Ants in my Pants and a Podcast Review

I've been thinking that it might be nice to do a podcast review since I listen to and watch a lot of podcasts while I knit/spin/clean/veg. I know a lot of other knitters who do this, so I'm not sure if it's a knitterly phenomenon or if normal people do it too.

My favourite podcasts are knitting podcasts. Specifically knitting video podcasts. I love hearing and seeing what other people are working on, and seeing what tools and notions they use. I've made several great purchases based on podcasters, and I've been pleased with every one. I also just really enjoy the personalities of other knitters. I think there must be something about knitting that makes people easier to get along with. I am, without a doubt, an introvert. Maybe bordering on hermit. But I could spend endless hours chatting with the people in my Sunday knitting group, and all of the knitting podcasters I watch are people I would actually like to meet and knit with!

I also really enjoy "wellness" podcasts. I love listening to people talk about food and nutrition as well as a variety of wellness-related topics.

So here are the podcasts that I love now:

Knitting in Circles is maybe my favourite. I find them entertaining without fail. Between the two of them, Aimee and Darren always have something interesting on the needles, plus the way they interact is really charming. They're also kinda nerdy and that's a trait I really appreciate in other people. They have a bunch of pets, which I think is great, AND they like some things that I like (animals, yard work, and hiking) and some things that Jeff likes (craft beer).

The Fat Squirrel Speaks is another super-fun videocast. Amy Beth hosts a silly videocast that is great company while knitting, and it always puts me in a sillier mood than before I watched, and I think that's a good thing. Amy Beth also sews and bakes apparently, which I find really fun because those are both things that I would like to do more of.

Dark Matter Knits and A Homespun House are both relatively new videocasts, but I already love them both. ElizabethGM of DMK is super smart. I wish she could be my own personal knitting teacher and/or science teacher. She is also someone who exudes nerdiness, which as I mentioned, is one of my favourite traits in others. She does a "lesson" at the end of each podcast and so far all of them have been new skills for me that I'm really excited to make use of. Molly from Homespun is a lovely multi-crafter. I don't want to list her crafts because I don't think I could name them all. I actually bought one of Molly's bags from her Etsy shop and it's what inspired me to try sewing project bags. I follow her on Etsy as well because she finds some really cute things! Molly aims for her podcast and Ravelry group to be a community for her members and I think she does a good job of it. I plan to do more of her knit-alongs because I had so much fun with the one in February.

I listen to a few audio knitting podcasts as well. Electric Sheep is really what got me going with knitting podcast. Hoxton and her sheep don't post many new podcasts anymore, but it's always a treat when she does. She's smart and funny and I can listen to her podcasts more than once, which I can't do with any other knitting podcast. I also listen to Curious Handmade with Helen, which  is fairly new and a nice easy listen, and the Savvy Girls. Deborah and Melanie from the Savvy Girls are Canadian, which I think is fun. They sometimes solo podcasts, and it's always enjoyable, but my favourite is when they get together to podcast. They are so silly and funny and they obviously keep each other entertained, and I find it impossible to not be silly and entertained with them.

The Nutrition Diva is obviously not a knitting podcast. It's a "quick and dirty tips" podcast and over the years I've listened to a few from that family on a on/off basis, but the Nutrition Diva is one I listen to religiously. She does a 5-10 minute podcast and discusses a topic that has usually been requested by a listener. She uses research-based evidence and often clears up misinformation and debunks common myths. She takes a pretty holistic and common sense approach to wellness and I really like that. I often go back and listen to a podcast over again if I forget what she said about a topic. I listen to her anti-inflammatory diet podcast every time I need a pep-talk to decrease my sugar and junk intake.

I've recently started listening to The Savvy Psychologist, which is another from the QDT family. I'm not sure if I'll stick with this one or not, but I've learned a bit from her episodes on SAD, ADHD, and conflict avoidance, so I think it's worth a listen for anyone who's interested  in that sort of thing.

One of my favourites is TED talks. I subscribe to TED Talks Health, so it selects for any talks that have a health focus. Some of these have to do with personal health, and some of them examine global health trends, and some of them focus on innovations in drugs and medical practices. It's always different and always interesting.

I've listened to some other podcasts through the years that I stopped listening to because they just weren't for me, and I there are some that I sometimes listen to/watch but don't subscribe to because I'm not always in the mood for them. The ones I discussed here are my personal favourites and I subscribe to them all.

I hope that helps if you're looking for some good podcasts to knit by! If you are into podcasts, you may also really like audiobooks. I have a LONG list of my favourite audiobooks, but I'll write about those another time :)

Weeks in Review

I've had a seriously bad case of ants in my pants lately. It's been hard to get anything done and follow-through has been ...  lacking.

I can tell that spring is coming because my knitting mojo has been waning, but it's still sometimes frosty here at night so I haven't been able to get properly started on the garden. Argh. Maybe what I need to do is knit covers for all my plants and just get them out now.

My tomatoes are getting a bit leggy, so I think I'm going to move them from an east facing window to a southwest facing window. I probably should have had them there long ago, but I had lettuce and peas there. The lettuce is now moved out to its new home on my front patio where it will be covered by a small plastic house so it doesn't get too frosty, and I'm going to move the peas out very soon since I've heard they don't mind a bit of frost and I think the bigger danger for them is cat attack indoors. I've already planted some radish seed outside and I'll sow some carrots, kale, broccoli, onions and beets when I take the peas out. I'm not sure if it'll really put me much farther ahead, but I need to get out to save my sanity a bit, and apparently the cold night temperatures aren't going to kill those things.

I've been running a bit lately too which has been LOVELY. It's such a sanity saver! I'm going pretty slowly with a 10k app on my iPhone and it's going ok. It's a run/walk interval program and I'm finding it easy so far and it's great to be doing something active. I find that when I'm running I feel like a healthier person and the desire to take care of myself spills over into all areas of my life. My joints are sore, but I think I'm just going to have to accept this as a reality of life now. I'm getting old and feeble in my early 30s, and I think the occasional discomfort is worth it for how much enjoyment I get out of running.

FOs

I haven't been doing a terrible lot of knitting due to the above mentioned waning mojo, but I did knit a pair of socks for Jeff because he's really been wanting a pair. I used sport weight yarn because I wanted them quickly and also because Jeff is outdoorsy and it's still cold and I want him to have cozy feet. I knit a strand of polyester thread into the heels and toes to make them a bit more resistant to wear-and-tear, and I did a fishlipskiss heel because it's what all the cool (and smart) kids are doing and I'm nothing if not a lemur. I love it and see why it's so popular and have every intention to do it again.

I also made another project bag that I LOVE. It's my new favourite :) It looks like something that belongs in the springtime and I want to put bunnies in it and go pick tulips.

WIPs

I did manage to get some knitting done on my mum's sweater, but not enough. I would love to have it to her by Mother's Day, but I think in order to do that, I'll have to forgo all other knitting which is a bit of a bummer because I'm trying to use all knitting mojo to work on things I really enjoy.

I also cast on another pair of socks for myself, but they are, of course, on hold until I finish my mom's sweater. I'm using yarn from the Belfast Mini Mills, which is super pretty, but the two skeins are apparently slightly different yarn weights (which they are not supposed to be), and it's driving me a bit batty. I've been switching balls every inch or so, but now I'm going to have a million ends to weave in and I'm not pleased. At least it gives the socks an interesting texture. Maybe I'll be happy about it in the end.

Show and Tell

I reorganized my yarn room. Now all yarny things are on the left, and my linen "closet" is all on the right.
Since I took this photo, I've places a little greenhouse/grow light in front of the green baskets.

I started spinning for my own hand-spun sweater. I'm expecting this yarn to come out at a 3 ply dk or sport weight.
It's going to take me a very very long time to spin :)

These are the sport weight socks I knit for Jeff :)

Chuck admiring the bag I made. I like it too :)
It's rather springy looking and sports a zipper and handle so I can knit from it while it hangs off my wrist.

That's all for now!