What do you while knitting?
We live in an age where the word “multitasking” isn’t as exotic as it used to be 10 years ago. It’s just simply how things are done. How many times do you do something without something else going on at the same time? That is especially true when you have a huge love of knitting. I don’t know about you, but when I knit and count stitches, I can’t really do anything else without making mistakes on the pattern I’m using. But then there are times when I reach a part of the pattern where I just have to knit and knit without counting. These are the times when I always come up with ideas of something else to do. Yes, it almost always includes several trips to the fridge.
I really wanted to use this time to read a book but it’s hard because I still have to look at what I am knitting. Reading one page would take at least an hour. I didn’t feel like getting audio books so the next best thing: podcasts! I was so hooked on podcasts that I started listening to them while folding laundry, or doing the dishes, or cleaning the house, running, walking (when the kids aren’t with me), or when I am sitting in traffic by myself.
I love listening to podcasts. I have been listening to quite a few but over time I kept just a short selection that I liked the most. Here’s what I listen to while knitting:
“Based on Talks given by riveting speakers on the world-renowned TED stage, each show is centered on a common theme – such as the source of happiness, crowd-sourcing innovation, power shifts, or inexplicable connections – and injects soundscapes and conversations that bring these ideas to life. TED Radio Hour is a co-production of NPR and TED.”
“There’s a theme to each episode of This American Life, and a variety of stories on that theme. Most of the stories are journalism, with an occasional comedy routine or essay.”
“The radio show is recorded live at the popular New York City stage show which began in 1985 and still enjoys sell-out audiences today at the Peter Sharp Theater at Symphony Space on Broadway and 95th Street in New York City. Selected Shorts is one of the premiere reading series in New York City.”
Respectful Parenting: Janet Lansbury Unruffled
A podcast by Janet Lansbury, one of the biggest advocates of respectful parenting and RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers). I found this blog after the birth of my first son and I have drawn so much knowledge, inspiration, and motivation from it, it’s unbelievable. And everything Janet recommends absolutely works. It’s amazing.
by Dr. Karen Osburn. I don’t usually listen to inspirational self-development podcasts just because I think that every person and different and finding your own way of living life and growing is the best way to go. This podcast is not pushy in the sense that it makes you follow a certain path or prescription. It’s about one’s self and life in general. It talks about the good and the bad and the ugly.. and then the good again. Use headphones when listening especially if you have little ones around you – language is explicit.
These are quick reports and commentaries on the world of science—it’ll just take a minute. Fun science facts about everything around us.
“Laugh Out Loud is CBC Radio’s hit stand-up comedy show. Each week, hostAli Hassan presents a mix of established and emerging Canadian comedians recorded at various festivals and clubs across the country. Our goal is to make more Canadians laugh out loud whenever they want – on radio, on-line and via our free podcast.”
After all, I AM Bulgarian 😉
“This podcast aims to provide an entertaining look at the entirety of Bulgarian history from the early origins of the Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians to the present day. Episodes about the basic chronological history will be interspersed with interviews with historians. We hope that the podcast will be a useful resource for both Bulgarians who want to learn more about their own history and foreigners who know nothing about Bulgaria.”
“History on Fire is a podcast by author and university history professor Daniele Bolelli. Whether you like history or not, if you care about bravery, wisdom, passion, larger than life characters and some of the most emotionally intense moments in human experience, you have come to the right place. Bolelli shall be your guide in a journey to the place where history and epic collide.”
“A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management from Harvard Business Review. Produced byHarvard Business Review.”
Funky Air Bear 
I must admit that I listen to a ton of knitting podcasts while knitting from YouTube and a few others on iTunes 🙂 I’ll have to check some of these out to see if I enjoy them!
Please do share some of the channels and podcasts you listen to. I’m always looking for new material 😉
From iTunes Podcast – The Knitmore Girls, Limetown, Never Not Knitting and Knit Pick’s. From YouTube: Twitch and Stitch, knottygnome crafts, Milkshed Blog and Bakery Bears. There are so many out there and I am also always searching for new ones 🙂 Especially when I get caught up on episodes and have to wait for the next one!
Perfect! Thank you! I’ll check them out 🙂 I know what you mean about waiting for the next episode LOL
Thank you for sharing. Not sure why I haven’t thought to tune into podcasts. Will now!
You’re welcome. Let me know if you find any good podcasts 🙂
I enjoy listening to the BBC iplayer. There are excellent dramatisations of classic fiction as well as brand new books. The series run for about a month after they’ve been broadcast.
Ah that’s right! I forgot about BBC iplayer. I’ll check it out. I haven’t listened to it for a long time. Thank you for reminding me 🙂
I like to listen to Dan carlin’s hardcore history (http://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/)
I’m checking this out next. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I have no idea what a pod cast is but it sounds like a great idea!
Oh I’m sorry I should have included the definition. It’s similar to a broadcast but recorded and you can play it any time you want. It could be on any topic really. It’s almost as if you recorded your favourite radio show to listen to later. 🙂 I don’t know if this makes sense. Here’s what Wikipedia says about it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast
Reblogged this on ishidee and commented:
I have no idea what a pod cast is but it sounds like a great idea! Here are her recommendations for good ones.
Sounds really nice. I tend to just watch series on the tv while knitting, or just chatting to the family and such. 🙂
I love this too. Although I have listened to more movies and series while knitting than watched them 😀 haha
hehe, true. I watch series that we download, so I can pause and rewind if I miss “important” parts, or when I just want to knit a section that needs a bit more concentration. Its a bit of a cheeky cheat, but it works for me. 🙂
Thank you for the suggestions. I’m really into listening podcasts lately while knitting (my latest projects allow that) so I’ll definitely check them out.
That’s great. Please do share any podcasts you like. I am always looking for new ones. 🙂
Knitting podcasts like little bobbins, woolful, tea house knits, cherry heart etc.
Feels like knitting with a friend….
Great! I’ll check them out 🙂 Thank you!
This is very interesting! You listen to a lot of podcasts, but if I’m right, none of them are knitting related? 😀 Mine are almost exclusively fibre-related.
May I ask why you said no to audio books? Lately my thing has been to go to bed a bit earlier than usual with my other half, snuggle under the duvet, and listen to a book – he plays video games on his tablet, I knit 🙂
Good questions! 🙂 When it comes to knitting I am very visual. I prefer to watch a video than listen about knitting. So that’s why my favourite poscasts aren’t related to knitting. But I’d like to listen to some and I’ve received some really good suggestions in the comments here.
And as for audio books… I guess I am old fashioned when it comes to books. I’d like to touch and hold a book when reading. I know I am behind the times but this is one of my favourite things. There are a few things that I absolutely love: bakeries, libraries, and yarn shops. LOL And it’s the combination of everything that these places embody – the smell, the feel, the atmosphere, the quietness, the ability to touch the bread, the books, the yarn… I just can’t replace this with technology 😀
When I listen to podcasts, I feel like I am listening to the radio 😀
Hah, but there are a lot of knitting video podcasts! Most of the ones I listen to are in video format 😊
As for books, I too love the feel and smell of them, but unfortunately my home is small and I’ve had to compromise – I only buy technical books in paper format, the rest is either audio or Kindle editions. It’s okay, this way I get to keep more wool and yarn with me! 😀
That’s a very good point 😀 I’m starting to run out of space for my yarn too lol 😀
Thank you, I will definitely check them out 🙂 I have been listening to the Harry Potter audiobooks while knitting recently… Although now it’s getting harder, because my kid is always with me… And the books get darker and darker and he can’t handle it… So podcast will probably be my next option 🙂
That makes sense. 🙂 By the way, there are great podcasts for kids. I don’t know how old your son is but there are some great stories and science podcasts out there that he might like too 🙂
That sounds very good! do you have any to suggest in particular?
Absolutely. Here’s what I have on my phone:
Storynory – Stories for Kids
(http://www.storynory.com/)
Brains On! Science podcast for kids
(http://www.brainson.org/)
Story of the Day by StoryCub
(http://www.storycub.com/)
There are also a few from NPR and PBS.
Brilliant! thank you very much 🙂
My pleasure 🙂
I need to listen to more while I knit. My husband likes The Survival Podcast. I like it sometimes, but sometimes not. The parts about gardening and homesteading are great, but when Jack (the main guy) starts talking about government and the like, I sort of fuzz out. hehehe.
I listened to Wuthering Heights, and would love to listen to other books as well.
Nice. I am just like you. I used to listen to the Survival podcast myself. But for the exact same reason that you mentioned, I decided to drop it off my list LOL
I tend to change my listening patterns often when I work on projects. But the ones I keep coming back to are Pandora (Linsey Sterling radio, Mystery Skullz radio, or Group 1 Crew radio), and Audible.
That’s great. I’ll check these out for sure. Thank you for sharing!
This American Life has been my go-to since before Podcasts. I religiously listened to it every Sunday and nothing could get in my way of tuning in the radio. Now that it’s available by podcast it’s very convenient.
I only recently discovered it recently and I read so many reviews from people who have listened to it for a long time. They all said they love it. And I have to say, I love it too 🙂
I love Stuff You Missed in History Class and Stuff Mom Never Told You 🙂
I love Stuff You Missed in History Class!!! 😀 It’s on my phone but some of their episodes are quite long and I don’t get to finish all of them. But it’s a great great podcast 🙂
I’ll check out Stuff Mom Never Told You. Thank you!
Thanks for the list! I also like my fiber related news to be visual so most of the podcasts I listen to are about social issues (Another Round). I also have gotten really into “Serial”, which is from the creators of This American Life.
Thank you. I will check it out for sure. 🙂
Women Wanting More sounds interesting. I will definitely check that out. Have you listened to Death, Sex Money? Criminal and of course Serial are also really good.
No I haven’t. I’ll definitely check them out! Thank you 🙂
Oooh, I’ll have to check these out! Usually when I’m crafting I have a TV series going in the background… I’m addicted to murder mysteries, and at the minute Netflix is letting me revisit “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” too. But I could probably benefit from a bit of brain food, and these podcasts sound perfect! I also love BBC Radio 6 – they offer the bizarrest mix of music styles I’ve ever encountered, and they broadcast online worldwide 😀
I just saw your comment as I was posting mine. We love love 6 Music for it’s random selection! Esp Jarvis Cocker’s show. As Brits living in Sicily we love that we can listen online…. I am a bit hooked on murder mysteries too 😉
I have to try mysteries now. I am intrigued 😀 Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I’ll have lots to explore this weekend.
I know! Only on Radio 6 can I experience teenage nostalgia and the joy of discovering something new within the same half hour! And no ads! Nice to meet a fellow listener 😀
Yey! Nice to meet you too 😉 😉 😉 And thanks for reminding of Radio 6 🙂
I agree about BBC – I’ve always liked all of their programs. I like listening to their Documentaries podcast too.
I like having Netflix in the background too 😀 I’ve listened to way too many series and movies haha 😀
Hahaha, that sounds familiar! Boyfriend refers to my craft TV as “knitting radio”! I’ll have to investigate the Documentaries podcast, that sounds right up my street 😀
LOL 😀
BBC iPlayer for me too. I so enjoyed Bill Nighy as actor/sleuth in the Charles Paris mysteries that I bought them on iTunes.
Sweet! Very good choice! 🙂
Some of my favorite knitting podcasts are: Woolful, 6 Bits Storybooks, Pomcast (by Pom Pom Quarterly), and the Yarniacs.
For non-knitting podcasts: Stuff You Missed in History Class, Criminal, Strangers, Backstory, The Homesteady Podcast, and 99% Invisible
Thank you for your suggestions. I’m adding all of these on my list to explore 🙂
I live audiobooks or podcasts when I’m knitting but I have to be on y own for this- which is rare. Like the suggestions though. I will definitely check them out.
I know what you mean.
Here are some of my favorite non-fiber related podcasts (I have a job where I can listen to them while I work so am always looking for new content as well): Grownups Read things They Wrote as Kids (can be explicit at times); Star Talk Radio with Neil DeGrasse Tyson; Travel with Rick Steves and if you are interested in the history of New York City the Bowery Boys are excellent!
I’m adding all these to my list. Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks for posting! I started listening to podcast last year (I know I’m a bit late) and was hooked immediately. I mostly listen to craft and food blogs but I’ll check out the pareting blog for sure!
You’re never too late for great stories 🙂
We have so much in common: crafting, running, parenting! I enjoy your blog.
Thank you 🙂 Yes, we do have tons in common. I love your blog 🙂
I usually just watch TV while I knit. Perhaps it is time to expand into podcasts and audio books. 🙂
I used to do that too. Then I realized I had listened to more tv shows than I had actually seen. Lol
Some good listening ideas to check out!
Lately, I’ve just been highlighting blog posts
and knitting whilst my iPad reads to me 🙂 ♥ ❤
Sounds great 🙂
This is such an awesome blog topic and the responses are fab too!! Good on you! What a joy to stumble across all thee great content suggestions. For what its worth, my favourite podcasts are Yarnbomber and On Being.
Excellent! Thank you for sharing. I’m adding them to my list to check out 🙂
I love iplayer radio – you can download things to listen to offline -I download whole series eg the series Homefront – set in Folkestone during ww1 – stories of all the diff people in the town. I love radio dramas too & adaptations of classic novels & the Archers of course!
Great idea. I have to check this out! Thank you for sharing.
Great selection. Thanks for sharing!
Pingback: Knitting’s Early History | Funky Air Bear·
I love podcasts – thank you for generating this discussion and opening up so many new podcast adventures! My current craft-related favourites are A Playful Day, KnitBritish, Yarn in the City, and Elise Gets Crafty … I’m off to download some of your recommendations 🙂
You are very welcome. And thank you for sharing your favourites. I am definitely putting them on my list to download 🙂
Thanks for sharing this list–some I already listen to–like TED talks, and This American Life, but some I’ve never heard of and will definitely check out. I also love Snap Judgment and The Moth Story hour.
You’re very welcome. And thank you for sharing your favourites. I will check them out. 🙂
try listening to Ricky Gervias podcast
I definitely will. Thank you.
I like the Happiness Project with Gretchen Rubin
I will definitely check it out. Thank you 😊