Secret Pal 11 questionnaire

I'm getting more and more excited about the Secret Pal exchange. Here are the answers to the questionnaire - I hope they make some degree of sense - I've added lots of links to elucidate my waffle.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
- love bamboo, alpaca, cotton, merino
- hate scratchy acrylic, fun fur, eyelash and other fancy yarns with tickly bits.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
- needles in a pen pot (not very portable!)
- hooks in a fabric wrap

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
- started knitting on 7th june 2007
- learnt at the Ktog knitting group - went with the intention of being the 'only crocheter in the village' and ended up being taught by the hostess, Rhona.
- Am therefore a beginner, but very ambitious

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
- yes If this doesn't work, search for "So many crafts" on amazon.co.uk wishlists

5. What's your favorite scent?
- cut grass, earl grey tea, hot chocolate, tomato plants in the greenhouse (don't really wear perfume)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
- yes, very.
- chocolate, but nothing with nuts in it
- I like childish sweets too - flying saucers, jelly babies, cola bottles, that kind of thing. And I get inexplicable cravings for Smarties quite regularly.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
- you name it, I'll give it a go.
- my current passions are sewing (chiefly patchwork and related things), felting, and toy making (just starting out making softies)
- I can spin, but don't get round to it as often as I would like. I have 2 fleeces under my stairs waiting for me to be organised and wash them (sigh). I will do it before the end of the summer.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
- easier to say what I don't like. I don't like dance music, heavy metal or classical piano music of the rachmaninov variety. My ipod currently has a selection ranging from Queen to Keane, from the Cranberries to the Scissor Sisters, and from the best of James Bond to KT Tunstall. Oh, and a couple of audio books (read by David Tennant - he of Doctor Who fame in case you don't know of him). Don't know if I have MP3 capacity - I have Itunes so anything is possible probably.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
- I prefer warm, natural, earthy colours.
- I love the tones that you get in Shetland wool and those on the front of this book
- I like brights too, but nothing too lairy. Colours from nature are good.
- I don't like really babyish colours, pastels etc., and am not that keen on orange.
- I really hate dark and dingy colours - colour should be cheering or calming, not depressing.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
- I have a husband and two cats, and I'm not sure which is the more trouble.
- Neko (big cat) and Yuki (small cat) make a lot of mess, but stay away from my crafty things on pain of unspeakable things happening to them. They just gaze longingly at my knitting now!
- We also have some frogs and newts in our pond - do they count?

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
- Yes
- Yes, but I have a big head so I am learning to knit my own
- Yes, definitely rather than gloves (I have reynauds syndrome so mittens are better than gloves to stop my fingers falling off in the cold).
- Not really, although I'm going to knit myself of these, which is kind of poncho-ish.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Small things (I don't have a lot of patience), amigurumi, scarves, socks, baby booties, bags, hats etc.

13. What are you knitting right now?
- This scarf for my dad (trying out entrelac to hone my picking up stitches skills - which are a bit messy at the moment, but by the time I get to the other end I will be much better)
- A funky 1970s tank top (a Patons pattern with a Dallas-esque model - scary!)
- My first socks (soon to be unpicked in favour of these as I'm feeling quite brave)
- Innocent smoothie hats

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
yes

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
- Haven't done much circular knitting, so straight needles are the way to go. Love knitting a cylinder with 4 dpns - such fun!
- Bamboo needles are the best, although I have some lovely secondhand anodised aluminium ones that come a close second.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
- no, but I wound my first centre pull ball the other day on my thumb using this technique and as my thumb was rather numb by the end of it, I think that a yarn winder might go on my wish list

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
- ancient - from the days when I was starting out with crochet (many moons ago). I think it was going to be a bag, using yarn unwound from a nasty cardigan, but I never got past the side gussets. Ah well.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Any of the times I have spent in Italy.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
- Stuff, specifically yarn and fabric related stuff.
- I love antique sewing bits and bobs, as you get some really nifty gadgets and unusual colours/fibres.
- Studio pottery (1950's-1970's art pottery, difficult to describe - will try to post some photos later)

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

books - Any Japanese craft books - if only there was a Kinokuniya in the UK (I'd be a lot poorer!). I also love anything Scandinavian - with their simple design styles that'll never date. I'd love to get my paws on the Vogue Stitchionary books. I'm a librarian, so my list of wanted books is fairly endless. I restrict myself to one page at a time on my amazon wish list, but it's sooo hard ...

yarns - unusual, handspun/dyed yarn in natural fibres, any of the Habu or Noro yarns (expensive tastes, I know), handmaiden (love the idea of yarn made from seaweed), anything from Garnstudio (particularly love the colours of their cotton yarns), Shokay yak down (gorgeous colours)

patterns - anything by Elizabeth Zimmermann - I've got the opinionated knitter, am working on my second baby surprise jacket, and it has left me wanting more ...

needles - I covet the glass needles I've seen around but I'm not sure where to get them. Would love some more wooden needles to start replacing the charity shop set I have at the moment. Adore any of the Clover gadgetry, does a knitting nelly count?

I don't have any subscriptions, but I love the Interweave crochet and knit magazines

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
- My husband has requested a Gansey for his birthday / christmas / wedding anniversary (depending on when I get round to it). So I have to learn how to knit a sweater, and the complicated cabling and patternign that goes on in such a thing.
- Oh, and the I-cord cast off - I saw it on a lovely EZ baby bonnet (with a heart shape as the base - v cute indeed)

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Working on my first pair as we speak. I'm a UK size 4 shoe.

23. When is your birthday?
24th August (Hooray!)

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
not yet (sigh). Only 6404 people in front of me though!