Secret Pals 4 Questionnaire Answers

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high- a nd/natural fibers)?
I prefer natural fibers or mixes of natural fibers and acrylic.

2. Do you spin? Crochet? Neither.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Smoke, cats, heavily scented things.

4. How long have you been knitting?
On and off about 20 years, I go through spurts of interest.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, I have an Amazon wish list.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
More floral than fruity.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
Oh, yeah. I love chocolate (Lindt, Ghirardelli, Swiss and Belgian chocolate). I like milk chocolate more than dark.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I do some crafts with my kids but am not the greatest crafter outside of knitting.

9. What kind of music do you like?
I listen to a lot of jazz, world music, and classical music. Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Yes, I can listen to MP3s.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
I tend to go for the olive/purple/green/teal color palette. I don't like pastels. I also love earth tones (brick, orange, reds).

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm married with two small sons (6 and 2). Our sweet dog of 10 years just died! Sniff.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
Finishing what I start, traveling more, taking better advantage of fun opportunities, living in the moment.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I'm enjoying Lorna's Laces at the moment. Also would like to knit with Manos del Uruguay. I love alpaca. I haven't tried any cashmere and would like to try merinos more. I love space dyed stuff.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'm not very crazy about most acrylics and some of the novelty yarns that are hard to knit with. I just bought some "Sesamo" by Filatura that is very hard to knit with.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I'm doing Clapotis and trying not to screw it up. I love buying yarn but have a hard time sticking to projects and finishing them.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I love scarves and mittens.

17. What are you knitting right now?
Clapotis, kid sweater in Mission Falls cotton, headband for son.

18. What do you think about ponchos?
I like shawls better. Ponchos make me think I'm ten years old again.

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

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Bamboo and aluminum. I also just got a pair of ebony needles that I love. I'd love to try some Addi Turbos -- everyone raves about them.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
I have in the past. I plan to do some socks this year.

22. How did you learn to knit?
My Mom taught me. Then I got impatient and a friend's Mom helped me learn. Other friends have assisted me in learning knitting.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Ouch, about 20 years. A lovely Reynolds Lopi sweater than would certainly not fit any longer!

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
I love Bugs Bunny, Bullwinkle and Underdog.

25. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's day.

26. Is there anything that you collect?
Rocks, minerals, old postcards.

Things about me (less than 100)

1. I am a born and bred Bostonian -- without the accent!
2. I am married with two boys (6 and 2).
3. I work in assistive technology -- technology for people with disabilities.
4. I endured 12 years of Catholic school! Plenty of therapy bills to follow up on that.
5. I love music -- classical, jazz, Brazilian music, salsa, world music.
6. I am a big dance fan -- ballet and modern dance.
7. Lest you think I am overly cultured, I am also a fan of Bugs Bunny, old cartoons (Bullwinkle, Underdog, etc...), and other schlocky pop culture things from the 60s and70s.
8. And, I am a very happy Boston Red Sox fan -- yeah, you Sox!
9. I speak Ubbi-Dubbi fluently.
10. My Mom taught me to knit and crochet, but it took lessons from friends to get me into knitting regularly.

I'll stop there for now.

Joined Secret Pals 4!

Well, I'm excited! I just sent an email to join Secret Pals 4 ! It sounds like a very fun diversion and a way to make an online friend. I just keep reading knitting blog after knitting blog and wondering who all these talented people are! It's quite impressive.

More to come later. Still working on Clapotis, a headband for my son, and trying to finish Star Sweater for younger son.