KnitCents Podcast: Get Frugal Knitting Tips and More
It’s funny how one thing can lead to another here at Knitting for Charity. You’ll remember how a short while ago, we had an All About Ravelry series of articles. Then, a little while later, I shared a batch of “frugal/thrifty knitting” groups that I discovered on Ravelry. While I was looking for those groups, I discovered a particular group called “KnitCents.” I became excited when I discovered that this group revolved around a podcast of the same name, and I thought, “wow, what a great resource!” Then I discovered that the podcast had stopped producing new episodes over two years ago. I was bummed. Then I saw a the latest post on the discussion board called “Has anyone saved the old episodes?” That was something I had never considered. I checked out the post and discovered that Roue, the podcast’s creator, had actually uploaded the old episodes to her Dropbox site. I hung onto the link to the Dropbox with the intention of going back and checking it out later. When I did so, was I ever surprised! I discovered 91 episodes, plus another 3 “audio yoga” episodes. So while the KnitCents podcast is no longer being produced, there is a huge backlog of episodes to listen to!
KnitCents Podcasts: Benefits
I’ve listened to 6 episodes thus far, and here are the things I enjoy about it. Number one, I love Roue’s voice. She has a very sweet, soothing voice, and sometimes I don’t actually listen to the podcast, I just turn it on while I’m writing and enjoy the soothing background sound. (Then, of course, I wind up rewinding so I can actually pay attention to what she’s saying!) Number two, every podcast has lists of yarn sales. Since the podcasts are all over two years old, of course, the sales aren’t current. But they can give you ideas as to where one might find yarn sales *currently*. After all, most yarn companies don’t have just one sale and then never hold a sale again! Number three, every podcast features frugal tips. Most of these don’t have to do with knitting per se, but they are designed to help you save money in everyday life. And we can all use some of that, right? Number four, many podcasts offer examples of how Roue herself has saved money, as well as fun DIY projects (some knitting-related, some not). And finally, every podcast includes a review of something knitting-related: yarns, books, and so on. She calls this part of her podcast “Worth It,” and the review is designed to answer the question, “Is this product worth it [that is, the money]?” I am personally a big fan of podcasts. I listen to a handful of them (mostly tennis-related, as I love tennis), and they are great to listen to while performing housework or (of course) while knitting. I sometimes also listen to Lion Brand’s podcasts. I really love the KnitCents podcast because it’s related to both knitting and frugality, two topics near and dear to my heart!
Other KnitCents Resources
In addition to the podcast archive, you can find two other resources in conjunction with KnitCents. First, there’s the aforementioned KnitCents Ravelry group discussion board, where those who were avid listeners gathered to discuss episodes or anything else related to frugality and/or knitting. You can find some really interesting discussions here. Second, Roue kept a blog that cataloged all her podcasts. While it doesn’t include full word-for-word transcripts, her posts do make mention of her tips, yarn sales, and other items mentioned in her podcasts. If podcasts aren’t for you, you can dig back through the archives and find some of her great information that way! The KnitCents blog can be found here. But if you, like me, enjoy listening to podcasts while you do something else, you should definitely go to the KnitCents archive. You do not have to have your own Dropbox account to access hers! The archive is here; just click on any episode name to go its download page. Once you’ve downloaded it, you can listen on any program or application that plays M4A files (like iTunes). I encourage you to check out the KnitCents podcast, whether it’s through the blog, through the Ravelry group discussion board, or through the archived episodes. You may find yourself learning a lot!