SP 12 Questionnarie

Possibly more important than the answers to the questionnaire may be a bit about my personality.

- I like to play with yarn. If I got a couple of balls of yarn every so often I'd be quite happy. One ball of yarn is usually not quite enough to do anything with, even though I bought that One Skein book.

- I like gadgets. Don't assume I have them all. Those little inexpensive extras, like those blunt plastic needles to darn in the ends, are the things I misplace.

- I do not need things to be brand new. I participate in freecycle. I like used books, CDs, DVDs, etc. I was CHARMED when my sweetheart bought me clearance chocolates after Valentines Day for my birthday (three days later). An email with a link to your top-ten favorite free internet patterns will MAKE my day.

I hope that helps. Here's the questionnaire.

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

It depends on what I'm making, but basically I prefer stuff I can throw in the wash. That said, I really like the feel of real wool. Man-made fibers are ok, as long as they're not the standard Red Heart acrylic or similar.

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

I've got a nice circular needle holder, and the rest are in ... drawers and a pencil holder.

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

I learned young - by the age of 10, I'm sure. My grandmother taught me to knit continental, as she was from Germany. I consider myself intermediate - but that's patchy. I'm having difficulty putting a sweater together and I'm knitting fancy lace patterns out of my Japanese knitting books. So I knit scarves and socks mostly.

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

My Amazon wish list is a bit odd - it's full of stuff that other people recommended to me and I haven't gotten around to. In fact, much of it I may end up borrowing from the library. I'll go on there and put up a knitting-related wish list and post a link to it from my blog. I'll also get my rear in gear and update my librarything list with all the knitting books that I already have.

5. What's your favorite scent?

Rosemary, Mint, Lavender, Rose, Cinnamon.

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

I will admit to really liking SweeTarts. And chocolate.

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

One of these days I will learn to spin. I garden, but not well. If I'm trying to unwind and I'm not knitting, I'm reading.

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

I've recently started hanging out at last.fm where my username is procrastinatus. I would like some recommendations of artists to check out. I started out listening mostly to Neil Gaiman's radio, most of which I like, but I've branched out to playing similar artists streams. I've recently enjoyed similar artists to: Snow Patrol, Jonathan Coulton, James Blunt, Coldplay, Dido. I was thrilled to find the Arrogant Worms are available on their site.

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

I do not get along with orange or coral, unless is as a complimentary color in a mix. If I have a huge pallet of colors to choose from, I will avoid brown and red, as well. I actually am quite fond of black, as well as blue and green and violet and even sometimes yellow. I really like lemon yellow. Mmmmm, lemons.

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

I am currently without pets. I have been considering rabbits and/or chickens. I think I will spend quite a bit more time thinking before I do anything. I may take up vermicomposting again - that's essentially raising earthworms.

I am engaged, which is quite a surprise, as I had decided that I cared too much for this guy to marry him when we moved in together fourteen years ago. A friend of mine informed me just today that the main character in a television show (I've never seen it) called Foyle's War bears an uncanny resemblance in humor and mannerisms my sweetheart. I don't know if that's true, but if so, I'm sure I'd like the show!

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

Scarves - sometimes. Hats - all winter. Mittens - rarely. Fingerless gloves are cool. Ponchos - never.

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

Socks. Each time I go to a new section of the sock, I'm sick of the last one. It's perfect for my short attention span.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Socks. I'm about to frog the Mystery shawl back to my last lifeline and get on with it. And a scarf. The scarf is so I can play with a pattern out of my Japanese pattern book.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Yes.

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

I was in love with my Addi Turbo circulars until I got my hands on the Knitpicks circulars. They've got pointier ends. It turns out, I'm a circular needle person. People who used to know me would be shocked.

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

Actually, Yes!

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Two years? Three years? It's a purse - I've got to block it and sew it together.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

I don't think I'm particularly partial to any of them, really. We're actually attempting to create a new one, though. Beagle day. It's a bon-voyage party to be held for the H.M.S. Beagle, which left port on December 27.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Giraffes!

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 subscribe to Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits and Cast On (the knitting guild one). I just let my subscription to Piecework expire.

I will admit I've been eyeing the Harmony circulars at KnitPicks. A long circular somewhere in the range of 0-4 would be really nice.

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

Yeah - finishing. How Garment Shaping Really Works. I also don't like the DNA pattern on the classic DNA scarf, so I keep failing to develop a DNA pattern that I do like. So I keep knitting swatches (scarves and socks) to get a better idea of exactly how all these stitch combinations work. I can't seem to get my brain around what I'm trying to do ... someday.

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

foot length - 9.5"
ball circumference - 9.5"

23. When is your birthday?

February 17.

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

heh heh...I'm procrastinatus. Whiningprocrastinator was too long.

If you scroll down to the bottom of my blog - under the weatherpixie (which may or may not work anymore) on the right hand side here - I have links to my answers to SP8 and SP9. I'll eventually get around to moving them higher - and I'll see if I have another set of answers - I thought I participated in SP11, too. And I'll update my wishlist and put a link there.

But right now I'm going to bed.