OOOoooOOO

Nifty!

My lovely secret pal sent me a giftie which arrived today. Thank you thank you thank you! Inside was tea-tree and ginger facial scrub (mmmm...ginger) which smells lovely, a gorgeous purple bracelet that perfectly matched the dress I wore today, some polka-dotted post-it type notes (so very handy for aiding in following patterns) and...most interesting...some locking stitch markers.

Now, I will confess, I have absolutely no clue what one is SUPPOSED to use locking stitch markers for, although the picture on the package shows them festooning a sweater. I think, however, that you probably use them on things like shawls and sweaters to mark where you need to pick up stitches, or which row you should drop a stitch down to.

You know what that means, dearest readers? That's right! It means I need a new project, one which requires locking stitch markers. What's that, you say? I'm terrible at math (even worse than the Harlot and her 8 mistakes?). Why yes, yes I am. But I'm also gutsy! I'll start any project, any project at all, I will. (shhh...don't talk about finishing projects)

Oh! Speaking of finishing projects, I got a giggle today. My mom called. She's bored with a project, and wanted to know if I wanted to finish it for her. She was attempting to make thrummed mittens for my sister, currently studying in Germany. Instead, she found that thrumming is "boring. Really really boring. Like, I'd rather type on the computer, it's THAT boring."

Why did I giggle, you ask? Remember that lovely thrummed headband I was making last winter? Erm...it's hidden in the desk drawer from whence projects tend not to return. To give you an idea of how hidden...it's below ALL the socks.

Sooooo....anyone got any ideas for a lockable stitch marker project that won't inhabit a desk?

SP6 Questionnaire

I just noticed that this questionnaire was different from the SP5 one, so here goes:



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?

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 right now I have a BIG bag of fibre to spin though, so my spinning needs are more than taken care of.

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 alcohol bases really make me wheezy. I seem to be mildly allergic to alcohol in general, in fact. I’m a non smoker as well (funny, with the asthma, I never wanted to try it)

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. The Amazon list was created primarily 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. I greatly dislike roses and lavendar scents. To give you an idea, I prefer all the men’s deodorant scents to the women’s. Fresh, light, non-floral is a great bet.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Ummm. We’ll go with yes on this one. Yep, definitely yes. I’m particularly fond of hard candies. The one thing I can’t ever seem to find for myself is something called “spice gums”. They look like your usual sugar-rolled jujubes, but instead of fruit flavours, the white ones are clove, the red ones are cinnamon, the green ones mint etc.

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

I’m not actually very good with my hands, all the knitting to the contrary. The spinning, as mentioned above, is fairly disastrous, mainly because I simply don’t have a lot of time to practice (OK, and I knit when I DO have the time)

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. Right now the music I’m listening to ranges from Clannad to Rhianna. 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?

I love deep jewel tones, and autumn colours – especially the red/browns. I’m not at all into neons; 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 8 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 learn to play my pruple violin. To conquer my tone-deafness. 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. More likely a dreamer though. I also recently got to play with a little bit of the Euroflax lace weight and it was NICE.

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?
I go back and forth on this. I like having a big simple project on the needles, so that I can carry it from class to class in the school where I teach, and not worry about losing the pattern, or dropping a stitch. I knit when the kids are working quietly, since it’s the only way I can watch them, not be bored, and not interrupt THEIR concentration when I am bored. So things like blankets, ponchos, etc are great. On the other hand, they’re also really boring when they hit the black hole stage. That's when I start playing with lace and hard patterns. Then I get fristrated and stop for a week or three. I love the idea of sweaters, but I’ve never made one since sleeves and necks scare me.

17. What are you knitting right now?

Oh. Umm. * scuffs her toe in the dirt and looks sheepish * A sweater, two to six socks ( I hide em), a shawl, and a bunch of patterns I look at but don’t buy so I'm just knitting in my head. Oh! And the corset thingy the Harlot was bloggin about…but I haven’t started that one, just bought the yarn.

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?
Circulars, generally. BUT I have a knitting club at my school (remember those 150+ people I taught to knit? Yes, they’re ALL in the club)…so straight needles from 4mm to 7 mm have all disappeared from my house, and will likely KEEP disappearing.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic
Bamboo. Aluminum when there’s no bamboo. Plastic is way too slippery for me.

21. Are you a sock knitter?

I want to say yes, I dream of being able to say yes, I feel so “othered” having to say no, but….no. I have 4 socks cast on. the oldest is from before last Christmas. None of them have gone past the ribbing. (looks guilty) I DID manage to knit a pair of Fuzzy Feet from knitty. Do they count?

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 help (read “ARGH! Why can’t you do this??? OH, you need to HEAR the instructions not see them performed! Hmm...how to you indicate a loop without calling it a loop?”) from my wife, who I’D taught to knit just a few days before.

23. How old is your oldest UFO?

A year and a half. It’s a sock.

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

Raccons, otters, robins, and Eben and Snooch, the webcomic cats from TwoLumps. And Xena. She’s not animated, but is 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.

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. I’m a big foodie. Hmm…that MIGHT have something to do with the whole poncho problem, mightn’t it?

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another?
Zimmerman’s Pi shawl. I can’t find it outside a book.

30. What are your foot measurements, and what kind of socks do you like?
I wear a size 8 ladies. From heel to toe along the middle bottom of my foot is 9 inches. Across the widest part is about 4.5 inches.I like thin socks, generally, and lil patterns make me giggle. I teach drama, so I send a lot of time sock-footed.