hi, pal!

here's my questionnaire, greatly abridged.

however, for depth and breadth, feel free to reference my questionnaire responses from previous swaps, including sp7.part1 and sp7.part2 and sp6.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

i love soft wool, merino, cashmere, silk, alpaca, and soy silk. in the second tier, i'm getting more acquainted with cotton and linen and bamboo, slowly but surely, and learning what feels good to me. i generally veer away from yarns with pronounced inherent texture, including intense mohair, angora, bouclé, and the novelty stuff. i try to minimize (or avoid) synthetics as much as possible.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

a mod green floral print needle case from a lovely seamstress on ebay i acquired about two years ago.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

though i learned the basics when i was quite young (and made a chic pink wrap skirt for my barbie, as i can recall), i've been knitting more actively since college, so i suppose about three years. i don't know what qualifies as advanced skills, but i believe i can knit just about anything. :)

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

probably, though it's probably quite out-of-date and suffering in neglect, so i wouldnt bother referring to it. it's better just to ask me point-blank what i'm wishing for...

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

something warm, intriguing, and experiential. i can go either organic aromatherapeutic (pure and simple), or lab-worthy complex (pomegranate + fennel, anyone?)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

intense dark chocolate, either minimal or infused with interesting extracts. i'm currently obsessed with dolfin chocolate.

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

gastronomic delights (cooking, baking), the art of letter writing, a pretty good knack for interior design. no spinning...

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

look to my radio show, sans serif on wmbr for a good survey. you can peruse through the playlists and even listen to my on-air archives if you so dare. i'm always looking for new experimental electronic musicians, and i definitely dip into other independent music types as well...

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

colours in general: my favourite is chartreuse. spring green, kiwi, green tea, everything of that sort. fresh, bright, quirky. all other colours hold my fancy pretty much evenly, and the brighter and happier the better. saturateds and neutrals are great. my favourite 'finish' is a matte sheen...

colours to wear: i tend to gravitate toward berry shades (raspberry, deep pink, deep violet) and greens (forest, leaf, midnight), and neutrals (black, beige, natural), though i also wear sock-me-in-the-eye colours like highlighter yellow and coral and red. i believe the key is saturation... none of this pastel or subdued stuff. i have no idea what 'season' i am or anything, but it'd be really neat if you took my picture to a colour artist and had them pick out something that would be flattering. asian complexion, you know the story. :) i rarely wear brown, grey, light blue, lavender -- but of course there are always exceptions!

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

three fun roommates, no pets.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

yes to all except the poncho. *especially* no to the poncho.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

that's a hard question. i have to say i love scarves, just because you can get really creative with such a flexible but constrained surface. and by extension, i like home objects like pillows, blankets, and knit toys because it's functional and decorative with an intimate sense of handmade warmth. close runner-up: anything (esp. sweaters, surfaces, socks) that can be knit in-the-round with miiiiinimal seaming. i am the surliest and sloppiest finisher ever! plus it's faster... the momentum can make you dizzy. :)

in the list of things that i will never ever knit (or have done so and will never again):
headband, skirt, dress, poncho, shawl, button-up vest, cover-up, wrap, laceweight lace, doll clothing, bookmark, belt, doily, wedding dress.

i may make exceptions if it's truly inventive, modern, and cute, but i'm sticking to my resolutions for now.

13. What are you knitting right now?

CO:
seaberry roseberry shell from IK summer 06, in misti cotton + pima silk terracotta.

no-pressure winter-weather WIP:
forecast from knitty, in peace fleece worsted ancient fern (75%).

long-term WIPs:
regulus socks from socks for sandals and clogs, in koigu kersti (5%).
exchequered from knitty, in jaeger matchmaker dk geranium + mocha (1%).

i just finished the yarn-over steek vest from loop-d-loop, in swtc phoenix (soysilk) rose.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

sure, as long as it's useful (though cuteness is often a function) and doesnt break your back.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

most often, circular. depending on the project, bamboo or susan bates silverado.

for small projects, i like small bamboo straights. i do have inox dpns for narrow projects, but i hate dpns for in-the-round use.

i do use my denise set quite often, just for its flexibility.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

nope, and i am pretty happy to handwind without them.

17. How did you learn to knit?

my mom! and then, fifteen years later, debbie stoller in SnB. :)

18. How old is your oldest UFO?

oh goodness. um. let me get back to you on that... why is this even a question? heh.

19. What is your favorite holiday?

something that's not yet ridiculously commercialised. arbor day, earth day, or thanksgiving.

20. Is there anything that you collect?

not particularly, though i do weaken at really lovely books, anything from art to fashion to food, and hello kitty items.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

i currently subscribe to interweave. i sometimes peek into vogue knitting, though they're been kind of fugly lately.

unfortunately i already ordered two of the books that have been on my wishlist for a while, 'knitting nature' by norah gaughan and the 'maxon-dixon knitting' book by ann + kay, so i think that's taken care of by now.

however, i dont have much books on basic techniques. i would love to own one of ann budd's books, a stitch dictionary, or classic elizabeth zimmermann.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

perhaps just learning good technique for finishing so i'm not so terrified. also, one of these days i would love to be comfortable at learning continental style (i currently throw à la english).

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

yes, off and on. i'm not sure what i measure, since i adore toe-up-try-on-as-you-go-ness, but i wear about an 8.5 wide.

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

august 29! my half-birthday's on leapyear day!

hope this is helpful. any more questions -- feel free to send them my way. thanks so much in advance!