My Knitflixing Recommendations

I’m an incurable knitflixer and have been since almost I first started knitting. Before we even had a word for it, I was knitflixing, stitching away with my laptop in front of me, watching the entire run of Law and Order: SVU instead of studying for my international law final.

By the time I started studying for the bar exam, things had moved to a whole new stage, because guess what? Bar prep classes were video recordings. I could sit in front of my laptop, watch bar prep videos, and knit while I learned. I’d pause to take notes where I needed to, but sometimes it helped just to watch a video a few times over. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say knitflixing helped me pass the California bar exam.

Now here we are in 2021, and not much has changed. 13 years have passed, but I’m still knitting in front of my laptop, squeezing in a little TV time while I stitch.

But What is Knitflixing, Anyway?

Well, Urban Dictionary sums it up best:

knitflixing(v.): the act of working on a knitting project while watching a streaming video from an online provider like Netflix, Amazon or Hulu.

Netflix’s streaming services came into my life in early 2008. That just a couple months after I learned to knit, and my world was never the same. I made my way through every BBC adaptation of a 19th century novel that they had, all the spy dramas I could find, and multiple shows about teenagers causing trouble. All the while, my needles clicked away.

And I know I’m not the only one. There’s a whole host of you out there who are knitting while watching the latest show to hook you. So! I figured it would be nice to do an occasional round-up of knitflixing shows I’ve been watching lately. This will be the first in a semi-regular series where I round up my favorite shows I’ve been watching lately.

Ready? Here we go.

Five of My Current Favorite Knitflixing Shows

Harlots

I’m a sucker for a lush costume drama, and Harlots delivers in that department. It’s an unflinching look at the lives of sex workers in London in the 18th century, from the very wealthy ones dressed in silks and living as noblemen’s official companions to the poorest, most vulnerable in the dark alleys of dangerous neighborhoods. Harlots isn’t easy watching, but it’s engrossing.

Formula 1: Drive to Survive

Listen, friends, I am not a sports person. At all. I went to a Sports University and didn’t attend a single game. But this dang show sucked me in. Now I’m so hooked that I’m watching races on the weekend, tracking the latest news via YouTube and podcasts, and following all the drivers and teams on my alt Insta. Yep. If you like high drama, a little adrenaline, some scheming, and lots of entertaining characters, you’ll love this docuseries. There are three seasons, and episodes are comparatively short.

K-Pop Evolution

Just as I’m not a sports person, I’ve never really gotten into K-pop, either. This eight-part documentary on YouTube, though, is fascinating. It traces the evolution of K-pop from 1960s student rock bands up through the present, and it has a ton of interviews with members of some of K-pop’s most important groups. Highly recommended if you’re a fan. Even if you’re not, though, it’s a great look at the history and culture of an important global artistic trend.

Kim’s Convenience

If you like warm, gentle comedy, have I got the show for you. Most comedy strikes me as kind of mean or, worse, is the kind of comedy based in someone’s discomfort that makes me feel really horribly embarrassed for them. While there’s a little of that sprinkled throughout this show, there’s also a lot of kindness and growth and love. That’s what hooked me. Kim’s Convenience follows the adventures of a husband and wife who immigrated from Korea to Canada and their two children as they live and work in Toronto. It has five seasons and just ended, so you can binge the whole thing.

Lupin

If you like the archetypal charming gentleman thief, you should give Lupin a try. Netflix split the first season up into two parts and left part one on a cliff-hanger that made me howl with frustration, but now both halves are out, and it is so satisfying. The show follows Assane Diop as he works to avenge a wrong done to his father more than 20 years earlier by his father’s powerful employer. Bonus: you get lots of charming Parisian scenery, clever plot twists, and exciting action.

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I’m doing a lot of knitflixing this summer while I unwind and prep for the new school year, so I’ll have more recommendations soon! Check back in a little while for a new round of favorites.