SP 11 Questionnaire

After watching the Knitting Secret Pal's for a while, I decided I wanted to participate so I just joined SP 11. Basically for two months, I have a secret pal, who's a fellow knitter, to spoil with knitting related goodies AND I get to be spoiled by someone who has me! Now that the fun is getting underway, I'm to post the questionnaire and my responses. So here goes!

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1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Recently I discovered Rowan Cashsoft and it was amazing to work with. I also love Malabrigo and Noro. In terms of fibers I don't like - anything itchy like Mohair, or too fuzzy I generally avoid.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a cute quilted case, as well as a rubbermaid bin for all the straights.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

My grandmother originally taught me to knit when I was 6 or 7, but only in the last 3 or 4 years have I done anything beyond a scarf or blanket. Now I want to try everything - patterns, stitches, different yarns! I would say that I hover between intermediate and advanced and I love learning new things!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes. It's under my real name.

5. What’s your favorite scent?

Vanilla and peach.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

YES YES YES. It's bad for me but I can't resist the sweets. Pretty much anything works - chocolate, gummy candy, you name it!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I am going to be taking a drop spindle class in another few weeks so I'm super excited about that. I've also picked up crocheting a bit this year. One day I want to learn to dye fiber, but I'm trying not to overload the budget and the storage limitations!

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD).

That's a hard one... I have really varied music tastes. I love everything from country to dance to pop to harder sounds. I'm open to trying anything pretty much except for really heavy metal or rap.

9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand?

I tend to love the bright colors: turquoise, purple, pink....

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I'm engaged to a wonderful man and we're getting married next summer. We've been long distance for all of our relationship and he's in his last semester of school so come Christmas we'll be together! No pets.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Not mittens, but pretty much all of the others. Living in California there just isn't a lot of use for heavy knitted items, but I love them just the same!

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

I tend to get bored quickly so I try and pick up lots of new stuff. Lately I've wanted to try more socks!

13. What are you knitting right now?

A sample for the LYS (crochet bag), a dress from Knitscene, Grumperina's Jaywalkers, Clapotis and a charity baby blanket! (I told you I get bored easily!)

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Are there any better ones?

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I own tons of circular bamboos and usually pick these up. I have some straights for socks, and I've recently discovered Addi's - an expensive addiction.

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

Neither. I frequent the LYS.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Hmmm I JUST finished a second sock where the first was done back in Jan or Feb. The rest are only a month or two old.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

In my family, Thanksgiving was always the biggest holiday (we don't celebrate Christmas). It means really good food, family and fun. Now I celebrate Christmas with my fiance's family and his niece and nephew.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Other than yarn?

20. 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 quite a few knitting books. I currently subscribe to Interweave Knits. The projects I'm interested in I've put up on Ravelry.

21. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?

Nothing specific that comes to mind.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I wear a size 6 shoe and really like knitting socks!

23. When is your birthday?

May 5th.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what’s your ID?

FluffyKira

Another thank you to my SP!

On Friday night my secret pal graciously gifted me with a certificate to The Loopy Ewe. I eagerly went over there and picked out a beautiful skein of sock yarn. Since it was late Friday night, I didn't really expect my order to be processed until today, and figured the yarn might arrive by the end of the week if I was lucky. NOPE! Sheri processed my order early Saturday morning and by midday today I had my lovely yarn in the my hot little hands. The yarn is Perchance to Knit and there's a lovely Swarovski crystal stitch marker that matches it! So thanks again to my SP - now I just need to find a great pattern and off I go!

SP11 Posting - More about me.

As I mentioned here, I decided to join Secret Pal 11 and to spoil and be spoiled by knitting pals. Here are a few more "getting to know me" questions I've been asked to post!

1. What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without?

Circular Knitting Needles. I HATE HATE HATE straights. I don't mind DPNs so much, but I hate having extra needles under my elbows.

2. If you’re heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you? If so, how much and what type of project?

It depends where I'm going. If I'm going on car trips and space isn't an issue I'll bring whatever I'm working on. If I'm flying or going someplace hot I bring small projects like socks and scarves. Whatever it is, it can't have a complex pattern to consult.

3. Where have you traveled to that you’d consider your favorite spot?

I think my favorite trip was when I went to Thailand last year. It was for school/work so I didn't get to do nearly enough sight-seeing. I was just taken by the culture, the language and the city life. I would love to go back.

4. What is your favorite knitting book at the moment? Do you own it?

I love Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's books. They are so infused with humor and wonderful knitting stories. The book I think I use the most is Barbara Walker's A Treasury of Patterns just for inspiration on specific stitches.

5. Do you listen to podcasts? Which is your favorite(s)?

I haven't but I'd like to. I'll take any recommendations!

6. If you could only knit with 1 color for the rest of your life, what color would that be?

Blue. I love all shades of blue from pale icy blue to bright aqua to deep navy.

7. If you were far into a project and then noticed a mistake near the beginning what would you do?

It depends how noticeable it is and how much I would have to rip out to fix. Most of the time I'd let it slide, but if it was really obvious it would bother me until I fixed it.

8. Where is the most unusual spot you’ve ever knit?

It's not really that unusual but I knit EVERYWHERE. Waiting in line for the movies, inside the movie theatre, in cars when I'm not driving, waiting to meet friends, during lectures when I was a grad student....

Starting to Jaywalk.

It simply CANNOT already be October 1 and Monday AGAIN. I just don't know where the time goes!

This was a pretty good weekend. Friday night, the weekend kicked off with a Bad Girls Knitting Night at the LYS. There was liquor, munchies and lots of knitting. I had a great time! And no some yarn did not jump into my hands.... not even a little bit (well ok I bought a few things for my secret pal, but that's it!)

Saturday my mom and I met up to do some wedding planning. I think I found the dress I want. We visited two stores and I found two dresses, both of which are vastly different from each other, but upon reflection last night, one of them is the one I see myself in on my wedding day. All of a sudden it's starting to get very real. I'm getting married!!! I'm not going to post pictures here because I want to think about it some more, and also because I want the pictures I post to be of me in the dress on my wedding day. Guess you'll all just have to hold out.

Saturday night was movie night with my honey. Poor guy has been working out like crazy to train for a half marathon in Kansas City in a few weeks, and he had run 13 miles earlier in the day so he was a bit tired, but we had a good "date night" anyway.

Today was chores: laundry, starting to weed out the junk in my place (I think my stuff has sex and multiplies when I'm not looking!), and back up my computer. I also managed to watch the second season of Weeds on DVD which was fantastic! Mary Louise Parker is excellent and the writers really come up with some great stuff.

Finally, there was knitting. The title comes from my new project, Grumperina's Jaywalkers, which is coming along nicely. I had a few balls of Koigu left over from a different project and this seemed like a stripey way to go! I also put in some time on a baby blanket I'm working on. Unfortunately I'm a little stalled on the dress I'm working on. I got all the way up to where the arm shaping comes in (working from the hem line upwards) but the decreasing in pattern isn't working at all, so I'm contemplating it while I work on the other projects that ARE working. Sound like procrastination anyone?