purl diving

What happens when you take cricket, Bollywood, Marlon Brando and combine them with a little Xtreeeme Knitting? Listen to this episode of Purl Diving to find out. Links: The Kolkata Knight Riders video that inspired it all. The anthem ("Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo" AKA "2 Hot 2 Cool") is on CD, and available at Nehaflix, fine purveyor of all that is Bollywood. "The Detonator" is the name of this year's Sock Wars Pattern. Go. Knit. Feel a frisson of glory. John Meadows read the excerpt from the Reuters news article. His excellent podcast, On the Log, is all about, as he says, "looking at the future through the rear-view mirror", and is one I eagerly await each Saturday morning. Bruce Murray *will* return to The Zedcast (I've been lighting candles, it will happen), and if you've never listened, it's worth starting at number one and working your way through his wonderful stories. And if you're a runner, you can find him on his weekly call-in running podcast, The Running Shoe. The Tech Guy occasionally hangs out at his blog, Unconventional Wisdom. Audio: Water/wave sample under intro created by pushtobreak from The Freesound Project Music featured in this episode: "Keep On Fighting" by Pralay (from the Podsafe Music Network - music.podshow.com)

Well, no, not really, but I am thrilled to be the stand-in host for the latest episode of Bob Goyetche's most excellent podcast, "Mostly Tunes". The irony in this was that this was part of an effort to help get Bob to 50 episodes before Podcasters Across Borders last spring -- and I ended up being episode 42, which tickles me to no end. Most of all, I'm just glad "Mostly Tunes" is back, because I'd really missed it. I'll be back in the next few days with a new episode of Purl Diving...

Hey, folks -- yes, I'd planned on having the Knitter's Bucket List Episode up by now, but life took a left turn (all good, but I'm frantically busy), so it's been a bit delayed. On the up side? I was given a bit of portable audio equipment recently, and I've managed to gather up a few extra clips for the episode that I wouldn't have had if things hadn't been delayed. I'll be back soon, probably at the end of April or beginning of May, with that episode. Thanks to everyone who submitted something, it's provided me with a lot of food for thought!

Technorati Profile Time to claim Purl Diving on Technorati... Rob (The Tech Guy)

Because the Journée du gros pull originated in the Flemish part of Belgium, it's actually known as the "Dikke-truiendag", and because this year February 16th falls on a Saturday, the action will actually happen on Friday, February 15th. Get out your woollies! -------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------ Audio: Water/wav e sample under intro created by pushtobreak from The Freesound Project Music featured in this episode: American Baroque: Vivaldi -- "Concerto No.4 in g minor RV 297 :WINTER: - Allegro non molto" (from Magnatune.com) "Warm Up My Life" by Winters Longing (from the Podsafe Music Network - music.podshow.com)

The Tech Guy would like to apologize for being a bit of a turkey -- he made a cut 'n paste error in creating the directory for the MP3 file on the Internet Archive, which prevented Purl Diving's listeners from downloading Episode Twenty-Six. All has been made right and you can download the episode, either from the link in the previous post or in iTunes if you're subscribed there. Rob, The Tech Guy

Today on Purl Diving we delve into the wonders of nana-technology with Shreddies Knitting Nanas. Darryl Cognito hides from the robots in the basement of the internet, where he produces the podcast Atomic Suburbia (As Darryl says, "Not just Calgary's best podcast, but also the most consistent!") I hope he doesn't mind me nicking his theme music, but as soon as I saw the bit where the nanas defeat the robots, I just knew I had to use it. Warning to Canadian listeners: earworm alert --> Good, good, whole wheat Shreddies! ------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------- Audio: Water/wav e sample under intro created by pushtobreak from The Freesound Project Music featured in this episode: "Replaced By Robots" by Lejeune (from the Podsafe Music Network)

Okay, so I was feeling a little as if my call to "knit the vote" in Episode 23 had been a little flat, that maybe I was the only leftover from a forgotten era when getting out to vote really did mean something. And then I read the January 22nd entry of Mason-Dixon Knitting. Ann has issued a call to arms -- and reading the comments, it seems others agree, that we all need to take action, get out, support a candidate, make a choice, and vote. Knit the vote, people. Knit the vote: To download a button to post to your blog or website (please don't link to the files here) right-click on the button of your choice and select the menu option to save the image file. For Mac users, Alt-Click on the button and choose the option to save the image file.

Those of you who read my other blog already know I am a compulsive list maker, and that I believe in the importance of making and keeping a life list -- a list of everything and anything I might ever want to do in my life. It's become popular lately -- witness the new movie "The Bucket List" which deals with a similar theme. I started making a list of the knitting I wanted to accomplish this year, and then thought about making a sort of Knitter's Bucket List: a list of the knitting I would want to accomplish before I, well, kicked the bucket. So I started preparing an episode of the podcast to deal with that, but I realized that what I really want is to know what others would put on their list, so I'm inviting Purl Diving listeners to contribute their own bucket lists. Or, rather, their Bucket List Top Three -- if you had only three things to knit with the rest of the time available to you, what would they be? Here's how to contribute to the podcast: 1. Send me an .mp3 comment that you've recorded. If you're not sure what to say, here's an idea: "Hi, this is Susie Q from (you can state where you are, what your blog is, what your podcast is, or just tell me you are Susie Q). The top three things on my knitter's bucket list are: (Then list them -- and maybe tell us why you've chosen them...) 2. If you don't have the ability to record, but would like to send in your list, then just pop me an email, and I'll read it out on the podcast. I'm really hoping that I'll get some contributions, as I've honestly become curious as I've started compiling my own list about what *others* would choose to put on a knitter's bucket list. Thanks!

So. Those Maine Morning Mittens that my sister scoffed at? The ones she said couldn't possibly be useful, since what was the point of having mitts that didn't cover your fingers? The ones I decided I couldn't give to her for Christmas, because what would be the point of giving her something she wouldn't enjoy having? Well -- I made a pair for my niece for Christmas instead. I used the MMM pattern, but substituted Noro Silk Garden Lite (DK weight), and I dropped the needle size. I shortened the lengths suggested in the pattern, and I even did something I never, ever do -- I pulled out only those sections of the ball of yarn that would give me -- well, not *matching* mittens, because honestly, that's impossible with Noro -- but two mittens that at least had some of the same colours in them. (If I hadn't done this, I would have had one pink and purple mitten, and one black. I decided two pink and purple mittens would be more pleasing to the ten-year-old recipient.) So. Yesterday? I'm talking with my sister, and she sheepishly asked if it might be possible for me to make her a pair of the Maine Morning Mittens, as she'd realized that on a cool but not very cold day, they would be useful for adding just a little extra warmth and still leave her fingers free to, say, give the dog a treat or somesuch. My husband and I broke into hysterical laughter, and then told her the story, and that there were actually a pair of the MMM sitting in my knitting bag that I'd made and hadn't given to her. Now, that's a happy ending, don't you think?

I decided in the New Year to make Purl Diving my knit blog as well as the home of my podcast -- it seemed to make sense, as PD actually was a blog, before I stripped out the blog posts and turned it over to the podcast. But it also didn't make sense to scatter a few posts about knitting in amongst all the other stuff I blog about, so all the knitting will now find a home here.

In this episode, the Universe hands me the gift of a great idea, and some good people to help me make that idea a reality. This episode was a true Christmas miracle for me. I searched high and low for music for it, and I stumbled across The Perfect Version of "We Three Kings" by Derek K. Miller on the Podsafe Music Network. As soon as I heard it, I knew it was perfect. It was the first time I'd dared to create an audio play, and I'm grateful to Sage Tyrtle of the Quirky Nomads podcast, and Bruce Murray of The Zedcast, who immediately agreed to provide the voices for Madame Sofronie and Jim; and to my Tech Guy, who agreed to narrate the story, even though he usually prefers to stay behind the scenes. For that alone, he merits the gift of handknits. Audio: Water/wave sample under intro created by pushtobreak from The Freesound Project Musicbox Silent Night recording by bilwiss from The Freesound Project Music featured in this episode: "Just Stockings On" by [munk] (from the Podsafe Music Network — music.podshow.com) "We Three Kings" by Derek K. Miller (from the Podsafe Music Network — music.podshow.com) Links and attributions can be found at www.purldiving.com

In this episode, Purl Diving discovers what happens when the Universe smacks you upside the head with the Christmas Knitting Crazy Stick. Yes, I had to inflict the parody song on you Again This Year. What good is a holiday if you can't trot out all the Olde Chestnuts? Oh, okay, the Maine Mittens can be found by visiting the page for Clara Parkes's book, The Knitter's Review of Yarn. (I don't yet have a copy of Clara's book, but I've thumbed through it at the local yarn shop, and I think any knitter would be happy to find a copy of this under the tree.) Audio: Water/wave sample under intro created by pushtobreak from The Freesound Project Musical top recording by NoiseCollector from The Freesound Project Music featured in this episode: "Santa Will Find You" by Mindy Smith (from the Podsafe Music Network — music.podshow.com) All links and attributions found at www.purldiving.com

In this episode Purl Diving discovers knitting and manning a polling station don't mix, and mulls over the problem of voter apathy. Audio: Water/wave sample under intro created by pushtobreak from The Freesound Project Music featured in this episode: "I'm Henry the Eighth" performed by Harry Champion, from the Internet Archive