Mama O Knits Too Much

Cognitive Anchoring

Heather — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:22:40 +0000

Cognitive Anchoring is the thing I spoke about at MIT for the Common Cod Fiber Guild last week. It’s a term I had to make up because no one else had tied the pieces together in regards to knitting and how it affects the mind. I’m working up a teaser for the talk to post here so if you, your guild, or your LYS would like to have me come speak/teach, you’ll have something to point to. There’s been zero research into knitting itself but lots of research on the outskirts. And that’s where this term comes from: knitting anchors us to where we are and what we’re doing. Without knitting in a meeting, this is what I look like: And, in other news, more Chaucer has been going out to subscribers. We’ll be done with the entire prologue in a few weeks! Bookmark It Hide Sites

WIP Wednesdays

Heather — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:28:03 +0000

I’m always knitting. I should post more. Therefore, WIP Wednesdays! To learn more about the meme, visit Tami Amis’ blog post describing the gig. This week, I’m working on a simple shawl pattern I found at MDSW. It was my birthday present from my DH and is that kind of lightweight summer shawlette that’s perfect when you live in a land of heavy air conditioning (NoVa). It’s called Surf Escapades by Jacqueline P. Jones for Carodan Farm. Inspired by Chincoteague and Assateague Islands, the pattern yarn was (not surprisingly) sold out, but we found some Mini Mochi (#317) that subbed perfectly. Shockingly perfectly. Score! I’m about halfway through (Rav here) and really enjoying the pattern. It’s not simple, or easily memorizable the way some of the trending patterns are, but it fits my needs perfectly, hangs in a way that will work for my summer shoulders, and is lovely in the great, light, sea-foam-ocean-colored blend that’s striping-up nicely. If you’re a new lace knitter, know that the “B” stitches (knit through back of loop) are there to twist previous yarn-overs. This tightens the patterning nicely to give the yarn-over holes crisp outlines, but it also means that you can [...]

I Done Did It!

Heather — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:34:27 +0000

I made decent Gluten free Sourdough Bread with a recipe from the Gluten Free Recipe Box. I’d been thinking about starting a starter (heh) but had been intimidated. I’d been heavy into baking my own bread when I (ironically?) had to get off of gluten. Now I can make a decent starter using ancient grains flours (quinoa, amaranth) and some not so ancient (sorghum, teff, buckwheat, millet). The best (of the weird) advice I’d gotten was to take the rinds of organic fruit that have that funky white powder (blueberries, apples) and use that for yeast procurement. Worked perfectly! More related recipes: Sourdough Bread Boule, Gluten-Free. Happy in Dole Valley: Cinnamon Sourdough Muffins {Muffin Monday}. Bookmark It Hide Sites