Looping

Knit fabric is made of many interconnected loops. The knitter holds as many loops as are needed to form the width of fabric on one of two needles and then works across each row, pulling a new loop into each loop on the first needle by manipulating the second needle. As each new loop is made, it is moved onto the second needle. Rudolf Steiner, who founded the Steiner Method of education (Waldorf Schools) called thinking "cosmic knitting" and he encouraged the teaching of knitting in his schools so that the children's hands and minds alike should be richly trained. He believed there was a connection. When the first Waldorf school started in Germany in 1919, we didn't know very much about the actual workings of our brains.

Here is a delightfully circular description of some things we knew about creativity and the mind by 1977. It is from his bibliography Chase, Chance and Creativity by James H. Austin.

   When you solve problems over the full range of situations in life, you likewise use a wide repertoire of association loops, varying from the commonplace to the esoteric, poised at various levels of consciousness,  and you connect them at some very implausible intersections. And when I speak of "loops" in the above context, the word is quite literally correct, for the links made by free associations connect nerve cells in the cortex of the frontal lobes up in front, for example, with those back in the occipital lobes, forward from there to the temporal lobes, up from there to the parietal lobes, down to subcortical nerve cells, over to the opposite cerebral hemisphere, back again--on and on in multiple swirling successions. Indeed to give birth to even the simplest thought, not one but multiple neuronal circuits will be involved even before the primitive idea starts to float up into the more conscious mind's eye or ear. Each circuit is unlikely to be a simple one, because each nerve cell may have up to 10,000 connections, and therefore, big clusters of stimulated cells will be drawn along and invest each association loop. 

Crochet Calendar through June

There's only one more class scheduled at Classic Cottage for April and that is a Beginning Crochet on April 30.

On May 21 between 10:30 and 12:30 I will start a new knitting class called Moving On With Knitting. Here is the description:
This class is for anyone who is comfortable with the knit stitch and ready to learn to make the purl stitch. Once you can knit and purl and learn to identify the placement of each stitch, you can create: ribbing, smooth stockinette fabric and a world of textured stitch patterns. We will make a small amulet purse and learn to decorate it with duplicate stitch embroidery. You will also learn to make a twisted cord.

Also on May 21 and for 2 hours starting at 1:30, I will present Moving On With Crochet. This class is: For those who are comfortable with working single crochet in squares and rectangles. We will learn the half-double crochet stitch and the double crochet stitch. Then we will explore several ways those stitches can be used together: in rows, in textured stitch patterns and in motifs.

In June, I've scheduled a class that knitters and crocheters alike can benefit from: Working With Stripes for Knitters and Crocheters. There's more to making stripes than you could ever imagine! Come and learn how to apply both mathematical and random numbers to your creative projects. We will also be discussing simple color harmonies.

These classes are in beautiful Bowling Green, VA. For more info about the Classic Cottage classes please call Carrie at 804-633-0032.


I'm also very excited about my workshop on scrumbling, to take place at LibertyTown Arts Workshop in Fredericksburg, VA. The date is June 11 between 10:00 and 4:00. Scrumbling is such a great way to experience crocheting intuitively. It has an impressionistic look and can be quite beautiful!

The Squid Story

...Or how something I already knew was re-enforced in a squishy way.
In one of Naomi's enrichment classes, each pair of children was given a thawed squid from a box of previously frozen ones. Their teacher pointed out the sharp "beak" deep inside the flesh of the squid's body. The class talked about endoskeletons and eventually removed them from their squids. Just for fun, they used the endoskeletons as nib pens along with their squid's "ink." When the formal part of their presentation and dissection appeared to be over, my daughter started mashing hers in her hands, which I thought was a somewhat immature action for an eight year old. With my rule not to inhibit unless something or someone is being damaged or hurt, I watched. No one else stopped her either. And then... her squid flesh began to glow... in colors. It became the most exciting part of the class. I realized that squids display bioluminescence. We then related the phenomenon to the tiny sparkling creatures she brought home in her swimsuit after a day trip to Virginia Beach and I told her about seeing bioluminescence that shone in the ocean under moonlight.
This class was an example of what education should be and could be, for teachers, students and involved parents. Hands directly exploring their world offer the best learning. And tongues bitten at the right time can open doors.

Hands-On Learning

My husband and I struggled with what we could do to see that our daughter's educational needs were served. In grade school, she was labeled "gifted" and placed accordingly in a special class. The children in that class got to discuss how they learn. They talked about how they could solve problems by making models, using lists, imaging with their hands. They were presented with a language-rich environment and a hands-on environment that their regular classroom didn't have. Whenever we tried to discuss the needs of "giftedness" other parents would decry that their children weren't getting these enriching activities too. And well they should complain. Our brains, all of our brains, have evolved with dense connections that involve learning through speech and language and the movements of our hands. Sitting at desks and learning by rote has never been the optimal way for any child to learn.