It’s recently come to my attention that podcasts are having a renaissance. … Um. Is it possible for something that gained popularity as recently as 2004 to have a renaissance? For the context of this article? Yes. Yes it can.
So while audio was king — and still is, really — video podcasts have been gaining speed, too, thanks to the prevalence of smartphones. I asked the Yarnistas for the scoop since I’m a relative n00b to the podcast scene. The question was:
What fibre/yarn/knitting/crochet themed podcasts do you listen to? If you’re not into podcasts, is there any other related media you follow, like blogs, websites, magazines, etc.?
Arthella
I enjoy so many, but my top three at the moment are The Sampler Girl and The Fat Squirrel, which are both video podcasts, and Woolful is an audio podcast that is fresh, insightful and I love the name.
(Editor’s note: The Sampler Girl is a regular at fibre space! Find her on Ravelry.)
Trudy
I like to have something on while I’m knitting whether it’s the TV (mostly British mystery/police/detective shows on WETA UK or trashy programs like “The Bachelor”) or the radio — WAMU almost all day. Knitting podcasts give me that background noise I like and I also manage to learn something.
(Side note: How awesome is this Elfe sweater?)
The first knitting podcast I found was Stash and Burn and it’s still one of my favorites. I love to listen to Jenny and Nicole chat and laugh together. Two other West Coast podcasts I follow are the Yarniacs and Doubleknit. The Knitting Pipeline has nature notes — what’s at the bird feeder — as well as knitting and readings of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s notes to Paula. Two favorite video podcasts are The Fat Squirrel and the Knitgirllls. I’ve learned a lot about spinning from watching those. So that’s the short list, but there are lots more out there. I’m particularly drawn to two person podcasts — you can feel the friendship and camaraderie, showing that knitting and friendships just naturally go together.
Katherine
I’m not a huge fibre/yarn/knitting/crochet podcast person. Truth be told, I’m not a huge podcast person (even though I’ve been a regular guest on friends’ podcasts and I co-host a weekly one that is entirely unrelated to making). As far as creative podcasts go, I’m a fan of Elise Gets Crafty, which really deals with small business and creative entrepreneurship more than anything else.
I’ve made Grumperina’s Odessa hat three or four times, and I regularly check some of the online pubs (Knitty, Twist Collective, etc.) and I definitely check out the magazines we get in the shop — Knitscene Accessories, I’m coming for you. What can I say? Having almost everything in one place on Ravelry has made my pattern and inspiration hunting a little lazy.
Kim
As I said, I’m late to the podcast scene. I mostly know of podcasts. Like I know Holly, one of our instructors, does a video podcast called Sheepish. And I knew about Tanya/aka The Sampler Girl. And every now and then, someone will poke me and point out someone who has stopped in and say excitedly, “They do a podcast!” So I’m getting into it now. I swear!
As far as other media goes, I have followed Knitty since the beginning. And look: Though I still haven’t cast on for a Clapotis, I did finally make a Calorimetry last year. Hey, I’m only 10ish years behind on my queue.
Your turn
What podcasts should we know about? Any secret (soon to be not-so-secret) pattern sources? Do share!