Knitting Podcasts, AlterKnits Gloves, and Knitted (British) Monkeys

I love to knit. And I love to read about knitting. But unfortunately I can't do both at the same time. That's why I was so excited to find knitting podcasts (and, because I'm not always up on techno-stuff) to realize I could listen to them on my laptop.

My first foray into podcast land was Knitcast. Marie Irshad's production is smooth and professional. Her interviews are well thought out and insightful, and it's clear she loves doing what she does. My only question is: Marie, where do you get the time and money to travel around talking to all these cool people?

Soon after, I listened to Knitting Newscast. It's a little on the rough side... I know she's new at this and am sure she'll improve over time. In fact, if you listen to Episode 1 and compare it with the latest episode, you can see it's getting a little better. My best advice for Rhonda: Please start the show when the show starts, instead of introducing the show and then going on and on about "other stuff" before you get to the point. People are tuning in to hear about knitting. So don't be afraid to get more in-depth and BE the Expert! (Marie's great at that part...)

I've listened to a few others, too. Some good, some so-so, some pretty bad. But almost all of them beat knitting in silence. And since we swore off of Comcast (their D.C. packages are CRAP!) when we moved last month, my choices are limited radio channels, our incredible jazz collection (now on the external hard drive, thanks to my husband's efforts!), silence (sometimes it really IS golden), or knitting podcasts. So when I feel in need of knitting company, I choose the podcasts and knit "among friends."

So here's a warm "Thank you!" to everyone putting in the time and effort to entertain us as we knit/crochet. Hopefully, if I figure out how to do it, I'll join you one day.

***

I finished the lace-up gloves from AlterKnits! They're a gift for my sister, Sarah (Christmas... "Late" is a family tradition). I'll try to upload a photo of them soon. I love these gloves! And they were fun to knit. It will be hard to part with them, but I know Sarah will love them.

I also started, and almost finished, the MagKnits Sophie bag. I'm using Unikat yarn, which I picked up in Cape May, NJ. Wonderful colors! Like a Turkish rug. I don't know if I'll actually carry this as a purse or use it as a knitting bag. Probably the latter, since I'm not prone to carrying striped purses. But if I like how it looks once it's felted, I may knit one up in a solid. However, it's almost Spring... Can you carry a knitted bag in Spring/Summer? Or is that like wearing white after Labor Day? Hmmm.

Since I ripped out part of my AlterKnits tubular scarf and then regretted it, I cast another one on. This time I used size 9 needles, though. I like the "hole-ier" fabric. Instead of lavender I used a yummy raspberry shade (Rowan Kidsilk Haze).

AND--it was a busy knitting weekend--I also swatched the cute Monkey from Simply Knitting magazine (from the UK). He was in one of the first few issues, and my monkey-loving husband decided he wanted one. I usually don't like knitted toys, but this one really IS cute, so he'll be done as soon as my Sophie bag is felted.

Well, I'm off to figure out once and for all how to post photos to my blog. How sad is that?

Knitting Podcasts, AlterKnits Gloves, and Knitted (British) Monkeys