CogKNITive--A Knitting + Psychology Podcast: Episode 234: Yarn Crawling

This episode will upload May 24, 2025

Comments are welcomed! Either comment here or go to our group on Ravelry.

Buy Dr Gemma a Ko-Fi, if you're enjoying the podcast and feeling up to it. Remember that I am still working, though, so feel free to give the money to a charity instead.

I will NOT add you to any of my follower groups currently, due to robo-accounts. Please follow me here. You can contact me through our group on Ravelry or on this blog.

Warm Thanks :

DCAlaneKnits: I may have caught your bird flu--still enjoying that pic of your flock. Thanks for making me scream out loud with laughter: “ Thanks for the ticket on the guilt train! :)

These were mystery OOAK skeins, so no names (One Of A Kind) quite a risky move to buy these on my part LOL. They were $10 a piece, plus shipping. A good deal for Rios.”

SalPal: Thanks for the warm words about my wanderings. The part I skip is that I need to drive 25 minutes to reach public transit. But after that, the connections are pretty good.

AmyStorm: I'm loving that gnome's colors. I had a gnome addiction until young Minerva began trying to bite them all. I feel that about overwhelm in consignment stores. They also tend to smell of detergent, which I find nauseating. Hence my unique dress code. Recommends "Matilija Nursery in Moorpark specializes in native plants". Sounds like a day trip! Also "there’s a new shop in Simi Valley within the Town Center, so lots of other places to browse or eat nearby." YES!!! The Knitting Lounge!

TurboGal: " I’m so enjoying hearing about your Los Angeles Adventures by train and bus. It’s striking how much of our local area we don’t explore because it’s always there. I’m reading a book called “Local” by Alastair Humphreys which is all about deeply exploring one small map area over the course of the year. The author is a travel writer and started to question his carbon footprint, flying all over the world to explore new places. So he gave himself the challenge of exploring locally. I love that you are doing that - you and the book are inspiring me to do the same!" Also have a peep at Microadventures.

My community: on Reddit, on the ground in the SCV, in this group.

Image courtesy of N30NIX on Reddit.

Cogknitive Fiber Retreat 10 (2024): ALL INFO IS RIGHT HERE! It's the info thread on Ravelry.

Cogknitive Fiber Retreat 11 is scheduled for OCTOBER 11, 2025. MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

What's On My Hooks and Needles:

Finished: “Tailfeather Swift”, alias Karen

In Progress:

Stash toss 2025 (56 in, 20 out): of course it was Malabrigo. And the LA Yarn Crawl. Yes, I did it all for the yarn stores to thrive!! Meanwhile, happy times at L’Atelier on Ventura and Hayvenhurst, and The NEW Altered Stitch on Balboa at Van Ness.

What, more Whales’ Road??

The Altered Stitch is back!!

ESChicken: chicken vibes at last--last laps

Novice Slipover in Malabrigo Rios Water Green: working in the round down the front, a few inches above the ribbing and heading that direction.

Blue Iris Blueberry Waffle Socks: forward momentum. Finished#1. Done the leg of #2 and midway on the foot. It's my travel knitting.

Virgo sweater: onto the sleeves! Started a sleeve in bed on Tuesday evening.

The 10-square bag:

Doing the sides, all the blocks are joined. Done up the side panels. Thinking of the liner, digging out an old flannel sheet.

Lakeside cardigan : Remaining: 1 set of front on panels, each is 2x2, weaving those ends, attaching, then major remaining seams.

September Sweater: It's crocheted and has been on my Rav projects page for months. 225 to 150 chain. I’m just plodding along on the second large panel that makes up the body.

Quilt squares and organizing—none this week—we are at 69 finished so far. 10 more in the early stages.

Dizzy Blondes: on to spinning, my second braid of camel hair silk, which is mainly a kumquat color with a little bit of purple in it. That’s to be plied with some kumquat colored Lisa Souza BFL.

Using the electric eel 6.1.

Strategy: Mindfulness in the Moment from the DBT Deck for Clients and Therapists

Finch app ID is XRVW2WQW3C.

GreenFingers: Project Spearmint: I am busily planting more creeping thyme, penstemon, Texas Salvia, and Russian sage as ground covers from High Country Gardens online. And they canceled the AV train line for this week (sigh).

China roses and a California Aster…

Texas Sage and a happy bed of spearmint…

Creeping thyme in the non-rock garden

AW shoot! Hiking LA: Saturday & Sunday: so they canceled the trains from the Antelope Valley down to Los Angeles this week. I’ve been working out on my bike desk, so that’s good, but otherwise I spent Saturday in the rain wandering around Barnes & Noble and getting sushi in the Santa Clarita Valley. On Sunday, I made my way into the Los Angeles yarn crawl by going to two favorites in the San Fernando Valley: L’Atelier on Ventura and then the brand new Altered Stitch on Balboa in Lake Balboa fairly close to Ventura Boulevard. And I did interviews. I also interviewed the amazing Shar who is a professional Knitter while I was at the new Altered Stitch. I want to thank everybody for the interviews. So I’m going to do the yarn stores here and then hopefully I will get onto the more personal interview with Shar in episode 235.

L’Atelier on Ventura (at Hayvenhurst, next to Gelson’s Market)