I Love My iTouch - Part 2

Had a lovely relaxing 4th of July -- so relaxing, I didn't feel like blogging. I did a little work in the garden and watched some of my favorite TV marathons and, best of all, I knitted while listening to some knitting podcasts. Yes, thanks to my iTouch, I can now easily download my favorite podcasts and listen wherever I am. I first tried to listen to podcasts at my computer, but because of my severe hearing loss, I strained to hear. Quite frankly, the sound quality wasn't very good.

Then I got my iTouch. The sound quality is amazing and it is so easy to download the podcasts from the iTunes store. Best of all, they're free -- which is VERY good the considering song-buying binge I've been on (replacing my old college LPs: Gordon Lightfoot, Judy Collins and Bob Dylan!)

I began with the most recent KnitPicks podcasts. Kelly Petkun is a joy to listen to and has both interesting guests and interesting topics. One of the ones I downloaded was the 100th podcast. In it, Kelly referred to two earlier podcasts on i-cord as personal favorites, so I went back and downloaded them. I thought I knew everything there was to know about i-cord -- after all, I am an Elizabethan (Elizabeth Zimmerman) knitter! However, I loved Kelly's ideas -- I plan to try the self-edging i-cord on my next scarf instead of my usual garter stitch border. And when I did the i-cord knot on the second twin hat, I knit through the back of the first stitch on each round and saw Kelly was right -- the stitch loses it loopy look.

Another podcast I discovered is KIPing it Real by Jackie. I especially love that she separates each podcast into chapters, so I can listen to a segment and then come back to the rest later. Also, if I want to skip a segment (say on spinning), I can do so. I zipped through the first three podcasts in one evening. It was a very soothing experience. Not only was Jackie's content interesting, but the earphones helped to block out the very poor and very loud karaoke at a neighbor's 4th of July party!

Of course, my KnitBuddy software helps to keep me on track. Over the holiday, I slacked off a little on the baby booties -- for some reason, I was SO NOT in the mood to work on double points. Instead, I turned to my seaman's scarf. It's a perfect example of what I call mindless knitting -- I can work on it with my eyes closed if necessary. It's also great commuter knitting (small and knit straight on a circular needle) -- so I took it with me yesterday when I accompanied my best friend Ethel to her dental appointment in Manhattan. It was supposed to be a simple visit -- to get her permanent crown -- but she mentioned a strange feeling in another tooth and the dentist discovered a fractured tooth AND infection under another crown. Two hours later, she was minus one tooth but I was plus fourteen inches of ribbing on my scarf. Thanks to Ethel's tooth mishap, I should have another project to move from WIP to finished status on KnitBuddy tomorrow.

And now to show off the first of two completed projects -- both made from KnitPicks yarns and patterns. This is the Montavilla Market Tote. The kit includes the pattern and four balls of organic cotton -- one in each of the four colors (Marshmallow, Malted Milk, Toffee and Mocha). The four balls are enough for two bags. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. The linen stitch on the bottom formed a nice secure base and the lace stitch for the body of the bag was enough to keep me interested. The handles were especially intriguing -- essentially two over-sized buttonholes done in linen stitch. The biggest problem was carrying the colors and trying to keep the balls straight. Fortunately, I am the queen of knitting gadgets, so I used my knitting nest from Circular Solution -- a canvas bag with four pockets, perfect for a four color project. Even so, I had to stop every few rows to prevent tangling. I am used to chugging along at a fast pace, so it was frustrating. However, the end product is definitely worth it. So, I'll probably start the other one as soon as I finish my scarf, since I need a birthday gift to be ready in two weeks!

Next post I'll show off the loofah bath mitt made of KnitPicks Cotlin yarn.

Off to bed and a few more inches of scarf before lights out!