Secret Pal 6 Questionaire

My answers for SP5 are here. But some might have changed, shttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifo I'll do it again. Answers may trickle in over a couple of days, so don't despair, I am planning to complete the questionaire... eventually.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

I am not a yarn snob per se. I believe that all yarn has its purpose and a season. Some yarns' season happens to be when hell freezes over, but it has a season.
Mostly I'm picky about fibers. I like natural fibers a lot. I think they're often the best candidate for the job I'm looking to have done.
I understand that synthetics have their uses. For example: I value the contribution of nylon in sock yarns, treated natural fibers or acrylics optimize machine washability in objects intended for babies, and railroad yarns and Aura (the yarn that knits up like Easter grass) would look really odd made out of wool.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I spin, almost anything.
I have a mini-skein in the Fall 2005 (current) Spin-Off. They're doing canine fibers this round (and next issue too, since they said this was part one), I spun my dog and sent it to a magazine. I feel slightly silly, but it's lovely yarn...
I crochet, poorly. Mostly when I can't replicate what I want with knitting. Edgings come to mind, some lace cobwebs, and little flowers are all things that are much better crochetted than knitted and I am willing and able to do it. I am not, willing to crochet socks or most garments, (though there is a really cute skirt in the Interweave Crochet this time around... I might be a convert)

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

I really dislike smoke. However, I'm not technically allergic.
No known allergies to fibers or smells, though many synthetic scents annoy me and unscented is generally a better bet.

4. How long have you been knitting?

Longer than I feel like fessing up to given the relatively short list of finished objects I remember. That said I spent 2 hours tonight knitting on a sock fit for the jolly green giant when I knew it was too big. I really wanted something to do with my hands, so I figured it was worth it.

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

Yep.. Ask me where and I'll tell you.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

I like natural, relatively simple scents. Lavender, for instance makes a nice soap (a rather bad candy, since then I think it tastes like soap, but a nice soap). Baking bread is lovely in the kitchen (that's not helping is it?). Mint is nice in many things. Citrus is another that I often like.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Yep. I love my chocolate. Especially good chocolate...

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

Weave, dye, spin, make books, sew..
Lots of things, make glass beads, jewelry, metalsmithing, etc..

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

I'm an eclectic music consumer. Mostly I enjoy rock or metal in the car. I like folk, especially singer-songwriter stuff, when I want to sing. Instrumental, americal folk music, or industrial/techno for dancing. Some country is good. World music is almost always interesting. Etcetera... I think I could go on all day.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

Favorite color: Green. A lovely true, blue-end of green.
Season: Fall
Palette: Jewel tones, green-blue-purple.
One of these things is not like the others.
I like the vibrancy that is present in the fall colors, I just don't think that most of them look particularly good on me.

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

I live with wonderful roomates and our dog, Zhenya.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

Short term: Pharmacy school.
Longer term: Uncertain, working in a pharmacy, quite possibly raising children... all specifics are up in the air.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

Koigu? Noro? Mt. Colors? Cascade 220? Lorna's Laces Sock Yarn? Brown Sheep? Sierra? Cotton Fleece?
Too many yarns that I enjoy knitting with. There are a couple that I do not enjoy knitting with. A couple rayon boucles in my stash come to mind. I'm going to weave with them.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Oily acrylic. Really, any synthetic that leaves my hand feeling oily is not one I'm going to particularly enjoy working with.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

Not sure. Made a multidirectional scarf. Making another one for my roomate.
Working on socks for myself and someone I've never met. I'm doing Rox's Sock Exchange Thingy. Working on a cabled scarf for someone else I've never met. Working on baby hats for little people I've never met.
Maybe right now it's things for people I've never met rather than any particular style of knitting or finished object.

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

Shawls. I love them afterwards and I normally finish them.
Socks. They're quick and as brainless as you want them to be.

17. What are you knitting right now?

Forbes Forest. Socks. Uncooperative socks. Multidirectional scarf. Feather and Fan Gauge Swatch. Preemie hats.
Lots of stuff.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

I have my reservations. Wraps are pretty neat though, and shawls are definitely interesting.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

Depends on what I'm working on. Though I generally substitute 7" double points for straight needles if I'm not working on a circular.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Bamboo, plastic, aluminum. (except for cotton, then aluminum comes first)

21. Are you a sock knitter?

Yep.

22. How did you learn to knit?

My mother taught me when I was little.
I taught myself a couple years ago.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

Too old. Do I have to still have it for it to count? Or does giving it away unfinished mean it's not "my UFO" anymore?

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

My puppy is my favorite animal. Animated character is still Grrr from Invader Zim.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Halloween, costumes are fun and candy is yummy...

26. Is there anything that you collect?

Yup... yarn, tools, books, UFOs.....
Non-fiber related, not so much, I have too much stuff and will need to be moving at least once in the next year, I'm already intimidated by the packing.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Interweave Knits, Spin-Off, Handwoven (though we're letting that one lapse this year)
Been thinking of getting Vogue Knitting, but don't reliably enjoy the content enough to have done it. I try not to buy myself subscriptions until I'm routinely buying more than half the issues.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?

Poetry in Stitches, same as last time. Still haven't bought it for myself, still don't do fair isle, still love the patterns.
Principles of Knitting... you know, the one that's printed in green and black, out of print and really expensive even for the best knitting reference around (I hope I don't have the name of the book wrong...)

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another??

Um... Oh, Yes. The kimono sweater from Knit-Picks. A series called Un-Patterns that I'm having trouble tracking down. And assorted others including the one skein wonder, the Peacock Feathers Shawl, the Diamond Fantasy Shawl, and many, many more.

ETA: 30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?

10" long, 9" around at the ball of the foot, 10.5" around up near the ankle, 9.5" around just above the ankle (4" above the floor), and 31 centimeters (oops, wrong side of the tape measure) 12" at an arbitrary point 3" farther up my leg (7" above the floor).
I think I had just a little too much fun with the measuring tape.