Welcome to a special episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit.   This time Margaret interviews Franklin Habit who generously offers his ideas and experience about teaching knitting and handcrafts.

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-…

(for a fee) https://shop.mybluprint.com/knitting/classes/heirloom-lac…

Franklin’s essay on “the uglies” mentioned in in the interview. http://www.lionbrand.com/blog/sheep-to-shawl/

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.

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

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

Give Aways

Podcast Links.

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.

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

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.

Catherine presents the pleasures and health of Humboldt Grass Fed Beef.

A Little Podcast Business

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

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:

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;

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting:

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:

Welcome to Episode 96:  Little fun facts about the brain;  The journey to piece felted crochet blocks for a charity blanket;  Experimenting to find the perfect dog sweater; Finding terror and beauty at Megwil Point

Brainy Thing: 13:22                    Behind the Redwood Curtain: 21:37

Obviously unblocked. They’ll get sewn together then felted.

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.

Not Catherine’s but the pattern image

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.