I know it makes me a bit of an old lady, but they make such a great soundtrack for an afternoon of peaceful sewing.I like listening to the radio too (especially things like Raymond Chandler adaptations on BBC7) and also do some simpler sewing on the sofa in the evenings in front of the telly.
Do you listen to the radio or watch TV while you craft?
I normally don't listen to anything, but now I will! Thanks for reminding me of how wonderful it can be to "whistle while you work"! = )
ReplyDeleteA like minded crafter! I listen to audiobooks or the radio whilst I sew too. I decided it was time to switch Radio7 off yesterday when I realised I was hearing each episode for the third time that day!
ReplyDeleteToday I have lots of hand sewing to do so as a treat I am watching all the Harry Potter films back to back :0)
Claire x
I love to listen to the "radio" while I stitch, or whatever. I have just discovered I can listen to the BBC online and have enjoyed many an afternoon this winter in my room listening to radio plays and such . I grew up listening to the radio and I was begining to miss it. So much better than the rubbish on TV and you don't have to take your eyes off your work!!!
ReplyDeleteI tried listening to audiobooks but found myself drifting off and getting too into my work to pay attention to the story!
ReplyDeleteNow I just prefer to work with no noise. Our house is so busy when the kids are in so I enjoy the peace and quiet when they are at school....
I watch TV whilst I'm sewing. I record random documentaries that are on in the middle of the night and use the On Demand services to watch whole series of American dramas, etc that I wouldn't ordinarily get a chance to.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to get into audio books, I must give it a whirl. I love reading, but there are only so many hours in the day!
I would love to listen too audio books, but like Olive Mac, I tend to start listening then after a while "I think ooo whats this about?" lol!!
ReplyDeleteMy house has 2 large boys in it so when they are out of the house and I am busy crafting I tend not to listen to anything. I am currently saving for a DAB radio so I can listen to the talk shows just for some background noise. Other than that its blissfully silent at my house.
I love the radio and I like Chris Evans in the morning on radio 2 , you have the jackpot with your audio books----cottonreel
ReplyDeleteRadio is good. I find TV too distracting. I can only do simple knitting in front of the TV.
ReplyDeleteI watch tv - very often star trek. It did cause me to put Janeway in the wrong uniform once though, because I was watching the "wrong" series.
ReplyDeleteI can't sew and watch very well, but I ALWAYS listen to NPR pod casts while I work--especially Fresh Air and This American Life. A new favorite is The Moth. I wish I could listen to British radio!
ReplyDeleteI just recently tried audiobooks and think these are quite genius! But I have to admit that I have to like the voice, if not, I can't stand listening to it for hours... Now, listening to Agatha Christie read by a nice english voice must be great. It was with her that I started to exercise my english beyond school level (I'm German).
ReplyDelete"The Experts" (only Las Vegas please:-) )are perfect for mindless knitting in front of TV. I got the DVDs, as I am never able to respect the TV programme. Furthermore there is Poirot with David Suchet (I have all the seasons), Tommy and Tuppence, James Bond, Bridget Jones... I'll stop now;-)
Have a nice day
Daniela
I have the urge a lot of the time to watch tv while I knit, it's this obsession with multitasking, so lately I try to resist it and get into that contemplative mood that appears when you are knitting in silence and solitude. But on other occasions, of course, if the piece is really boring (i.e. a huge bit with just stockinette stitch or something like that), the BBC QI show or a good audiobook are ideal. : )
ReplyDeleteI listen to NPR podcasts like This American Life also. I've tried audio books, but I either get too into the story to pay attention to sewing or the opposite, so into my project that I lose track of what's going on in the story. Podcasts are better for me because my attention can go back and forth without missing too much.
ReplyDeleteI also love Agatha Christie, though, and wish we got more of Miss Marple here!
I love listening to audiobooks while I work. If you like Poirot, try James Anderson's Inspector Wilkins series. It's an affectionate mickey-take of the whole 1930s super-sleuth genre. Wonderful! And they're read by Cornelius Garrett, who is a fantastic narrator.
ReplyDeletei love listening to audiobooks while crafting or commuting. right now i'm re-listening to the hitchhiker's guide series; next on the list is "to kill a mockingbird".
ReplyDeleteOoh, I forgot about audio books, thanks for reminding me. I can't seem to work if there isn't something playing in the background, so I just turn on the tv and let it play haha. I use to watch documentaries while I crochet, perhaps I'll get back into it.
ReplyDeleteI tend to watch alot of TV on DVD while working. It's time to try out audio books- sounds like a great new way to entertain myself while stitching away!
ReplyDeleteI listen to the TV and occasionally look up to see what's going on! Little point in me doing this really as I miss the important bits of crime dramas etc! Obviously the radio and audio books are much less visual - must give them a whirl I think! ;)
ReplyDeleteOh it's so nice to see that there are lots of other audiobook crafter addicts out there!! I get toally addicted to them, which makes me work even longer because I want to listen to the next chapter.
ReplyDeleteI buy them off a guy online really cheap (i'm sure I could download them but I find that whole thing very confusing). I tend to listen to long fantasy series books, because there is lot's to listen to.
At the moment I'm listening to The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (12 books), other great ones were Harry Potter, The Stand, A Room with a View.
Most of them I read years ago as books, but it's so nice to revisit them, especially if the narrator is really good.
Ooooh I am exactly like you!!! I LOVE listening to Agatha Christie audiobooks as I work :D
ReplyDeleteI do my crafting while the baby naps, so I listen to my iPod. Lots of Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins, mostly. I could never get into audiobooks, but I tried.
ReplyDeleteI do like to listen to stuff while I'm working...the Massey Lectures can be streamed from the CBC website, makes me feel uber productive...:)
ReplyDeleteUsually music, although I am still listening to David Copperfield, chapter by chapter, love it and don't quite want it to end. You should check out LibriVox for free audio books, tis ace!
ReplyDeleteIf I'm at my sewing machine I usually put a cd on - recently that's been Radiohead, Baby Bird, Elbow. I often do my Amigurumi in front of the telly in the evening - last night was really difficult though cos I was watching the 1st new Masterchef and really wanted to 'see' the presentation & eating bits, so kept losing my place! x
ReplyDeleteI usually watch tv while I'm crafting. My problem is that sometimes I get so caught up in the plot that I actually stop crafting!
ReplyDeleteI've discovered the joy of listening to books while I'm driving to work (40 min. commute/each way). My favorites right now: Left Behind series and Ender series(Orson Scott Card).
My current favourite crafting companion is Frasier, I have a lot of them on DVD and they make good gentle watching!
ReplyDeleteI have a few audiobooks to start on too, maybe Neil Gaimin first.
Good post!
ReplyDeleteI recently got into audio books whilst painting (downloaded to my iPhone) but they're v expensive! Then I discovered Podio books...audio books in podcast form that are free :). Currently listening to Earthcore by Scott Sigler...kind of sift sci-fi/b movie horror but v addictive! Try podiobooks.com or something like that. There are loads of podcast around foc too.
I agree with the comment about having the like the voice of the reader! Good character voices & tension building are a must :)
I never think of audiobooks. (though Agatha Christie would be perfect- I've read them all at one time or another). Every now and then I'll listen to a podcast or a speech on TED- but honestly, there's too much information for me to pay attention and I wind up losing the thread of the discussion. Typically I'm a music person- doesn't require my full attention, but the beats keep me motivated: heavy rotation includes Muse, Goldfrapp, Snow Patrol, about 285 other artists in my iTunes library. If I'm working in front of the TV (like when I iron) I'll try to coincide with Law & Order: Criminal Intent, of which I can never ever ever get enough.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! I go to Librivox a lot, and recently (thanks to your mention of it) I've been enjoying the podcasts on Craftypod! Sometimes I'm lazy and just turn on NPR, but I can't stand crafting in silence.
ReplyDeleteA woman after my own heart! I love Agatha Christie and I'm quite jealous of your recent haul! I always have something in the background whilst I craft and usually associate things I've made with particular plot lines That I watched at the time :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments, everyone! It's lovely hearing what keeps you company while you get your craft on :D
ReplyDeleteMarilyn - I love the BBC's iPlayer too. It's so great being able to pick things to listen to when it suits me, I listen to much more radio that way... Podcasts are also fab for the same reason, but I do find it a bit distracting sometimes having the computer on when I'm sewing, I keep checking my emails etc instead of focusing on the crafty stuff.
Bliss Knits - I love watching crime dramas on the telly and I've lost count of the amount of times I've totally missed really crucial bits of info (like which character just got bumped off) because I was looking at my sewing instead of the TV.
Laura - thanks for the tip about LibriVox! What a great resource. Off to check it out now...
That is such an awesome find. I love Agatha Christie. Usually when I'm crafting I like to have the TV on for some white noise. Or sometimes I'll turn on my iTunes and listen to whatever comes on.
ReplyDeletei can't sew in silence....so its radio 7, for a bit of drama or audio books on the ipod...great blog
ReplyDeleteI read just about anything I can get my hands on; Sherlock Holmes, I just finished Dracula actually. And country music, with the banjo. Lots of banjo music. :)
ReplyDeletexoxo
Agnes
Yes definitely - though I'm not great at paying attention to audio books kind of crucial with a whodunnit - but I love Agatha Christie tv adaptations :)
ReplyDeleteI usually listen to plays and readings from radio 4 and also d/l books, I have The Time Traveller's Wife on the go at the moment :)
ReplyDeleteI tend to switch between radio 6 and 7. I'ts also the only time I get to play my CD's without the family moaning. I'm playing lots of Flaming Lips and Eels at the moment.
ReplyDeleteBut winter evenings are spent by a roaring fire hand quilting, making sock monkeys or commissioned embroidery pieces with Craig Charles Radcliffe and Maconie on Radio 2.
Enjoy. :-)
This made me smile! I am 28 and my siblings (all younger) often take the micky out of my love of Miss Christie and Columbo/Murder, she wrote/Midsummer murders! hehe
ReplyDeleteBeing an ex librarian I think I worked my way through all the Christie audio books and loved having them on while I painted with a cuppa =D
I usually "watch" something on my computer. I never tried an audio book, but I had a few radio plays and so on. It is better than sitting quietly, unless, of course, you are in the garden somewhere with the birds singing.
ReplyDelete