Secret Pal...

Everyone else was having so much fun with the Secret Pal stuff that I decided that I wanted to play along as well. So it's a two post day. If regular bleader's don't want to know my preferences in knit gear you can all skip this post:

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

I am a sucker for the Kona Superwash from Woven Art (new website coming soon!). It's a no frills washable Merino. I am basically inclined to knit with solid colored (or not super "painted" hand-dyed) smooth yarns, but as far as wool, cotton, silk, linen etc. there is nothing I wouldn't take home with me. I leave you the fun furs and eyelashes of the world. They have no place in my stash.

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

One of these: only mine has skulls on it, and if any of you want one, let me know and I'll make you one. You can even tell me how many pockets, which fabrics, etc.

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

I've been knitting for about 4 years and was originally self taught. I knit backwards for six months or so until someone pointed out to me that you knit through the front loop, not the back loop. Duh. Mostly I figure out new techniques by making lots and lots of mistakes and reknitting many projects. I think it's safe to say that I'm an advanced intermediate knitter.

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

I have a baby wish list on Kaboodle, but as it's mostly diapers and more diapers, it's nothing you should concern yourself with.

5. What's your favorite scent?

I'm pretty partial to Lavender, it's good for my blood pressure.

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

I have an intermittent sweet tooth, I will eat sweet stuff all day one day and then avoid it for weeks. Dark chocolate is always appreciated.

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

I do it all I'm embarrassed to say. Fiberwise I am a quilter, knitter, spinner, and new weaver. I can crochet if I have to, and I have been known to dye things. I also cook, grow things (when I can bend, not while I'm 39 weeks pregnant), can things etc. And did I mention we are remodeling our house. I suspect I'm going to be an A+ #1 drywaller by this time next year.

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 sort of a "classic" heavy metal/punk kinda girl, but I also like "good" country and bluegrass and some out there new stuff (Rasputina! cello playing women in underwear...can't beat it with a stick)

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

It's not so much that I'm against pink, I'm against what pink stands for...except you know, pink triangles, those are fine. I mean in the gender classification, sit still and be a good girl so you don't get your dress dirty sense of the hue. So yeah, not so much pink. My closet has a lot in common with Johnny Cash, the man in black: it's dark in there, with spots of grey, red and brown. I like to knit in color though. I'm and fair isle, intarsia, mosaic freak. I like strong colors and saturated hues, especially reds and oranges but as long as they look good together that's fine with me. Just not pink.

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

I live with the Manimal, the father of my soon to be born, and we have partial custody of his daughter Rat Girl. We have a cat, or perhaps the cat has us. She is named for the sound that a cat makes when you throw it over board...Splash.

She is helping us figure out all of our new baby carriers. She likes the Mei Tai...or maybe she just couldn't get out of it.

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

I wore a poncho once when I was about 6 years old..since then, not so much poncho. I like scarves, am obsessed with hats (admittedly more the knitting of them than the wearing of them, but I wear them too) and can never find my mittens.

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

Right now it's baby anything, but mostly soakers. I also knit many hats, mostly of the bizarre and unwearable variety.

13. What are you knitting right now?

The UFO file runneth over. Let's see, I think we're down to three unfinished sweaters for me, they won't fit for awhile so why bother. I just started reknitting the Rat Girl sweater:

It's not so much like frogging if you just knit off of the the old piece right? And then there's the teddy bear (body stuffed, but no arms yet), the baby sack, and random other pieces that are so far gone they're not in the active file anymore. As soon as I can get a few of them wrapped up I have promised Manimal a Gansy.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Yes please.

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

I'm an Addi Turbo Whore. I love those things, and I prefer circulars. Bamboo is lovely but doesn't stand up to my aggressive knitting style....that would be tight.

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

I am semi-permanently borrowing both from a friend who has fallen from the true faith...that would be knitting. I suspect that when she's done with this PhD thing that's taking up all her time she will want them back. I work at a yarn store though, so I have access.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

That would be the "free wool" sweater. Started spinning for it when I first started spinning, and that was at least 3 years ago. It's almost done, I just have to reconcile myself to ripping out the top half of the second sleeve.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Seriously I like the solstices and the equinoxes. I don't celebrate them in any special way, I just like to observe them. And not seriously there's international talk like a pirate day, and also my birthday, which is just like talk like a pirate day.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Hmm...I have sort of a collection of pirate stuff, it's not conscious so much as incidental. I also collect fabric with skulls, flames, or any other cool print on it (Alexander Henry, I love you so) (at least 1 yard pieces), and yarn of course.

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 looking at rogue for years, trying to justify buying a pattern for what is essentially a stockinette sweater with a cable on it...I mean, that pretty much describes the three unfinished sweaters in my stash bin...so why should I get another one (but it's sooooo purty). There's also a really cute pattern on etsy for baby booties that look like chuck taylors. I also pick up "vintage" knitting books and patterns anytime I see them, some for entertainment and some because the patterns are really good. I don't subscribe to anything because if I like it one month I hate it the next, Interweave Knits is consistently the best.

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

All of them. I'm obsessed with adding to my "arsenal" of available skills. I'm working on Mosaic right now, and I'm anxious to improve my dying techniques.

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

I don't wear hand knit socks (you just can't beat wigwam silk/merino hiking socks, my feet feel good just thinking about them) but Manimal does and although I don't generally knit socks, I have promised to knit him one pair a year. I wear a size 10 at the moment, we shall see if I am still a 10 after I am unpregnant again.

23. When is your birthday?

May 22nd. The year is not important to anyone, I'm 30. I have been 30, and I will continue to be 30 until I get really good at it and they let me go on to the next level.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?

I've thought about it, but honestly just schleping the laptop up to the cafe is almost too much for me, so I've decided to exempt myself. I'll breakdown sometime next year and then I will be 102,457,098th on the waiting list. I'm okay with that.

Ragnar...you are now returned to regularly scheduled blogging.