Blame Canada

i haven't posted in over a week because J and i have been on a whirlwind tour of Canada. in 4 days, we drove 1,600 miles. i'll be sure to give details after i develop my film (yes i still shoot film). in the meantime, while i was away, we were assigned our SP3 pals. so like a good do-be, here are the answers to the SP3 questionnaire.

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?
do i prefer the nice stuff? yes. do i buy the good stuff? no, not usually. honestly, although i lust after some of the more beautiful yarns out there -- koigu be still my beating heart -- some of that stuff i think is just too expensive. i like to play around much too much to invest $50-$100 in something that may not curl my toes when i finally finish it, assuming that i do. i do avoid red heart, but not because it's acrylic but because it's not always very soft and the colors can be a bit cheesy. i'm not above knitting with lion brand, TLC, sugar-n-cream. they're great for practicing my knitting and crochet skills and allow me to play with colors and textures without breaking the bank.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
i crochet. i enjoy crochet as much as i enjoy knitting. i just prefer crochet for some projects and knitting for others.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
not really. i don't care for smoke, or some perfumes, but i wouldn't say i'm allergic to them. i'm sensitive to eucalyptus, ragweed, grasses, but i don't think anyone is planning on sending me a piece of their front lawn.

4. How long have you been knitting?
my mother taught me how to knit when i was about 7 or 8 years old (same with crochet). i managed to make a garter stitch swatch that my mother still has in her sewing box which she uses to hold her sewing needles. i've done both off and on since.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
i have an amazon wishlist, but it hasn't been updated in awhile. i'll post it once i've updated it.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
i don't care for candles. i'm afraid of burning the house down. as for scents in general, i prefer classic fresh scents. nothing too fruity, nothing too intense. my favorite perfume is Chanel #5.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
not really. i like ice cream and i've been into lite cool whip lately (i know so odd) but given the choice, i'll choose dinner over dessert any time. i even take my coffee black, no sugar. i love coffee by the way.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
i tried to give stamping a try and spent a lot of money getting started only to realize that i didn't really get excited about making homemade greeting cards. so i'll be selling a lot of this stuff on ebay shortly. for our wedding last year, i made the 'save the date' cards, the invitations, the programs and the centerpieces for the tables. although it's not really considered a craft, i do enjoy photography. i like to use my camera to tell a story. oh, and since meeting my husband, i have learned how to do a few things around the house.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if you want to make her a CD) i like a variety of music, but don't really have any favorite artists. the last CD i bought was Maroon 5. at work, i listen to a classic hits station. my computer does play MP3s and i do have a minidisc player.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? my favorite color is red. and i'm drawn to bright turquoise blue, orange and purple. i have to say i really like intense clear colors these days. blues probably look best on me. beige, earth tones (except for chocolate brown), light pastels, and murky olive drabby type colors look like ass on me.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? i've been married for almost one year to my best friend and soulmate. (we have so little in common that we had to be soulmates because otherwise we'd never be together). we share custody of one 80 lb alaskan malamute/shephard mix named Rocky (his) and 3 cats (mine).

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) i don't really know. i guess to have my loved ones be healthy and happy. so trite i know.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? hmmm i like knitting in wool and wool blends, in a worsted weight. i'm kind of obsessed with variegated yarns because i like the interplay of colors and i like watching the random patterns evolve.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? i don't care for novelty yarns out there that require size 15 needles to knit. in fact i'm not fond of bulky yarns that require big huge needles. although i like the look of mohair and angora, they're a bitch to frog so i'd better not make any mistakes.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? i don't really have an obsession. i have been avoiding knitting sweaters though. i've put on a lot of weight of late, and i don't like what anything looks like on me.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? anything with color and/or texture such as cables, etc.

17. What are you knitting right now? i'm working on a mitered square afghan (inspired by the mitered square rug on the IK website) for my living room couch. ii'm also working on a "scrap" poncho that may or may not end up actually being worn.

18. What do you think about ponchos? (this is really a curiousity question for us) i like them. but i like them big and comfy and warm.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? i prefer straight, aluminum needles. i know, so retro but i like the noise that they make when they click together. i only use circulars when knitting in the round or if my straights are just not long enough.

20. How did you learn to knit? my mom taught me the basics and i used books as refreshers and for learning new skills.

21. How old is your oldest UFO? my oldest UFO is actually a crochet project. i still have a crochet bag that needs to be put together that i started in April i think.

i hope that was helpful!