Thursday, December 31, 2015

216, Part Two: WEFF and Yarnosphere


Episode 216 Part Two  is live!

Show-notes at www.cogknitivepodcast.blogspot.com and on our group on Ravelry.

Happy New Year!


Check out this episode!

Monday, December 28, 2015

218: Tranced



Returning from my stay in a lovely suite on the 30th floor of the downtown Sheraton in Phoenix. Look! I found our own Stashy Mama Anne in Phoenix!

CFR 8 is coming! Oct. 8, 2016!
More information here!

KNIT 15 BEARS IN 2015!!! Post a group pic of the 15 bears you've made for Mother Bear Project in 2015 by Dec 31, 2015 on our thread to compete for prizes.

Add yourself to our CogKNITive Listeners Map.

We have a website at http://www.cogknitive.com/. You can find older episodes there.

You can now subscribe to the BLOG on your Kindle or Kindle app.

I am gemmadw on  Twitter and Pinterest, DoeWalking on geocaching.com, and DrGemma on Plurk and Instagram.

What's On My Hooks, Needles, and Spindles:

Finished:

Mei Mei Socks--one done, the other is waiting behind the shawls in progress.! It was with me on the road to Phoenix and did get some work, as I will tell you later...
Dizzy Blonde Studios



In Progress:

Baa-ble Hat #2 Brown/green--just needs its bobble.
Meg Warren's clever doggie revision of the Baa-ble chart.

Continental Knit Scarf in my own checkerboard pattern.

The OHM Shawl by Michelle Miller. Coming along at last! I've learned to take lifelines more seriously than ever!

Dizzy Blondes: 

I am working away with my Russian spindle on a mixed-wool breeds braid that I bought at Yarnosphere and have been using to teach myself to spin with a supported spindle/tahkli bought from Trif's Turnings at WEFF....

Fleegle teaches how to use a Russian spindle on YouTube.

Some tahkli work on my own alpaca fiber.

Spinning on a tahkli...video

Strategy:
Good, old nonjudgmental kindness: courtesy of Dr. John Lentz--focus on filling yourself with positivity before you enter a predictably tough situation. Or just do it every day and as much as possible for sustained positivity. Stay still, close eyes, envision being flooded with white light or some symbol of happiness.

Put a Lid On It:
Micro-kitchen: I spent my week in a hotel suite, so my accomplishment was living out of a small fridge (no microwave) with a great electric tea kettle and a Nutribullet to continue my smoothies. And 6 bagels, 3 tomatoes, tea bags, Swiss cheese, deli-sliced chicken, 1 can of tuna, yogurt and bananas and PB2. 3 premade salads from the grocery store, And this worked...! With no waste.

Aw Shoot!
Races upcoming: Reindeer Run 5 K in Van Nuys' Woodley Park on Dec 20th.

No real exercise beyond running my butt off as a volunteer at the conference. I slept like the dead every night.

Something I Really Like:

Electric tea kettles. Your BEST travel buddy if you are a dedicated tea drinker. JUST for hot water--don't use it for soup or coffee, if you want good flavor for your tea.

And a GOOD travel mug. nd Trader Joes Chocolate Chip Oatmeal bars for a low-calorie boost.

Blather:
"Aggressive driving is the path to the Dark Side"--Traffic signage in Phoenix.

An evening with our own Stashy Momma.

Mansplaining defined.

About volunteering at the Erickson conference in Phoenix.

I look forward to issuing a TON of book reviews soon, now that I am getting my episodes uploaded at last!

Calendar:




The Calendar of Upcoming Events:

Feb. 18,  2016: Fiji once more!
Oct 8, 2016: CFR8! Mark your calendars!

I just loved my suite in Phoenix:





217: Off to Training--Parts One and Two



I was off to Phoenix with a few detours to visit with a very old friend...

CFR 8 is coming! Oct. 8, 2016!
More information here!

KNIT 15 BEARS IN 2015!!! Post a group pic of the 15 bears you've made for Mother Bear Project in 2015 by Dec 31, 2015 on our thread to compete for prizes.

Add yourself to our CogKNITive Listeners Map.

We have a website at http://www.cogknitive.com/. You can find older episodes there.

You can now subscribe to the BLOG on your Kindle or Kindle app.

I am gemmadw on  Twitter and Pinterest, DoeWalking on geocaching.com, and DrGemma on Plurk and Instagram.

What's On My Hooks, Needles, and Spindles:

Finished:

BeeMiceElf's lovely braid in Targhee wool, colorway "Finale" on my new drop spindle, made by her father. Enjoying the slow art and publishing "a cop of the day". Here are all the finished bobbins of this exquisitely-dyed fiber




In Progress:

Much ripping back to improve my skills...!

Baa-ble Hat #2 Brown/green--just needs its bobble.
Meg Warren's clever doggie revision of the Baa-ble chart.

Continental Knit Scarf in my own checkerboard pattern.

Mei Mei Socks--one done, the other is waiting behind the shawls in progress.! It was with me on the road to Phoenix and did get some work, as I will tell you later...
Dizzy Blonde Studios
Blueberry Waffle Socks Pattern

The OHM Shawl by Michelle Miller. Coming along at last! I've learned to take lifelines more seriously than ever!

The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee
You Tube tutorial on making Pom Poms
Clover PomPom Maker--large

Dizzy Blondes: 
See above for the finished Finale fiber.

I am working away with my Russian spindle on a mixed-wool breeds braid that I bought at Yarnosphere and have been using to teach myself to spin with a supported spindle/tahkli bought from Trif's Turnings at WEFF....

Fleegle teaches how to use a Russian spindle on YouTube.

Tahkli from The Woolery



Strategy:
Make decisions based on love. All decisions come down to love or fear; choose love.

Put a Lid On It:
Winter kitchen: the annual turkey bonanza: roasted turkey, pickled redbeets--add a stick of cinnamon!--, pickled cherries, homemade jalapeno salsa with chips as appetizer, plus all the usuals, including mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce...
How to carve a Turkey properly--video
Afterwards: Shepherds Pie, turkey stock, turkey pho, turkey noodle soup....

Turkey "Pho"

fresh turkey stock
1 egg, scrambled in dish, raw
finely chopped veggies of choice
1 packet ramen-type noodles. (I like Tradeer Joes fresh rice noodles)
leftover turkey meat (salmon aso worked!)
grated cheese of choice

Boil turkey stock at high, rapid boil. Add egg; maintain boiling and 2 mins later add veggies. Keep stock boiling and add noodles, wait 2 mins, then add meat and cook 2 more minutes. Garnish with cheese.

Aw Shoot!
Races done: Santa Clarita 5K, Lake Balboa Turkey Trot--and I foolishly ran on a sore knee....the formula to fix running damage:
RICE: Rest Ice Compression Elevation
Back on the Fitbit/My Fitness Pal bandwagon

Something I Really Like:
Supported spindling: Russian spindle and tahkli work
Carding fibers

PLEASE don't kill me!

Blather:
Thanksgiving was a blast! I ran my Turkey Trot and went home and passed out...and awoke to a magnificent turkey feast that was ready on the table for me!

I look forward to issuing a TON of book reviews soon, now that I am getting my episodes uploaded at last!

Calendar:

The Calendar of Upcoming Events:

Feb. 18,  2016: Fiji once more!
Oct 8, 2016: CFR8! Mark your calendars!

A happy meme for finishing a race on an actual holiday...


Thursday, December 24, 2015

216, Part One: WEFF and Yarnosphere


Episode 216 is live!

Show-notes at www.cogknitivepodcast.blogspot.com and on our group on Ravelry.

Merry Christmas!


Check out this episode!

216: Yarnosphere & WEFF



I'm delighted with my first Baa-ble Hat!

CFR 8 is coming! Oct. 8, 2016!
More information here!

KNIT 15 BEARS IN 2015!!! Post a group pic of the 15 bears you've made for Mother Bear Project in 2015 by Dec 31, 2015 on our thread to compete for prizes.

Add yourself to our CogKNITive Listeners Map.

We have a website at http://www.cogknitive.com/. You can find older episodes there.

You can now subscribe to the BLOG on your Kindle or Kindle app.

I am gemmadw on  Twitter and Pinterest, DoeWalking on geocaching.com, and DrGemma on Plurk and Instagram.

What's On My Hooks, Needles, and Spindles:

Finished:

Foul Cowl



First Baah!--my first try at the incredibly fun Baa--Ble Hat, a Fair Isle design that would be great for newbies to stranded work.
The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee
You Tube tutorial on making Pom Poms
Clover PomPom Maker--large

In Progress:
BeeMiceElf's lovely braid in Targhee wool, colorway "Finale" on my new drop spindle, made by her father. Enjoying the slow art and publishing "a cop of the day".

Baa-ble Hat #2 Brown/green



Continental Knit Scarf in my own checkerboard pattern of :

Done to learn continental knitting and purling:
CO 25 st.
K 5 rows.
Row 6: (K5 P5) to end.
7-10: K5 then knit into knit st and purl into purl st to last 5 st, k last 5 st.
11: K5, then knit into purl st from row 10 and purl into knit st from row 10 to last 5 st; K last 5 st.
12-15: K5, then purl into purl st and knit into knit st.
This should make a checkerboard pattern with a garter edge of 5 st on each side.
Repeat rows 6-15 until you have enough yarn for 5 final rows; knit these last 5 rows for a garter bottom edge.



Mei Mei Socks--one done, the other is waiting behind the shawls in progress.!

The OHM Shawl by Michelle Miller. Coming along at last!.

Dizzy Blondes: 

Bought a supported spindle and increased my fiber collection at WEFF--mainly with more of BeeMiceElf's gradients fiber.

A cop per day...first of the lovely BeeMiceElf Targhee braid in the colorway "Finale"--9 partially-filled bobbins to try to track colors on each bobbin for later plying. This was done on a heavier drop spindle that I bought at Yarnosphere...



...then of a mixed-wool breeds braid that I bought at Yarnosphere and have been using to teach myself to spin with a supported spindle/tahkli bought from Trif's Turnings at WEFF....

Guest-starring Eleanor...


Strategy:

Give yourself 5 loving minutes with a mirror.

Put a Lid On It:

I've been making a lot of homemade "Tomato Pies"--what my Italian family calls pizzas when we are at home. It's easy with homemade pesto, and goat cheese, tomato sauce, and premade dough from Trader Joes.


Baking bread every Saturday, with brownies and whatever on the side. Saving up the pumpkin goodness...and using it to make pumpkin-butter-smoothies and pumpkin bread with chocolate chips! And don't forget those pumpkin waffles!

Aw Shoot!

Hooray! I've completed my first 2 races of the season: The Zombies Run Virtual 5K and the Santa Clarita 5K! Minor update on the glandular thingie. Looking forward to the Turkey Trot at Balboa Park on Thanksgiving Day!

Something I Really Like:

Blankets. My wonderful little GSD is not little anymore, and she rewarded my kindness this week in her own special way.


.
Blather:

I had a blast at Yarnosphere, followed 2 weeks later by having a blast at WEFF!

A wonderful Halloween was enjoyed by all around here.


Calendar:


The Calendar of Upcoming Events:

Thanksgiving: Turkey Trot 5K at Lake Balboa
Dec 9-15: In Phoenix for the Erickson Foundation Trainings as a volunteer worker
Dec 20: Reindeer Run 5K at Woodley Park
Feb. 18,  2016: Fiji once more!
Oct 8, 2016: CFR8! Mark your calendars!