Here at KW HQ we are constantly exchanging stories about what we watched last night while knitting and crocheting; we compare notes, catch up on series ‘gossip’, or suggest new shows. We do the same for podcasts. Often during the day, all will be quiet and someone will abruptly guffaw or quietly giggle or gasp. And then one of us will ask, “What are you listening to?!”
We thought it might be fun to share with you what media we love to watch and listen to while we knit and crochet. Let us know what you love to watch and listen to in the comments!
COURTNEY
Watch:
I have a dirty secret, and it is that I am addicted to Say Yes to the Dress. It has to be one of the worst things ever created, and I cannot look away. I have never been married, I have never had, or wanted, a wedding dress. I think it’s a terrible waste of money in a moment when you should be planning for your future. Maybe I am trying to find and unlock some sort of feminine secret I was not let in on? But, honestly, what on earth makes you want to pour your body into a see-through, plunging neckline, crystal-encrusted-crotch-detailed dress IN FRONT OF YOUR DAD WHO IS PROBABLY A MINISTER??? But, this is fantastic knitting TV, as it is deeply entertaining and requires little attention be paid, and it is one of the more repetitive shows around. One of my all time favorite knitting-tv-watching is BBC mysteries, Sherlock Holmes (the Jeremy Brett version) and Poirot in particular. These are just always good!
LEAH
Watch:
These are my top tier television programs: I am addicted to gritty crime dramas. From The Wire to The Sopranos, Mad Men to True Detective, if there’s some combination of blood, drugs and/or corruption, consider the show on my queue. There’s nothing better than watching an extremely captivating tv show while knitting to really help make a dent in a project deadline. I do enjoy light hearted television – Broad City, Bob’s Burgers, 30 Rock reruns and The Simpsons all have their place and time, but my heart truly lies with corruption.
Listen:
I recently purchased a record player, so I have been listening to a bunch of music while knitting. I prefer music to Podcasts, but when we were completing the Effortless Collection I binge listened to Serial. Again, dark and brooding crime drama.
MEGHAN
Watch:
I love to watch almost anything British. British murder mysteries are my absolute favorite and within that category, anything adapted from an Agatha Christie novel (Poirot! Miss Marple!). Dr. Who is my ultimate comfort t.v. and for the record, I think David Tennant and Matt Smith are tied for best doctor. Following closely behind that are British art documentaries like Rococo Before Bedtime.
Listen:
At work I’m usually listening to an audiobook (currently, Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel) or one of a handful of podcasts such as Serial, Storycorps, Here’s the Thing, Radiolab, FreshAir, and Sawbones which was a stellar recommendation from Kate.
KATE
Watch:
I’ve been binge watching Inside Amy Schumer the last few weeks. She’s so hilarious and on point. On a similar vein, I discovered Married via a podcast and tore through the whole first season before realizing there weren’t limitless episodes (then subsequently sunk into a short-lived but deep period of melancholy.) To replace the void left by Married, I recently began watching Review, and it is so ridiculously hilarious. My heart does not exclusively belong to comedy; I recently watched the Human Planet series and really enjoyed it. As a rule, I either really enjoy social commentary via comedy or insanely nerdy documentaries. Since we’re being truly honest, my most ridiculous guilty pleasure is The Voice. It is terrible. And amazing.
Listen:
For Podcasts, I tend to focus on shows that are a little more in-depth, as it is much easier to knit and listen than knit, listen, and watch. Lately, Sawbones, Judge John Hodgman, Song Exploder, Bullseye, and Radio Lab have all been in heavy rotation, and I recently discovered Fugitve Waves via, hands, down, the most interesting NPR story that has ever been aired about Curtis Carroll. I also listen to PRI’s The World daily, but usually when walking the dogs in the morning – it is good to get the real heavy stuff out of the way before I’m fully awake.
Thanks for tuning in and happy crafting! – MLK
I love to watch baseball while knitting. You don’t really need to pay attention, just when you hear daring look up to see the replay.
*cheering not daring
With that method, you get the best of both worlds. Solid knitting time plus the interesting bits! Sounds great! -MLK
Leah, you should check out Narcos on Netflix – you might like it!
Funny you should mention that – I’m on episode 8! Wow that show is amazing. -LM
Spilled Milk podcast–so fun and funny. Give it a try.
We will definitely try it! Thanks for the recommendation!
British mysteries mostly (Poirot, Miss Marple, Midsomer Murders), but you can add my latest finds… Murdoch Mysteries and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. There is a theme here. Knitting is murder.
Anne, we must have the exact same t.v. queue! I love all of those too. Do you have Acorn? It’s the best! All the British murder mysteries in one spot! -MLK
Yep! It’s Acorn all of the time!
My favorite watch is still soccer: you knit and when the commentator gets exited you watch. Hubby doesn’t get sport on TV knitting at all. "But you are not watching…"
But you are listening! I find that knitting is the only way I can watch sports!
Robin L.
I love watching TV while I knit . Especially Blue Bloods & the Good Wife.
When I’m not watching I Listen to the oldies on 101 fm
Those are great shows!
i’ve just started watching the show Masters of Sex, and am really enjoying it. such a fascinating and true story! or at least based on actual stuff that happened. fun knitting-related fact i JUST learned this weekend: Caitlin Fitzgerald, who plays Dr. Masters’ wife, is Pam Allen’s daughter!
Get out! What a small world! I’ve heard that this show is really good. I think I’ll have to give it a looksee. Thanks for the recommendation! -MLK
My favorite TV show EVER are the brilliant "Life On Mars" and "Ashes to Ashes" series… The first one pictures a policeman taken back in 1973 after an accident and the second, a policewoman who wakes up in 1981. They are both amazing, and it’s a real delight to discover the amazing jumpers of Ashes to Ashes’s heroin (the beautiful Keeley Hawes) while knitting your own pieces! She should have a whole section on Ravelry for all the wonderful garments she wears throughout the series…
These sound like really interesting premises for t.v. shows! And you are totally right, it’s great to see inspiring knits on t.v. while knitting! Feels very satisfying somehow! Thanks for your recommendations! Happy knitting! -mlk
My go-to is Law & Order – SVU, Criminal Intent, the original. I’ve seen so many episodes that sometimes I know the story if only by the first few seconds! I don’t need to see the action because the meat of the story is almost always in the dialogue.
Always a classic! -mlk
Disconnected cable not worth 70 dollars. Love BBC on my computer, Last of the Summer Wine Larkrise to Candleford, Now watcching Tenko Knitting socks doilies( everyone says"Is that a hat?) Also listento the Outlander series on Audiobooks