Sunday, August 05, 2007

Podcasts

I just got my first mp3 player (it's a Creative Zen Nano Plus and I got it dirt cheap from buy.com) at the end of last year and while I ripped a bunch of music CDs to listen to on it, I started listening to podcasts and that's what I mostly use it for now. I listen to podcasts while doing dishes, folding clothes, doing other cleaning jobs, or sewing. I like podcasts. And I wanted to share some of my favorites with you here.

Oh yeah, if you don't know what a podcast is, it is just like a talk-radio show, only it is on the computer available to be downloaded and listened to on your portable player whenever you want. Or you can usually listen online, as long as your computer has speakers. There are podcasts out there on all kinds of topics, and they are almost always free (I haven't encountered any that you have to pay for at least).

Podcasts I listen to:

Material Mama
Material Mama is a fashion and craft sewing podcast and it was my first podcast. Episodes are usually around 30 minutes and are informative on many topics related to sewing clothing.

Creative Mom Podcast
This show is usually an hour and there is a new episode each week. Amy talks a lot about sketching, drawing, painting, with occasional sewing and knitting content. Each episode showcases great music and, usually, books for kids or grownups. Other neat things about the CMP: thematic prompts, recipes, a monthly ATC exchange, a flickr group where CMP listeners can share photos of their creative work. I really enjoyed the CMP issue that featured journals (episode 7, I think?).

CraftyPod
CraftyPod comes out twice a month and is usually about 20 minutes long. Sometimes there are interviews with craft people, sometimes a show will be about a specific technique or craft. The CraftyPod site also has regular blog updates.

CraftSanity is a craft interview show that usually goes well over an hour. The host, Jennifer Ackerman-Heywood, does an aftershow after the main interview that is usually about her life. She is an excellent interviewer and I think her shows are very interesting.

Cast On is a great knitting podcast. And I don't even knit that much. You've gotta listen to this one.

Quilting Stash
Quilting Stash's Annie Smith has interviews and interesting discussion of the quilting world. Recently Annie had a 2-part interview with Susan Branch; there's a great story of how Susan met the Beatles when she was a teenager included in that interview.

Alex Anderson's Quilt Connection
Alex Anderson's podcast is usually around 20 minutes and has interesting information about her quilting life now, including her work on her internet Quilt Show, as well as interviews and discussion on various quilting topics.

I'm planning on finding out about more sewing podcasts but for the most part I usually listen to new episodes of all of these podcasts.

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