Inquiry into Inquiry

The final phase in this inquiry process is Wishing, a reflection of the process and product.  This was an interesting project, in that the process was magnified to exemplify the steps that are necessary in learning.  While I found much of the process intuitive, slowing down and documenting each step actually clarified what and why I was learning.  I found this process cumbersome at times, yet I think I learned more, at least more specifically.  I could “see” the decision-making I was doing, as opposed to keeping it mental, and caught myself in “holes” by the way I was thinking.  I found it easier to go back and review my thoughts, instead of losing thoughts.

My topic of learning to knit was a simple topic compared to others, with the greatest obstacle being my concerns about being left-handed.  I learned early in reviewing resources, that multiple forms of knitting exist, with left-handedness becoming almost a non-issue.  I found that the description of knitting left-handed actually more difficult that trying to knit right-handed.  Though I learned the very basics, casting on, knit stitch and binding off the needle, I saw how other stitches could be used to create complex patterns and complex projects.  Maybe someday I will be capable of learning those.  I also learned that one can learn to knit through multiple sources-the Internet offered some excellent videos as well as text, multiple books and magazines exist demonstrating how to knit and lessons are available from multiple individuals. 

I was thrilled at how my family became involved in this venture.  Both of my children became interested in learning to knit and my husband jumped in to help me find resources.  I love how learning can become contagious.

In assessing how my project went, I would say that time management was a huge issue.  I should have spent more time actually practicing the stitches instead of researching.  I do not consider the researching phase poorly spent, just that the time needed to be better spent on the focus of the project.  I found that researching opened other interests including the spiritual aspect of knitting.  I could have revised the project to this topic, though I think I needed to experience the act of knitting before understanding the spiritual-ness of this task.

I found questioning through the project to be the most significant.  While I didn’t feel that I went back and forth formally between phases, I did question during each phase.  I noticed that to some extent I explored each phase, considering options, but once I focused on a topic, I stayed the course.  The evaluation portion of phases was the most difficult, just in finding various perspectives.  It is easier to just select one perspective and go with it.  However, selecting the one perspective could eliminate some potential new ideas.  I really didn’t want to give the non-instructional resources any time, but when I finally sat down and read a few lines of poetry about knitting, a novel, and the history of knitting prayer shawls, I think I began to understand more about why people knit.  One quote I found stated that “It’s not about finishing, it’s about the knitting.” (Hood, Ann. (2007).  The Knitting Circle. W.W. Norton (pg 28).  That statement correlated to this project now, where the process is what matters, not so much the product.  The process is what is to be used every day in thinking about tasks and decision-making.  Eventually, each phase and sub-process will become more intuitive.

Annette Lamb describes the intent of the Wrapping process is to create the best product that expresses and communicates the personal ideas developed from this project.  Have you noticed how each phase involves a multi-step process?  Wrapping involves the development of a plan for creating the product.  Questions that may be asked include:

·        What should the product be?

·        What format should be used?

·        Can technology be used to create or display the product?

Of course, staying organized is again important in this phase as with the previous phases.

·        Are there guides or templates available?

·        Are colors significant? 

·        Can clipart and quotes be used to enhance or reflect ideas?

So how do these ideas mesh with my topic of knitting?  I reflected briefly before about what to create.  For me, the obvious choice seemed to be a demonstration of my learning how to stitch.  So I assumed I would create a visual display of some kind. 

This past weekend I attended the Johnny Appleseed Festival, with vendors and settler displays.  I was taken with the woman spinning yarn on an elaborate spinning wheel, piles of raw wool, and her display of shawls.  Her simple display exhibited the process from raw wool to finished product.  I wondered if in a similar fashion, I could display tools and materials and a finished product, using technology. 

Dr. Lamb has several times mentioned the use of Google Docs, so I looked and found an easy tool to upload documents or create a document and publish.  Again, I felt the use of this tool to be intuitive, as the tools were familiar to me.  Video and still photos could be uploaded, regardless of the document or presentation.  As I processed my needs, I made a list.

Choosing a product

-Visual Display

use Google Docs

                        Document

                        Presentation

Planning a product

Developing a product

Pictures

                        Video

                        Digital photos

            Other needs

                        Color

                        Quotes

                        Clipart

                        Both require key terms – yarn, knit

Students working through this phase may appreciate a pathfinder or template that lists what to consider in developing a product.  This may include specific available tools and special helps or how-tos in using tools or enhancements for product creation.  Collaboration may be another option at this phase whether with fellow classmates or experts for equipment.

As I concluded the wrapping phase, the next phase Waving, seemed a smooth transition.  This phase is the communication phase.  Of concern are the audience and developing the most effective form of communication.  In reviewing my notes in wrapping, I considered who would be interested in my project.  Certainly, classmates, family, and friends would be curious.  How do I normally communicate information about myself to others?  I usually do through a letter or note.  This may not be very creative perhaps, but it is effective and satisfying for me.  The most efficient way to communicate is to create one letter and allow many to visit.   In planning the way to communicate, the purpose, channel, format, and how-to share are all described by Annette Lamb.  In this instance:

            Purpose -Notify others that I have learned to knit

            Channel – By creating some stitches, I can take digital photos and upload them

            Format – Publish online

            Sharing – require a publishing program (Google Docs), photos, and letter

Are there other options?  Certainly, a video demonstrating knitting would be doable, although several videos are already online.  Problem exists though, that I do not have access to a video camera at this time.  So the decision is made to create a letter and incorporate photos of my knitting.    How do I decide what to photograph? 

            Photo options – final product, process of knitting, tools and materials

            Clip art – yarn, needles, people knitting, colorful, enhance letter

            Quotes- reinforce my ideas. Do they only reference only knitting?

For me, some of this process is trial and error.  While an outline is helpful, at this point I am ready to jump in and see what happens. 

With a friend’s assistance, we manage to take several photos.  Some are rejected, as too far away or tool blurry.  On the other hand, maybe the blurry ones are better?  The search online for free knitting/yarn clipart that I liked still resulted in a Microsoft image.  That was frustrating in a way.  Quotes were handy in several of the books I looked through.  So check out my document at:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg7xhh2s_13c2hqzcfg

I am continuing to analyze my collection of information.  I was able to interview a couple of knitters, my mom Betty and the owner of a yarn shop, Linda.  I asked the following questions:

• Why did you start knitting?
• What are you knitting now?
• How did you learn?
• What was your first project?

These questions led to some interesting conversation on the topic of knitting. 

My mom informed me that she started for fun and took lessons with her mom, my grandmother, somewhere that she could not remember.  My mom remembers her first project, a vest, that she still has, and she is currently working on a shawl. 

Linda told me she was taught by her aunt when she was recovering from an illness as a child, “to have something to do”.  She reminded me, “Back then we didn’t have TV”.  She started with a scarf and is currently working on multiple projects.  She likes craftwork, as does my mom.

Linda discussed owning the shop as well.  The shop offers many classes for beginners and advanced knitters, including a Knit-In, a lengthy session of knitting.  She mentioned that a single shop was in town, that closed and now two shops specialize in knitting.  She believes the shop reflects the personality of the owners.  Yarn and knitting is Big Business, with show, Market a couple of times a year.  Yarn quality and type varies, as was mentioned in some of my other resources.  Of course owning a shop, she encouraged the use of her supplies.  For me though, I would rather not invest too much initially.  At least until I know if I can learn successfully.

Both interviewees were encouraging about taking classes.  Linda mentioned the lessons offer a resource and a project, a completed hat after 3 2-hour lessons.  However, the classes offered were mid-cycle and outside the timing of this project.  Therefore, I will attempt to learn through the websites and books

I think I have reached the time to purchase some needles and yarn.  The consensus for supplies seems to be, wooden needles, size 8 or 10, and medium weight yarn.  I visited a local craft-fabric store, because I also needed fabric for another project.  Thankfully, needles and yarn were on sale.  My daughter is showing an interest in this project and wants to learn along with me.  Now there is pressure.  So, I purchase two sets of needles, one 8 and one 10, and 2 skeins of yarn.  Blue is a favorite color right now in my house, so I chose two shades of blue. 

Ok, so here goes.   From what I have read, I need to figure out how to “cast-on”, learn the knit stitch and “bind-off”.  There is a purl stitch too, but I am not certain I need to know it to “knit”.

The left-handed method seems to require the yarn be held in the left hand, while the righted method holds the yarn in the right hand.  I wish I were and octopus, with extra appendages.  This might be easier.  I try one book.

Meanwhile my daughter, needles in hand, keeps asking me to show her how to do it.  I am not relaxing, yet!  I try to “knit” first, so I can explain it to her.  A common method for casting on is a slipknot with loops over the needle held in the left hand.  Seems easy enough.  Now the knit stitch involves putting the second needle, in the right hand, into the top loop on the casting-on needle, bringing some yarn around the second needle to create a new loop and pulling the top loop off of the casting-on needle.  Well all the yarn manages to come off the needles.  I must be doing something wrong.  I open another book…and another, until I have about six books open with various illustrations of how to cast-on and knit.  I think I have the concept, so I try to demonstrate to my daughter, who is right-handed.  Between our four hands, we are able to cast-on and start some knit stitches that stay on the needles. 

Then I realize I am doing exactly the opposite of what is shown in the pictures.  We are casting-on on the right needle and knitting with the left.  The stitches look nothing like the illustrations.  I chalk it up to right brain, left brain confusion.

Therefore, we tear out the stitches and try again.  We try to start with the left needle and I find it very awkward.  Is this because I am not used to holding needles or because I am left-handed?

Stepping back, I realize much of my thinking through this process is intuitive, probably because of past experiences with projects, along the lines of “If at first you do not succeed, try, try again.” If it does not work this way, back up, adjust and try again.  The ability to learn independently plays a role too.

Callison mentions Harada’s work and states “Students learn by doing.  Rather than learning solely through lectures and exercise sheets, students are engaged in hands-on and minds on interaction.  They perform tasks that require higher-order thinking.” (Callison, pg 60)

Students may find this process troubling.  Some students may struggle, as I do, with manipulation issues.   However, this hands-on work gives the opportunity to make mistakes and solve problems that can be used in other situations. 

Emotionally, I am struggling, as I must consider where this is taking me.  Exactly what will the final project be if I cannot figure out how to knit?  Time is becoming more of an issue for this project.  Some of the questions I am asking myself again:

• How do I share my new knowledge of knitting?
• If I can learn the steps necessary, what do I demonstrate? How do I demonstrate?
• If I cannot, what information should I use:  illustrations, information from interviews, text?
• How do I present?

Well, back to trying to learn…

As I continue through this inquiry process, I am moving into the wiggling and weaving phases of Annette Lamb’s 8Ws.  The wiggling phase according to Lamb can be difficult, as the project direction may be in question.  I listed before the many resources available regarding knitting. The wiggling process now involves reviewing and evaluating the information and the format that is best suited to help me learn the techniques of knitting. 

I perused the multiple resources, by skimming, looking specifically for what tools and techniques are geared for a beginner.  There are multiple needles, in multiple sizes, yarn information and various formats for instructions with and without illustrations, which can be confusing and overwhelming.  Imagine standing in a store looking at racks of tools, skeins of yarn of multiple colors, weight.  By skimming, I found that yarn label information was described, what different needle types and sizes mean, and what other tools are useful to knitting.

Many of the materials jump right into projects, but I do not think I am quite ready for that.  I started looking at the just the beginning chapters of books and skimming through the information looking for the phrase “for the beginner”.  The videos, particularly those online were easier, as the techniques were divided by topic.  Therefore, if I wanted to see something about “casting on”, I simply looked for that video.  Thankfully, the terminology is fairly standard.

The Wiggling process and Weaving process seem to share processing skills.  Wiggling involves skimming, looking for vocabulary terms and ideas, organizing and evaluating information.  Weaving is more processing, comparing, organizing, analyzing and synthesizing information.

Using a visual aid such as a graphical organizer or spreadsheet, helps to identify the important information and ideas and eliminate the unneeded information.  Another useful resource was talking and interviewing current knitters.  They offered information about their own knitting history, as well as suggestions for the beginner.  Many suggested taking lessons, mainly to stay on focus and complete a project.  One asset to using an organizer is staying focused.  I found especially when interviewing, the topic would stray.  Having a list of what is important keeps the inquirer on topic.

I found most materials covered the same techniques.  Some were better at illustrating ideas.  However, I had a couple of problems with books.  One was that only part of a technique was illustrated, and then the remainder was written instruction.  This method is fine if you are able to understand what is being described.  I had trouble figuring out what was forward and behind without actually seeing the perspective of the author.  Visual aids are definitely important.

I also found it difficult to follow some of the book instructions because of the design of the book.  Many books start instructions for a technique, then you have to turn the page to continue or the book flops shut.  Page turning is fine if you are reading a book, but for learning a skill, with two needles in hand plus yarn, turning a page or hold a book open becomes a challenge.  One book was spiral-bound, so the book closing was not an issue.  Watching a video was definitely easier to observe and mimic techniques.  The online videos were easiest, since they were brief and specific.         

Another thought is how knitting can be applicable to academic standards.  My first thoughts were that knitting creates shapes.  Shapes can be identified and measured.  During one of my interviews, I learned that a third grade teacher teaches her class to knit.  I found a couple of third grade mathematics Indiana standards that could apply:

3.4.8        Identify and draw lines of symmetry in geometric shapes (by hand or using technology).
3.4.10  Recognize geometric shapes and their properties in the environment and specify their locations.

Additionally, through my searches I saw much historical information on knitting, including the American Red Cross Knit for the Troops campaign during World War II.  Connecting that with the knowledge that Indiana fourth graders study Indiana history, I looked for a standard that related and found:

4.1.10    Describe the participation of Indiana citizens in World War I and World War II.

This standard, in addition to applying to knitting, is easily conformable to the inquiry process.  Knowing that we still have troops stationed around the world, a charitable project could be developed, furthering the inquiry process to include community involvement.

‘til next time.

Reference:

Indiana’s Academic Standards. http://ideanet.doe.state.in.us/standards/welcome.html. (Accessed 9/17/08).

I moved into Webbing, Lamb’s W for the searching stage.  This stage corresponds with Eisenberg’s and Berkowitz’s Big6 stages two, three, and four.  These stages include the strategies for determining all sources, how to select best sources, where to locate and find information within sources, how to use and extract relevant information (Big6).  Lamb also includes connect ideas that lead to new information, developing new questions, and selecting and sorting information into meaningful clusters (Callison, pg 54).

I began thinking of possible search words or phrases including:

• Knitting
• Knitting help
• Learning to knit
• Learning to knit left-handed
• Yarn

Then I considered potential sources:

• individuals that I know knit or have knitted- Mom, some ladies at church (which led me to wonder if there is a knitting group unknown to me), ask friends 
• internet sites
• library sources
• stores with knitting supplies (possible arts and craft stores)
• If I consider that knitting is an art and a craft, perhaps art museums might be a possibility.

Then I considered my topic again and realized I really need to focus on beginning knitting techniques.  Art museums may be a stretch.

At this point, I could see students starting to hesitate.  Many students are still product oriented.  A comprehensive search may seem overwhelming.  Such students may think they just need to select a few sources, develop a product, and finish the assignment.  At this point, the teacher or media specialist probably needs to step in and encourage the student to stay with the process and offer assistance in selecting specific resources.     Critically evaluating the process of selecting sources and information from such sources should provide the student with more meaningful new knowledge.  Rather than selecting just the first sources found, the student should try to focus which resources provide authoritative and timely information. 

Kuhlthau also suggests that students may feel more confident at this stage, because bulk of work is completed.  As new knowledge is absorbed, the focused student’s interest will increase (Callison pg 41).

For me, the most convenient method of searching was by the Internet.  I could search for sites as well as search library catalogs and yellow pages.  I also check the paper version of some local phone books for craft and yarn stores.  I tried to make notes as I searched

When searching the Internet, I found numerous sites related to knitting from all over the world.  I started looking for connections, commonly recommended sites, books, videos and such.  Within Google are also several sub categories such as blogs, patterns, learning how to knit, knitting history, knitting casting off, knitting socks, knitting stitches, knitting hats and crocheting.

Some of the sites I found include:

http://www.knittinghelp.com/  Knitting Help.com. Thank you Andrea.  This is a very helpful sight.  The videos are very good and popular. I have seen them referenced on other sites

http://learn-to-knit.com/learntoknit/left1.htm  Learn to Knit! Nice illustrations.

http://www.bhg.com/crafts/knitting/basics/knitting-101/?page=2 Better Homes and Gardens.  More illustrations. Lots of ads.

http://www.the-knittery.com/support.htm Knittery.  Lots of helpful ideas.

http://www.wikihow.com/Knit-Left-Handed  WikiHow Instructions, but no illustrations.

http://knitting.about.com/od/learntoknit/Learn_to_Knit_Basic_Knitting_Skills.htm   about.com:Knitting  Some basic instructions for beginners.  Includes tips, questions and a glossary.

http://www.dailyknitter.com/ The Daily Knitter  Lots of information from patterns to shops, videos, forums.

I tried the local library catalog and found how-to books, novels, audio books and videos.  The focus ranges from getting started to advanced, patterns, relaxation and religion, charity, specific patterns and styles.

Some of the materials I found include:

Books

Diven, Gail and Cindy Kitchel. (1999).The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Knitting and Crocheting. Alpha Books.

Very easy to understand instructions and background information on knitting with illustrations, pointers, and guides.  This book is available through net.Library as well as in print.

The Knitters Handbook.  (2005). XRX Books. A to Z Knitting

This small book has handy illustrations and instructions.

A to Z of Knitting. (2006). Country Bumpkin Publication.

Offers a history of knitting, as well as clear illustrations on basic stitching and techniques.

Freeman, Wendy. (2005). Knit and Stitch for Beginners.  MQ Publications.

Another handy book with illustrations and tips.

Stoller, Debbie. (2003). Stitch’N Bitch The Knitter’s Handbook. Workman Publishing.

The title is catchy, so I had to take a look.  Lots of useful information, but the illustrations aren’t as good as some of the others.

DVDs

Leapman, Melissa.(2006) I can’t believe I’m knitting. Leisure Arts.

TriCoast Studios (2004) The art of knitting: stitches, colors, fashion. Princeton Corporate Center.

I really feel that speaking with individuals may be the key to this inquiry.  I found a couple of yarn stores nearby, Sarah Jane’s Yarn Shoppe (http://www.sarahjanesyarnshoppe.com/), and Knitting off Broadway (http://www.knittingoffbroadway.com/ ), both with websites and classes offered.  I plan to visit both in the next few days.  I am also trying to visit with my mom, though she hasn’t knitted for several years. 

I have noticed some themes about knitting. 

• Seems to be a social activity
• Tends to be relaxing
• Seems more of a hobby today than a necessity-would like to investigate further by questioning others.
• I wonder how much charity play a role in popularity

Oh, I couldn’t resist. I know this takes me off track. I found a few of novels with knitting themes:

Maggie Sefton has several mystery novels:  Knit One, Kill Two, Needled to Death, A Deadly Yarn and A Killer Stitch.

Others include:

Ann Hood, The Knitting Circle. 

Kate Jacobs The Friday night knitting club  

Claire Lazebnik, Knitting under the influence

Ann Bartlett, Knitting and

Debbie Macomber, Back on Blossom Street

Webbing to be continued!

The Big 6. “What is the Big6?” http://www.big6.com/what-is-the-big6/ (Accessed 9/10/08).

Callison, Daniel and Leslie Preddy. (2006). The Blue Book on Information Age Inquiry, Instruction and Literacy. Libraries Unlimited.

My road trip took longer than I planned, mainly because the destination turned out differently than I expected.  The maps I used did not show a direct route.  According to Lamb’s Ws, wondering is plenty of questioning, aka Socratic style.  Some of my questions included:

1. Why am I interested in this topic?

2. What am I expecting from learning about this topic?

3. Will learning about this topic enhance my life now?

I think that what I am looking for is some kind of emotional response.

The answers I came up with for each of the topics were these:

Whales: 

1.big animals, fascinated by communication with each other and humans, concerned about welfare

2.more about how their life is affected by humans

3.maybe

Mediterranean Food

1. interesting, perhaps unfamilar foods, new recipes

2. confirmation of healthy eating habits

3. potentially

Vacation

1. like to plan, enjoy visiting other places with family

2. options for a family trip

3. maybe

Knitting

1. family history of knitters

2. A new skill, connect with others

3. immediate response, maybe new form of relaxation and a sense of accomplishment.

I also considered the feasibility of each topic.  I thought about cost, how to learn and the amount of information available.

Whales:  learning about whales would not cost much, taking a trip to see whales would cost; learning materials are plenty and in numerous formats; I would need to narrow this topic considerably.

Mediterranean Food:  again, learning about this topic would not cost much, materials are readily available and in numerous formats, and I would need to narrow the topic.

Travel: Same as the previous two topics

Knitting: Again learning about this topic would not cost much, numerous materials in various formats, learning to knit seems a more focused topic.

I find that I am getting more wobbly than wondering.  Working on Trailblazer 2.2, I tried ThinkTank and found some interesting questions.  Now these questions were somewhat generic, needing some stretching to suit the purpose.  Some of the questions developed included:

Whales:  What do they eat?, Why might I find them interesting to watch?, Who monitors whales?, How have humans influenced the whales habitat?

Mediterraean Food:  What types of food do people eat here?, Is the type of food people eat here available because of the climate or because of the landscape?

Vacation:  How is a vacation place chosen?, Where is the place?, What are some neighboring places?,  What does this place look like?, If I visited this place, what things would I want to see most?, What is interesting about this place?

Knitting: Where might knitting be used?  Where did it originate? How could a person learn to knit?  What if the person is left-handed? 

Questioning can be hard.  I can see where some students would be frustrated at this point by the volume of potential topics or even just the process of questioning. 

Some people are not wired to question.  They may prefer to have the answer given to them without considering various views or perspectives or alternative ideas.

Others may become bogged down at this point with ”The Topic”, again not wanting to consider multiple views or directions.  These students may want to focus on the end result rather than the process.

I think I am bogged down from all the possibilities. 

During this road trip, I kept thinking I would select whales or the mediterranean food.  Both seemed interesting to me.  so I considered another step in the Wondering process, contemplating prior knowledge. 

I know some about each topic: whales live in both oceans, large mammals, used for food, some species low in numbers; mediterranean food (traditional) is considered healthy, lots of plant sources, varied by region, also a diet plan; vacation (family) to meet all family members’ interests, fun, involves water, knitting-my mom and grandmothers all knitting, long history as craft and necessity, different styles, different tools.

Prior knowledge will vary by individual.  So even if a general topic was selected for a class, the possiblilies for subject matter may be endless.

So which topic should I choose?  I finally considered my preference for this project.  I mainly thought about what is manageable.  I tried to narrow the topics.  Using the Think Tank questions I considered these subtopics:

Whales-monitoring human influence on habitat  

Mediterranean food – climate, landscape influences on food availability

Vacation – developing selection criteria

Knitting- techniques for learning to knit

After considering these subtopics, I looked over the comments to this blog and realized how important feeling the connection to others is to me.  While each topic above may be self-fulfilling, just one would give me another immediate opportunity to share with my mom and others in my neighborhood, as well as online with my classmates.  Thank you all for your encouragement.  I guess that feeling of connectedness was what I was looking for all along.  So I am selecting  Knitting Techniques.

I spent a brief time looking for sources for the above topics.  I found many books about knitting under 746.432041, to be exact.  And there are plenty of online resources as well, including the ones already listed in this blog.

On to Webbing!

Have you ever been in a store and realized the one item you are searching for is at the exact opposite end of the building from where you are now standing?  Or do do ever find that when you are looking for a specific size of clothes, the size is not available or is buried beneath the bazillion other sizes that are available?  Both instances happened to me this weekend while on a family shopping trip.  The first occured in a big box “man” store, where my husband, kids and I were searching for the last item on our list in the area of the store where we thought the item would be.  We finally asked a clerk and learned that the item was in “Isle 31″, while we stood in “Isle 8″.  Similarly, we were hunting for size 8 very slim jeans for our son.  We could find size 10 and above quite easily as well as size 4-7X, but no luck with 8.  Finally in digging through some 7X, I found one size 8 with an adjustable waist, and luck continued with the jeans actually fitting our son.

Both these situations reminded me of searching for information.  Many times I assume I know where to look and how to look for information, but invariably the information takes some extra digging to find or the information is actually in another place.  Annette Lamb reminds us to explore and observe our world to gain understanding.  Sometimes we don’t see the whole picture, because we limit ourselves to controlled situations.

Continuing on the shopping excursion, I watched my daughter head to the girls department in search of some thing.  She went through every rack, knowing she is difficult to fit too.  She was more than willing to search until something popped out.  Unfortunately on this trip we didn’t have time to shop.  But she had the right idea in starting a search. 

Last time I made a list about some of my interests.  I really thought I would give whales or vacation a try.  Knitting is still an option, too.  Then I sat down and perused my EatingWellmagazine and found an interesting article about the Mediterranean Diet.  Did you know it is turning 15 this year?  How odd.  I didn’t realze at first that this was a weight reduction plan, in the same sense as the South Beach diet and Adkin’s diet.  I did not think about it in that sense.  I was thinking more in terms of cultural eating habits.

The article included a graphic about the Mediterranean diet pyramid.  That reminded me of classmate Amy’s Trailblazer 1 that discussed the American diet pyramid.  They are different.  But how different?  I like the Mediterranean diet, lots of veggies, fruits, Extra virgin olive oil, wine with every meal… Could I incorporate more into my every day diet?  They heart healthy benefits and potential weight management are definite pluses.  Then I saw a couple of Italian food shows that used a lot of meat.  The Mediterranean diet listed meat as a lesser diet item.  How can this be?  How regional is the diet?  I think I need to go looking for more information.  I will first try to find the organization listed in the article, Oldways, and see if any books are available regarding the diet and the foods of the geographic regions in the Mediterranean.

As for left-handed knitting, the knitting site offers some instructions at www.theknittingsite.com/left-hand-knitting.htm.  I should stop by local craft and knitting stores for information and see what supplies may be needed.  I wonder if the library has any books that may be helpful?  Perhaps I better look for whale and travel ideas as well.

Looks as if I am headed on a road trip.  Perhaps some narrowing of focus will happen.   

Johnson, Rachel. “The World’s Healthiest Diet”. EatingWell . (September/October 2008): 48-49.   

Lamb, Annette. Watching http://virtualinquiry.com/inquiry/watching.htm (Accessed 8/25/08)

I am taking the presearch a little too seriously.  Watching and exploring interesting can be fun, but with an assignment involved, the task seems to become overwhelming.  I can think of numerous topics to choose that are personal interests and family interests, but I need to narrow the search.  Some of the topics I am considering include:

Wildlife-I enjoy watching wildlife-Some specific types are:

• whales - I would someday like to go whale watching- where are the best places? are they species specific? seasonal? and what about the concerns for whales in the shipping lanes?
• birds-I would love to create a better bird garden-what flowers attract specific birds?, what feeders are best? will bees and butterflies also be attracted?
• fish-what are the best species to stock our pond? ornamental or for fishing?

Learning to knit-but I’m left-handed, so I don’t know how well that will go;

Cooking-I am always scrounging for new recipes- food preservation might be an option too.

Travel-the family is starting to discuss next summer’s trip…where will it be? how will we get there? what type of accomodations? what is there to do?

So, as you can see, I’m pretty muddled.  I think it would be much easier to have someone select a topic for me.  I’m not frustrated, yet.  I’m certain that is coming shortly.

Until next time…