Knitty SP5

Somewhere out there is a person who, in a few short days, will be given my name, address, and permission to spoil me rotten for a few months. Or at least, send me fun little prezzies. (Somewhere out there is a person who I get to spoil for a few months as well, but I can't say much about that. That would be telling.) In the interest of information overload, I've decided to include a second set of questions for my SP to read if they feel so inclined.

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

I'm not a snob exactly, but I do prefer to knit with natural fibres. For every three projects I do with wool or cotton, I do one with acrylic. It all depends on how it will be used. I'll splurge on wool for socks, because acrylic feels gross, but I'll use acrylic for baby/child items - put a baby next to cashmere and they will spit up all over it. Most of the large-scale projects I do are either with cheap wool (i.e. Patons' Classic Wool), acrylic (or at least 75% acrylic), or yarn recovered from thrift-store sweaters.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I enjoy spinning, but I'm not exactly good at it yet. All I can produce so far is slubby single-ply. When I get a bit better, I might actually start calling myself a spinner.

I haven't tried crochet yet. This is mainly because I don't much care for most of the crochet projects out there. I'm hoping the new Debbie Stoller book will change my mind.

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

Cat and dog hair, and smoke, but as long and I know about it, I can wash whatever might be 'contaminated' and be fine. I also may-or-may-not have a dairy sensitivity/intolerance, which means no milk chocolate until I know for certain. Dark chocolate is fine as long as it doesn't have milk or milk protein in it. (Not that that's a hint or anything.)

4. How long have you been knitting?

About a year and a half, but I knit all the time, so have logged a ton of hours.

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

Only with Knit Picks - and I don't know how to link to that without emailing it.

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

For baths - lavender. For anything else - fruity, chocolate, and coffee. I don't like vanilla.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Hmm, I had a box of Nerds and a dozen sour gummies yesterday for 'coffee'. I think that's a yes.

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

Right now it's all about knitting. I dabble in some other things, but that's the one that's stuck around.

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 just about everything. I grew up in small-town western Canada, so I've had my fill of country. I'm not really into hip-hop, although every once in a while someone surprises me. And if I never hear another Britney Spears song again it'll be too soon. But anything else goes - Classical, Celtic Rock, Jazz, Punk, Top-40, 80's... if it's good, I'll probably enjoy it. And I love discovering new artists.

And yes, I am MP3 compatible.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?

Favourite colour is orange. I like my colours bright (red, purple, green) or neutral (grey, brown, black). No pastels - generally. And I love yellow, but can't wear it. It makes me look like I have liver disease.

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

I live with my boyfriend of 4 1/2 years. We'll get married at some point, when we get around to it, but we're not in any sort of rush. No pets - the landlord doesn't allow them.

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

I want to travel. All the time. Forever. And learn everything. A travelling student - who ends her life with no debt somehow. And gets to go into space. Okay, enough of fantasy world.

I do want to travel though. I'd love to be able to take a trip to a different country every year for the rest of my life. That should satisfy and isn't completely unreasonable. I don't want to be famous, but I'd love to know that something I've done has made a positive impact in people's live. (That said, I've always wanted to record a Christmas album and get a book published.)

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

I actually really like cotton. It somehow feels more real to me than a lot of other yarns. Probably because it's solid and doesn't have any give... I haven't played around enough to have a favourite brand yet. Generally I just gaze longingly at the expensive stuff, and pick something more in my price range.

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

Novelty yarns drive me insane. I've been forced (right) to use them from time to time, but I usually don't like how they look or feel. The big exception is ribbon yarn. That's okay.

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

It must be getting close to Fall, because all the projects I want to make right now are sweaters, blankets, wraps, and other things to keep me warm. I've just started venturing into Kool-Aid dyeing, and I'm having a blast with it.

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

It depends on what I'm in the mood for. Love socks. Love cable-work. I was obsessed with dishcloths for a while, but I'm sick of them now. A big boring sweater is great for watching TV.

17. What are you knitting right now?

A big boring sweater. (Acrylic. Charcoal with small yellow/black stripes at the cuffs and hem. All stockinette, but it's my first with set-in sleeves, so we'll see how that works. It's a Hufflepuff sweater for the new Harry Potter movie.) A pair of socks that I had to write down the pattern for because my printer was acting up - I have no idea what the pattern's called unfortunately. Hello Yarn's "One Baaad Poncho" - well, I've only done a gauge swatch. I'm on vacation in a few days and that'll be my plane project. I'm also working on a sweater design to go with the yarn I picked up an a whim a few weeks ago - but I'm not going to say any more about that until I figure out if it'll work or not.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

Generally, I think they're over-rated as a fashion accessory. But as something to keep your warm, if it's cute, I'm all for it.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

Circulars because they're more portable and I knit on the bus a lot. That said, I don't have very many pairs. A lot of my needles are second-hand, or from Zellers or Wal-Mart.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Bamboo for socks, without question. I usually knit with aluminum, and actually don't mind them except that it's hard to keep them quiet on the bus. I have a few pairs of acrylic, but they're not really my favourite.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

Boy, am I!

22. How did you learn to knit?

The Stitch 'N Bitch book. I know, I know... but I'd been wanting to learn to knit forever, and it found me one day when I wasn't even looking, and the Skully sweater had me sold in a heartbeat. So there!

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

I've got a shopping bag I started in the spring, but I'll probably end up frogging it. I got bored of the project pretty quickly, and I don't really do a lot of market-shopping.

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

Animated Character - Winnie-the-Pooh (the classic one, not the Disney one). Animal - cats.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Hallowe'en. Dressing up and candy... what could be better?

26. Is there anything that you collect?

Aside form yarn, right? Kitsch - I need to stop that. Incense - not on purpose. Books. My Little Ponies (1991 and earlier). Foreign spare change and commemorative coins (not from purchased sets though). I'm mildy obsessed with pirates (sad) and tall ships, but I don't really have a collection - yet.

27. Any projects you want to make but haven't gotten there yet?

Oh, tons. If I made a list right now of all the projects I want to do, and then didn't add any more, I'd still have a hard time finishing them in my lifetime. Here are some projects that I want to do sometime soon, but haven't gotten around to yet.

http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer05/PATTsatchel.html

http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATTleo.html

http://knitty.com/ISSUEspring05/PATTtrellis.html

http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall04/PATTcozy.html

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/kfw-samplerAfghan.html

http://www.acrilan.com/patterns/Nov00/catpillow.html

http://lusciousgracious.com/crazy8s.htm

http://www.sweaterscapes.com/glove-pattern.htm

http://www.helloyarn.com/cyclingaran.htm

http://www.rebecca-online.de/cont_en/anleitungen/heft_17_anl_24.pdf

http://www.rebecca-online.de/cont_en/anleitungen/heft_12_anl_17.pdf

And that's just the free online patterns! I also really want to make Rogue and Eris from www.girlfromauntie.com but don't have the patterns yet.

So there you have it - more information about me than you ever wanted to know. (And that's not the half of it.) I'll sit down and come up with a 100-things-about-me at some point. In the meantime, let the SP5 Games begin!