More About Podcasts

Wow! I got a comment on my last post from Rhonda of the Knitting News Cast! How great is that? (Does she have instant radar that tells her somebody is talking about her?) Rhonda, hon’, I hope you didn’t take my gentle criticism too badly. I know everybody is new to this medium and I sure know that I can’t talk into a microphone to save my life! (Putting a microphone in front of me is the only one sure way to shut me up.) However, I have a slight hearing difficulty (tinnitus) which means that an even volume and clear diction are important to me. Otherwise I tend to stop listening as my attention wanders. (The interviews that Marie did at Ally Pally were hard for me because of all the background noise.) Plus I have weird…er, non-mainstream taste in music. (Think bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, fiddles, and lyrics in languages I don’t necessarily understand.) I’m also still running behind on episodes of all my favourite podcasts so I’ve been missing stuff. (I will catch up soon.) But I do know everybody has improved in the last while. It seems like it must be a steep learning curve, even for those with a background in broadcasting. You also need a background in using computer software.

Now that I’ve listened to About Time, I can speak with some confidence. Whit Larson’s podcast is great! (Yes, she’s a she. It's short for Whitney.) It was a bit disconcerting to start with one that was talking about Things Christmasy, but the next two are really good. Because the interviews are done over the telephone the volume is a bit spotty but it’s surprisingly clear. She includes a Pod Purl in each episode and the Robert Service poem in Episode 2 gave me a lump in my throat. Made me wonder why pretty much all I remember about him was “The Shooting of Dan McGrew.” I give this one a thumbs-up. Oh wait. Damselflies don’t have thumbs.

Obviously I’ve been out there hunting down podcasts to listen to. Another one I just found, although it’s not new, is CraftyPod. I know why I missed it before — it’s listed under Architecture in the iTunes store. Sheesh! She needs to get that fixed! Sister Diane is very professional, though I find the musical breaks a little annoying (but that’s just me). Mercifully they’re brief. I’m not a big fan of the words “crafting” or “crafters” but I guess it’s less intimidating to regular folks than “art” or “artist” since most people think you have to be Vincent “One Ear” van Gogh or Salvador “Cockeyed” Dali to be an artist. Not so, my friends! “Artist” is in your mind and your heart, not somebody else’s. Sister D even speaks in her first podcast about the fact that everyone should make things. Just do it. It’ll make you happy.

Another podcast that I listened to for a few episodes is Annie Smith: Quilting Stash. There are lots and lots of episodes but I’m not really a quilter (clothing and art quilts once in awhile maybe, but not regular bed quilts). Her focus is appliqué and that is sooo not-me. It seems quite good though if you’re into that kind of thing. There are other quilting podcasts as well.

OK, so who’s going to step up to the plate and do a beading podcast? Or a weaving one? Podcasting is such a new thing that there is plenty of opportunity for those would-be broadcasters with a niche focus to get out there and do it! Nope, it’s not going to be me. I like to type my thoughts. Told you about my little microphone problem, didn’t I?

So what have I been doing whilst listening to merrily podcasts? (Love that word “whilst”. It’s so British.) I’ve been crocheting up a storm on my latest project, the Ruffle Scarf. I used this free pattern, but because my handspun yarn is finer than that called for I had to more than double the number of stitches I started with. I also added another row of dc’s to make it a bit wider. I’ll post the full pattern tomorrow when I’m done and can get a photo. It’s quite heavy in comparison to a knitted or woven scarf but I love the corkscrewiness of this one. It was much easier to make than a pattern I saw for a knitted version. All that shortrowing and turning...ick. Hopefully I’ll still have some colder weather left to wear it in. Although it is starting to look more like spring around here all the time. Yes, the rain stays the same. But my snowdrops are almost out! See?

I’d show you my purple primroses but they’re so pathetically slug-munched that it’s too sad. I’m going to have to start thinking about my veggie garden and planting seeds in my indoor seed-starting area (a counter with grow-lights in the basement) soon. Flats of teeny little green things just fill me with maternal pride and joy.

P.S. The theme for this post is (Words Wearing Braces)! I seem to be full of asides today.