Author Archives: teachingyourbraintoknit

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

Ep. 082 Universal Design in Learning Offers Structure for Learning and Knitting; Two Brains Repair a Shawl; Hiller Park in McKinleyville provides more than a dog park

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Welcome to Episode 82:  Finding a Way to Learn and Teach With Universal Design in Learning;

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:

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.

Ep. 081 Can Ambidexterity Improve the Brain? Finding an interim project; Exploring Fair Isle; Escaping the “Noise of Machine Age America.”

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Welcome to Episode 81:   Handedness and the Brain

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.
Catherine finds an “Interim Project” until she’s ready for a full commitment.   February 19; from the 365   Knitting. Stitches.A. Year. Perpetual Calendar:

Brainy Thing:

Can training to be ambidextrous improve your brain?  Maybe but one expert says maybe not.
Differential
Using Your

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Morris Graves Museum  How  an artist escapes “the noise of machine age America.”   Morris Graves

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 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.”

Ep. 080 Review of “Beyond Food”; Turning to Lace; Failing a Project but Learning; Walking Eureka Old Town

Posted in Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 80:  Finding Your Own Path to Health

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 )

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 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.