21 July 2008

More Knitting Podcasts

As you might remember, I've recently become knitting podcast obsessed. Though, honestly, I'm more just podcast obsessed nowadays. I doubt many of you knitters care, but I'm also listening to D&D podcasts like they are going out of style.

Here's an update to detail what I think of each podcasts. Let's start with what I've already told you.

My favorite podcast so far is probably Pixie Purls. She likes to knit tank tops, she loves non-variegated yarn for projects, and she is a techie. She's an easy fit into my knitting lifestyle. Additionally, as a new mother, she's fascinating to me, because I love to hear stories from other women with young children. She's also back with her podcast after a year break to my delight! I've listened to all the shows.

My second favorite podcast is Knit Picks, very oddly. I have nothing in common with Kelley, the host of the podcast. However, she has a good speaking voice, she is calm, and she has a focus and show layout that I understand. She starts with the theme of the show, goes to book reviews, and finishes with her personal knitting life. Love it! I don't understand her lifestyle at all, but I don't give a hoot. I'd listen to her podcast until the end of time. I even find that everything she discusses about Knit Picks is interesting rather than sounding like a constant advertisement. I've listened to almost all but the most recent shows. I skip the interviews now, because I've learned that I don't enjoy them.

I didn't like Lime & Violet. I found the show very self-indulgent, and I was tired of the oddness. I found their laughter at their own antics annoying, and eventually, I felt like they weren't even talking about knitting so much as just chatting with each other about their lives. I understand that they are popular, but I am not really sure why. I listened to seven shows before giving up.

Yarn Thing was not my thing, but she wasn't a bad thing. I didn't seem to have much in common with her, and, overall, her show didn't interest me, but I think I can see why others would find it interesting. I listened to several shows before giving up. I might consider sampling her show again in the future.

I've just gone through a ton of Socks in the City. I like her show, but I don't love it, and I think if I wasn't such an obsessed sock knitter, I'd probably give up on the show. As it is, I think when I finish with her current episodes, I might not have a choice about whether I give it up. There hasn't been a new show since May! I'd recommend this show for the sock obsessed.

I'll be honest, I listened to only one show of Ready, Set, Knit. I hated it, just hated it. It seemed like a huge advertisement for Webs combined with a boring interview. I normally hate interviews on podcasts, anyway, as most people are interviewing people I'm not interested in. I couldn't bring myself to listen to more when I saw that they have a lot of the talk of yarns they sell and lots of interviews. Where as I felt that Knit Picks' podcast was simply a podcast that mentioned Knit Picks more often than most, I felt that Webs' podcast was one giant advertisement.

Cast On is an old podcast (several years now) and a steady one, but not one that I particularly liked. I listened to two episodes, then gave it up. I'm not quite sure why I didn't stick with it, and this is another I might give a try in the future, but, for now, I don't want to listen to any more. The host should have been fascinating, but there was just something missing.

When I next blog about podcasts, I'll attempt to cover Yarn Craft, Knitting at Night, Stash and Burn, Manic Purl, and Doubleknit. I've already given a listen to Yarn Craft and Knitting at Night, but I want to see if my impression on those two sticks before I give my final say.

In my own knitting news, I managed to finish the ribbing of the first sock of Nathan's Matching Socks. I think that tomorrow, if I have the energy, I will finish one sock, and then cast on for a Slytherin scarf!

20 July 2008

Paul's First Socks Done

After more than a month of knitting, Paul's socks are finally done. Finally.

Finished Socks


Since they are wool socks, and my husband is almost always too warm for the weather, he will probably not wear them until the middle of December, at least.

These socks were made using the Sleeping Dragon yarn in the Mossy Frogs colorway. It was a nice yarn to knit with, but I didn't love it. I found it a tiny bit splitty, and while a nice smooshy yarn, I'm a bit more used to a thinner sock yarn when I knit. I'd buy it again, but I wouldn't be in a hurry to, if you know what I mean.

The socks are a simple stockinette cuff down sock with two by two ribbing for two inches at the top. I did a short row heel, which is my preference in general for knitted socks. I kitchenered the toe, which is also my preference.

My husband's feet are a bit wider than normal (maybe a fair amount more than just 'a bit') and he wears size 11 mens shoes, I believe. Out of the 440 yards of yarn that the label states existed, I have a fairly small amount left. To get a feel for his size feet, here is one (with sock) next to my size six and a half foot.

Feet Size Comparisons


I plan to use the bitty remainder of the sock yarn to make my son, Nathan, a matching pair. I've already cast on! Either before, or directly after, I finish these baby socks, I plan to cast on for my Slytherin scarf as well.

08 July 2008

Babies Are Hardwork

I started this blog with the best intentions of blogging continuously, but if I had been smart, I would have done this several months prior to having a baby and then my entries would have been a lot more interesting.

As it is, what I mostly do nowadays is wake up every several hours to feed a baby, fall back asleep, and eat. It's not very exciting. I do listen to several podcasts through the day (something to do at four in the morning while Nathan takes thirty minutes to eat) and they've all been knitting podcasts so far.

I've really been enjoying the KnitPicks podcast. It's not exciting or something I really relate to, but Kelly's voice is so calm and everything she talks about is relatively interesting. I put her podcasts on when I want to be calm and relaxed, which is normally what I like from roughly one to four in the morning.

At six or so in the morning, I'm generally falling asleep during the feedings, so I put on something a little more energetic like Socks in the City which I just started. I had been listening to LimenViolet or Yarnthing, but I found LimeNViolet to be a little silly after repeated listens (loved the Yarn Porn segment and tired of everything else, plus it was repetitive), and I didn't identify very much with Yarnthing though her podcast was NOT repetitive and was fairly good, simply not for me.

I have been knitting a tiny bit. I finished one of my socks for Paul's First Pair of Socks. It took forever once I got to the foot and when he put it on, it was much greener than it looked in the skein or when I first knit up a small swatch. I've decided to make him a second pair of socks out of Blue Moon Fiber's Thraven after a bit so he can have a pair of hand knit socks to wear to work. That'll be a while in the future, however. The first sock that I knit him did fit him beautifully, and I'm already getting to the heel of the second sock, so that's well and good.

That's all the news for now. I suspect that the next time I blog will be either when this pair of socks is finished and I have pictures, or when I start my Slytherin scarf. I do not know which will come first!