SP III Questions

Lists like these are so much fun! I've really enjoyed reading other lists so I'll add to the pile.

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?
Yes, I'm yarn snob. But I also have a baby who enjoys creating laundry. He only gets a limited amount of yarn snob projects. Most of what I've knit for him is Cotton Ease and Encore. I don't like that old school harsh Red Heart, but some of the newer store brands like TLC and Lion Brand make great baby clothes.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I know how to spin on both a drop spindle and a wheel. I have several spindles but no wheel, so spinning isn't something I'm actively pursuing right now. I have a lot of roving and really don't see myself using it all in the next decade. I crochet some and I'm thinking about a few of the projects in the new Interweave magazine.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Apologies to any smokers, but the scent of cigarette smoke really gets to me. Other than that it's all good.

4. How long have you been knitting?
Since I was six, so just shy of twenty years.

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

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
Lime! I know that's kind of an odd one, so anything citrusy.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Yes, but it's on a long vacation while I'm nursing. No candy, no ice cream,no chocolate. Sigh...

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
When I get really sick in the winter I cross stitch. Otherwise I'm too impatient for it. I sometimess sew clothes.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if you want to make her a CD)
I listen to a lot of classical with the baby, my favorite composers are Gustav Mahler and Richard Wagner. My favorite current band is They Might Be Giants, my favorite past band is the Beatles, my favorite cover band is Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. A lot of my popular music CD collection could be classified as 1990's college rock. I have a weakness for a good pop hook -- my last two iTunes buys were Tropicalia (Beck) and This Love (Maroon 5).

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
In general I go for cooler colors -- blues, greens and grays. Recently I'm really into red, though.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm married, I had our first baby in July and we have two cats.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
Okay, sappiness warning! I want to be a good mother to my kids and have them grow up to be happy people. I hope to visit Rome someday. I'd like to see the major historical cathedrals and shrines in Europe.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
Rowan Calmer! My workhorse yarns are Brown Sheep Nature Spun and Cascade 220.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'm not really into mohair.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
Phildar for babies (they have such great patterns for boys) and Rowan for adults. On the practical side, I'm making cardigans for myself for easier nursing access in the winter.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I really like knitting hats. I have more than I could ever wear and do a charity purge every winter. I've recently come around to knitting sweaters. Learning to seam properly made a huge difference in enjoying larger projects.

17. What are you knitting right now?
Spey Valley Socks from Knitting on the Road
Paris Loop from Magknits
Arla from Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton Noro Book One
Pooling Colors from the Fall 2004 Interweave Knits

18. What do you think about ponchos? (this is really a curiousity question for us)
I knit the Union Square Shawl/Poncho from Weekend Knitting. I like it. I don't like the ponchos I'm seeing in stores now.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Circular! I love my Denise Interchangeables. I have Addi Turbos in the smaller sizes. If I had way too much money I'd buy every single size of Addi Turbos, some bamboo needles and take my Denise set with me only for vacation knitting.

20. How did you learn to knit?
My mom taught me. Her grandma taught her. We all knit continental style. I learned to knit English style four years ago so I could knit fair isle and Norwegian patterns two-handed.

21. How old is your oldest UFO?
Somewhere at my mom's house I'm pretty sure there's a hood/scarf from a vintage pattern book still sitting on a pair of long aluminum needles I started my junior year of high school. That would be about ten years old.