Thursday, November 20, 2008

It's a kind of magic

Thank you for all the helpful comments about sleeping difficulties. I do get up, rather than just lie there, way too boring even with an iPod. I'd rather listen to that whilst spinning or knitting. I have now rediscovered the delights of Ovaltine, and certainly the first time I tried it, it worked a treat. We shall have to see.

Of course, I should be in bed and slumbering peacefully now, but being a Thursday it must be Coven, and I am always wakeful after driving back. So I took my Ovaltine to the computer, and managed not to spill it over the keyboard....anyway, a blog post is due.

I had two people come to me today for a spinning lesson - they have (I think) joined the Guild as well. They picked up spindling pretty quickly (although, like most people, they didn't think so. Anyway, I sent them home with a borrowed spindle apiece, and a chunk of lovely Falkland top to practise with. Again, both of them knitters wanting to take it that step further. The resurbence of knitting is having all sorts of effects, some of which at least will stick. One of the good things happening at the moment.

I have been spinning myself. I started on the first of the batts from Abby Franquemont that I picked up at SOAR. What I neglected to do, fool that I am, was to ask what the fibres were. Silk, yes, I get that. I'm just not sure about the rest of it, though! Anyway, it spun up beautifully, a super blended prep.

yarn from abbybatt1

But I'm putting the other two blends on hold, as Freyalynn dropped of the extra "Safflower" colourway that I had asked for, and I want to get that done so I can get knitting. It is such a pretty colourway, without being icky - not that Freyalynn would be capable of producing anything icky, of course.

Frequently while I knit or spin, I listen to not only audiobooks on my iPod, but podcasts as well. I've been through quite a few in my time, some of which I have stuck with. Cast On, of course. My absolute favourite if only because Brenda Dayne has a voice that I could listen to forever. Voices are incredibly omportant to me, and for that reason, many podcasts are completely unlistenable to. (Many people will have the same delicacies about grammar, and will be rushing away from this blog post in screaming hordes. Sorry - I tend to the informal and colloquial, dancha know....)

Content does, though matter, don't get me wrong. Cast On has it in spades.

Others I like - Lime and Violet, although it is getting very repetitious. Maybe inevitable, with a long running thing. I'm trying Stitch It at the mpoment, but am not quite convinced - the voice. However, content is reasonable, and the woman has an extremely infectious laugh which redeems it a little bit.

No Brit ones that I am aware of at the moment, and I would love to be told otherwise - BritKnitCast, Knitty Nora and Lixie Knits it have all vanished, oh and KnitCast, these were all good and I miss them.

But hey, there is a new kid on the block. Now, maybe it is just me that finds this notion so attractive, but a podcast that is about a little bit of knitting and a lot of psychology? It's called CogKNITive, which is intelligent, always a draw, and I like the style of delivery a lot. She's doing one per week, though. This might just crash and burn.

All podcasts still extant are on iTunes, so hence no links. Well, that's my story, anyway.

OK, let's try bed, now......

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