secret pal questionnaire

ok, nonnie (this is her nom de guerre, lol)

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand?

heck no! i do a lot of crafting for charity, and if it crochets or knits, i'll do it. now, mind you, i don't mind a little pampering for stuff for myself (last sp gave me crack kidsilk haze, and i'm contemplating when to start my birch)

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

yes. both. i've got some buffalo i'm needing to get spun up for a friend, and would love to try some exotic fibers. i also love to dye them as well, so anything neutral would be fine.

i've crocheted since i was 5, and like to get creative with it, lol.

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

i have a votive holder on my computer desk that i keep dpns and lighter weight straights in. otherwise, they live in my bags and my drawer set (when they make it back there, lol)

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

i've been knitting since i was 10. you'll find out how long that's been when i tell you my birthday at the end, lol. i would assume i'm intermediately advanced, or advancedly intermediate?

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

unfortunately, nope. i will let ya know what books i would like, lol

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

vanilla, sandalwood, musk

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

am i a woman? am i premenopausal? chocolate of course, and the nicer the better. i'll eat milk or dark. i like it with nuts. but i've tried coffee, and my last sp sent me some green something (look at previous posts, lol) that had orange that was absolutely divine.

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

i cook. i used to do it for a living. i'm enjoying it much more since i stopped doing it for everyone else. i also dabble in plastic canvas, and beading (stitch markers, lol).

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

i listen to a lot of different things. i love bagpipes (i'm scottish/irish), and metal (not the screamer stuff, how can anyone understand them?), some country (the old stuff, this new crap is just rock & roll with a steel guitar), classical, wow, i suppose anything except crap.

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

i will do just about any color, but my favs are dark, heathery purples and blues. oh, mustard yellow turns me off.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? i have 2 cats, 2 boys & one fiance. the cats are 6 & 11, the boys are 11 & 13 (yes, feel sorry for me) and the fiance, well, he's old enough, lol.

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

i have been known to wear all 4. in fact i have a poncho that i wear exclusively at work because you never know how cold that place is going to be, particularly in the summer. i like hats & mittens best, though.

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

i'm supposed to have a favorite? i like handspun (particularly my own, lol) but if it's yarn, i'll knit with it, lol

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

you mean there's supposed to be one i'm not supposed to like? i guess i haven't tried enough yet, then, lol.

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

baby stuff. i do a TON of charity knitting, and i'm always on the hunt for easy, fast baby patterns. however, i recently knit a lace project for a family member (i'll post pics after i mail it to her, she's very internet savvy, lol), and while it took a little figuring out to do, once i got it, i enjoyed it. all knitting is to me is knit, purl, and variations within. suppose that comes when you've knit longer than you've had children (almost combined, lol, my eldest is 21!)

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

save some time & go back to 15, lol

17. What are you knitting right now?

wool hats for afghans for afghans, a sweater coat for myself, a baby blanket for a friend, i've downloaded the jaywalker sock pattern (yes, i jumped on the bandwagon), and mittens for All Crafters 4 Charity's january project, rogue for me (this has been sitting a long time), and the raw chicken viking hat for my 13 year old. um, do i need another project?

18. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

yes! i was in the sockpal2za, and LOVE the socks i got!

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

depends on the project. for the baby stuff, i do alot of straights, because i have those in all different sizes. i like circs, but don't have as many of those (that i can find, lol). actually, the lace project i mentioned earlier? i did it on straights. interesting trying to get 250+ stitches on 14" needles, lol.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

don't particularly care for plastic, although i do have a few, and use them. prefer bamboo, wood, or aluminum. haven't tried casein.

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

my yarn winder is my thumb (i use my thumb like a nostepinne, although i'd like one of those, lol!), and my swift is my computer chair. now, granted, i wouldn't mind either one of these, but i'm not lost without them. and i'm graced with a LYS that will let me wind ANYTHING on their swift & winder, as long as there aren't customers needing it. even my own handspun!

22. How did you learn to knit?

my grandmother taught me when i was 10. she taught me to cast on & knit. i taught myself the rest from books & magazines (actually, my primary influence for a large number of years was the Reader's Digest Book of Needlework). funny part is i just learned a couple of years ago that i was twisting my stitches, when i read the article about different methods in IK. i will NEVER tell anyone they are knitting "wrong."

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

do you really want to know that? is it necessary?

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

look at my blog name. does that say it? dragons, silly! although i like fairies too. and not cutsey ones, i like realistic ones.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

HALLOWEEN! i love dressing up, and it breaks my heart that my oldest son is now too tall to trick or treat! i was a middle earth elf for halloween this year, and i sewed the costumes for all of us! oh wait, i suppose i should add that i sew as well?

26. Is there anything that you collect?

um, yarn, duh? and check out 24, lol.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

IK, and Family Circle Knitting (although i think that's changed to knitting simple?)

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

Eris, by a girl from auntie.
AlterKnits.
anythign by the Yarn Harlot (stephanie pearl-mcphee) (i have her first book, lol)
i LOVE Knitting (the english magazine) but the bookstores around here are sporadic at best about stocking it, and a subscription is so blasted expensive! (hey pal, wanna make a deal? email me, and i'll let you know, lol)
socks that rock yarn
lorna's laces yarn
(i know, my pal is british, do your best darlin, lol)

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

entrelac (sounds like a french cheese, lol)
continental knitting (i've tried, but i jsut can't wrangle the purl)
knitting backwards (knitting to the right, and then, instead of turning the work, knitting it back)

30. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

i haven't knit a ton of socks (1 pair of bedsocks for me from my handspun, a pair of pad-about-the-house footlets for my sockpal2za, and some babysocks), but i like it! i'll get back to you on the foot measurements, that would entail fetching my tape measure, and i'm being a slug tonight, lol. remind me.

31. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) my birthday is (brace yourself) april 1. yeah, yeah, i know, lol. and this one is the big 4 0. ugh. how did ig et to be so old? and still feel liek such a chick?

ok, nonni, do your worst (or best, lol)

as for the rest of you nuts, i promise, i'll be back with a real post later