Knitted Ukulele Cases

Do you knit? On intimate terms with someone who does? Then check out these cute knitted/felted ukulele bags designed by Wendy Bernard.

"The Soprano version is small and flirty like its namesake, Betty Draper; the Tenor version is simple and sporty like the girl we named it after: Gidget. Add a purchased or re-purposed purse handle and you can take your ukulele anywhere. The optional pocket is a handy place to store your tuner."

Instructions are here at this link on knitty.com.

Hot Girls with Ukuleles

An aptly-named Tumblr set. Warning: Some NSFW images. Link

Hawai'i 1948

Photo of a young woman strumming a ukulele. Photograph by Eliot Elisofon. Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, January 1948. I've seen this around the web of late, but the image was reversed (unless there was a ukulele luthier named nitraM that I'm not aware of). So I've fixed it. Great shot, isn't it?

Theme From Love Story

A friendly reminder that Valentine's Day is less than a month off. h/t to Rob Bourassa for the link.

Folk Uke Down Under

Here's a video performance and interview by Cathy Guthrie and Amy Nelson, aka Folk Uke, from Noise11 in Australia. I love "Quattro Momento" from their new CD Reincarnation. I also love their cover of Harry Nilsson's "He Needs Me" from his Popeye soundtrack. Link

Vintage Ukulele Photos

This guy has a Facebook album with just about every vintage ukulele photo I've ever run across. Perhaps he has UPAS (Ukulele Photo Acquisition Syndrome). Link

Make a $10 Ukulele Stand

Over at Ukulele Underground, Aldine shows you how to make your own ukulele stand out of PVC pipe and foam insulation for less than $10. Neat! Link

What Are You Doing New Years Eve?

This is a great song that deserves more strum time. Anyone catching what make uke Zooey is playing?

William H. Macy's Christmas Carol from Shameless

We don't get Showtime, so I missed this, but the sentiment works for our run up to New Year's Eve. Here's William H. Macy and the cast of Shameless singing a Christmas Carol that, yes, even Craig Robertson would like.

Joe Brown Inteview

Nice video interview with Joe Brown by the BBC here at the link. A new ukulele CD is in the works.

Kala Ukulele Stand

My favorite Xmas gift from my family this year was one of Kala's Stand Out ukulele stands. I have a violin stand that I've used for several years, and it simply doesn't compare with these.

If you don't have a uke stand, get one. (And if you have a different make that you like, post it in the Comments.) You'll find that you'll play your instrument a lot more when it's within easy reach. Link

Chord Master Update

We first posted about Chordmaster.org, a site dedicated to Maccaferri and other vintage plastic ukes back in 2010. Just checked out the site again and WOW!...

The site now includes scanned product booklets and ads, a huge gallery of vintage photos (some NSFW), and detailed repair tips. Just go now. It's amazing. Link

Did You Get a Ukulele For Christmas?

Welcome to the club! When we originally started publishing Ukulelia, finding ukulele resources on the Web was a real chore. Nowadays you can trip over all the information out there. Here, therefore, is some sage advice. If you just got a uke, head over to Ukulele Hunt, where Al Wood has put together a free booklet offering sound guidance to the newbie. So You've Just Got Your First Ukulele includes:

• Five Things to Know.
• Five Chords to Learn.
• Five Songs to Play.
• Five Websites to Visit.
• Five Things to Get Free.
• Five Things to Buy.
• Five Videos to Watch.
• Five YouTube Channels to Subscribe to.

The only glaring error we've found in Al's book is that Ukulelia is not included in his Five Websites to Visit. But we forgive him. Link

Ukulelia Holiday Songbook

Here for a return engagement is the Ukulelia Holiday Songbook: a compendium of all the tunes you're likely to need for the next couple of weeks. Enjoy! Link

Jake on Prairie Home Companion, New Year's Eve

Well, it's about flippin' time, Garrison. Link