sp7 questionnaire

I am very very excited about having and being a Secret Pal, and I know you're all dying to read my questionnaire responses. Uh... right. Please just come back tomorrow when I write something potentially interesting. Apologies to all of you, and to my new Secret Pal: Hi! I love you! Yay!

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand?

Yarn snob, beer snob, snobby-snob, you name it.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I'd love to learn to spin! No, I don't crochet, except to sometimes make an edge or a seam, or an unidentified fiber blob.

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

A train case, a vase, my knitting bag, purse, grocery bag, laptop case...

4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

Hm... about 5 years, and approximately intermediate.

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

I have one at Alibris, but I don't update it too often.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

Please, for the love of God, no smells. Bath and Body Works = smelly headache hell on earth. Perfume is air pollution, people. Take pity.

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

Deep, dark chocolate. Mmmmmmmmm.

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

I like to make trash into "art," and I like to make jewelry, especially using old broken costume jewelry pieces.

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

Yes, my computer will play MP3's. I love creakety-scratchety world music from anyplace, anytime. The harder to understand, the better! Other loves: Bollywood, Bhangra, early jazz (1920's-30's), gypsy jazz, early rock/R&B (1950's), Billie Holiday, Bela Bartok, most anything recorded by Yo Yo Ma, Howlin Wolf or Ella Fitzgerald, queer punk, girl punk, or any other non-whiteboy punk, old school hip-hop, Appalachian folk, Texas swing... should I keep going?

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

I tend to gravitate towards a summer palette, and yet... all my clothes are black. I like red the best of all colors.

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

Living in sin with one man and two cats. Yow!

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

Yes, yes, yes and um, I haven't tried it, but I'm scared.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

Lately I am really into merino wool, alone or blended with friends, and also alpaca. I love to felt with Cascade 220, and to make socks with insanely bright self-striping yarns. I also like to make sweaters and hats for babies and little kids, especially from organic cotton.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Mohair. Oh, the beautiful itch of death!

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

I don't feel terribly obsessed right now. I am on the hunt for the perfect sweater design/pattern for a sweater I want to make for myself from some yummy silk road aran tweed.

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

Toddler-sized sweaters in super-bright colors, funky socks, and earthy-colored vests for my man HWWLLB.

17. What are you knitting right now?

Well, I'm trying to finish up HWWLLB's Xmas present, which was a sweater vest, and I'm fiddling around with an amber-colored fashion scarf for me, maybe with a pom-pom fringe.

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Absolutely!

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

Circular!

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Bamboo, or Addi Turbo...

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

Yes

22. How did you learn to knit?

My friend Miss Bugheart forced me to learn because she wanted a knitting buddy. She'd make me cast on until I cried, make me knit endless rows of garter, then stockinette, then seed stitch, barking orders to go twenty more rows... at the time I wanted to strangulate her, but now I want to squeeze and kiss her. Either way, she really should watch out.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

I don't want to talk about it, it will make me cry.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

I don't have any characters that I like, though Miss Bugheart keeps trying to turn me on to Sanrio/San-X/Miffy type creatures, and because of that people think I like Hello Kitty & friends and are always giving me little erasers and coin purses and other such items. I actually like the tiny coin purses better than the Japanse characters. As animals go, I like them all, but I'm really partial to my two cats, and wild things like woodpeckers, leopard frogs, brook trout and any kind of bug.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Thanksgiving.

26. Is there anything that you collect?

No! I only throw away other people's collections.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Interweave Knits.

28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?

Uh... you'll have to download the 500-page PDF file from the server...

29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I'd love to learn dyeing next. And then spinning. And then alpaca husbandry.

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

Yes, I love knitting socks! I wear size 8 shoes.

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

July 25. I'm a Leo - mrrow!

Well, it's been a lot of fun to have a reason to go on and on and on all about myself and my various picky tastes. If you're actually still reading this, leave a comment and answer any/all of the above questions about yourself, then I won't feel so greedy.