I am a bit of a podcast junkie.  While many knitters knit while they listen to podcasts, I prefer to enjoy them while I walk the dog or when I go running.  (I am quite the connoisseur of reality television, which is probably something I shouldn’t brag about, but that’s what I do while I’m knitting.)  Through podcasts, I’ve learned new techniques, discovered books and designers, laughed out loud and been moved to tears.  I thought I’d highlight a few of my favorite podcasts, just like I did with some of my favorite blogs.

— Stash and Burn: It’s hard to say whether I love Stash and Burn because it’s local or because Jenny and Nicole are funny, smart, inspiring, kind and hip.  I eagerly await every new episode and usually save it for my longest runs so I have something wonderful to take my mind off the hard workout!

— She Knits:  Sharon, a designer, and I have become friends.  She talks about her design business and being a mom to seven kids.  (My oldest and her youngest were born days apart.)  She is (self-admittedly) a little nutty, a little vulnerable and someone I would definitely hang out with if we lived near each other.

— Cast-On:  A West Coaster living in Wales, Brenda Dayne is the grandmother of knitting podcasters.  She features interviews and essayists about knitting.  I could live without the music, but other than that, Cast-On is terrific. 

— Knit Picks:  Kelley’s podcast is reliable and informative.  She often features interviews with authors who have new knitting books out and I’ve found loads of great inspiration from that.

— Ready Set Knit:  This show is hosted by the married owners of WEBS, a store in Western Massachusetts I’m absolutely dying to go to!  (As I’ve mentioned, I am a huge Valley Yarns devotee.)  Like the Knit Picks show, it often features great interviews with heavy hitters in the knitting world.

— Sew Forth Now:  This show has a heavy emphasis on garment-sewing by an experienced sewer.  The interviews are long and inspiring.

— A smattering of shows from NPR (the always excellent This American Life, KQED’s Forum [we are so lucky to have such intelligent programming in the Bay Area], Fresh Air and, very occasionally, the Splendid Table)

There are a few others I like (Creative Mom Podcast, Craft Cast, Craft Sanity), but don’t necessarily love and sometimes I skip episodes here and there if the topic doesn’t appeal to me.  There are also shows I like a lot (Knit Science, Sleepy Eyes Knitting), but run only infrequently.

It’s hard to describe that feeling of finding a podcast you love only to have it abruptly disappear, sometimes after only just a few episodes but, worse, after dozens of episodes.  I *hate* that.  But the shows listed above are pretty tried and true.  What are your favorite podcasts?