Brenda Dayne of Cast On Interview
First of two parts of an Interview with the Knitting Podcast Creator
An interview with the host of the wonderful knitting podcast, Cast On, Brenda Dayne. Part I of II.
This week we have an interview with Brenda Dayne of the world famous knitting podcast Cast On. She tells us how she started, her thoughts on podcasting, knitting, and how two little needles can help save the world.
Question: What first made you want to make a knitting podcast?
I heard about Marie Irshad's Knitcast last summer, and loved hearing her guests talk about their knitting, but honestly had no real urge to have my own podcast, or to do what Marie was doing. I've always been a "radio person" and like to have things to listen to while I knit, so I went looking for other podcasts to listen to. I found Adam Curry's Daily Source Code, and I just fell in love with his style of podcast [...] I started listening to more podcasts where people just talked into a microphone, about their lives, and their hobbies, and I just knew that this was something I had to do. I've been writing about knitting for Interweave Knits for over five years, and podcasting about knitting seemed a logical step.
Q: How do you integrate knitting into podcasting?
I know the idea seems odd, but they really are not that different. Both knitting and podcasting involve taking raw materials and fashioning them into something else. That's the biggest thing I try to get across to my listeners is that making ANYTHING is good. Make yarn; make sweaters; make a garden; make cookies; make a podcast - it's all the same thing, using the same creative process.
Q: What do you think you can communicate to knitters listening to your show?
That making is good. That making saves the world from mass production, and helps people not only connect to their creative selves, but also live more creatively in general.
Q: In a recent episode you mentioned that your podcasts are reaching the 6000 download mark. What do you think that says about the knitting community?
Actually, the number of total downloads of the podcast exceeded 100,000 this week! Very exciting. I'd love to know who that 100,000th person was.
What that number says to me is that there is a demand for broadcast media featuring knitting content that isn't being met by traditional media. I also think it's a statement of our culture in general - who we are, what type of entertainment we want, at this moment in time. Reality TV has been hugely popular over the last five years or so, and podcasting is the next step I think; it's about as real as it gets. Maybe knitters want to hear about real knitting experience, hear real people talk about real knitting practice, without the blow-dried lip-glossed over-produced perfection of traditional media.
Q: When I listen to your podcast, it's like you're talking about yourself via knitting. Is this a conscious choice, or something that just flows naturally?
Podcasting is the only place outside a therapist's office where you can talk about yourself for an hour, and nobody minds. I don't think it's a conscious choice, however. In fact, if I think about it too much, I get really self-conscious, and begin to wonder if I sound like an idiot.
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