I spent a good deal of time over the weekend organizing my recent yarn purchases and upcoming projects.  I even pulled out my swift and electric ball winder.  As I settled in with my most recent project (Inara Wrap by Ambah O’Brien), I thought again about how easy it is to get into a rhythm while knitting and listening to audiobooks.

My love of reading and handicrafts has often been in conflict.  Since both require not only my attention but my vision, I could usually perform only one at a time.  I began listening to audiobooks when they first became readily available (early 90s), but both their quality and the technology available left much to be desired.  First available as cassettes, then as CDs and downloads; the biggest jump was having them available from public libraries.  The final innovation was Amazon’s purchase of Audible.com.  I have over 1,000 books in my Audible library (purchased since the early 90s), but most purchases have been in the last five years.  I especially love the ability to switch between reading the ebook and listening to the audiobook and getting discounts on their joint purchase!

Now, my mind can translate the audio into a movie while my eyes focus on my knitting.  I can get lost for hours, my hands establishing a rhythm while my mind plays the story.  I’ve sometimes reached the zone doing other things (besides reading) such as stringing jewelry or coloring posters and mandalas.  I truly love the Zen of knitting to audiobooks though and highly recommend it!