Why I'm doing this....

well dang it, I've come across so much cool stuff lately...and I have NO one to tell really...so I'm going to use this blog to just tell people about stuff and then if no one reads it...well I'll still feel like I've told people......

Anyway, I've become so excited lately about podcasts!!! Yes podcasts for knitters, crafters, probably even beaders....though I've not looked! This is the coolest thing!!! I've just started playing with this so I'll just give you a few ideas. The great things about podcasts is you DON'T HAVE TO HAVE AN IPOD!!! You might think so, but you can actually download the files off of the websites and listen to them on your computer. I've been doing this for a year now with BBC Radio programs like Open Book (one of my favs), but it wasn't until I was reading the Knitty blog did I realize that there were such things as Podcasts! Anyway, here are a few sugestions:

First there is www.cast-on.com. This is hosted by Brenda Dayne who is a fellow American living in the UK....though she is living in the beautiful "country" of Wales. I have family over there that we go to visit and I absolutely love it! It is gorgeous! She started a few months back and I've been slowly, or not so slowly catching up over the last few days. She plays cool music and talks and talks about stuff that is going on! Love her! She even wrote a response to me which I thought was cool when I just emailed her to tell her how much I've enjoyed it.

The second I've been catching up with is www.knitcast.com. This is hosted by Marie Irshad who interviews some of the big names of the knitting world. She recently did knit designer Debbie Bliss and the latest is Ann Budd who works in publishing for knitting.

The third is www.about-time.us. This is hosted by Whit Larson. She has just started out, but I find her funny and she has many different people contributing to her cast. She also interviews people, which is really great.

Brenda mentioned when she was a guest on knitcast that she has listeners who tell her that she fills a void. Many people I know knit but aren't really knitters...they aren't into new ideas...new yarns etc so I feel isolated and lost. In fact most people still haven't realized how much cool yarn there is out there and how much better patterns are now then they ever where! Gone are the days when you couldn't find yarn unless it was the yucky stuff you bought at Wal-Mart or the local craft store years ago. Now even Wal-Mart and craft stores have cottons, wool and if you are lucky some synthetics that don't pill in two seconds of knitting!!!

On the Needles.....
I'm working on a great Clickety Knits (www.clicketyknits.com) Tweedy Pie blanket for my new nephew...Tobin March Krass...what a cutie! This is the nicest pattern. Really a breeze so I can do it while I'm studying. They were really nice people too. I bought it at the Knitting and Stitching show in October in London. I had a great time and I'm slowly trying to work through the fun stuff I bought there.

The other thing I'm working on is Annie Modesitt's Twisted Float Shrug from Vogue Knitting Fall 2005. I bought this copy of the magazine when I was a workshop with Sasha Kagan. That was great fun. This sweater called to me because it really looked so out of the ordinary, that even when no one is wearing shrugs..I could still wear this. Problem...well I wanted to buy the stuff when I was back in the states visiting my Mom. They have two great knitting shops in her area (can't remember the names at the moment...sorry). Anyway, they didn't have exactly what the pattern called for...the guy was so nice and we worked at finding something that will work....I hope....so I've put off working on it...for forever! But I thought I'd have a go this week. I've not being very well lately and I needed to prove myself on a challenge. So here I am trying to catch up on my podcasts and who do I listen to Marie interview but....Annie Modesitt and she talked about the shrug!!! How cool??? I've restarted the thing...oh I don't know....5 times??? But who is counting!!! I'm getting the hang of it though and I'm hoping that this will encourage me to study....hmmmm.....study...better get to that now!