Secret Pal 10 questionnaire

I signed up for SP10, which I am very excited about given the stories I've heard from Knit Mongrel and Knitdds regarding Sp9. So without further ado, here are my questionnaire answers:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

As any casual observer of this blog would quickly discover, I'm a HUGE fan of Knitpicks yarns - I love that I can get some really soft, luxurious blends for a very reasonable price. I don't know that I have any surprising preferences - as I think with most knitters, I'm a fan of anything super soft. I guess the only stuff I really don't like are the novelty yarns - I've had some bad experiences with eyelash yarn!

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

Hmm, I've been working on this. I have not found a really good storage system yet. For now, I keep my needles in an expandable folder (I know, exotic).

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I began knitting in December 2005, taught by Knitdds and Debbie Stoller. I became instantly obsessed! I'd consider myself an intermediate.

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

No.

5. What's your favorite scent?

Love jasmine and sandalwood. Not a huge fan of fruity smells.

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

Ha, I think I'd be understating it if I said yes. I'm a sucker for anything chocolate (milk over dark). I also have an unhealthy addiction to SweetTarts.

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

I do not spin and am not really otherwise handy. It actually came as quite a surprise to me that I took to knitting as quickly as I did.

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

I'm pretty easy. I like jazz, classic rock, classical, pretty much whatever. Some of my favorite artists are Sting/The Police (woohoo for the upcoming reunion tour!), Neil Finn (woohoo for the potential Crowded House reunion tour), the Rolling Stones (woohoo for the recent reunion tour - gee, do I sense a pattern?). I have an iPod, so I can play mp3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

Purple. I'm not overly fond of yellow, but I think it would be a stretch to say I hate it.

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

I am married with a 3 year old daughter and a dog.

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

Yes to scarves. Yes to hats when it's really cold. Sometimes to mittens. No to ponchos.

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

Although I haven't knit all that many, I really love to knit socks/booties. I've also become quite the fan of knitting hats.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Geez, that's a loaded question. Too many things - I've still got to finish a scarf for the husband. I started Norberta for my daughter. I also have a lace scarf that I'm just barely into but am really determined to finish. Oh, and I still have the 2nd baby cable rib sock to finish for me. And did I mention that I'm really dying to cast on for a Clapotis? Yeah, I really need to finish a couple of other projects first...

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Most definitely. Especially since I started knitting, I truly appreciate the time and effort that goes into a handmade gift.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I don't think I really have a preference - I will typically use whatever the pattern calls for. Although, I really am into the metal needles these days. I love my Knitpicks dpns, and I'm also a fan of the Knitpicks Options line. But, of course, I also have a great respect for the venerable Addi Turbos.

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

Thanks to my yarn fairies, I own both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Hmm, not particularly old. Probably the lace scarf I'm trying to do - I think I started that before Christmas. I also have my sister's sweater that I knit before Christmas but have yet to seam.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

I guess Christmas. I'm not Christian or otherwise religious, but ya gotta love the infectiousness of that holiday. Or, if you're Ebeneezer Scrooge, you hate it. Whatever. Did I even spell "Ebeneezer" right?

19. Is there anything that you collect?

No. I used to collect paper clips when I was a kid (any Bert fans out there?). And bottle caps. Now, I just collect yarn. :)

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 not hugely into knitting publications yet. I have a few books that I really like, and I've been toying with the idea of subscribing to Interweave Knits. I've thumbed through copies of Victorian Lace Today and think it's stunning, but I don't know if I have the gumption to actually buy it, since I'm not sure I could make anything in it.

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

Not really a new technique, but I need to work on my seaming! I can't say that I have any interest in doing fair isle or anything like that. I'd like to develop the patience to get into lace knitting, because I've seen some really beautiful stuff that I'd love to be able to make.

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

Love the socks. My shoe size is 7-1/2 to 8, depending on the shoe. Measurements are: foot circumference 8-1/2, heel-to-toe length 7-3/4, and toe length 1-3/4.

23. When is your birthday?

July 17.

So sorry....

But I have no pr0n for you today. Not that I have no new yarn to show - I do. But the pictures I took of it all turned out really fuzzy and icky, and I haven't had time to try to take some new pics. So it will have to wait until next week. Sorry, folks.

In knitting progress, I unfortunately don't have any new FOs to show yet. Progress on hubby's Shifting Sands scarf is moving slowly but surely. I was trying to surprise him for his birthday, but I had to break down and tell him about it because I ended up never being able to knit it since I was trying to hide it from him. So now that it's out in the open, hopefully it'll get done quickly...

...because I really, REALLY want to cast on for my Clapotis. I bought the yarn for it a while ago, but I've been trying to put other projects for other people ahead of that. Well, I've seen that Knit Mongrel has started one, and I just saw that Knit Me a River has started one, and I'm getting jealous. So I may have to just say screw everyone else, I'm getting the Clap!

Brand spankin' new yarn pr0n

This week's pr0n is a very new acquisition, purchased just last weekend.

This is Dream In Color handpainted yarn, which I recently learned from Yarn Is My Metier's blog is actually a Chicago company. So I'm pleased to be supporting another local yarn maker.

The only thing that I'm a bit perturbed about is that the ball band didn't include the color, which I didn't notice until I got home. Which could be a problem because I may need another skein of this (the LYS where I got this only had the 1 skein in this color). Whatever color this is, though, I just love it. I love the minor variations of blue and purple and even pinks that crop up throughout the yarn. And as an added bonus, it's 100% superwash merino.

I purchased this with my friend Susie, who requested a Calorimetry. There are 250 yards in this skein, which obviously is way more than necessary for a Calorimetry, so I'm also going to make her a scarf with this. I'd like to try making a multidirectional scarf, but I'm worried I won't have enough yarn left over for it. I'm also not sure there's enough variation in this yarn to look good in a multidirectional scarf. Any other ideas?

Yarn Pr0n Friday

As I mentioned in my last post, some time I ago I purchased a Knitpicks kit for a throw that I never made (and will never make). But, of course, I will not let the yarn go to waste! So for today's yarn pr0n, I have the Suri Dream that came in the kit.

The solid is Suri Dream in Jade, and the lighter one is Suri Dream Hand Dyed in Emerald Isle. This is labeled as a super bulky yarn, but I have to say, I'm stymied by that. It definitely does not appear to be super bulky to me. But it is super soft, which is always lovely. And it apparently is quite warm when knit up. So the yarn will be transformed into a Potato Chip Scarf someday. Or, I should say, 2 Potato Chip Scarves. Knitdds has requested one of the colorways, and the other one will be for yours truly.

This closeup does not accurately portray the Emerald Isle colorway - it definitely has more green in it than what appears in the picture.

A cheer and an FO

First, the cheer:

The Colts won the Super Bowl! The Colts won the Super Bowl! The Colts won the Super Bowl

I'm only just a wee bit excited about that. Needless to say, I immensely enjoyed the game Sunday. There was even champagne to help celebrate (courtesy of Mr. Knitdds).

Next, the FO:

I decided to join the club and knit a Calorimetry. I wasn't just dying to have one, so I originally was going to wait to make it. Then I decided that I wanted to be in on a fad while the fad was ongoing, rather than wait 'till it was yesterday's news. So I cast-on on Saturday, and by Sunday afternoon, I had this:

I used approximately 1 ball of Knitpicks Shamrock in Dougherty. It amuses me that the effect of the pattern with this yarn is to create something that looks like a leaf. Perhaps that'll come in handy someday. I still need to get a button for this before it's completely done, but I think it still counts as an FO.

The story behind this yarn - some time ago, Knitpicks advertised their "Mix and Mingle" kits. The kits included a free throw pattern and enough of a variety of yarns to knit it. I got very excited when I saw these kits - I thought I'd make a throw for my mom (who is perennially cold). Then the kit came and I started knitting it, and I realized that it just wasn't going to happen. The pattern required changing yarns every few rows or so - my head started spinning when I realized how many ends I was going to have to weave in. Also, a throw is just such a large project - I start getting antsy at the end of a baby blanket, so I'm not sure why I thought I'd have an easy time knitting an entire throw. Anyway, I very quickly gave up on the project, but I then found myself with an abundance of green yarn. Some of it got used to make Sheldon (and I think I actually have enough left to make another), and some if it is going to be used to make a Potato Chip Scarf, and some will probably go to making more Dulaan items. So I guess I don't feel so bad about bailing out on the throw!

Yarn Pr0n Friday!

In this edition of Yarn Pr0n Friday, we are going to reach way back in to the nether regions of my stash to unveil this:

It's Berroco Quest in color 9860 (which I don't see on the site, so possibly they don't make it anymore?).

I bought this way back when, when I first started knitting and and didn't really know anything about what yarn was appropriate for what projects and what would be nice to knit with, etc. I purchased this to make a novelty scarf for my cousin. The idea was that I was going to knit this together with a strand of an eyelash yarn, so that the effect would be similar to the Fireworks scarf pattern in Stitch 'n Bitch. Well, the resulting knitting looked nice but was a real pain in the a** to knit - I discovered that I really dislike eyelash yarn. so I never finished it. And thus I still have this yarn. It is 100% nylon, and I don't really know what to do with it. I really like the color, and it does have a lovely shine to it. I don't know, maybe a purse? Anyone have any ideas.