SP 9 questionnaire

Yup, I signed up again! So here it goes, the good old SP9 questionnaire:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I like lots of stuff, I'm not that picky. Anything soft; cotton, wool or silk blends, of course the fancy stuff is always fun. For me it's mostly about the colors or the project. I also like to try new things. The only yarn I'm not such a big fan of is fun fur. I tried to use it in a project once but it just wasn't doing it for me. Oh, and the 100% alpaca makes me itch (blends are ok) :-(

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
A few different things, I have the straight needles in a roll-up case (some of the fatties are in a needle bag), the circulars and double points are in a plastic box along with some other random knitting supplies. I like to keep them in the bag they came in so know what size everything is, but it's still a bit of a messy solution.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
Some days beginner, randomly I'll feel advanced, but mostly just intermediate. I guess it's been around 3 or 4 years now, I taught myself out of a book and then I relied on the kindness of other knitters to help me through the tougher stuff.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Sort of. I do, but they also have a lot of gifts for other people listed. I'll have to condense my wishlist later.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
Cinnamon, spicy/woodsy, citrusy stuff and things like that. Not a fan of soapy or super flowery scents. I hate walking down the soap aisle in the foodstore ;-)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes! Hard to pick a favorite. My favorite chocolate is Lyndt by far, but all chocolate, well all milk chocolate, is good (I especially like things in my chocolate like nuts and crunchies). I also love old school candies; candy buttons, pixie sticks, fire balls, red hots, candy cigarettes etc. etc.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I like all sorts of DIY stuff. My problem is lately I like reading and planning for it more than actually doing it. I have however just started to play around with spinning. We'll see how far I get with that ;-)

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
Yes, my car stero does mp3's. I like a little bit of everything. Mostly rock (classic, hard etc.) and folk music, and a few favorites from Motown, jazz, metal, 80's pop and so forth.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like deep bold colors- red, purple, blue green and earth tones- tans, browns, greens, rust. I'm not a big pastel person or much of a fan orange but even those have their place.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm living with my parents and my brother. I have five cocatiels (long story)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I like scarves - I make more than I'll probably ever be able to wear but they're so much fun! I'm not a hat person but I am trying to find one that doesn't totally make me look dorky. Mittens are ok but I prefer gloves and ponchos just never work out for me.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I really don't have any favorites, I do end up making a lot of scarves and blankets. I just started playing with socks and fingerless gloves. I suffer terribly from second sock syndrome so my next plan is to learn that fancy-dancy double circular method or stick with singular items.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A few things, finishing up 1st sock of a pair, making the other Fetching glove, baby blanket for a stuffed bunny (don't ask) and about to start a dishcloth for the KAL. Oh, and I need to frog a sweater - yes, the whole thing, and restart it. I think I may not be so good at focusing on one thing at a time.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Yes, especially if they serve a purpose. I'm trying not to accumulate any more knick-knacks because I'm not good at parting with them when I run out of room.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Just starting to appreciate circulars (that was harder for me to get used to than double-pointed, go figure). I like bamboo and aluminum the best. Bamboo is good because it's quieter, therefore I can knit while watching TV wit non-knitters and I won't get the evil eye.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Nope and nope. I'm thinking a ball winder wouldn't be a bad thing to have.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Well, if you count having to re-do my sweater, then over a year. Otherwise it's the sock which is a couple of months old but I purposely put it off to the side because knitting wool socks in the summer seemed odd.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas and then Halloween but it's a close race. I'm a sucker for all holidays really.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Dust. (kidding)
I seem to collect a lot of yarn and books. I love old things, but I'm not a real collector of anything specific. I like randomly coming across stuff (old pictures are a fav, even if I don't know the people).

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've been hunting for a deep v neck sweater pattern that can be knit in the round (the less seeming the better.) I've spotted a few Knitting Pure & Simple patterns that look good - a friend shared her copy of their v-neck pattern with me that I might be trying. I'll have to get back to you on the books, I know there's a few I'd like to check out. Needles are tough, I usually only know which ones I need when I have a pattern. Can't think of any yarns that are on my wishlist right now, but I'm sure there's a few. I subscribe to Interweave Knits and Knit Simple. I was also getting Knit n' Style but I won't be re-newing it because it just didn't do it for me.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
The magic loop method and knitting on two circulars. I need to get better at seeming and sewing but that just takes practice.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I'm just starting to get into socks. I don't know my foot measurements but I wear a size 7.5-8 shoe. Whatever the standard woman's size is works for me.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
11/22/76 (I'll live on the edge and give you the year too)