CogKNITive--A Knitting + Psychology Podcast: 2026

Thursday, January 29, 2026

This episode is dedicated to Alex Pretti, RN

This episode will upload Jan. 31, 2026

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 :

To Alex Pretti, RN, for a life of service and to all the nurses who serve

To Republican candidate for Gov in MN Chris Madel, who dropped out of the race because "I can't look my daughter in the eye".

To Turbogal, for posting to support Minnesotans

To Oink and maybe Lazer Sheep! I needed some good news!

To my listeners!

Big warm hugs all around!

My communities: on Finch, on Reddit, on the ground in the SCV and AV, in this group.

My birds are celebrating 300 days of goals.

Finch app ID is XRVW2WQW3C.

Cogknitive Fiber Retreat 12 and 11.5 (2026): ALL INFO IS RIGHT HERE! It's the info thread on Ravelry. Yes, I made my hotel reservation.

OINK is COMING! (And we hope for Lazer Sheep too!!!!)

Cogknitive Fiber Retreat 11.5 is scheduled for FEB 7, 2026.

Cogknitive Fiber Retreat 12 is scheduled for Nov 14, 2026.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

This is a Developing thread, so check back often.

Registration for CFR 11.5 (2026):

Via Paypal to Dr. Gemma at gemmadw AT yahoo.com
Payment is due at time of registration and is NOT refundable.**
Sign-ups now ongoing
Loretta 1031 left a message about donations for her crocheting club for school kids. This still applies!

What's On My Hooks and Needles:

Finished: nope

In Progress:

Stash toss 2025 (3 in, 2 out) finally found my 3rd gold/orange for the Coco Strange Brew!

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. I’m done the second torso piece and I've sewn it all together. On the left arm! That will leave the bottom ribbing section and some fixes on the bottom of the other arm.

Coco Strange Brew: I’m on the Fair Isle work! Starmore book, Pacific Knits doodles.

Coral Strange Brew: On sleeve #2 finished! On the easy arm knitting.

Dizzy Lazer Socks #1: for more brainless knitting. On the foot. Lazersheep and Dizzy Blonde yarns

Vestuary 2026: A great video by The Shetland Trader on steeking armholes for stranded -pattern vests. A fine discussion of reinforcing and cutting a steek by Brooklynn Tweed. On the lower body currently. You do put underarm stitches on a stitch holder. You do still shape the armhole per the pattern.

Quilt squares and organizing—none this week—we are at 69 finished so far. 10 more in the early stages. Fusible interfacing pre-cut rectangles for t-shirt quilts

Dizzy Blondes: still spinning the LS BFL Giverny.

Using the electric eel 6.1.

Wheels coming to CFR11.5: Ashford Traditional ca. 1994, probably antique flax wheel, ca. late 19th, early 20th c.

Strategy : be heard, one day at a time skills

From Frostbeard Candles:

Our community is deeply traumatized and being terrorized by ICE. It is affecting everyone's daily lives, to be constantly worried about our safety and the safety of friends, family and neighbors.

And yet we have to keep on going, coming to work, selling candles so our small business can survive, when it has felt like anything but normal the last few weeks. It feels surreal sending marketing emails and posting cozy bookish photos on social media, so we wanted to acknowledge what is happening in the city we love.

Please visit Stand with Minnesota and help our community in whatever way you can.

We love our neighbors. We stand with them. We are deeply proud of our community for pulling together to protect each other from violence and hardship. We have a moral obligation to help those in need and we will continue to do so.”

AW shoot!

Donate used running shoes: Soles4Souls or One World Running

Donate old medals to We Finish Together

Upcoming:

Mardi Gras Madness: March 1, 2026

Sugar Daddy 5K: June 20, 2026

Be the Light 5K: Sept 26, 2026

SC Marathon 5 K: Nov 6, 2026

Fluffy Books:

Finished A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic (sounds AI). Finished The Wizard's Cat. Finished a Fellowship of Librarians and Dragons. Reading A Fellowship of Games and Fables

Something I Really Like: Melt the ICE hat by YarnCultMN and Melt the Ice Toque by Sisu Designs; Red Hat of Resistance by From Here to Infinity Designs (bulky yarns) and crocheted Melt the Ice.

Please consider donating to support those affected by Ice.

This is the link to donate to the cause:
Donate to Those Impacted by Ice
Donate to Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

Project back episodes on Proton- episode 101-150 of the new series

Put a Lid on It:

Tea tastings return! Plum Deluxe’s Advent Calendar

Day 24:

Day 25:

Blather: finished the piano puzzle, finished the Jane Austen puzzle

Saturday: a day at the Science Center and the rose gardens

Sunday: hustling around on errands

LGBTQIA+ LIFELINES:

Community Resources:

Books I’ve Used: A Knit/Crochet Library on the Ravelry group for CogKnitive

My Favorite Resources to Buy: The entire list can be found right here.

Skills and techniques list : links

Calendar:

CFR 11.5 (2026): Feb. 7, 2026

Mardi Gras Madness: March 1, 2026

Sugar Daddy 5K: June 20, 2026

Be the Light 2026: Sept. 26, 2026

SC 5K, 2026: Nov 8, 2026

CFR 12 (2026): Nov.14, 2026

And Minerva gets the last word: still here for you

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Episode 269: Lot of Fair Isle

Check out this episode!

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Episode 269: Lots of Fair Isle

This episode will upload Jan. 24, 2026

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 : to my listeners!

Big warm hugs all around!

My communities: on Finch, on Reddit, on the ground in the SCV and AV, in this group.

My birds are in San Paolo together.

Finch app ID is XRVW2WQW3C.

Cogknitive Fiber Retreat 12 and 11.5 (2026): ALL INFO IS RIGHT HERE! It's the info thread on Ravelry. Yes, I made my hotel reservation.

I will try to post wheel pics.

Cogknitive Fiber Retreat 11.5 is scheduled for FEB 7, 2026.

Cogknitive Fiber Retreat 12 is scheduled for Nov 14, 2026.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

This is a Developing thread, so check back often.

Registration for CFR 11.5 (2026):

What's On My Hooks and Needles:

Finished: nope

In Progress:

Stash toss 2025 (3 in, 2 out) finally found my 3rd gold/orange for the Coco Strange Brew!

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.

Coco Strange Brew: I’m on the Fair Isle work! Starmore book, Pacific Knits doodles.

Coral Strange Brew: On sleeve #2, increases (knitting cuff upwards) finished! On the easy arm knitting.

Dizzy Lazer Socks #1: for more brainless knitting. On the foot. Lazersheep and Dizzy Blonde yarns

Vestuary 2026: a good video on adding steeking stitches by Voolinvine. I also started by reviewing the section on steeking in Alice Starmore’s classic Book of Fair Isle Knitting. On the lower body currently.

Quilt squares and organizing—none this week—we are at 69 finished so far. 10 more in the early stages. Fusible interfacing pre-cut rectangles for t-shirt quilts

Dizzy Blondes: still spinning the LS BFL Giverny.

Using the electric eel 6.1.

Wheels coming to CFR11.5: Ashford Traditional ca. 1994, probably antique flax wheel, ca. late 19th, early 20th c.

Strategy : rewards rewards rewards

AW shoot!

Donate used running shoes: Soles4Souls or One World Running

Donate old medals to We Finish Together

Upcoming:

Mardi Gras Madness: March 1, 2026

Sugar Daddy 5K: June 20, 2026

Be the Light 5K: Sept 26, 2026

SC Marathon 5 K: Nov 6, 2026

Fluffy Books:

Finished The Restaurant of Lost Recipes. Finished On the Wright Path. Listening to A Fellowship of Bakers and Magic (sounds AI). Finished the Wizard’s Butler. Reading The Wizard's Cat.

Something I Really Like: Strange Brew pattern by Tin Can Knits. Along with some of the great dictionaries that have been published lately, this is a total winner for those of us who are into stranded knitting.

Project back episodes on Proton- episode 101-150 of the new series

Put a Lid on It:

Tea tastings return! Plum Deluxe’s Advent Calendar

Day 23: