Secret Pal 5

I joined Secret Pal and am super-excited, because I'm just like that!

Here're my questions:

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 a huge fiber snob. I like natural fibers. I'm not necessarily a brand snob, but I like high quality, natural fibers.

When I have kids and start knitting for them though, that will drastically change.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I do a bit o' the crochet. You can see that my spinning needs some help. I haven't given up, though.

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

I'm allergic to some medications, so as long as I don't eat an medicated wool, I should be good to go.

4. How long have you been knitting?

7 years last January!

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

Here I know my list is crazy long.

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

I don't necessarily have a favorite, but I like subtle and not too sweet. So, crisp or spicy. The 2 perfumes I wear are "White" by GAP and Chanel No. 5.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Yes.

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

Random stuff-- I like general crafty-ness that doesn't necessarily have a name, like the bubble magnets I made for mother's day last year... I sew. I have my eye set on embroidery as the next big adventure.

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 most kinds of music. My recent obsession is World Music-- especially Putumayo and Six Degrees samplers. My old standbys are modern folk (Dar Williams, The Nields, Eddie from Ohio, Moxy Fruvous, etc). But I like some good rockin' and alt and outlaw country. My favorite mix CDs that people have made me are heavy on the indie, because I like indie, but don't know anything about it. I'm always looking for new music, so if you want to make me a CD, I won't complain and just make a CD that *you'd* like. I can handle MP3s

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

My favorites are navy blue and light pink. I really like earthtones. Yellow has a way of making me look ill.

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

I have a husband and 2 gerbils.

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

To see more of the world. To find fulfilling work and make lots of money doing it so I can retire early and knit and read more.

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

I am a Rowan whore. My favorite yarn of all time is Kid Silk Haze.

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

Not a big fan of novelty yarns.

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

Shawls. Lace.

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

Things that don't suck. I don't really have a favorite thing to knit. I like classic, well-designed patterns.

17. What are you knitting right now?

The store sample that will not die. Some socks. 2 shawls. A languishing Colinette vest kit. I have a few forgotten sweaters and random other things...

18. What do you think about ponchos?

I don't like them. I think they're overrated. I think they need to go away. I'm seceretly knitting one.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

It so depends on the project, on my mood, on the weather, on what's closest to me.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

None of the above. I actually really, really like hardwood needles. Birch, rosewood, ebony, palm...

21. Are you a sock knitter?

I knit socks, but I don't know if I'd call myself a "sock knitter".

22. How did you learn to knit?

I took a class. My college had this thing called ExCo (expiremental college) where anyone could teach a class on anything. Not for credit, an hour a week usually. My first year I took knitting through ExCo. I made a hat. I still have it, but I don't wear it. I wear a really similair one made from the same pattern that matches my current coat.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

I've been knitting for seven years, so my oldest UFO would have to be 8 years old. Ha ha ha. My oldest UFO that I fully intend on finishing at some point is probably 4 years old.

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

Leela from Futurama.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas, followed closely by Thanksgiving

26. Is there anything that you collect?

Books. Yarn. Hobbies.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

The 3 I love:
Rowan, Rebecca, Interweave Knits

The 1 I like:
Vogue Knitting

The one that I used to like, but am liking less and less:
Knitter's

The 2 I don't like:
Creative Knitting
Cast On

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

Principles of Knitting. HA HA HA.

I haven't yet seen Rowan's RYC collection yet, so the 3 books that have come out in support of that haunt my dreams. Also, I don't actually own anything by Elizabeth Zimmerman (I take that back. I just bought The Opinionated Knitter, but I really really really want Knitting Around).

Tea and Yarn

Lots of knitting pictures from our meeting on Tuesday over here.

Renee has PUFFED SLEEVES. What the hell is with that?

Can't you just finish yourself?

I am SO SICK of knitting stupid Renee. It's just grown into a monster project. I'd have stopped working on it a long time ago if it weren't work-knitting.

There are good parts and icky parts to any knitting project. I define long stips of garter stitch and seaming and stupid edgings to be amongst the "icky parts". That's all I've been doing on Renee for quite some time now. And seaming? A lot ickier in this yarn. On reverse stockinette. Just saying.

I did, however, get a pleasent email back from Jane Ellision about my yarn quantity issues! Nothing committal, but outlining her process for determining yarn quantities and that every knitter is different blah blah and that she hopes I'll still be able to finish and enjoy (hah!) working on the pattern.

Now I'm a little skeved by the neck edging. It's, well, rufflier than the picture makes it look.

In other news, I'm going to Ann Arbor Knit In tonight. If you're in the area, you should, too.

Progress...

See, if I weren't so lazy, I'd take pictures. Pictures of Dad's new scarf. I'd even write up the pattern. It's a nice scarf.

Maybe tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Renee is starting to irk me. I already had to get another ball of yarn than the pattern calls for. I'm going to need ANOTHER one. I can't find corrections, but of course Jane Ellison's web site is horribly out of date. I'll email her and see though.

My gauge is spot-on. I don't know what's up.

So last night I started a dish cloth for Project Scrubbie. (Happy Lynne?)

Lazy and cranky

No spinning for me last night. My stomach was upset ALL DAY yesterday. Pepto and peppermint tea had no effect, so I skipped class, because I much rather wanted to lie on the couch and feel sorry for myself.

I was going to take pictures and post them, but I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to bother with getting out my computer. Ah well...

I like the theory that a Crochety Knitter is a deragotory term for a Crocheting Knitter. Hmmm... I guess it's a matter of pronounciation. One I'm going to start using, especially when self-refering...

But back on real knitting content. You know my Dad's Christmas Scarf? I started to hate it. The edges looked weird. It was too skinny for a manly scarf. I didn't want my name on it. I didn't want to knit it. I mean, he's my dad, I bet he would wear a pink feather boa scarf because I made it, but yeah... so I decided I'd knit him a different scarf and I'M ALMOST DONE ALREADY. It's out of Pervuian Tweed Alpaca. That stuff is like knitting butter. For anyone whose ever wondered what kind of adjective "buttery" was for describing yarn, come feel my scarf. You'll get it.

Ooooo

Ha! Lots of comments to that last one!

Lynne, sorry I did not catch your look, as I had to look at my hands when she said that. I didn't want to say anything and be "that kid" as our class seems to have enough all ready! I think I would have felt better though if I had!

Ingrid, the thing was she *did* know how lucky she was to have the silk garden, which is why she refused to knit a scarf. She knew she wouldn't wear it and wanted something really nice out of it that she would use. But that only took 2 skeins...

Keely-- (KEELY!) It's not the new knitters so much, as you can tell them anything and mold them in your own likeness. (Insert evil laugh) It's the crochety knitters. It's the knitters who don't want to grow. It's the knitters that can't think for themselves. But more than anything? It's the flat-out bitches.

Ranty Ranty

Ok, so I try not to bitch about customers at the yarn store too much. In general, I really like the people that shop there and I know some of them read this (not that I'd ever bitch about Denise or Kellie!)

But, argh... when a pattern says "Free with Purchase of Yarn" FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PEOPLE! You can not get it for free if you do not buy said yarn!!! I don't care how much money you spend at the shop because you know what? Yeah, it's a lot, but it's a yarn shop, people go crazy, everyone spends a lot of money at the shop, so bite me.

Now, you may think my customer service skills have gone wonky, but look, a lot of the "free with purchase of yarn" patterns come from the distributor. If we give them out without the purchase of said yarn, we can get in serious trouble. You don't want the yarn shop to get into trouble, do you?!

Also, I could only wave at Ingrid when she came in, and not talk to her, because someone was having a knitting crisis that wasn't a crisis, but needed a lot of handholding, which I don't mind usually, but it was getting a little ridiculous.

Also, if people in Ann Arbor could stop treating people in service positions like they're scum, it would help a lot. I've worked service positions in a lot of places all over the world. Ann Arbor is the worst.

I would also like to say something that's been irking me from my last spinning class. The teacher said that Aran sweaters contained stitch patterns to identify bodies. ARGH! NO! But that's a rant I've done before.

THE FUTURE!

These boys are our future everyone! Look out!

Drop Spindles AWAAAAAAAY!

So Lynne and I are taking drop spinning. Lynne's really good. Me, not so much.

Yarn Store Give Away!

Look what I got!

renee

So here's Renee as she currently stands... I need to finish the tie... all 68in of it! Then you know, with the seaming and edging...

With Friends...

La la la la la la la la la la la la

Renee comes along as ever.

Back=done
Left Front=done
Right Front=done
Sleeve 1=done
Sleeve 2=almost done
Tie=not done
Seaming=not done
Edging=not done

Update!

Sorry about lack of posts lately, but last week was finals week. Not that I'm in school, but I think that living with someone who's in final week presents it's own challenges.

And then this weekend was graduation madness! Dan's family came into town and it was good and we had fun and I even did some knitting, but no blogging.

Dan ran my fish through the wash a second time, but when I went to stuff it I realized that it's not felted quite enough.

Renee is progressing nicely--back and sides are done and I've started the first sleeve.

Last Tuesday I went to Ann Arbor Knit In Night and it was good. You should go. You know, if you live near Ann Arbor.

ALSO! I'm moving. To DC. This summer. ACK!!!*







(The ACK is about the process of moving, not about the concept and thought of moving)