10 January 2006
Yes, it's that time again. That time when anyone who doesn't give a monkeys about my obsession with all things yarn can completely skip this post.
1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand?
Three months further on from the last time I answered this question and I'm still all about the feel of the yarn. I've also seriously got over my early obsession with eyelash yarn and can barely stand to look at the stash of the stuff I have, even having offloaded some of it to various places.
Not a fan of the hideously artificial, but mostly, if it's got a nice texture, feels soft and looks nice, it's fine.
2. Do you spin? Crochet?
Both now. I've recently been learning to spin, and I learned to Crochet at Ally Pally and then went mad with it for a bit.
3. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I keep my hooks, dpns and some small circs along with my notions in a fabulous clear pencil case thing my first secret pal sent me. The rest of my dpns are currently hanging over the knob of my knicker drawer and my straights are propped up in a corner of one of the boxes that holds my stash.
Not that organised really.
4. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Since May 2005, and I think I'm still beginner/intermediate.
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I prefer clean citusy, herby and spicy smells, so anything orange, lemon, lime, ginger, cinnamon, mint, rosemary that kind of thing.
7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I do, yes.
8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Photography, although I don't know that that counts as a craft.
9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD).
Pretty much everything except Rap and heavy techno, but I'm always prepared to give stuff a try.
Yes, my computer can play mp3s.
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 wear black constantly - probably too much, but can't seem to bear knitting with it. It's freaking me out. In terms of colours - rich intense jewel toned colours - reds, burgundys, purples, blues. Not so much of the greens, but mostly, think rich and vibrant rather than pastelly and pale and I'm fine with it.
I'm really not a fan of pastels or whites - I'm not a very girly girl, and also, I'm extremely pale (milk bottle white) and have dyed red hair, so pale colours just don't work.
11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Family is a bit spread out - I'm in London, sister is elsewhere in England, mother is in Scotland. Live with a lovely flatmate (although by the time you get round to sending things this might be plural because I'm going to be moving soon) and unfortunately don't have any pets.
12. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Scarves yes. I have four, which I wear most often in this order: sari silk clapotis (knitted by me), silk curly whirly scarf (crocheted by me), black pashmina, black chenille fluffy scarf that's moulting and falling to bits.
Hats yes. I wear my first hat, and my 2 hour hat (currently unphotographed).
Mittens not so much, but I keep meaning to knit myself a pair of really nice fingerless gloves/wristwarmers.
Ponchos never. Not with my chest.
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I adore Hipknits Silk. Love it to pieces. I also adore Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk. I'm sure I'd love knitting with Lorna's Laces but I'm too scared to try because I don't think my bank balance can stand it.
Generally, I don't like knitting with toothpics, so anything that knits up on needles bigger than 4mm and feels dreamy and luxurious will take me way longer to knit because I'll keep stopping to stroke it as I knit with it.
14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Scratchy ones. Ones that squeak when you knit with them. Ladder yarns. Things that split when you wave a needle in their direction. Y'know, anything that's a pain in the ass to knit with and looks or feels like ass when it's knitted.
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I haven't knitted a clapotis in two months now, which is progress. I knitted a few hats, but not so many that it counts as an obsession.
Good grief. I don't think I have a current knitting obsession.
This must be rectified immediately!
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Things that I can finish quickly - I'm all about the instant gratification right now.
I loved knitting the various clapotises (plural?) I've knitted. I also really enjoyed the wrist warmers I made for my sister over christmas - couple of hours for each hand and they were done.
17. What are you knitting right now?
A hat for Blethering Dan (almost done).
A scarf in hipknits silk for my lovely boss (started and frogged many times because the yarn can't decide which scarf it wants to be).
A scarf for my mum in Noro Silk Garden to match the hat I made for her before Christmas.
A secret present for a friend that she knows nothing about.
A sock using the sock yarn that my first secret pal sent me. It's almost at the point where I'm ready to turn the heel but I'm chicken.
I've also got a few rows of River on a set of needles but I think that's going to get ditched.
A secret project that I can't talk about yet.
18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I never have before, but I'd really love to.
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
I tend to use circs or dpns at the moment, because straights feel too long and unwieldy and are definitely not friendly for train knitting.
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Bamboo, wood or addi turbos. Don't like the other kinds of metal needles and really don't like knitting with plastic.
21. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Not yet, but I'd like to.
22. How did you learn to knit?
My mum and granny taught me when I was a little girl.
Retaught myself via the web early in 2005.
23. How old is your oldest UFO?
A couple of months maybe? Nothing hugely long. Anything that was hanging around has been frogged, except river, but that's because I'm too chicken to try frogging KSH.
24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Don't have a favourite animated character, but I'm totally the crazy cat lady (other people's cats will shout at me as I pass and/or follow me down the street), with a smidgen of crazy squirrel lady, and an inexplicable fondness for puffins.
25. What is your favorite holiday?
One where I can relax, enjoy myself and take good photos.
26. Is there anything that you collect?
I think the only thing that can legitimately be called a collection is the collection of plectrums (plectra?) and setlists caught/blagged from various loud rock concerts.
I've got quite the yarn collection though :)
27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I've subscribed to Simply Knitting, but I kinda wish I hadn't, because it's mostly rubbish. I also mostly buy Interweave Knits and Vogue Knitting when I see them.
28. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Like several other people, I'm dying to get my hands on the Japanese Magazine called Let's Knit Series Autumn & Winter 2004-2005 (ISBN4-529-04050-X) because it has an amazing crochet ruffled scarf in it that I've been trying to figure out but haven't quite yet.
29. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I really want to get a handle on socks, and if I could learn to graft ribbing I'd be dancing like a fool with the sheer joy of it.
30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I'm trying, and in terms of foot size, I wear a UK size 5.
31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
31 August.
Woo yay for almost done hats! :O)
y'see, bizarrely - that just makes me want to go and read it even more, when usually in my lazy way i might not have done ...
Dan: It'll be done tonight. It took me an *age* to find the yarn - think there was a massive pre-christmas rush on it and the only colours left were the poo/sludge mixes which were just icky.
Geoff: Bloody hell. How bored are you?!? I thought you'd be far too busy with other things to even bother with blogs and blogging... :)
Thanks for posting this... and beautiful blog! Erin (Your SP7 hostess)
Nothing makes me happier than those four days a year when my Vogue Knitting pops through the door. Interweave isn't bad (Simply Knitting obviously is), but I really, really love VK. How long will it take before the UK has a decent knitting mag? *heaves sigh*
But now I'm trying to figure out: how are your dpns "hanging over a knob"? Do you mean circulars? Bit confused here. I've never got the hang of circular knitting but have vowed to do so this year.
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