Secret pal 5 Answers

Normal blogging will return soon. The contest (see the last entry) is still open until June 15th. Diane, right now you win the prize, by default. Cross your fingers no one will read me?

I feel semi-guilty answering these questions, but I understand that they may be useful to Secret pals and RAOKers alike, so here goes:


1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

I am a bit of a yarn snob. I adore natural fibres, but I don’t mind super soft arcrylic for baby stuff. I detest ribbon yarns, thick/thins, and anything that squeaks on the needles. I’m always open to trying new things though.


2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I’m learning to spin. I have a Louet that is just lovely, but I’m not very good yet. Practice will aid that, or so the bloggers would have me believe. J


3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

Allergic to anything with hair (although I lived with two cats up until about 3 months ago, so it’s not too severe). Allergic to mold and mildew – which, of course, is everyone’s favourite SP5 gift to send. Commercial perfumes with alchol bases really make me wheezy. I seem to be mildly allergic to alcohol in general, in fact.


4. How long have you been knitting?

Started about three years ago, and promptly taught 150+ other people.

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

I have an Amazon wishlist under the email orris2004 AT hotmail DOT com and a knitpicks wishlist, but I’m not sure if it’s visible to others. The Amazon list is for friends and family, so please don’t think I’d ever expect (or even hope for) some of the objects in a SP5 gift.

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

I love spicy scents like ginger, cloves, and cinnamon.


7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Yes, especially for hard candy and dark chocolate.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

Honestly, very little. We live in a one bedroom apartment, which limits crafting space. Both I and my wife knit and are learning spinning, so this is severe limitation on other crafts. My wife tats, but I’m not a tatter.





9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like just about every kind of music except really heavy metal or really heavy rock, and the twangy old fashioned country. My computer plays MP3s, and functions as my stereo. Mostly I like fun bouncy upbeat music.


10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

Love deep jewel tones, and autumn colours. Not at all into neons, and pink and I can’t cohabitate happily.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I am married (one year on June 29th – it’s legal in Ontario) to a wonderful lady who makes me deleriously happy. In the past 6 months, we’ve had to put both our cats down, so we are pet-free or pet-less, depending on how much I miss having laundry peed on that day. We don’t have children yet, but would like to in the near future.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

To keep teaching high school, to make a difference, to own a nice home on a biggish piece of land, to keep alpacas and goats and maybe bunny rabbits, to have children – several of them – and raise them as happy-healthy-intelligence-self-reliant people instead of the pet-accessories I’ve seen so many parents keep. To travel. To learn more languages. To brush up on my Welsh, which is over a decade rusty and wasn’t beyond the point and grunt method by much before. To change myself until washing dishes RIGHT after dinner becomes as automatic as it is for my mom. To live to a ripe old age with my wife by my side, as much in love then as we are now. To make other people happy, both in person and anonymously.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?

Honestly? Fleece Artist silk/merino blend. Failing that, I love soft, sock–to-worsted weight natural stuff. I like alpaca, cashmere, and luxury fibres, but will knit happily with almost anything that isn’t bulky, boucle, or squeaky/scratchy. I’d love to knit with cobweb or Shetland fine yarn, but I’m not sure if I’m good enough to try yet, since the patterns I’d try are the kinds that are annotated “Mary So-and-So took three years to spin the yarn for this shawl, and another five years to knit it up. She’d been knitting lace for forty years when she started, and still regards this shawl as her greatest achievement.” Me? Overachiever? Well, maybe.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

See above. Scratchy, squeaky, bumpy, rough.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?

Knitted toys. Lace. Finishing something.


16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Lace, sweaters, shawls, hats, anything but socks, which for some reason fly across rooms and hit walls every single time I work on them.


17. What are you knitting right now?

Three socks – any of which will be “my first sock” when it’s done, a shawl, a sweater, a thrummed earband, 9 baby blankets, and a teddy bear.

18. What do you think about ponchos?

I love them, but I’m very plus-sized, so they tend to be given away when they make me look like a modern dancer who couldn’t quite squeeze all the way into the body bag.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?

Either, depending on the project. I’ve been using a lot of circulars recently.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Bamboo.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

Ummm…no. Not yet. I mean, I feel all in the minority, but I just can’t seem to finish them.

22. How did you learn to knit?

Well, my mom taught me, and I promptly forgot, having gotten frustrated that I couldn’t purl. Repeat process six more times from ages 6 to 17. In university, a schoolmate taught me to knit again, but again, no one could teach me to purl. A year ago at 28, I committed myself to teaching an entire class of kids to knit (so that I wouldn’t have to teach them to use the sewing machines…I HATE sewing, and the machines were 40+ years old and 9 different models). Overnight, I relearned knitting. Three days later, I taught myself to purl with some hep (read “Why can’t you do this? OH, you need to HEAR the instructions not see them performed”) from my wife, who I’D taught to knit a few days before.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

Ummm…about 1 year.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?

Raccons, otters, robins, unicorns, and Eben and Snooch, the webcomic cats from TwoLumps. And Xena. Not animated, but artificial enough to count.

25. What is your favorite holiday?

Canada Day because of the beautiful fireworks. Hallowe’en for the fun, costumes, and candy. Beltaine (May Day) for the fire, drumming, and dancing.

26. Is there anything that you collect?

Dust? Other than that: books, yarn, and pretty semi-precious rocks (amber/amethyst/etc) in their raw form.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

None. I buy Interweave Knits from Chapters on occasion.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?

Well, the whole sci-fi, fantasy, comparative religions, and knitting sections of Chapters. I love cooking too, and especially bread baking. I’m always trying new types of food.