Pairing Crochet Projects with Our Favorite Audiobooks

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|Sponsored| There’s something magical about getting in the zone where the rhythm of your stitches and the rhythm of your audiobook are in perfect harmony. For many of us at Interweave, listening to audiobooks while we crochet has resulted in our stitches flying off our hooks (in a good way, of course). We find that our projects end up speeding along and we’re thoroughly entertained along the way.

Whether you’re into short stories, fictionalized Hollywood history, or the well-scripted zombie apocalypse plot, audiobooks can help elevate the time you spend with your crochet hooks. Check out additional suggestions from Penguin Random House Audio along with the suggestions we have for you below. You may just get hooked on one yourself (pun intended).

Craft & Listen: the Short Story Wins

Rachel Koon, Managing Editor

Do you have time in your life to crochet as much as you’d like? I think for most of us, the answer is a resounding no! As much as we’d like to spend hours on the couch with our WIP, chores and work and family (life, basically) always seem to get in the way. I think a lot of us would say the same thing about reading—we love it, but we just don’t have a lot of time for it. Too often, our crafting and reading time is brief, and as much as we’d like to make that complicated sweater or read War and Peace, we just don’t have the time.

That’s why I love crocheting accessories and other small projects—in a few short crafting sessions, I can complete a hat, a cowl, or a little home décor item. Short stories are the perfect complement to this abbreviated crafting time! I can listen to a story from start to finish and complete a couple of rounds on my WIP before I have to move on to the next thing on my agenda. Short stories are exactly what my busy schedule needs!

I am listening to Curtis Sittenfeld’s fantastic You Think It, I’ll Say It, and I’m absolutely loving it. This brilliant, thoughtful story collection focuses the inner lives of women—their thoughts, dreams, hang-ups, loves, hates, and desires. It’s funny, honest and, in many cases, extremely relatable. The characters are mostly middle-aged women in Middle America, women who could be your next-door neighbor, the woman from the Parent-Teacher Organization, or the lady you chat with after yoga (like I said, relatable). This collection beautifully and humorously illustrates that even the most ordinary-seeming people have much more interesting inner lives than we might imagine.

If you’re looking for a witty, clever, thoughtful book to accompany your crocheting time, I can’t recommend You Think It, I’ll Say It enough! The stories are long enough to be rich and detailed but short enough that you won’t feel guilty about listening to one. And if you’re like me, you’ll enjoy these stories so much that you’ll make extra time in your schedule for crafting just so you can keep listening!

Click on the below to sample You Think It, I’ll Say It.

Hooking into a Zombie Attack

Susanna Tobias, Project Editor

The book Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich flows well, but it has lots of stopping points where I was able to take breaks in whatever project I was working on. What makes it even better is the narrator. There are so many characters in this book that the voices could get mixed up, but this never happens. Each voice is distinct, and no voices run together or confuse the listener.

If you’re not familiar with the series, Hardcore Twenty-Four is the 24th book in the Stephanie Plum series. At about 6 hours long, the audiobook was perfect for working on both small and medium-size projects. Home décor, hats, shawls—choose a mindless project and stitch away.

As you do, you’ll get lost in the world of Stephanie Plum, Lula, Grandma, Joe Morelli, Ethel—an escape-artist boa constrictor, and, last but not least, zombies. Plum is a compassionate bounty hunter who tries to keep the streets of Jersey clean with the help of her no-holds-barred assistant Lula. In this novel, zombies attack, Ethel tries to escape and Lula gets hit in the head with a drone and can’t quit saying “Fudgsicle.” All in all, this book is an awesome listen that will keep you chuckling as you crochet.

Dig into the zombie attack – click below to hear a sample.

Hollywood History & Multiple Projects

Sara Dudek, Editor

The Girls in the Picture is a historical autobiography based on the lives of real-life film legends Francis Marion (a screenwriter) and Mary Pickford (a silent-film actress). Their hard work and talent allowed them to become leaders in an industry dominated by men. These women are full of creativity and find success because of their support for each other (crafty crocheters might relate to this!).

This book goes into great detail on the lives of early Hollywood legends and the beginning of the movie business. You’ll get sucked into the story, and the hours will fly by! And at over 16 hours, you’re in for a whole lot of crochet and audio entertainment. Pair this book with a larger project like a crochet tank top or an easy sweater. You’ll probably find yourself taking many breaks to Google the fascinating characters, places, and films mentioned throughout the book. Take a step back in history while indulging in your favorite crochet project!

Click on the audio player to hear a bit of Hollywood history.

For more crafting suggestions, visit TryAudiobooks.com and you can sign up for the Penguin Random House Audio newsletter to receive an exclusive sampler of new releases. We would love to hear about what kind of stories you stitch along to. Let us know in the comments!

Craft & Listen: the Short Story Wins

Rachel Koon, Managing Editor

Hooking into a Zombie Attack

Susanna Tobias, Project Editor

Hollywood History & Multiple Projects

Sara Dudek, Editor

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