Secret Pal 9 Questionnaire

I'm bumping up this questionnaire post so that my secret pal can find it!

To My Secret Pal:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn(s) to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Well, I like pretty much anything. I like bulky yarns in particular. I sort of lost my taste for the fringey, eyelash, novelty yarns. I'm not vehemently opposed to acrylic, but I do prefer it when it's mixed with some other natural fiber (i.e., wool or cotton) to give it more flexibility/durability.


2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a couple of hand-made fabric needle cases that I got from e-bay. Love them. Then I splurged one day and bought this huge suitcase-ish rolling bag from JoAnn (I had a coupon). It's pretty cool. I keep a lot of stuff in there as well.


3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting for a little over 2 years. My friend Marsha taught me in the summer of 2004. It was always something that I wanted to do. My grandmother was a great knitter and an expert at crochet. I have a crochet tablecloth that she made. Incredible. Marsha's husband, Jan, taught me how to crochet. I just really like being creative and making usable things. I would consider my skill level in knitting to be advanced beginner/intermediate. I'm still just a novice at crochet. I very slowly build up my knowledge of stitches and techniques. I'd like to be able to master a particular skill first before piling on something else.


4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
At one time, I did have an Amazon wish list, but then I figured nobody would ever be looking at it but me, so I tossed it! :-)


5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
Generally, I like natural, gentle scents. I like green tea and pears a lot. I absolutely cannot stand cinnamon or patchouli or anything overly floral. I wish someone would come up with a candle that smelled like bread baking. That would seriously rock.


6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Does the pope wear a funny hat? Chocolate, of course. I like dark better than milk. But hey, I'll eat anything of the chocolate variety. And I am a real sucker for a good chocolate-covered marshmallow. Oh! And those little thimble-sized truffles that are dusted with cocoa powder (I see them at Trader Joe's sometimes). OH MY DOG. I love those. They are like chocolate butter. Candy I will not eat: Twizzlers or any of its rubbery, stringy look-alikes. Yuck.


7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I don't spin. But I'd be interested in trying it. I also crochet. I like to cross-stitch and needlepoint. I can sew a bit (like curtains, pillow covers, etc.). Decoupage, scrapbooking, silk-screening, photography, pottery/ceramics, origami, jewlery making, beaded fruit--- you name it and I've at least dabbled in it. Hell, I used to even make rosary beads. I'm a fairly artistic person and I like to draw and occasionally paint. I'm big on home improvement, so I do a lot of wallpapering, tile grouting, house painting, linoleum laying, etc.


8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I love 80s music, particularly "Retro." I also love classic rock (who doesn't?); with my favorite bands being Queen, Led Zepplin, and Yes. I'm into Radiohead and I often like House/Techno music, especially when cleaning the house. Some of it is really kind of cool! I also like relaxation music with animal sounds and such. STOP LAUGHING RIGHT NOW. Anyway, I like a lot of stuff and would be interested in listening to new music. Except Rap and Country, which basically suck ass. I can handle MP3s. I have 2 iPods that are itching for MORE!


9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
Well, I don't think it's really a question of me not liking colors, because I pretty much like ALL of them, except for teal. Teal should be removed from all human existence. Really, it's more like what colors don't like me! For instance, I love yellow and orange, but they look hideous on me. However, I will admit that I'm not a huge fan of pastels. I guess I like heathered, natural colors the best. I'm fond of plums, sagey greens, denim blues, gray, terra-cotta, and mocha. I like red, too. As my father-in-law once said, "I never met a red that I didn't like." I think maybe that's his favorite color. Either that or he was referring to wine. Or maybe Communists. Or maybe Red Skelton. Not sure. It was a while ago. :-P But he was standing in my living room looking at the wall that I had just painted RED.


10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Four cats, all mostly evil. One husband, moderately evil.


11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, yes, hmmm maybe, HELL NO.


12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I like to knit interesting, useful items that aren't fussy or overly complicated. To me, there is really something to be said for the soft, warm garter-stitch scarf.


13. What are you knitting right now?
Right now, I am knitting the Fantasy Naturale Market Bag. It's going pretty well!


14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Oh my, YES!


15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Hmmm...well, I have all kinds of needles (wood, plastic, metal, resin, etc.) and I think I like resin the best. I like straight needles better than circular. My favorite needles are Bryspun. They are sometimes hard to come by. But use them once, and you'll love them, especially the circulars. No tangling/twisting, which is my biggest complaint about circular needles.


16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Nope! In fact, I don't even know what a swift is.


17. How old is your oldest UFO?
That would have to be that gorram poncho, which will forever remain a UFO because
a) um... ponchos? and
b) Lion Brand discontinued the yarn I was using (Kool Wool) and I can't buy it anymore, and
c) refer to a.
It's 2 years old.


18. What is your favorite holiday?
I don't really have one. I can tell you that I like Halloween the LEAST.


19. Is there anything that you collect?
Well, I often get obsessed with things. I like stuff. So it's more like "what don't you collect?" For now, I seem to be accumulating Pirate cards, animal figurines (particularly carved wood ones), anything Mystery Science Theater 3000 related, Cats By Nina items, anything cat-related, yarn, knitting books/patterns, seashells, rocks, fossils, raw gemstones, Sanrio items (like Hello Kitty, etc.), artwork by Kay McDonagh, stamps, magnets, yadda, yadda, yadda.... Oh, and cats. ^.^


20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Well, I don't have any magazine subscriptions but I'd love to try one. I just don't know which mags are good. I have a bunch of books and I'd also really like to acquire these:

24-Hour Knitting Projects
Big Needle Knitting
One Skein
The Yarn Stash Workbook
Simply Fabulous Knitting
The Knitting Experience Book 3: Color

As for yarn & such: I'd love to try cashmere, but I know it's cost-prohibitive. I'd also like to try something hand-spun and hand-dyed, say a wool/alpaca in soft, variegated colors. Oh and I really want to get some recycled silk sari yarn! I think that yarn would make some really unique wraps/scarves.


21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Yes, I'd really like to learn cabling. In fact, once I finish the market bag, I'm going to try my hand at learning cabling. Also, eventually, I will attempt a grown-adult-sized sweater!


22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I am in no way skilled enough to even attempt knitting a sock! I never have actually measured my feet in inches, but I can tell you that I wear a size 6 1/2 shoe.


23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
My birthday is May 9th.