SP9 Questionnaire

Well, SP9 is officially on its way to starting. I signed up a little while ago to be a Secret Pal and also to have a Secret Pal and we're all brought together by knitting. So, I need to post once a week until January about knitting and I have to make sure my secret pal can find this questionnaire on my blog. I will also publicly thank my secret pal for any packages I recieve and provide y'all with pictures on my blog.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? I love soft wools, alpaca and cotton mixes along with many other fibers. Acrylic is not my favorite, but I have used it before.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have a cloth case from Lantern Moon for my straight needles and I have a zippered storage case for my circulars. My DPNs can be found in both.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I have been knitting for approximately 3 years. I would say I'm somewhere in the intermediate range.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I do have an Amazon wishlist and would be happy to provide it to you upon request, Secret Pal.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) I generally go for scents like sage, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon, coconut. If it's a sweet scent, it needs to have a little punch to it, such as Sage Citrus by Yankee Candle. Flowery and pine-like scents don't appeal to me. I'm a bit of a smell-o-holic.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Um, is chocolate a candy or it's own food group? I love chocolate and I might walk through fire for real Belgian chocolate. However, a good Hershey bar is very satisfying.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I don't spin and I'm not sure it's something I really want to get into right now. I do some scrapbooking and I'm looking for crafts to start doing with my daughter. She can't wait to knit, but I think 2 is a little early to start.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Oh, music, music, music! Yes, I am MP3 capable. I really love world music especially (but not limited to) African and Cuban music. I'm always looking for Chinese music as well. My taste varies, but I like anything from Erasure to Joan Armatrading, REM to Ella Fitzgerald, Abba to Indigo Girls, The Beatles to the Doors, movie soundtracks to Broadway soundtracks. I'm not too into country, although I think Patsy Cline is a goddess and rap ain't my thang although there have been some songs that I enjoy. I enjoy classical and opera, but unfortunately not very knowledgeable about either.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I tend to stick to cool colors like blues, greens, purples and pinks for my wardrobe. I also like most reds as well. Although I enjoy them, extreme muted tones never look good on me (not that my knitting is all about me) but I would be willing to try them. I guess I'd say nothing too over the top for me like bright orange or super uggo green. The main floor of my home is done in butter yellow with sage green and has a little bit of red thrown in for good measure. My bedroom is a deep shade of lavender.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? My family consists of my sweet hubby, my dear daughter "Buttons" and our grey fluffy cat "Dee Dee".

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

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Gosh, it depends on the day. I have enjoyed scarves, but that gets old. I really like hats and handbags for a quick project and for longer projects, I enjoy making things for my girl. (Sweaters, hats and a Christmas stocking so far).

13. What are you knitting right now? I'm weaving in the ends of Button's stocking and then I'm going to finish a number of projects like an afghan square for charity, a felted hat, a sleeveless top for me, two sets of mittens and on and on...

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes, please!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I like the versatility of circular, however, the Lantern Moon straight needles make me a bit weak in the knees. I love my set of Denise Needles, but in general bamboo are my favorite. I have recently purchased my first Addi Turbos (Size 9, 16") and really enjoyed working with them.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No, but I hope to in the future.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? 2 Years?

18. What is your favorite holiday? I love the fall, but Christmas is my favorite holiday.

19. Is there anything that you collect? Besides dust? I'm trying my darndest to live more simply and failing miserably. That being said, I can't seem to have enough knitting pattern books.

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'm very interested in "Teaching Yourself Visually: Knitting" and "Teaching Yourself Visually: Crocheting" since I am a very visual learner and I have found these books have the best pictures. I'm also very interested in the Sally Melville books "The Knit Stitch" and "The Purl Stitch". For needles, see # 15. I love so many yarns, it's hard to say. I need to find a pattern and some needles for my new Opal Prisma sock yarn since it will be my very first time knitting socks. I've always been interested in "Interweave Knits", but I don't have any subscriptions to any knitting mags.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I'd like to make a moebius scarf.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I have 'finished' my first Christmas stocking. I think that makes me a pre-sock knitter. I don't know my foot measurements, but I wear around a size 7 1/2 shoe.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) I'd rather not give my exact birthdate, but it's very close to Thanksgiving in November.