Category Archives: Crochet

Ep. 078 Pantone Color of the year; Colors of Yarn from Kits can Surprise; Find the Right Book that is Best for the Pace You Want; Dungeness Crab Season

Posted in Crochet, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 78  Can Pantone lead us to a mystical year ahead?

Brainy Thing:        16:44             Behind the Redwood Curtain:  30:32

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting:

Catherine is surprised when she learns (again) that colors online don’t always match colors in yarn when she buys a Lion Brand Yarn pattern  Coffee Shop Wrap kit by Alexandra Tavel   https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/coffee-shop-wrap only to discover that a color that she thought was a mild creaming yellow turned out to be a zangy mustard.
Margaret   patched two more socks, including removing and replacing an afterthought heel and it turned out beautifully, just like it was planned to be.   One sock was out Austermann Step yarn in a   Blueberry Waffle  pattern https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/blueberry-waffle-socks and the other was out of
Fish Knits Yarn  warm heart     She also added to her crocheted bathroom accessories collection using adventuresome techniques from Crocheter’s Skill Building Workshop by Dora Ohrenstein.  The pattern is two color diamond stitch from the book.  
She compares this book to two others :

Brainy Thing:

From the Pantone website

Not exactly brainy but thinking along the line of how colors impact our lives, Catherine talks about the Pantone color of the Year for 2018 which is ultra violet.   Associated with mysticism and vision, expect to see the color around for awhile.

Behind the Redwood Curtain

 
One of the high points of North Coast Living is the Dungeness crabs

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 will the Pantone Color of the Year lead us to a higher spiritual level?, Also Catherine is surprised by a color she receives in a shawl knitting kit;  Margaret offer guides for choosing books that have the best pace for you, and the North Coast celebrates Dungenes crab season.

Ep. 071 Choose from five types of meditation; Gather more insights from teaching crochet; Fine a home for charity knitting; explore the bounty of Minus Tides in Humboldt

Posted in Crochet, Knitting, Meditation, Teaching by
Brainy Thing:   25:07   Redwood Curtain:  45:31

What We’re Learning From Our Knitting and Teaching (crochet.)

Catherine focuses on her charity knitting , finishing her Socks for the Homeless and trying to find a good charity to donate some older projects:  a child’s cardigan, an adult raglan sweater, and some baby socks.

Catherine’s Charity Knitting:  Fantasy Red Cardi by Catherine Foster  
generic baby socks

worsted weight sweater The Incredible Custom Fit Raglan Sweater  by Pamela Costello   woolworks.

Catherine’s Charity Knitting:  Fantasy Red Cardi by Catherine Foster  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fantasy-red-cardi
generic baby socks, and a worsted weight sweater The Incredible Custom Fit Raglan Sweater  by Pamela Costello  ( woolworks)  https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/incredible-custom-fit-raglan

Margaret shares some more insights she’s gathered from teaching a small group how to crochet Hats for the Homeless.  Simple Single Crochet Hat  by K T and the Squid  (  Katy Petersen.)  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/simple-single-crochet-hat

Brainy Thing

Catherine gives a broad view of Meditation describing five categories of meditation outlined  by Jules and Michelle Levey  in Luminous Mind  http://www.wisdomatwork.com/.     Chopra Center  7 myths about meditation  http://www.chopra.com/articles/7-myths-of-meditation
blog   Live and Dare   Giovanni Dienstmann  http://liveanddare.com/

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Catherine and Margaret recount their adventure during a Minus Tide in 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.
In this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we offer 5 basic styles of meditation with scores of specific types in each category;  we share an update on lessons learned from teaching; And Some experiences with Charity Knitting; and we explore the bounty of the minus tide in Humboldt.

Ep. 064 Silence and Noise Impact on the Brain; Foundation Crochet; Charity Socks; Alpaca Farming; History of Humboldt State; and Book Giveaway

Posted in Brain Function, Brainy Stuff, Crochet, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 64

Brainy Thing:     13:44             Redwood Curtain:  19:26

What We’re Learning From Our Knitting;

Margaret continues her exploration of new techniques through the creation of jar covers (to use as vases, crochet hook holders, pencil holders, etc.).   This time she tries out foundation crochet with the pattern  Crochet Jar Cosy by Emma Escott  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jar-cover-5
Foundation Crochet :
photo tutorial:  .futuregirl.com/craft_blog/2009/3/tutorial-foundation-single-crochet.aspx    lots of markers and arrows
Catherine reports her progress on  worsted weight charity socks (designed by Harry Wells) sponsored by the NorthCoast Knittery—https://northcoastknittery.com/blogs/shop-tidbits/socks-for-the-homeless using Kramer Yarn in the Garnett color.  She also talks about what she learned at  Sunny Grove Alpacas, a local farm with goats and alpacas.  https://www.facebook.com/Yarnfun/photos/a.481307557385.270773.103158137385/10154066989897386/?type=3&theater

Brainy Thing

What can Silence do for the brain?   Good things, says Margaret.  Hear what she has to say about noise and silence.
Dr. Michael Wehr
Benefits of Silence:
Medical Daily 5 health benefits of silence

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Humboldt State University, locally called HSU, started out as a teacher’s college.   Catherine traces its history over a hundred years.  

Give away

Knit Baby Head and Toes by Gwen Steege will be given to the first person who asks on Episode 64 thread on Ravelry.

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.
On this episode of Teaching Your Brain to Knit, we look at what is the impact of noise and silence on the brain, what’s the benefit of the foundation crochet technique, following progress on charity socks and learning about raising alpacas, checking out the   over 100 years of history of Humboldt State University, and offering another book give away.

Ep. 059 The Dana Foundation Supports Brain Research and Education

Posted in Brainy Stuff, Crochet, Knitting, Learning by

Welcome to Episode 059:  The Dana Foundation Supports Brain Research and Education

Brainy Thing:  20:45     Redwood Curtain:  25:50

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting:

Margaret is learning Intarsia, a technique she’s been wanting to learn for a long time.  She presents her experiences so far and a variety of sources for learning intarsia from books, videos, You tube, Craftsy
You Tube
Catherine has been struggling to find knitting time but sneaking in a row or two of Absolutely Essential by Bunny Muff. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/absolutely-essential

Brainy Thing:

The Dana Foundation supports Brain Research and education about the brain.   Dana foundation  http://www.dana.org/

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Knitting Tip

Crochet more foundation chains than you need and count your stitches in each row as you finish them.

A Little Podcast Business

Winners for joining the Ravelry Group announced.

2017 Learn Along:

Ends on May 1st.   Get those projects done and post them on the thread in the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Ravelry Group.  

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.

Summary

Today on Teaching Your Brain to Knit learn how the Dana Foundation supports research and education  about the brain;  Margaret offers sources and tips for learning intarsia; Catherine discovers how absolutely essential knitting is for her while she works on Bunny Muff’s shawl:  Absolutely Essential, Get the details on the Redwood Craft Stomp April 27 -29, Learn two crochet tips from our listener thread and finally find out who wins prizes for joining the Teaching Your Brain to Knit Group on Ravelry.

Ep. 058 What Appreciation and Gratitude Do for Your Brain

Posted in Brain Function, Crochet, Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 58:  Appreciation and Gratitude fire the same places in the brain

Brainy Thing:   25:25    Behind the Redwood Curtain:   35:25

What We Learned From Our Knitting

Catherine knit not one, but two Poncho Perfectos by The Knit Cafe Toronto for a production of Julius Caesar.   Listen to her tale.   
The pattern is no longer  available but Catherine used raveler raplib’s Pacific NW Poncho notes as a guide.   http://www.ravelry.com/projects/raplib/poncho-perfecto  She used Jenny’ super stretchy bind off
Margaret has been playing with a number different projects but she finished two crochet ball ornament covers.  The directions are free and are:  Joy M. Prescott’s  Elegant ornaments:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/elegant-ornaments  in #10 orange cotton thread and Teresa Richardson’s Thread crochet ornament   http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/thread-crochet-ornament—christopher  The video tutorial  is   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL0i4TTlGyM

Brainy Thing:

Catherine tells us that receiving appreciation and giving appreciation fire the same parts of the brain as offering gratitude does and it does great things for our well being.  She mention the O T Tanner company, Positive Psychology Researc, Psychiatry Seven, Dr. Tard Khastan from George Mason University and Dr. Robert A Emmons, the world’s leading expert on Gratitude.  He’s at UC Davis and is the founder of the Journal of Positive Psychology.

Behind the Redwood Curtain:

Today Margaret Explore the Temperate Rainforest, the ecosystem of the Redwood Forest.

Knitting Tip:

Seven7seven (one of our group members) gives a tip that to keep track of yarn care instruction, take a photo of it when you’re photographing the yarn to add to the Ravelry stash pages.

The Learn-along

The Learn-along continues.   It ends May 1.  There’s prizes and learning to be had.

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 on Teaching Your Brain to Knit, how you can improve your quality of life with gratitude and appreciation;  Catherine takes a journey in knitting for the theatre;  Margaret enjoys the plasticity of crochet;  We learn what a temperate rain forest is, we get a tip about how to never lose your yarn’s care instruction, and we give a reminder about the 2017 Learn along.