sp7 questionnaire

1. are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? do you avoid red heart and lion brand?

i have to admit, i am a yarn snob to a point. i love wools (especially chunky, bulky handpainted wools), however, i've learned (as i did last year) that i just can't wear wool scarves, as much as i love them! but still, i'm a yarn snob. i just *love* beautiful, quality yarns and could spend *hours* at a yarn store, just browsing around. but realistically and practically, i'm an acrylic girl, even though i've never knit *anything* in acrylic before. (my first project ever was a hat/mitten/scarf set in rowan's big wool.) i honestly really used to turn my nose up at lion brand and red heart, thinking, "acrylic is garbage." while i don't particularly like it, i've got to deal with it. currently, i'm working on a acrylic (yikes!) scarf inspired by the fawn's scarf in the chronicles of narnia out of lion brand's 'jiffy'. so, we'll take the acrylic on a test drive now, and see how that works out. i'm sure my neck will thank me! so i guess what it comes down to is, that yes, i'm a yarn snob, but yes, i am also a hypocrite. i am (sigh!) slowly giving in to acrylics (for myself, at least) due to my wool sensitivity. (don't get me wrong, though...i still *love* and will suffer for wools...isn't it sick?!?)

p.s. - actually, now that i think about it, i've done a few projects in acrylic yarn before - baby blankets out of acrylic boucles!

2. do you spin? crochet?

nope, neither.

3. what do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

this will sound really terrible, but i have this corona beer bucket that i stash all my straight needles in. i saw this absolutely gorgeous, wide-mouthed vase at target the other day, thinking that it'd be absolutely fabulous to have, to store my needles in, but, hey...if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

4. how long have you been knitting? would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

i've been knitting for about a year and a half now, give or take. or maybe longer than that. it seems longer than that, at least! (and my yarn stash definitely looks like i've been knitting for *years*) i'd consider myself either advanced beginner or maybe even beginning or just intermediate, because i do know how to do all the increases/decreases, yo's, etc., etc., etc. my next project will probably be an entry-level cable project.

5. do you have an amazon or other online wish list?

i do have an amazon.com wishlist that is posted in my blogger profile. books and baking supplies, mostly. hmm...i think i'll have to make a yarn one too...i'll keep you posted on that...

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

well, i don't use any fragranced soaps or bath products, do to the hypersensitivity and general crabbiness of my skin, however, i do love the 'cookie' and 'birthday cake' fragrances in candles.

7. do you have a sweet tooth? favorite candy?

oh my gosh - yes. i love chocolate, especially those small fannie may chocolates that are seasonal. (ie. chocolate christmas balls, valentine's hearts, etc.) i've also taken a liking to irish chocolates as well, all thanks due to my wonderful irish-american boyfriend!

8. what other crafts or do-it-yourself things do you like to do?

well, i like to do floral-y type things, like wreaths and the like. (usually just wreaths, though). i also like to pretend that i'm very handy around the house, assembling desks, putting up shelving, etc. but, it turns out that i'm much too particular to be 'handy' because my 'best effort' usually looks kinda like i did it myself. sigh. one of these days...

9. what kind of music do you like? can your computer/stereo play mp3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a )

i absolutely adore frank sinatra, and am really love the grey's anatomy soundtrack right now...i'll listen to just about anything, from classical to opera to jessica simpson & britney spears, etc.

10. what's your favorite color? or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? any colors you just can't stand?

undoubtedly, my favorite color is pink. not particularly 'baby' light pinks, but pinks with some substance. the color palette that i tend to lean towards are more 'autumn' - rich, deep colors. and as for the colors i can't stand? white. i wouldn't dare knit *anything* in white. i'm also not particulary fond of tan, either. (looks terrible on me!)

11. what is your family situation? do you have any pets?

i live by myself, with my two cats, madeline & griffin.

12. do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

i wear scarves almost on a daily basis (this *is* chicago, after all), and, when i finally get around to knitting myself a hat, i'll wear one of those, too. mittens are nifty as well! ponchos, well, i do have this one from the gap from last year that is just absolutely plain & i absolutely love it. but that's the only type of poncho i will wear.

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

wools. bulky wools. handpainted bulky wools. i used to really love brown sheep's worsted and bulky weight yarns, until i found out that i was super allergic to them. i also have found that i really love the softness of alpaca as well!

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

acrylic. synthetics. and those 'chenille' yarns. i'm learning (slowly) to live with the fact that i have no choice other than acrylic or other soft, ,non-itchy synthetics (for scarves, at least).

15. what is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
scarves. tons and tons of scarves. in fact, that's all i've been knitting recently. and i'm absolutely obsessed with finding other patterns and projects that i can knit. (now if i actually get to them, though...now that's a different story!)

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

scarves, as well! they're small enough that i can have several of them going at one time.

17. what are you knitting right now?

i'll let you guess on that one...scarves, of course!

18. do you like to receive handmade gifts?

absolutely!

19. do you prefer straight or circular needles?

straights. but i absolutely love addi turbo circulars as well!

20. bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

birch is my first choice (especially brittany birch) but i will also use bamboo. i've also taken a liking to crystal palace's "daisy" needles, their short, plastic needle line. they're great for scarf knitting.

21. do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

both.

22. how did you learn to knit?

my mom taught me initially, but, by the time i actually got around to 'knitting', i'd forgotten what she had told me. so i bought one of those scarf kits, and a few books, and i'm self-taught from there!

23. how old is your oldest ufo?

umm, it's so old that i can't even remember anymore.

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

i absolutely adore disney's chicken little, and penguins. i also love cat-related things!

25. what is your favorite holiday?

christmas. (in fact, my christmas tree is on and still up at this very moment.) i also love valentine's day. i have this thing for conversation heart stuff (ie., not the candy, but things with conversation hearts on them - like mugs or candles, etc.) and just hearts in general.

26. is there anything that you collect?

it's getting to the point where it is starting to seem that i collect a little bit of everything. i do have a small collection of maneki neko's (the lucky cats you usually see in asian restaurants and shops), christmas ornaments, and a lot of other junky kinda stuff in-between.

27. what knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

none.

28. any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on?

umm...i'd really like to knit up that 'endless scarf' on knitpicks.com, however, i've just never gotten around to ordering the yarn for it. i've also wanted some brittany birch short sock needles (to make my ipod case), and some cable needles as well.

29. are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

there are *always* new technicques that i'd like to learn! i just can't think of anything in particular, though...

30. are you a sock knitter? what are your foot measurements?

no, i'm not a sock knitter, and i have no clue what my foot measurements are. but, if you'd really like to know, i suppose i could bust out my ruler and find out...

31. when is your birthday? (mm/dd)

10/23