Tag Archives: Bunny Muff

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_

Ep. 28 Process and Product in Knitting and Crochet, Myers Briggs version

Posted in Crochet, Knitting, Psychology by

Welcome to Episode 28:  Process and Product in Knitting and Crochet using the Myers Briggs lens

Brainy Things: 10:40   Redwood Curtain: 18:35

What we’re learning from our knitting and crochet

webMargaret just finished the super quick Crochet Cobweb Pattern by Jennifer Hansen or the Stitch Diva.   It’s free and a great Halloween or otherwise fun decoration.  She used a generic version of Kid Silk Haze (lost ball band) and got more practice use sticky mohair.

Catherine is now grooving with Vanessa Ives Mystery KAL by Bunny Muff with Woole’s Yarn Creations color changing cotton..   She is using toho beads.vanessa ives progress

Brainy Thing:   Product and Process in Knitting and Crochet:  Myers Briggs

Margaret discusses the Myers Briggs Personality Inventory and how is might help to explain Knitter’s and Crocheter’s issues with process and product in their project.  Check here for an introduction on the Judging and Perceiving pair in Myers Briggs.

Behind the Redwood Curtain

Catherine took the Haunted House Tour of Eureka (CA) and learned why mezzanines were so popular in the Victorian bars in the 1800’s.  Here are some photos of Eureka Books.   The interior shows the intact mezzanine from the old days.

3855PPEureka-books-outside 3855Peureka-books-inside-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knitting Tip

Margaret offers Cat Bordhi’s tip of using mohair or a mohair/silk blend as a reinforcing thread on the toes, heels and even the soles of socks.

 

 

 

 

 

Ep. 027 Reading/Writing Learning Style and Your Knitting

Posted in Knitting by

Welcome to Episode 27: Reading/Writing Learning Preference and Your Knitting

Brainy thing:    25:10                   Redwood Curtain:  33:50

What We’re Learning from Our Knitting

Margaret concludes (at least for now) her cotton sock yarn comparison with Feel Good Yarns sock yarn knitted in a generic sock pattern and using the new-to-her Fish Lips Kiss Heel by Sox Therapist in Feel Good Yarn Company sock yarn.

Below, she compares Feel Good Yarn with Cascade Fixation and Cobasi by HiKoo, which is currently her favorite.

Hi Koo CoBaSi Cascade Fixation Feel Good Yarn Silver Spun
US 1 US 3 US 3
$7.50 / 50 gm $5.50 /5o gm   $48   42 /86 gms, 400 yards
Very stretchy Very stretchy Very stretchy
Pleasant feel Bumpy feel, thick Pleasant feel
Hard to weave in Okay to weave in Fine to weave in
After washing,  not so hard to weave in Stays plumb and soft Strand of silver (don’t see it) conductive, inhibits odors, inhibit bacteria, thermal, suggested for those with diabetes, arthritis, sensitive skin

American made

Catherine talks about her painful learning from the Mona8pi or Bunny Muff’s Vanessa Ives Mystery shawl out of Woole’s Yarns Creations Color Changing Cotton.

Ives mess up

Brainy Thing:  Who put the “R” in VAK?

In earlier episodes, we’ve talked about the VAK learning style – Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic preferences for taking in information. An updated version of that is the VARK system. The “R” stands for the Reading/Writing preference.   While many people including educators find these systems useful, other criticize the research that has been done.

http://easychangeworks.com/articles-nlp/markova-quiz.htm

http://teachertools.londongt.org/?page=VAK

http://easychangeworks.com/articles-nlp/markova-1-intro.htm

http://learningstylesevidence.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-meta-analysis-of-vak-pre-vark.html

http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2012/05/fleming-vakuous-learning-styles.html

Redwood Curtain

Highway 101 bisects Redwood Country.  The 1,550 mile Highway stretches from Los Angeles, CA to Turnwater, Washington.

mx9Z1IG4_KO051Gr5P5GM1AwD6yoQp5bVVbtprZbQplrix9ep4QwxnyNyDvNX--xwb_F6w=s103 2632185908_5aecac9136

 

A Knitting Tip

Margaret Ratcliff The Knowledgeable Knitter