And I *finally* managed to get it together in time to get in on the fun. Woot!

So, here be the questionaire:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love love love love love Socks That Rock. That’s probably my favorite yarn of all. Beyond that, in no particular order: handspun, Peace Fleece, Rowan, Jo Sharp, Adrienne Vittadini, Jaeger, Mission Falls, oh, hell, the list is WAY too long. You get the idea, though, right?
The only things I really don’t like are novelty yarns. I used to be convinced that I really really hated anything synthetic, but I’ve recently received some handspun nylon that’s really nice, and have had some pretty decent knitting experiences with some synthetic/wool blends, so… maybe my horizons just need to be broadened on that front. Oh, and I have a serious hate on for Debbie Bliss.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have two of these little organizer thingies. I think they’re meant to hold checks or something - they’re about the right size for that. They look pretty much exactly like these, and have 13 pockets, so one pocket per needle size. Since I only use dpn’s and circs, it works perfectly for me.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Um… I think I’ve been knitting for about 3 years now. Maybe 4? Something. I’d throw myself in with the advanced knitting crowd. I have yet to meet a pattern I’m afraid of, except maybe the princess shawl, but I’m going to do it anyway…

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I have an amazon wish list, but it could stand some updating. I would have a Woodland Woolworks wish list if they offered that sort of thing.

5. What’s your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I’m really sensitive to scents, especially synthetic ones, but I love lavender (fresh, dried, essential oil), and the smell of cookies baking, orange, lemon, lime, and Lush’s Karma (in all of its forms - it’s about the only scented body product I can deal with).

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Oh dear lord yes. I love chocolate. A lot. Lindt bars in most any flavor are my current favorite poison. Mmm… And See’s chocolates. Mmmmm…

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I spin, I do cross stitch, jewelry, beading, origami, weave, you name it.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
There isn’t much in the way of music I don’t like. I listen to everything from opera to rap, and everything in between. The only things I can’t stand are contemporary christian and country (unless it’s that fabulous old super-whiny country, which can be a lot of fun). And yep, my computer can play mp3’s. And does on a regular basis.

9. What’s your favorite color? Or–do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can’t stand?
This is a funny one, really. Forever and ever I’ve loved purple and blue. And still like them both. And if asked I’ll tell you that I Absolutely Can Not Abide Orange. And yet? I find myself buying orange fiber. And pink. And yellow. And, really? I hate these colors. And yet I don’t, apparently. Must be something about getting older, but it’s been a hot topic of conversation amongst my friends lately.
So, truth be told, I like most colors. I’m not a big fan of pastels, and brown, unless it’s natural sheepy brown isn’t something I usually go for, but apparently the rest of the rainbow is wide open. (I am, however, red/green colorblind (deficient for you purists out there), so I could be totally smoking crack on the whole color thing…)

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I share a house with my partner CritterBoy and my daughter Booger when I’m lucky, three ginormous cats, a guinnea pig, three turtles, five chickens (ok, those are outside, but still), and a big fish tank full of… uh… some sort of cichlids (they tend to eat each other, so the stock in the tank is often changing).

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, yes, yes, NO. I look like a dork in hats, but I wear them all winter anyway, scarves and mittens are also winter staples (more so than hats, even), but ponchos are the devil’s own fashion statement. I love shawls and wraps, though.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Right now I seem to be in lace mode. Lace and socks. Or lacey socks. But I love to make sweaters and really almost anything else too. I’m pretty happy as long as I’m working on anything that requires needles smaller than 8’s. Anything above an 8 and I feel like I’m trying to manipulate stitches on tree trunks. My favorite sizes are between 0 and 4, with, generally, one project going on 6’s just to give my hands something different to work with when they’re tired of the tiny stuff.

13. What are you knitting right now?
On the needles right this second:

• plain socks in Socks That Rock in Cobalt Bloom and Seal Rock for the booger
• lacy scallops socks in STR in Fire On The Mountain
• Pomatomus socks in Lisa Souza Sock! in pacific
• some random lace pattern socks in Lorna’s Laces in a subtle grey/green colorway (that I can’t find a picture of)
• a Leaf Lace shawl in Fleece Artist sock yarn in cosmic dawn with clear beads
• a wee little cabled sock in Lorna’s Laces, which I will finish even though Gigantor Baby has outgrown them already
• and, finally, the Bloomfield Bolero from Interweave Knits (website only?) in Mission Falls cotton

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Oh my yes. Absolutely.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Circs. Addi turbos are the favorite, but I have others that I use regularly too - Denise’s, some random aluminum ones from Canada, Addi Naturas. I’m generally just too uncoordinated for straights. Sad, but true.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes and yes.

17. How did you learn to knit?
Heh. I saw a this pair of socks in a Nancy Bush book and HAD to have them. So I went up to the Weaving Works, which was what was close to me at the time, and showed the woman there the picture and told her that I was going to learn to knit and needed the stuff to make them. She got SERIOUSLY huffy and informed me, in No Uncertain Terms, that it Was. Not. Possible. to learn to knit with that pattern. I got to thank Nancy Bush in person at Madrona (and totally didn’t throw up or anything!) for writing a book well enough that I did, in fact, learn to knit from that pattern. And yeah, I avoid the Weaving Works for the most part because most of the dealings I have had there have been about as good as that first one. That was about 6 years ago, although once I finished the first sock I felt like I had the knitting thing down and didn’t bother with the second one (or any other knitting) for two or three years. I found the one sock and the rest of the yarn in a box when I moved a couple of years ago and decided to finish the second one (that would be the left one in the picture linked above), and haven’t put the needles down since then.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?
Shhh. We don’t talk about that. (But, really, it can’t be more than a few years at this point, so it’s not *that* bad, but still. Hush.)

19. What is your favorite holiday?
Ummm…. Probably winter solstice/xmas/yule. But I’m not really a holiday kind of person. I tend to forget about them until I see the candy on sale the next day…

20. Is there anything that you collect?
Bugs and bones and spinning wheels. I hoard yarn, so that doesn’t count as “collecting”, right?

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have a subscription to SpinOff. I don’t quite understand why Interweave can get that one to the subscribers intact and on time and they can’t seem to do it with IK, but whatever. I’d love to get my hands on the new Jaeger book, and the Barbara Walker stitch treasuries. (and while I’m dreaming… some Alice Starmore books other than Aran Knitting and the Celtic Collection)

22. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?
Hmmm… I know there’s stuff I haven’t tried yet, but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Ayup. Love me some hand-knit socks. If I could find my tape measure I could measure my feet… I wear a 6.5US/37, narrow feet, high arches, average to chunky calves. I generally just make it up as I go along. Sooo exact. I know. I’ll work on this one.

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
December 31.

In: General | | #