When I finally bought an MP3 player last year, I thought I’d be using it to listen to music, but it turns out that what I really listen to are fiber podcasts. I love ’em! Ever since I discovered there were these people out there just talking away about knitting, spinning, weaving, and dyeing, I’ve been addicted. Who wouldn’t be? A nearly endless source of people who get it and are right there, on tap, ready at any time of day or night to whisper in my ear about all thing fibery — while I’m doing the dishes or sweeping the floor or stuck in traffic or inexplicably wide awake in the dead of night. Who wouldn’t be hooked?!?
Well… ok, I know there are a lot of people who wouldn’t be, but that’s only because they’re not fiber freaks like you and I. In fiberista terms,the people who matter are the people who understand the allure of fiber, and that’s me, and you …and the podcasters. Here are some of my absolute favourites:
Cast-On from Brenda Dayne is the first fiber podcast I discovered and I think it is the absolute best — a benchmark for all other podcasters to work toward. Thoughtful, whimsical, educational, and always so beautifully put together, Cast-On is always a treat. Brenda is taking a sabbatical at the moment to recover from some health issues but, if you’ve never listened, it’s worth working your way through the archives while we wait for her return.
FiberBeat is what I imagine the B-52s would come up with if they decided to record a fiber podcast. WonderMike has created a zany podcast that, while always full of interesting interviews, news, and information, is also chock full of crazy random audio madness that has me laughing out loud. You’ll have to listen to see what I mean, but that’s no hardship.
Insubordiknit from spinning artist Jacey Boggs is a rare treat — rare because she produces episodes randomly and seldom, but a treat because they are so completely worth the wait. Jacey is famous in the fiber world for her art yarns — unique, creative, and stunning… but always stable and balanced. Listening to her talk through their creation is wonderfully inspiring.
These great podcasters keep me wrapped in fibery goodness even when I can’t be spinning or knitting — a wonderful thing. And you know what? I’d like to find more fiber podcasts just like them! What are your favourite podcasts? Who should I be listening to? I’d love to know.
Thanks for these recommendations – will definitely go and check them out. My absolute favourite knitting podcast is Lime and Violet. They are hilarious (and perfect for some light relief at the end of a hard day) – be warned though, they are very naughty sometimes and they are also the worst enablers on the planet! I have discovered some seriously gorgeous yarns thanks to them…..and my bank balance will probably never recover!
Ah, Lime And Violet! That’s one I wanted to download but I couldn’t see a non-iTunes RSS feed for it. If anyone knows of one, I’d be grateful.
Thanks for your suggestion, Tash.
Stephanie -Here’s my 2 cents on some favorite fiber pod casts. Stash and Burn as well as the The Knitmore Girls are two pod casts that are produced local to me in the San Francisco Bay Area. I love both of them although they are very different. Stash and burn has a more conversational tone shared by two friends while The Knitmore Girls is more structured mother daughter team. Wonder Mike who produces Fiber Beat is one of my absolute fave’s also. I actually save listening to his pod casts because I don’t want to use them all up. What you might not know is that Mike is a sweet and awesome guy who teaches knitting & spinning here in the Bay Area also. I have had the opportunity to meet him a few times and he is a living doll. If you love Fiber Beat you also need to check out YKnit, his previous venture into podcasting. There are not a ton of episode but they are similar in the way they are produced and all very funny & entertaining. One of my favorite episodes is Lace for Boys! Another of my fave’s is Kelly Petkuns Knitpicks podcast. While sometimes it is more focused on Knitpicks product, often it is not and has great interviews with knitting authors, awesome technique discussion and good collaborative episodes in which many of the members of the Knitpicks staff with different degrees of experience participate. I could wax on but those are some of my top faves. I continue to also seek out new ones too since there seems to be so many more now since I started listening to them about two and a half years ago.
Ah, that’s nice to hear about WonderMike. It’s always good to know that people you like in the media are also people you’d want to know in real life. I will try YKnit — I didn’t realise it was his!
I tried Stash and Burn, but it never really hooked me. I’ve heard a lot of people talk about Knitmore Girls, so I will try that soon. Oh, and Knitpicks! I’ve been meaning to add that to my list and keep forgetting.
Thanks for your recommendations!