Here Goes

Here are my answers to the Secret Pal 5 Questionnaire:

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
Yeah, I am a yarn snob, but I like to think that I just really appreciate nice yarn, you know, time invested, etc. (I think I've read this same answer before.) Though I do like cheaper yarns sometimes (Lion Brand Cotton Ease, for example), when I am knitting something that needs to be machine washable/is for a kid.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I own a drop spindle that I have never used, but I still think that I will someday. I will also someday buy a wheel, I think. I know how to crochet a little, but I much prefer knitting.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
No, but my daughter does have a lot of allergies (dogs, certain weeds, peanuts, mold, that sort of thing), so we both stay away from those things.

4. How long have you been knitting?
I have been knitting for about 10 years, obsessively for three or four.


5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, I have an Amazon wish list, and it's fairly, but not always completely, up-to-date.


6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Pink grapefruit, other citrusy scents like tangerine and mandarin, also ginger, but pink grapefruit is my very favorite.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Yes, but I'm trying not to. I've been thinking about limiting myself to fancy expensive chocolate to make it more special and less of an everyday (or several times a day) occurrence.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I used to try to just stick to knitting (crafting is expensive!), but I also sew a little (I just got a sewing machine). I bake/cook, build things (like bookshelves, someday I will own power tools), and I want to cross stitch and embroider.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Almost all. I don't like country, except Johnny Cash, and I'm not a big fan of rap. Oh, and I think my computer can play MP3s, and if not, I should make it so it does.

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 love orange and shades of orange (coral, rust). I also like red and yellow and sage green. And berry colors.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have a boyfriend and a four-year-old daughter. I also have three cats that I acquired over the years. I never once said, "Hey, I should get a cat," and still I have three. I anyone wants one, let me know. (I like them, but three?)

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
Okay, I want to finish grad school (in December), get a job teaching special education, get married (again), buy a house with a porch or two, have another baby, and raise alpacas and have a huge garden. In that order, more or less.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Hmmm. I like merino wool, but I also like "fuzzy" wool. I like Kureyon. I think I would like Koigu, but I have never knitted with it. I like cottons and alpaca, too. And I would like to try linen.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'm not a big fan of acrylics and novelty yarn. That said, I am currently knitting a fun fur bunny for my daughter, and you don't get much more novelty than fun fur, but I am sucker and my daughter is really cute and convincing.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Using up my stash, which is going very well. Then I think I will be obsessed with shawls, cardigans, and felted bags.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Sweaters in the round, maybe? I'm a big fan of the Knitting Pure & Simple patterns.

17. What are you knitting right now?
That bunny, socks that are to use up my sock yarn scraps, and Jesse's Flames from Stitch N Bitch Nation for my brother, who paints flames on things for a living.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
Not for me, but they look cute on my daughter.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Circular.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Addi Turbos and bamboo DPNs, though I think maybe I would like metal DPNs if I had some shorter ones.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
Yes. I don't know how much I like the actual act of sock knitting, but they sure are handy to bring along.

22. How did you learn to knit?
A woman I used to work with tried to teach me, but I discovered I learn much easier from books. She was the one who inspired me, though.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Never very old.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Alpacas first, also goats, emus and peacocks. I also really like Japanese-style cartoon animals.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
I am a little obsessed with certain aspects of Christmas. I like Christmas music and food and tablecloths and aprons and things.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
I try not to "collect" things, I tend to let things get out of hand. (My thousands of books are a good example.)

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
None, though there are many I would love.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Always. My Amazon wish list is always fairly long. Scarf Style will be my next knitting book, I think.

Finally, Pictures

Here is a picture of my finished hourglass sweater. I had a "went to be with wet hair and it dried funny" look going on, so you get the creepy headless version:

I also took a couple of pictures of the sweater that I cardiganized:

And:

Why do I think I should pick up about twice as many stitches as I actually need every time I make a cardigan? So I thought, "Oh, it'll look better once I sew the buttons on." (How is this going to make it look better?) I'll probably take it out and re-do it sometime, but I don't want to right now.

I'm also almost done with a tote bag that I'm going to felt. Then I'm going to do one more and felt those two and another one that I finished forever ago all at once, because I'm not a big fan of the actual felting process. I don't like standing in front of the washing maching and checking all the time, but if I get distracted I'll just forget about them.

Woo-Hoo!

My Back-Tack fabric and embellishments arrived yesterday! The first thing I wanted to do was post a picture, but I suppose I shouldn't do that because it is all top secret, right? Thank you, Secret Fabric-Sender, it is going to be really fun to work with. It is so interesting to see what I received. It couldn't be any more different than what I sent. Actually, what I got what more my taste than what ended up sending, I think. I bought some thread and a couple other things I needed to start working on it today, since I don't really sew and don't have anything but white and black thread on hand. I'm really excited to have an opportunity to use my new sewing machine.

I got a few things on my trip this weekend: a stuffed animal pattern, two skeins of yarn for a top-secret scarf project, some really nice Clover stitch markers, and a set of Crystal Palace DPNs. I should have taken a picture to post before I put it all away.

I have been a knitting machine lately. My summer classes start in three weeks or so and I think I'm trying to get as much done as I can before that. My classes are going to be awful and there will be no knitting during June. I have class from 7:30am until 3:30pm Mondays through Thursdays and my school is and hour away. Ick. Plus studying for three classes. Ick.

I'm Such a Liar.

No pictures yet. It has been raining for days and days and I'm going to use the lack of natural light as my excuse. Also, we're going to Minneapolis for the weekend, so apparently it will be a while and you can forget I ever said anything. However, I do have some other pictures. I really like blogs with a lot of pictures. I don't even really care what the pictures are. Here are my straight needles:

And my knitting books and patterns and a couple of sewing books:

And my yarn stash:

The yarn in the basket on the floor is for my daughter's cardigan that I am going to make for her. I will be something like this one from Pipsqueaks:

Ordinarily, I like having some yarn around, but when I have a whole lot of things to get done, it just feels like another thing on my to do list. The yarn in the basket on the chair will be a whole bunch of small things. I have some other yarn, but it is for top secret gifts and I can't show it to anyone.

While we are in Minneapolis, I will be going yarn shopping. I have been thinking about it for days, trying to decide what to get. (More things for my to do list, but I know that once my last final is over, I'll be happy for things to do.)

Finished

I have finished my hourglass sweater, my gray cardigan, and one hallowig. Pictures to come, possibly tomorrow, but probably Wednesday.

Slow Going

This is how I write papers: Think, think, knit, type, knit, think, type, knit, knit, wander, type, blog, type, knit/think, type, type. If I don't knit, there's a lot more of the wander, wander, blog. Either way, there's not enough of the type, type.

By Wednesday, I hope to have completed two papers and three knitting projects. I'm also pretty sure that the sinks, laundry baskets and garbages will be empty, the beds will be made and the floors will be clean.