Category Archives: Brainy Stuff

Ep. 040 Is the Negativity Bias Affecting Your Knitting? Ideas to Help.

Posted in Brain anatomy & physiology, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 40   Is the Negativity Bias Affecting Your Knitting?   There are ways to counter the negative

Brainy Thing:   20:35                Behind the Redwood Curtain  32:40

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting

Margaret  was inspired by Catherine’s project to try Sasha Ball Rives’ wonderful pattern Among the Wildflowers  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/among-the-wildflowers  with her own “learning opportunities”, of course.
mtk wildflower

For a Ravelry swap, Catherine completed the Crochet Flower Potholders pattern by Jennifer Martin  Blue J  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/flower-potholders using scraps of cotton she had leftover in her stash!

potholder 2 potholder

Brainy Thing:  Negativity Bias:

Studies have shown that are brains are hardwired toward the negative which is a great advantage on the Savannah but probably not now.  Check out:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200306/our-brains-negative-bias  and
For ways to counter that bias, try  Marelisa Fabrega  http://daringtolivefully.com/overcoming-negativity-bias.

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Catherine tells us about the historical Phillips house in Arcata built in 1853/4 in the  Greek Revival style which is open Sundays 2 to 4  http://www.arcatahistory.org/phillips_house_museum_arcata .
 hc-arcata-phillipshse-calendar phillips_house_arcata_california_thumb

phillips spinning phillips 3 phillips 2 phillips quilt

Knitting Tip

One of our Ravelry Members, puffygriffinclaw, offers some tips on Felting.

A Little Podcast Business

Listen for the winners of the membership incentive and the tips contest next episode.  In the meanwhile, become a member of our Ravelry Group  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit,  and check out our 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.   Also, join our Facebook Group  https://www.facebook.com/Teachingyourbraintoknitpodcast/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Ep. 036 New Research on Muscle Memory May Help Knitters and Crocheters

Posted in Brain Function, Crochet, Knitting, Learning by

Welcome to Episode 36:  New Muscle Memory Research May Help Knitters and Crocheters

Brainy Thing:    22:00                                Behind the Redwood Curtain:  38:45

What we learned from our knitting:

hearts2

Crocheted Heart (called “guest Lapel Pins” in Ravelry) designed by Jennifer E. Ryan.

Margaret played with  crocheted hearts from  DIY Wedding by Jennifer E. Ryan either in Interweave Crochet Summer 2015 or as a special collection on the Interweave Website.  They were cute, quick and fun. They are called Guest Lapel Pins on Ravelry. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/guest-lapel-pinshearts

Catherine shares Towashis  she received from her swap. One was made of a  worsted cotton, the second from sugar and cream and the third was sugar and cream with a portion from the specialized yarn, Sugar and Cream Scrubby  which is more specialized to be “scrubbier.”

received tawashi

Tawashis Catherine received from the scrubbie swap.

more scrubbies

Scrubbies Catherine made using hemp yarn.

Catherine continues to knit baby socks for Afghans for Afghans.   She modified the Kate Atherley Baby Sock http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-socks-23   to have ribbing on the top of the foot.

baby socks 3

Another pair of baby socks using Kate Atherley’s pattern but with continued ribbing on the top of the foot.

Brainy Thing:  New Research Finds Way to Speed up Muscle Memory Learning

John Hopkins’ researchers find keys to speeding up learning for patients with neurological conditions, including post stroke.   Could these techniques work for knitters and crochets?

Behind the Redwood Curtain:  38:45

Margaret talks about the “scientific” and the oral  history of the native tribes still thriving in the Humboldt Bay area. Much of her research is based on  Two Peoples, One Place by Ray Raphael and Freeman House.  http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Place-Freeman-House-Raphael/dp/1883254019.

Book Cover Two Peoples, One Place by Ray Raphael and Freeman House

Two Peoples, One Place by Ray Raphael and Freeman House

Podcast Business:

The incentive for joining the Ravelry group  Teaching Your Brain to Knit  http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit  and the contest for Knitting Tips continue  (five past pompom magazine issues).  opulent
pom pom smallest

 

 

 

 

Ep. 034 The Forgetting Curve and Knitting

Posted in Brain Function, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 34:  The Forgetting Curve and Knitting

Brainy thing:   21:40  Redwood Curtain 31:40

What We’re Learning from our Knitting:

Margaret doesn’t realize that the Forgetting Curve threw her a curve on the Fish Lip Kiss heel until she messed up.    She made a sparkly pair of blue socks out of Knit Circus Pixie Dust fingering  weight  merino/silk/nylon/polyamide/metallic yarn.   Persie's sparkle socks
Years ago she got a similar yarn as a kit from Knit Circus for Jaala Spiro’s half circle Corrina Shawl in the Casseopeia  color way.   When she ran out (she didn’t do a gauge swatch—for shame)  Jaala Spiro dyed a skein that would especially go with the older color way.  So she had quite a bit of the yarn leftover.
corrina shawl
Along with the Vanessa Ives Mystery Shawl, Catherine continues making socks for the Afghans for Afghans organization.  This time she use Kate Atherly’s Baby Socks pattern .   She also made Lee Burstein’s Organic Cotton Heirloom Baby Hat , but out of wool instead of cotton.
Catherine continues to make progress on her meditative Vanessa Ives Shawl.

Catherine continues to make progress on her meditative Vanessa Ives Shawl.

BABY SOCKS Kate Atherley
Brainy Thing:   The Forgetting Curve
Baffled by her botched attempt at the Fish Kiss Lips Heel (she did it once and she thought she remembered it) Margaret delves into the world of forgetting and meets our old friend Hermann Ebbinghaus who first described the Forgetting Curve.  Elizabeth Loftus, a cognitive psychologist, describes different types of forgetting.
Behind the Redwood Curtain:
16474_150px
Catherine tells us about an icon of the Humboldt Bay, the statue of “The Fisherman” by Dick Crane.  (http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2011634667/)  He and his wife Salli own Dancing Crane Studios.
Knitting Tip:
Listener Kate Pricey offers a tip about making knitting into the Backward Loop Cast-on easier — go through the back loop.
Knitting Tip Contest:
Five back issues of Pom Pom magazine is the prize for a randomly selected winner from our Knitting Tip thread of on our group on Ravelry.pom pom smallest
Podcast Business:
We continue to have an on-going incentive prize for each 100 people who join our Teaching Your Brain to Knit podcast group on Ravelry.  (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/teaching-your-brain-to-knit)
opulent

Ep. 033 How Knitting Can Help Fight Addiction

Posted in Brain health, Knitting by

Welcome to Ep. 033  Stitchlinks uses knitting to help fight addiction

Brainy Thing: 20:47      Behind the Redwood Curtain:  33:15

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting

Catherine updates us on her process knitting with Vanessa Ives Shawl by Bunny Muff.shiny vanessa
She is knitting baby socks by  Bianca Boonstra  for her favorite charity  Afghan for Afghans  .  They are out of her 2nd pair of Catnip Yarn that she died with Dharma dyes
2 at a time socks baby
bianca baby socks
Margaret has made more Bevy of Bangles by Mags Kandis     The pattern is free on the interweave  press site and is featured in the book Gifted by Mags Kandis.more bangles
She reacquainted her self with Judy’s magic cast on.  As a reminder, she used the illustrations of Judy Becker’s book:    Beyond Toes: Knitting Adventures with Judy’s Magic Cast-on.

Brainy Thing:

Catherine tells us more about Stitchlinks and their work on Knitting and Addiction.  Stitchlinks was started by Betson Corkhill.   Catherine also mentions a HBO series on addiction that she found very informative.

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Margaret talks about the Standish Hickey State Recreational Area and The Peg House  complex across the street from the entrance.
Standish Hickey

Entrance to Standish Hickey State Recreation Area (in the rain). Mostly second growth redwoods but some old growth.

peg house

Peg House picnic

A rainy winter day at the Peg House across from Standish Hickey State Recreation Are.

Knitting Tips:

Catherine tells Cat Bordhi’s tip on dealing with ladders in your knitting.

Podcast Business:

There’s a new contest — send in your knitting (or crochet) tips for an opportunity to win five back issues of PomPom magazine.  Also, there is the continuing incentive to join the Ravelry Teaching your Brain to Knit group.

Ep. 031 Knitting and Life-long Learning and your Brain: The Nun Project

Posted in Brain anatomy & physiology, Brain Function, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 31:  Knitting, Life-long Learning, Your Brain:  Data from the Nun Project

Brainy Thing starts at:                              Behind the Redwood Curtain:

What we’re learning from our Knitting

Catherine gives an update on the Vanessa Ives Mystery Shawl  By Bunny Muff  and how even Michael’s  Big Box store failed in providing Japanese beads that would work for it.
shiny vanessa_
While she’s waiting for her delivery of beads, she’s working on Baby Socks by Bianca Boonstra for the Afghan for Afghans project.  The socks are made from Treadsoft Yarns that Catherine dyed with Dharma dyed goods._

She’s also been working up some scrubbies for the Dishcloth group she belongs to.  The pattern is baby socks orange_Little Scrubbie by Arctic Trails Abstract   and made out of leftover Knit Picks Lindy Chain and AllHemp 6 lux.

Margaret tells the “amazing” story of finding a hand dyed indigo boucle cotton at Amazing Yarns in Emerald Hills, CA.  She knit the Miami Vice pattern  by 3 bags fulled or Hillary Designs and learned of ways to fix the dye from John Marshall of John Marshall Works in Fabric who was at the Natural Fibre Festival in Arcata in September.
miami vice full miami vice line_

Brainy Thing

Another reason we crafters should continue to learn?  Catherine talks about the Nun Study, a longitudinal study of Sisters of Notre Dame which indicates that lifelong learners have a lower rate of symptoms of dementia even if there are pathological signs of it in the brain after death.  Also, those with stronger language skills fared better in terms of preventing dementia.

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Margaret shares information about the mission of the Friends of the Dunes’ Humboldt Coastal Nature Center.
dunes display

Hands-on display at Humboldt Coastal Nature Center

display dunes

More hands-on opportunities at the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center

dunes trail

Path leading to the trails at the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center

dunes house

Stamps House at the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center.

exterior dunes

Walk outside of Stamps House at the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center.

_

Knitting Tips   (technical problems prevented the recording of this.)

Learn more about indigo from the “word of the Week” on Indigo expert John Marshall.  http://johnmarshall.to/blog/category/japanese_word_of_the_week/

Podcast Business

The incentive to sign up for the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Ravelry Group_ continues.
opulent_