What to Do When You're Crafting
Last week, I put down my needle and thread for a while to focus on school and taking some exams. Now that we're back, I want to talk about what to do when you're crafting. When you're stitching, crocheting, knitting, or otherwise crafting, it's hard to find something else to do. For a while after I started cross stitching, I felt like I was giving up another one of my loves: books. And watching some of my favorite TV shows while stitching left me missing key facial expressions or subtle details that keyed me into plot points. So for this week's blog post, I'd like to talk about what to do when you're crafting. Since we all have different tastes, I took to Twitter to hear suggestions from you all as well!
Twitch
One thing I love to do while I'm stitching is watch some live streams of my favorite games or crafts. A big part of the Twitch community includes interacting with chat, which means that function is a bit limited while my hands are occupado. Still, it's nice to sit back and watch someone else take the controller for a bit. Sometimes I like to watch streamers play my favorite game since I can't play while I'm stitching. Other times, I like to watch some of my favorite creative streamers (ahem, kwarning, Lavender Courage, MotoRuxin, LILBLUEBOXox, and Sirithre to name a few).
Creative streamers helped me to connect to other craft-oriented people out in the world. I could have a separate blog post dedicated to how important it's been in my crafting life.
Podcasts
It's the modern-day radio at your fingertips! There is a Podcast for just about EVERYTHING, and I like to download the latest episode of my favorites, add something to my "up next" list and let 'er rip. Here are the three podcasts that got me into listening:
- My Favorite Murder: MFM has a huge backing and is becoming increasingly popular. It's a comedy podcasts where hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark discuss their favorite murders. They have fun minisodes where they read hometown murders. The two are a hoot to listen to, and I definitely suggest this if you're into true crime!
- CoolGames Inc.: This is another funny podcasts where hosts Griffin McElroy and Nick Robinson take suggestions from fans via twitter and spend each episode pitching ridiculous video game ideas.
- Serial: If you're into something a little more serious, this podcast explores evidence in different cases, but leads it up to the listener to decide for themselves what likely happened. The first season got a lot of attention, and followed the case of Adnan, who is currently serving time for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. Take a listen and decide for yourself.
Audiobooks
In the same vein of podcasts, I love listening to audiobooks while I stitch. Before I found cross stitching I was an avid reader and felt like I was abandoning one of my favorite hobbies. Well, now I can have both! I love listening to different narrations. I started with the entire Harry Potter series. Then, I listened to Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers and LOVED it. Stiff walks through the history of human cadavers, the science they are used for, and other themes surrounding death. I found it very informative. On my playlist right now is The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker. This book is centered around the argument that while many people believe we are a violent species, humans have never been more peaceable than we are now. I've found it's given me a lot of hope.
Good Ole TV
Whether it's Netflix, Hulu, or cable television, some people really enjoy watching TV while stitching. Personally, I don't have cable, so I've binged a few shows while stitching. Sometimes these are shows I've seen before in their entirety, like Charmed or Xena: Warrior Princess. I just finished catching up on Once Upon a Time on Netflix and am currently working on Reign. One guilty pleasure of mine is The Vampire Diaries (judge me accordingly, I've come to terms with it). Next on my list is the latest season of Orange is the New Black. While I hate missing the important parts of a show, I do enjoy being able to look up and take a break from stitching now and then. Not only that, but I can also spend some quality time with my partner while we watch a show together.
I loved some of the suggestions on Twitter and saw a sort of theme among favorites when it came to television. It seems like some people really enjoy watching shows or movies they've already been through, so it becomes more background noise than a visual stimulant. This makes sense given that our eyes are taken up by our needle and thread.
That pretty much sums it up for me when it comes to a quick overview of what I love to do while I'm stitching. How about you? What are some of your favorite things to do while stitching? Leave your thoughts and suggestions (audiobook, podcast, or otherwise) down below in the comments!
