Author Archives: teachingyourbraintoknit

Ep. 024 Muscle Memory and Knitting

Posted in Brain anatomy & physiology, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 24:  Let Muscle Memory make your Knitting and Crochet easier.

Brainy Stuff:  17:17

Behind the Redwood Curtain:  27:10

What We’re Learning from our Knitting

Margaret took a class from JC Briar on Multi-Directional Knitting and made these two wristers.  (Although she couldn’t find a pattern by JC on Ravelry)   She really enjoyed this technique and plans to do more.    Inspired by the Beaded Waves Scarf, Margaret also made the Mudra Cuff  by Laura Nelkin.

wristlets

Sample wristlets from JC Briar’s Multi-directional Knitting Class.

wrister

Mudra Cuff by Laura Nelkin

Catherine continues to work on her second Fantasy Red Cardi  by  Kathryn Foster using a skein of Goth Socks from  Rainy Day and Wooly Dogs yarn company.    She can’t carry along with her either Meadowlark Shibori Jacket  by  Gina Wilde  or   Among the Wildflowers  by  Sasha Ball Rives.

Baby cardigan

Fantasy Red Cardi blocking

Brainy thing:   Muscle Memory and Knitting

Margaret talks about Muscle and how we can apply the ideas worked up by coaches of athletes and musicians to Knitting.  Take a look at these.

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Catherine describes an iconic figure of the Northcoast:  The Humboldt Honey  The poster, immortalizing the Humboldt Honey was designed by Ingrid Hart (Ingrid DaSilva at the time) who was a journalism major at Humboldt State University.  You can Link to article and image.  You can still buy the poster at Picky Picky Picky  in Eureka, CA.

Hippie girl

Are You a Humboldt Hippie poster by Ingrid Hart photography by Patrick Cudahy

Knitting Tip

Margaret suggests that to help anchor your knitting and build muscle memory of the new technique you can make small projects:   wristlets, coaster or coffee mug cozy might be some possibilities.   Then you would have reinforced your learning and have something to show for it!

A Little Podcast Business

The incentive prize for a randomly selected winner of the next 100 people who join our ravelry group is ongoing.

Fiesta Rayon boucle Catalina colorway

Fiesta Rayon boucle Catalina colorway

Ep. 023 How We See Color in Our Knitting and Crochet (1st in a series)

Posted in Brain Function, Crochet, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 23:   How we see color in our Knitting and Crochet (the first in a series)

Brainy Part:  20:18

Behind the Redwood Curtain  39:38

What we’re learning from our Knitting and Crochet:

Catherine is learning she doesn’t enjoy finishing (she already kinda knew that) but she did it anyway for the Failynn Fox Cowl by Velvet Acorn out of Lion Brand fox cowl side fox cowl Thick and Quick Pumpkin.

 

She also did some improvisation with the Chain Mail Slippers that she was doing for a Arcata Plays  in the Park production locally.   She used the Simple Man Slipper by Melissa Mall in Wool-like Chunky by Loops and Threads.

chain mail slippers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Margaret learned how to work an applied edge in crochet (adding the edging perpendicularly to the bottom of the shawl. — oops, she added it to the wrong edge.   The pattern was Terra Cotta Shawl from More Love of Crochet in Summer of 2014 and now called Thorns by Rebecca Velasquez. It is now sold on Rebecca’s website.  Margaret also used lace weight yarn for an entire project for the first time — a lovely silk/linen blend by Sincere Sheep.

Terra folded Terra piece

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brainy Thing:  Seeing Color

Catherine talks about seeing color — in knitting and crochet.   Among other things, she mentions the Concetta Antico who is documented as seeing colors differently.

Here are some links to her research.

Concetta Antico, tetrachromatic artist:  http://concettaantico.com/

For more on this subject, check out Ewe University Episode 39 Effects of Color on Behavior, Emotions and the Brain

Behind the Redwood Curtain:  The Giant Coastal Salamander

Catherine thinks these guys are cute although they’ll probably bite you.

Giant Coastal Salamander

Giant Coastal Salamander

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knitting Tip:

For a real cushy sock, try the princess (as in the princess and the pea) sole.  Melissa Mall included them in her pattern above.  Knitty’s Cinderella sock pattern by Kathryn Beckerdite also includes instructions for the princess sole.

Podcast Business:

We’re still offering the incentive prize for the next group of 100 members in our Teaching Your Brain to Knit Ravelry Group.

Fiesta Rayon boucle Catalina colorway

Fiesta Rayon boucle Catalina colorway

 

 

 

ETA

ETA 9/28/15

Ep. 022 Kinesthetic Learning Mode in Knitting

Posted in Knitting, Learning by

Episode 22:  The Kinesthetic Learning Mode in Knitting and Crochet

Brainy Thing starts:  22:17

Behind the Redwood Curtain starts:  30:45

What we’re learning from our knitting.

With her Fantasy Red Cardi by Katherine Foster (see prior posts) behind her and her Among the Wildflowers by Sasha Ball Rives on hold, Catherine turns to two bits of production knitting.  She is working on Failyn Fox Cowl fox cow progressby Heidi May in Lion Brand Thick and Quck for a friend’s child and the Chain Mail Hood and Cowl offered by the Utah Shakespeare Festival (Chain Mail Techniques).  With a re-envisioned yarn choice (Patons Metallic in Pewter), Catherine is making this  for a local production of Plays in the Park for the play The Unprincess.

Chain Mail Hood pattern by Utah Shakespeare Festival

Chain Mail Hood pattern by Utah Shakespeare Festival

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Margaret talks about Laura Nelkin’s Beaded Waves Cuff and why Margaret sometimes like buying a kit instead of gathering all the elements of a project herself.

Beaded Waves Cuff by Laura Nelkin

Beaded Waves Cuff by Laura Nelkin

waves

Brainy Thing:   Kinesthetic Learning

The last element of the VAK (Visual Auditory Kinesthetic) learning style discussion (but not the end of the topic itself), Margaret shares general and personal experiences of learners who take in information kinesthetically.  She mentions Heather Ordover’s research on Cognitive Anchoring.

Behind the Redwood Curtain

imagesCatherine talks about the Natural Fiber Fair which is held in Arcata, CA.  For more information, click here.

 

Knitting Tip

Margaret shares that designers (Laura Nelkin, for example) and yarn companies often have wonderful tutorials on their sites.

Podcast Business

Incentive for the random chosen winner of the next 100 members of the Ravelry Group.

Fiesta Rayon boucle Catalina colorway

Fiesta Rayon boucle Catalina colorway

Ep. 021 Knitting for Cancer and Other Health Issues

Posted in Brain health, Crochet, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 21:   Knitting supports Cancer Recovery and other Health Issues

Brainy part starts:  24:05

Behind the Redwood Curtain (Trillium) Starts:  33:35

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting (and Crochet):

Catherine is finishing up the Fantasy Red Cardi designed by Katherine Foster.

completed Fantasy red cardi

completed Fantasy red cardi

She’s also made two hats as part of the North Coast Knittery’s Hats for the Homeless Campaign.   The pattern is The Tyson Hat by Robyn Devine and the yarn is Naturally Nazareth.by Kraemer Yarns.silk wool hat orange hat comparison hat

Catherine is well along on the Failynn Fox Cowl by Heidi May who goes by the Velvet acorn.  She is using Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick in pumpkin for it.

fox earsfox cow progress

Margaret is continuing her exploration of cotton sock yarns.   This episode she talks about Cascade Fixation using the Fixation Ankle Sock pattern by Dawn Friske or Knitamazoo.   fixation

Margaret also re-crocheted the Quotidian or Flapper Bucket Hat by the Stitch Diva to make it just a little larger to accommodate her Mom’s hair bun.

Quotidian Hat

Quotidian Hat

The Brainy Part:  Knitting to Support Cancer Recovery

Catherine introduces one of the many programs developed as an adjunct to support cancer patients and their families.  The Knit for Life Program was started by Tanya Pariequz.  She also talks about Team Survivor Northwest. 

She mentions Tricoter yarns in Seattle, WA.

Behind the Redwood Curtain:   Trillium

Margaret talks about the beautiful little trillium that bloom in the spring at the base of the redwood trees.

trillium 6

Margaret’s photos of trillium under the redwoods

trillium 7 trillium

Knitting Tip

Margaret shares Edie Eckman’s tip in Connect the Shapes Crochet Motifs about using the principle of the Golden Mean in choosing a pleasing proportion of colors in a multi-color project.

Podcast Business:

The Learn-a-long was fantastic.  Such wonderful projects.   The winner (randomly selected) was:  Lost Surprise who will wine the Donegal Tweed yarn.

Our incentive to join our group continues.   For a randomly selected winner in the next 100 members to join our group, our prize is a skein of Fiesta Boucle..

Fiesta Rayon boucle Catalina colorway

Fiesta Rayon boucle Catalina colorway

Ep. 020 Can your Right Brain help you organize your stash?

Posted in Brainy Stuff, Crochet, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 20:  Organizing your stash with your Right and Left Brain

What we’re learning from our knitting (and crochet)

Margaret has learned a lot from her Charcoal Multnomah Shawl by Kate Ray including that “old Shale” and “Feather and Fan” are different patterns reported by Northern Lace.   There are also at least seven variations of feather and fan according to Angel Fire.  Margaret liked Mariann Nahl’s “Fast and Easy continental Knit and Purl” video.

Charcoal Sunshine Multnomah

Charcoal Sunshine Multnomah

multnomah

Catherine noticed that her tension for her fourth “Misty Rose” dishcloth by Kim Cameron was much looser and therefore a full one inch larger than her first.  Misty rose

She got it back down to the original size when she started focusing again on dishcloth #5.  She is also working on “Among the Wildflowers” by Sasha Ball Rives.   Northcoast Knittery has worked up this pattern in a number of different yarns shown here.

Brainy Thing:  Can your Right Brain help you organize your stash?

Margaret revisits the Right and Left Brain theory and mentions the neuroscientist Jill Bolte Taylor whose Ted Talk chronicles her experience of having a stroke in the left side of her brain.  She also talks about Corothy Lehmkuhl’s and Dolores Cotter Lamping’s book Organizing for the Creative Person which offers understanding of different styles of right-brain dominant and left-brain dominant people.

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Catherine discusses the Humboldt Marten, a weasel that controls rats and mice, but that is severely diminished in numbers.

Humboldt Marten

Humboldt Marten

Knitting Tip:

We correct our previous tip that using larger needles will make a stretchier cast-on when using the long tail cast on (Thank you, Paula, from Knitting Pipeline).   Catherine offers the tip that if you know you’re going to have a stressful day, you might want to begin it with a few minutes of knitting to reap the calming effects.

Podcast business

The Learn-along ends August 1.   The randomly selected prize will be three skeins of Studio Donegal , a real Irish Donegal tweed, 88 yards each in a dk weight.  donnegal

The next incentive prize for joining our Ravelry group for members 301 to 400 is a skein of Fiesta Rayon Boucle yarn in the Catalina colorway.  The 240 yards are enough to make an airy summer wrap.

Fiesta Rayon boucle Catalina colorway

Fiesta Rayon boucle Catalina colorway