Knit 1, Geek 2
When I first started listening to the Knit 1, Geek 2 podcast I immediately felt as though I had found my people. This podcast is a wonderful blend of discussion regarding knitting, geek culture, gaming, movies and television. The hosts, Karen and Maggie, are both funny and also welcoming. They use the f-word liberally. It’s like sitting down with friends you didn’t know you had.
I love to knit (if you didn’t already know), and I’m always looking for something new to listen to while I’m stitching. Sometimes that’s TV, sometimes audio books, and sometimes podcasts. Knit 1, Geek 2 is perfect for listening to while crafting.
The beginning of most podcasts stats with Maggie and Karen discussing their knitting–what they’re working on, what they want to work on, what knitting/spinning/weaving events they plan to attend. I can’t listen to this section in the car because I need to Google all the awesome patterns and yarns they talk about. I mean, look at this yarn, LOOK AT IT!
One of the things I love about their knitting discussion is when they talk about screwing up projects and needing to rip back or start over. I know that sounds weird, but when I look at projects on Ravelry I always assume the crafter is somehow magically more skilled than I am, having made this gorgeous thing without ever needing to rip back while sobbing bitter tears at one a.m. It’s nice to hear that other people–even expert knitters–have frustrations with their work. It’s also nice to hear that I’m not the only person who puts a project down only to forget about it for about three years. I currently have about eight project bags of UFOs (unfinished objects) lying around the house.
One of the patterns they mentioned recently is Lilli Pilli, which I have the perfect yarn for and I’m so excited to cast on (so make that 9 UFOs).
After the knitting discussion is cover, we move on to Geek Squee, a celebration of all things geek. Topics include new movies, TV shows they’re loving, and gaming. Karen and Maggie talk about the intersection between knitting and gaming (yes, there is one) and one of my favorite segments was the description of the D&D game they ran with other knitters at the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival (“My name is Tosh. Some people call me Mad Tosh.”). They discuss their love of Harry Potter and Agents of Shield, their desire to be the person Peggy Carter would want them to be, and how hard it is to watch the subtitles on K-dramas when knitting.
TV knitting is totally a thing, BTW, and said knitting has to be sufficiently mindless that you don’t get messed up paying attention to two things. I’ve been binging Iron Fist aka Marvel’s saddest product, which fortunately requires almost no attention be paid to it as it’s not trying to make sense.
They also introduced me to a K-drama called Beating Again (insert your own masturbation joke here) which sounds like the sort of crazysauce I need in my life.
I actually listen to the podcast with my husband now because he’s super into table-top gaming and shows like Critical Role so while the knitting stuff doesn’t interest him, he loves listening to Geek Squee.
Also did I mention these ladies are funny? Some of my favorite quotes, so far:
“Because when you say Dungeon Master to a bunch of muggles, they get a very different picture.”
and
“I think there was a pair of socks I touched occasionally.”
“You had one night stand with socks.”
Basically my geeky, knitting, crafting friends, you need to listen to this podcast. It’s addictive. It gives me the warm and fuzzies. It’s made my library in Raverly so much larger. And on top of all of that, it’s given me the courage to book tickets to Rhinebeck (it’s kind of like the Comic Con of knitting/wool/fiber arts) this year for my mom and I.
I may not know anyone there, but Knit 1, Geek 2 has reminded me that the knitting community is a place full of wonderful, welcoming, geeky people.
I met the Blue Brick Yarn people at an event at the Fluevog shoe store in Toronto. I was there with my friends from Lazy, Stupid and Godless on Ravelry. We swore a lot. I feel like your people and my people might be the same people.
I was 3/4 asleep when I read this and folded Kraken rum into the swearing and knitting, and now I can’t get knitting pirates out of my head. Someone needs to make that book/movie/show/comic happen. Or a themed cruise. I don’t knit or drink (or travel), but I do swear and would read the recap with interest.
Pretty much everybody thinks other people are magically more skilled. It’s called “comparing your practice tape to someone else’s highlight reel.” Like I tell my kid and students, that other person’s thing (whatever it may be) isn’t just a finished product; it’s a finished product they’ve selected as their best work that’s worthy of public presentation. Of course your work in progress is a hot mess in comparison to that, but for all you know, their work in progress at the same stage was just as much of a hot mess. It’s hard to find people willing to show their development from crap-draft to finished masterpiece (who wouldn’t want to maintain the illusion they’re magical?!), but those few are tremendously encouraging to those a few steps behind them.
“In space, no one can hear you squee” HAS to be the best tagline that ever tagged!
WAIT WAIT HOLD THE FANGIRL PHONE…They watch Kdramas, too??? *spontaneously explodes into happy glitter*
Because OMG I LOVE KDRAMA ROMANCES! To the point that I review one every week (along with a romance novel review) on my YouTube channel. THATS HOW MUCH I LOVE THEM!
But the best kdrama romance is Coffee Prince. Tomoboyish heroine gets mistaken as a dude when she hires into a Dudes Only coffee shop.
Even though there is Gay Panic from her hot boss, it culminates in THE MOST ROMANTIC LOVE CONFESSION LIP TANGO YOU EVER GONNA EVER SEE!
It’s onramafever.com and viki.com so GO DO IT YOU’LL LOVE IT I PINKY SWEAR! I would link my video review of it but I watched it before I started my YouTube channel. I script all my videos so obviously that just means I need to rewatch!
I sometimes crochet while watching TV. I’m so glad you said that about having to undo and redo knitting project. I feel better about having to unravel the amigurumi Yoda I’m crocheting twice now.
One question. What are K-dramas? (I’m from the UK, so might be a vocabulary difference).
@Rhoda Baxter GUUURL LET ME GIVE YOU ALL THE 411!
Okay, so Kdrama stands for “Korean drama,” which is specifically TV from Korea. Many Asian countries don’t do what America/The UK does when it comes to their television. They produce 16-20ish (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter) hour episode long miniseries.
They come in all genres, but of COURSE I fangirl the hardest over the romance genre, because duh for me, LOL.
If you don’t mind reading subtitles, then this could very well be “romance novels come to life” insomuch as a butt ton of them haz ALL THE ROMANCE TROPES!
I review the crap out of them every week on my YouTube channel, and while I do have epic ass rants against some (like romance novels, they can sometimes be glorious annnd sometimes not so much.) Plus, admittedly Korea can be a bit problematic with some of their gender and sexuality commentary. But so can other Asian countries, Non-Asian countries, and hell America, too. Not an excuse, but definitely something to be mindful of.
But FOR REAL I can’t recommend kdramas enough. Start with Coffee Prince and I promise you, you’ll die happy! 🙂
@Elyse, I assume that Rich has watched Wil Wheaton’s TableTop game program on Felicia Day’s GeekandSundry YouTube channel, but if not, tell him to do it NOW! It’s fun and funny and will make you spend way too much on board and card games. Or, at least, that’s what happened with my family. Hubby and I watch most episodes with our kids, but the Cards Against Humanity episode was a no-go with the kiddos for obvious reasons. That said, I laughed so hard I may or may not have peed my pants.
Everyone: Do it. Do it now. You don’t know what you’re missing!
@Nacy C SO MUCH YES!
It’s funny because I discovered Felicia through SBTB when they posted a Friday Video years ago. It was Felicia’s MV for her Guild series, I’m The One That’s Cool.
I ended up following Felicia, then she eventually launched Geek & Sundry, and it was through Sachi on Geek & Sundry Vlogs that I found out about Asian drama romances!
Basically if it weren’t for Smart Bitches I wouldn’t have half the romance review content on my YouTube channel that I do. So, through romance novels I discovered romance dramas! THE CIIIIRCLE OF FANGIRLING YO!
Nancy. Not Nacy. Sorry! My phone and fingers and brain all hate me.
Rhinebeck. Do it. It’s two days of pure, unadulterated fiber porn, surrounded by people that feel exactly the same way you do. Also the Catskills in October are not to be outdone.
So jelly you’re going to Rhinebeck (yep, jelly, that’s right, deal). I always think “I’ll go, I’ll go,” but I think I need to wait and save up my dollars a bit more. But I’m also nervous about going by myself. What if I don’t have any friends there? Will it be as fun? Your last comment that fiber people are generally lovely and kind is a good reminder.
Also, thanks for the recommendation! There are so many knitting podcasts, and wading through them all to find the one that’s right for me has, so far, been a larger project than I’m willing to take on. So I’ll definitely give this one a shot!
@Crysta I totally get not wanting to go alone but my experience with knitting folks is that they are super welcoming, just like the romance community. Plus if you go on Ravelry, there is a Rhinebeck forum and lots of women looking for roommates.
If you like Kdramas, you might like telenovelas – sounds like the same thing, only in Spanish (with, any luck, English subtitles for those who don’t understand … and if your Spanish, like mine, is marginal, the Spanish closed captions are a big help).
I don’t knit, but enjoyed a book called “Sweater Quest” – a woman decides she MUST knit an Alice Starmore (? is that the right name?) Fair Isle sweater. Buys the out-of-print book (it’s back in print from Dover), through a bidding war on Ebay pays a ridiculous price, tracks down the yarn (produced by an out-of-business mill), practices the knitting process, makes friends, I believe she goes to Rhinebeck, and FINALLY finishes the sweater.
This is a somewhat random side note but ya’ll, Felicia Day’s autobiography is SO GOOD. I listened to it as an audio book and highly recommend!
I’m teaching myself how to knit – ever so slowly – and trying not to get discouraged. There are SO MANY WAYS just to cast on and do a basic stitch and while I know I’m supposed to just pick one and go with it for a while, in the back of my mind is the voice saying “yes, but is this the BEST and COOLEST technique?” Thus far, I have cast on, knit some rows that look pretty good, and cast off. Now I’m learning to get it off the needle…some instructions about tucking in ends? and adding a new yarn color?
@Demi I’m so glad you’re learning to knit! Happy stitching!
@Elyse – thanks! (and cue my fangirling because the Smart Bitches are on celebrity-level status for me).
Also, just discovered this online knitting pattern store/blog/minimalist clothing movement and came across the following article which I really enjoyed!
https://www.sistermountain.com/blog/knitting-mental-health
@Demi HON, SO MUCH EPIC ASS YES FOR FELICIA DAY’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY! I preordered the damn thing and read it right when it first came out!
I was planning to film a review of it for my YouTube channel, and I ONLY review romance content; that’s how much I loved it! I wrote a script review and everything but I keep procrastinating on it so I still haven’t filmed it because I’m a turd.
WHICH IS DUMB BECAUSE GOOD BOOK IS GOOD!
Podcast addict/knitter/geek/gamer covers ears and yells, “LALALALALA I can’t heeeeeaaar you!”
Felicia Day fans, have you also seen her Vaginal Fantasy Book Club videos, where she and a bunch of friends discuss romances? They have a pretty active group on Goodreads.
@Kate I’ve seen their Vaginal Fantasy monthly hangouts but I’ve never connected with them, sadly.
I never like or are interested in the books they pick. Worse, I’m a butt. Their videos seem to go off topic too often for my taste. And, the biggest offender? Felicia called Romancing The Duke by Tessa Dare “a bodice ripper.”
NOOOOOOP! *sobs violently* That term had a very specific old skool meaning but too often I’ve heard the girls refer to all historical romances as such, so Im not a fan of the club these days. See. Told you I was a butt! LOL