Knitting

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Knitting Podcasts

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[tag]Podcasting[/tag] is not an old internet capability, but relatively new. In 2003 regular podcasts started showing up on well-known Web sites and software support for podcasting spread throughout the internet. Wikipedia describes podcast as a media file that is distributed by subscription (paid or unpaid) over the Internet using syndication feeds, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. The term “podcast” is derived from Apple’s portable music player, the iPod. Though podcasters’ web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their content, a podcast is distinguished from other digital audio formats by its ability to be downloaded automatically, using software capable of reading feed formats such as RSS or Atom.

Now, what does that mean to me as a knitter? Many [tag]knitting podcasts[/tag] are appearing all over the net. Your favorite author or yarn shop may be uploading to the internet a podcast. [tag]Knitty[/tag] has a very good article by [tag]Rhonda Bell[/tag] listing many sites to download your favorite designer’s words about their craft. [tag]Unwound[/tag] offers podcasts on her site and also lists the content and pertinent links to the information so you know before you download what her podcast contains.

What do you need to listen to a podcast? Your PC will do just fine with Windows Media Player downloading and playing the podcast for you. If you have an mp3 player, you can transfer the podcasts to it and listen anywhere. Itunes has knitting podcasts at their site, but I personally have a Zen mp3 player. I use juice to find my podcasts or the website for the company that manufactured my player.

Have you read?

Knit a Log Cabin Blanket with All Your Scraps

I guess I must have had this pattern on my mind, because I had chosen this log cabin blanket recipe to write about, promptly forgot about it and a couple of weeks later started knitting a log cabin blanket using all my pink yarn. 

It might stay pink if it makes it to baby blanket sized, or I might add in some pastel green and blue, too, to make a bigger blanket. We’ll see. I’m also holding several strands of yarn together to make a kind of bulky yarn, which means it’s deeply satisfying how much yarn is used even as the project is still relatively small. 

In Kristen Finlay’s version, DK weight yarn scraps (or fingering/sock yarn held double) are used to make a simple scrappy log cabin blanket that’s lighter weight than my version. Log cabin is a great technique for knitters of any skill level because it’s worked in garter stitch. The only not completely basic technique you need for log cabin knitting is picking up stitches. 

If you’ve never worked a log cabin knitting project before, this is a good introduction, and it is really nice to use all your yarn scraps in one big project you’ll use for years to come. 

If you use a lot of DK weight yarn you can keep building on it whenever you finish a project, or if you use more worsted weight you can do the same thing with it, it will just be a little bigger starting out than the pattern calls for. How big it gets is totally up to you. 

I have really been enjoying working on my log cabin project, and it’s my current sitting at my desk and need a break knit (do you have one of those or is it just me?). 

Ready to start your own log cabin blanket knitting project? You can grab the free pattern from Kristen Finlay on Ravelry. 

Need more log cabin inspiration? Check out more log cabin knitting patterns. 

[Photo: Kristen Finlay]