt County

Brainy:    21:10               Behind the Redwood Curtain: 32:54

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting

Nice bright large virus shawl

Virus shawl outside to match my garden

edging with beads

I actually swatched to see if I liked the colors together (top swatch)

I didn’t like the one with the neutral first row.

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:
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.
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.

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

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.

Ep. 088 Are there positive addictions; Switching to Eggs; The picot edge on Heaven Scent; and OLLI — Destination Humboldt

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Welcome to Episode 88:

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  Boo Knits and Margaret 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
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.

Ep. 087 Benefits of Knitting; Embellishing Birds; More Heavenly lace Knitting; Egret Rookery

Posted in Brain health, Brainy Stuff, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 87

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.
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.

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Catherine appreciates the Egret rookery on Indian Island (Duluwat for the Wiyots)

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 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.

Ep. 086 One Creative Process; Continuing the Lace Knitting Journey; Examining Design for Easy Sock Repair; Exploring Community Theatres Behind the Redwood Curtain

Posted in Knitting by
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.

Best looking side

Worst looking side

Note: one sole is solid black and makes a neater join with the self-striping yarn.

They both look fine from the top.

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.  https://www.visitredwoods.com/listing/music-and-theater-venues/164/

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 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.

Ep. 085 Addiction, Habit, and Compulsion; Starting a new lace pattern; Searching for Sock Longevity; Hats and Women in Humboldt.

Posted in Brainy Stuff, Knitting, Psychology by

Welcome to Episode 85:  Continuing Discussion of Positive Addiction;  Starting a new lace shawl;  Making Socks Last Forever (almost);  Women turn to Millinery in Humboldt.

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 were two 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:

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.  

Ep. 084 Are there “positive” addictions; Texture (and Gauge) for Charity Blanket; Knitting Birds with Arne and Carlos; Celebrating Humboldt Crabs Baseball

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Welcome to Episode 84:   Can Addiction be Positive;  Knitting Textures;  Knitting Birds with Arne and Carlos;  Celebrating Humboldt Crabs Baseball

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 .   Look to the left to see the differences in the stitches.
Margaret’s knitting turns toward the birds from Arne and Carlos’ “Field Guide to Knitted Birds” and learns all sorts of things.

Brainy Thing:

Catherine questions if there is such a thing as “positive addictions.”
Dr. William Glasser
Peg O’Connere

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Humboldt enjoys the longest running collegiate baseball team in the country:  Humboldt Crabs Baseball  http://humboldtcrabs.com/

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 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

Ep. 083 Who’s Creative and How You Can Be (Already Are) too; Exploring Seed Stitch (including Crochet); Trying Texture for Blanket Blocks; Finding Public Loos

Posted in Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 83 Who’s Creative and How You Can Be (already are)  Too;  Exploring the Seed Stitch and its variations (including Crochet);  Trying  Texture Stitches;  Finding Public Toilets

Brainy Thing:    26:17   Behind the Redwood Curtain:  37:36

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting:

 

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:

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 initiate in our podcast   the topic of creativity and how to encourage it;  Margaret experiments with the  Seed Stitch and alternatives in both knitting and crochet,   Catherine explores texture with blocks for a charity blanket, and she also reports on an unusual topic behind the Redwood Curtain — public toilets