Secret Pal 11 Questionnaire

Even though I'm still waiting to have some issues from secret pal 10 sorted out, I decided to give it another try and signed up for secret pal 11. I love the idea of the exchange and felt it deserved another chance. Of course, this means filling out another questionnaire. If it seems like I just did this, that's likely because I did. But the answers might be different this time. I might surprise you! Really - don't go!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I just love yarn, you know? I don't discriminate too much between the different fibres -- I'll use anything (with the exception of acrylic, which I rather consign to its own category). I am particularly partial to the softness of alpaca or cashmere and to the sheen of silk, but I'm still exploring and learning about all the different fibres and am eager to try them all at some point.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a Lantern Moon needle case that holds my most commonly used circulars, the ones sized 3.5-4.5 mm. The rest are broken up into four small drawers, based on size (S, M, L and XL). It seems to work quite well. My straights, which I rarely use, are on a shelf, resting in a carafe I appropriated from the kitchen. Someday, I'll find a vase I like for them and I will return the carafe to its proper role of holding sangria.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I started knitting eight months ago and haven't really stopped since. I would say that I'm creeping into the intermediate category, as I've tackled a few fitted garments and lace pieces, but I'm still a ways off advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I have one on amazon.com, started when I was living in the US (I'm an expat) and kept for my family there. I'm moving things over to amazon.co.uk, but it's a slow process.

5. What's your favorite scent?
I love amber and ginger. I like spicy florals and spicy foodie scents, too, but I need some spice or musk to cut the sweetness. A straight up floral or food scent would cause me to wrinkle my nose in a most unbecoming way.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I like sweets, but I am currently trying to abstain a bit in a bid to lose the weight I gained upon moving to the UK. It's not so much a diet as a less gluttonous approach to food. I like chocolate and baked goods too much to ever really diet. I don't really eat the sort of sweet you can buy at the corner shop, though -- if I'm going to splurge, it's going to be something really good, not Cadbury's.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Are you kidding? Between a full-time teaching job and a serious addiction to both books and the Internet, I barely have time to knit. I''m not adding any more distractions! When I am an independent woman of leisure, I will review this attitude, but at the moment I'm full up.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like lots of different music, though I don't listen to a lot of mainstream stuff. If it's often played on Radio 1, it's probably not in my collection. I am currently in love with Okkervil River, the Arcade Fire and Iron & Wine, though my obsessions change on a weekly basis. Last week it was Iggy Pop and Loretta Lynn.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
This is an answer that never seems to change. I love shades of red, purple, green and gold. Jewel tones are good. Pastels very rarely appeal to me, I tend to find blue a bit dull, and I've yet to find an orange I would want in my house.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have two Bengal cats that make frequent appearances in this blog, and right now that's enough for me.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, yes, only when it's very cold, never.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I love making tops of any kind -- tees, tanks, jumpers. I haven't tried a cardigan yet, but that's definitely on the list for this winter.

13. What are you knitting right now?
I'm just finishing up Clapotis and about to start some cushion covers I've been planning for a while. I've been wanting to create something without a pattern and that seems like the perfect place to start.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Sure, why not?

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Circulars, all the way. I wanted to be a traditionalist and use straights, but I haven't touched them in months. When I first started knitting, I bought complete sets of bamboo circs off ebay, and they get the job done, but I really love wood needles (I've only used rosewood so far, but would love to try other kinds). I like the Lantern Moon circs a lot, though the joins aren't seamless. I recently bought a couple of Addi turbos, too, which are great for speed, though a bit hard on my hands if I'm pulling a knitting marathon. I'm not a fan of plastic at all.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
*sigh* No. I'd like one, but it's really not that much of a pain to wind my own balls, and I can spend the money I save on more yarn.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
January? It's a jumper that I finished knitting but never seamed, and at this point I'm a much better knitter than I was at the time, so I'm in no hurry to finish up that big shapeless brown mess.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Any day I don't work is a good day, but for food and family and presents and decoration, nothing beats Christmas.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Cat hair? Other than that, nothing. Like I said above, I really don't need any new hobbies.

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 would love to get Fitted Knits or AlterKnits, and I keep meaning to get a subscription to Vogue Knitting or Interweave Knits. I just signed up for a trial run of Knitting, though I'm not convinced yet. Knit.1 also looks interesting.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I still want to give fair isle or intarsia a go, but I plan to do that with the cushion covers.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I feel like I'm missing out on some kind of knitting obsession, but I don't knit socks. This is partly because I don't have any DPNs, but mainly I'm just not that into socks. When it's cold, I wear black or white ones around the house, and when it's warm I go barefoot. Maybe once I try it, I'll be sucked into the sock obsession, but at the moment I am still free. Plus, I have crazy long feet, so they would take longer than normal-footed people -- another reason to put it off for a bit longer.

23. When is your birthday?
16 September.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
I am! I signed up in a hurry as shinyobject, for no reason I could explain other than that it was late at night and I wanted to get on quickly. I will be changing that ID at the first opportunity.

ETA: And now it's been changed. To marcia, which may lack creativity but is at least straight-forward.