Thing A Month - January - BFF Scarf

Dear Neuro,

What fun we are having with our 2013 theme, Thing A Month!  And – we are also learning new stuff along the way!  You have already learned about the Left Leaning Decrease, which I had no idea even existed, yet without which I am left with crookedey decreases!  Who knew???

I really enjoyed our January BFF Scarf collaboration project!   It was fun selecting the yarns and colors (and even having to do it all over again when faced with mysterious yarn shortages), and devising a pattern that would be both fun and relevant.  I infrequently deviate from written patterns, and even more rarely make up my own, but in the spirit of trying something new I forged ahead (gauge be damned, evidently – oh well!).

I knew from the outset that I wanted to do something science-y, and in the process of looking around I happened across ChemKnits and her various molecule knitting charts.  As soon as I saw the caffeine molecule, I started thinking about how much we both enjoy drinking coffee and knew I had to do something to incorporate that design.  The addition of the glucose molecule (which we also enjoy!) and a few modifications led to the creation of the Our Favorite Things loop.  Look how beautiful these are together:

As you had noted to me earlier, and that I should also include here so that our readers can see the many relationships between coffee and knitting, caffeine is an adenosine antagonist.  That means that it hogs the adenosine receptor and restricts its usual activities of regulating certain biological processes.  This isn’t always a bad thing – caffeine is a stimulant, and allows us to feel energized and also mentally satisfied in many instances.  It may also have some anti-inflammatory abilities, which would also be just splendid! 

We all know about glucose – but even "evil" sugar, in appropriate doses, is essential for normal biological functioning.  There is also some evidence that appropriate levels of glucose intake are associated with improved cognitive function.  If that is true, I am going to need a lot coffee, glucose, and research for my February magic loop project!  I’ll have a separate post (or two!) on that shortly.

Love,

Oogy