KnottyMinds: Secret Pals 4

The Secret Pals 4 Questionaire: Version Else.5 (please excuse the length of the answers)

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
Yes, I am a terrible yarn snob. Although I am not one who adheres to a Rowan only diet, I do prefer the “finer fibers”. I knit mostly with wool and other animal fibers, though occasionally I work with a nice cotton.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I spin and I am currently attempting to learn to crochet. I like interesting rovings.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
No allergies, but I am sensitive to smoke smells.

4. How long have you been knitting?
I have been knitting for 9 years, since I was 20.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I do have an amazon wish list, thank you very much. It is chock full of knitting goodies and other miscellany. It can be found here .

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
I prefer earthy scents, i.e. sandalwood, ylang-ylang. Vanilla and other food scents are wonderful too.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
I do have a sweet tooth. I am crazy about dark chocolate, no, any chocolate.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I like to sew as well as knit, although I am not a master seamstress by any definition. I enjoy refinishing old furniture and I want to learn to reupholster furniture this year. Also, I am taking a needle felting class this weekend. Watch for an update on that venture.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like all kinds of music (I really mean that). I listen to everything from John Coltrane to Nickel Creek to Primus. I like hearing music that is new to me. I use a Mac ibook that plays MP3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
I like deep hues of almost any color. I like to knit with reds, blues, oranges and even the dreaded black. In variegated yarns I like combinations of darker colors, except green and red together (yuck).

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have two children and one husband. The kids are a girl, 5, and a boy, 2.5, they like kid things. The husband is 27 and he likes guitar things and is ambivalent to anything knitting-related.
No pets yet. But we will be buying a house soon. House=pets. Yay!

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
I guess if I had to pick a dream…my life’s dream would be to move my family to Paris pending a lucrative job offer at an amazing environmental company. The “adult” job will be a cover for the wild-knitting, organic-vegatarian-eating, tattoo-getting, non-excessive-consuming (except for fiber and chocolate) lifestyle that I lead. I will have an hour-long commute to and from work everyday on the metro. I will use the time to listen to classic books and rockin’ music on my ipod, while leisurely knitting yarn that I spun in my free time. At home, after a nutritious dinner that my husband prepared, my brilliant children will read to me from classic children's novels while I spin yarn into the evening. At the appropriate time the children will put themselves to bed and my husband will spend the rest of the evening telling me how amazing I am while he perfects the bridge on a song he wrote about my knitting.

I obviously haven't put much thought into this yet. If I had more time, I could come up with something more detailed. LOL!

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I knit quite a bit with Koigu KPPPM, although I don’t intend to. The colors are just so enticing. I tend to like anything that has a nice hand and feels *good*.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I am not a fan of novelty yarns. I have bought and tried them in the past, but I found that they obscure all of my lovely stitches and are truly not very fun to work with.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Currently I have been obsessed with triangular shawls (this is where the KPPPM comes in). I have also been playing with lacey openwork techniques lately, both in shawls and other items.

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

17. What are you knitting right now?
At this moment I am knitting mittens, a shawl, a throw, multiple sweaters, a bag, slippers and hats. See the earlier posting, titled “On the Needles”. I offered yarn, but noone has taken me up on it yet. YOU could be the first! Do it, do it, do it.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
I’m tempted, but I have resisted until now. I have been thinking about a lacy, slinky one. No…must banish the thought.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
I heart circular needles. Long ones for everything.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Addi turbos, all the way.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
I love me some sock knittin’. I haven’t knit a pair for about 6 months and I can hear the double points calling me from the drawer. I covet Cherry Tree Hill’s merino superwash sock yarn. Lovely stuff, it is.

22. How did you learn to knit?
I took a beginning knitting class that started with a sweater. It was the ultimate way to start knitting, because I have never been intimidated by a big project since.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Sadly, my oldest UFO is from that initial learn-to-knit class. I hate that sweater.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I am a Simpson’s fan. I love them like my own dysfunctional family.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
I love Christmas, but none of the decorating that goes along with it. Also, I am not a Christian, so go figure. I also like Valentine's day. More the fun and funky aspect than the romantic and emotional one.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Mostly I collect yarn and yarn accoutrement. I also collect interesting rocks and shells from different areas of the world. I am also a reader and collector of classic novels.