Secret Pal 6 Questionnaire

I enjoyed SP5 so much, I simply had to sign up for the next one!

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
Yarn is yarn... I prefer softness and lovely colors over everything. I am amazingly fond of alpaca, though.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I sorta spin. I have a lovely wheel. We're trying to figure each other out right now.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
smoke and perfume. Technically I'm allergic to anything green or fuzzy (according to the tests) but only smoke and perfume make me ill.

4. How long have you been knitting?
a few years now.

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

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

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
yes. Normally this is where I might say I have given up sugar, but I would be lying...

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
Pretty much everything. Not much needlework anymore, except silk ribbon embroidery. But I paint, draw, sew, do photography, make books, am learning woodworking and sailboat renovation, along with hanging drywall and inside the house renovations.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I love world music, dance music, guitars, piano, cello (going through a YoYo Ma thing right now and have just gotten his Silk Road Project CDs and am in loooovvvveeee!) My computer and walkman both play MP3s. I like all music and am constantly looking for new stuff.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
blue/green/purple is my favorite colorway. I also love orange. I prefer rich saturated color to pale colors, though they have their place as well.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
living with my sweet man and three cats, a cockatiel and betta.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
to make a living being creative, to sail the world with the above mentioned sweet man

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
alpacas. Homespun. A combo of the two is heaven!

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
Haven't found one yet. The squeaky acrylics make me flinch.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
still trying to do something lace. I have the Fiber Trends Pacific Northwest Shawl and am working on that once I get my latest alpaca lace weight into balls. Also loving mobeius strip knitting.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Don't really have one. I'm new enough to have only done a few of any one thing. I enjoyed the mittens I made, the hats, the scarfs. I'm working on my first sweater (still), a cat bed, a baby blanket. I suppose I do love socks and baby things more than most other things because they work up so fast.

17. What are you knitting right now?
Knitty's Sonnet
a cat bed from Cat Bohdri's second book of magical knitting
socks
a baby blanket composed of tesselating fish (1/2 done, 45 days til baby is due)
dish cloths

18. What do you think about ponchos?
eh. Prefer shawls

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
straight or DPNs

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
bamboo, wood, nice plastics (especially vintage ones)

21. Are you a sock knitter?
yes!

22. How did you learn to knit?
taught myself from a book.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
a year and a half or so now. I have a half finished sock, an old baby blanket. Someday they will all be done!

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
favorite animated character - Daffy Duck
favorite animal - cats, border collies, all birds

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Christmas - I love tiny lights!

26. Is there anything that you collect?
yarn. non-aluminum knitting needles.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
none

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
Alterknits.
the first treasury of magical knitting by Cat Bohdri

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another?
Fiddlesticks Peacock feathers shawl

30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
I measured based on the instructions in Twisted Sisters Sock book
I like any socks.
foot length: 10 1/2" (I wear a size 10 shoe)
foot width (measured all the way round at widest part): 10"
instep line: 7"
bottom of heel to top of desired cuff: at least 7" - it gets cold here in winter, so I prefer there not be too much gap between pant cuff and sock cuff

That's all!