HHHH Questionnaire
1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?
I’ve been spinning for nearly three years now, and consider myself an advanced beginner (I’ve got a long way to go)
2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?
I mostly spin singles or 2-ply, with the odd excursion into navajo plying. I’ve never made art yarn, but I’ve just bought some batts to do just that with.
3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?
I’ve spun with both but I prefer the wheel.
4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don’t like?
I’m allergic to possum, which is a shame as a secret pal sent me some once. I love to spin with Merino and BFL, and well blended silk/tencel blends. I’m not such a fan of pure silk or similar fibres, as I find it difficult to get something usable out of them.
I also love Wensleydale, but I have rather a lot of it at the moment so don’t need any more.
My other half is allergic to animal hair, and angora and alpaca set him off really badly, which is a shame.
5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?
I haunt the yarn yard, and have had major fallings down while visit the etsy shops of FeltStudioUK (12 batts!) and alltheprettyfibers (I mostly buy from UK suppliers because I’m in the UK and have no patience).
6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?
I’d love to try things like Cormo, Rambouillet or Targhee (all these exotic names I’ve been reading about but aren’t readily available in the UK).
7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?
How to spin from batts rather than roving.
8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?
Yes, I do, and occasionally sell the excess on etsy.
9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?
I prefer ready to spin fiber, because I’ve got a small flat and my other half doesn’t find the smell of sheep very appealing.
10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?
Mostly look at it and pet it, or give it away. Occasionally I knit or crochet with it.
I’ve turned some into handwarmers, or scarves (e.g., the tea scarf)
I’ve just bought a weaving loom, and intend to use some of the handspun languishing as part of my stash on that.
11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?
I’m pretty much set, but I have contemplating buying a nice spindle, because I find I keep giving the ones I have away to people who want to learn to spin.
12. What colors “fall into your shopping basket”? Any colors you just can’t stand?
Pretty much all of them. I used to think that there were colours I absolutely hated, but I’ve found colours I’d never normally have touched (yellow, brown and orange) falling into my basket and being spun up before colours I thought I preferred.
13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?
On the wheel is some BFL superwash from yarn yard, in greens.
On the lazy kate, half completed, is a bobbin with some merino/silk/alpaca blend that I hand dyed in pistachio green with soft browns and a bobbin with chunky red merino singles so that I can make another tea scarf.
Of the other three bobbins I have, one is empty, one has the aforementioned yellow/brown/orange fibre on it (from pencil roving to sock weight if I do it right) and one has done a bunk.
14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?
Knitting, crocheting, felting, dyeing and weaving (just for the fibre stuff).
I’m also a photographer, and have recently been doing linocut printmaking.
15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?
Web Accessibility and good design.
Music.
Good food.
16. Do you have an online wishlist?
Yep, it’s for amazon uk, and contains a whole bunch of stuff related to my many interests.
17. Is there anything that you collect?
Yarn and fibre :)
18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?
I’ve been thinking about getting a set of knitpicks options needles, but haven’t got round to it yet.
Other than that, there’s nothing I’m especially lusting after (since I just bought my loom).
I subscribe to Simply Knitting but I’m considering stopping that because it’s a terrible magazine and it irritates me every month.
19. When is your birthday?
31 August.
20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?
I have absolutely no idea.
21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?
Average, it’s rarely boiling or freezing.
22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!
How weird is weird?
Erm. I’m super flexible and can put my foot in my mouth (only after a shower though).
Favorites
Favorite painting/picture(link):
I love this painting by Andy Lee because I love how just a few seemingly random brush strokes can become a powerful image. In fact, I loved it so much I must have gone on about it a lot to a friend, because as a gift when I was ill a few years ago, he commissioned Andy to fill a large watercolour book full of paintings for me, so I have 24 original works by him.
I also adore the work of Jack Vettriano and Dave McKean.
Candy: Reese’s Pieces
Food: So many, many things, but quite honestly the thing that rocked my world the most in the last year or so was my first experience of Chicken Fried Steak, in a place I was taken to in Austin when I went to SXSW last year.
Drink: Diet Dry Ginger Ale or Rooibos Tea for during the day, and Pear Cider, Wine, Port or Baileys if I’m having a “proper” drink.
Movie(s): Too many to list. The film I’ve watched most recently though is Hot Fuzz - I think I’ve seen it six or seven times now (and I love Simon Pegg)
TV Show(s): Again probably too many to list, but I’ll give it a go: The West Wing (I still rewatch the DVDs, of which I have the entire set), Battlestar Galactica, Dr Who, Greys Anatomy, House, NCIS (*love* Mark Harmon), Supernatural, Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money, Friday Night Lights (can’t explain that one - don’t understand the game but I love the show) and that’s just the ones off the top of my head.
Book(s): Haven’t had a lot of time to read lately, but have started listening to Audio Books. My favourite author is probably Neil Gaiman (and of his novels Neverwhere is probably my favourite). I also love (and have read all of) the books by Kathy Reichs. I really enjoyed Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth, and have her Sepulchre in my “to read” pile.
Guilty Pleasure(s): Chick flicks - especially those with Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Bullock, Julie Stiles et al in them. That, and trashy gossip mags.