SPLJ3 Questionnaire

[omly]

better late than never *blush*

Your knitting/crocheting habits & desires
1. Do you knit, crochet, or do both?
I knit and am just learning to crochet.

2. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting for just under 2 years now. I taught myself from knittinghelp.com and Stitch 'N Bitch. I am probably an intermediate knitter. I have done most basic techniques, but I am still refining my techiniques.

3. What are your favorite yarns or fibers to knit with? What yarns/fibers do you avoid, dislike or hate? Are you allergic to any fibers?
No allergies here (well my partner is allergic to cats...) I like wool, but honestly I am not even an hater of any fiber type in general. Even acrylic, which gets a bad rap has some good yarn types out there.

4. What do you use to store your needles/hooks? How about your other tools, like stitch holders and point protectors? Where do you store your yarn?
I have a case for my double points and straights, but my circulars live in a flower pot on my desk. I keep saying I am going to sew them a case like the one in Stitch 'N Bitch, but I have not gotten around to it even after almost a year now.

5. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Do you have a needle preference—bamboo, aluminum, plastic, etc.? Any needles you’d like to try?
I like circulars even for flat knitting, specifically metal. I knit really tight especially when stressed, which in grad school is often.

6. Do you own a ball winder and/or swift? Would you prefer to receive center-pull balls of yarn, if the person that has you owns a winder/swift and is so inclined?
Yes I own both and they may my life a happy, happy place. Center-pull balls are not necessary.

7. Are you a sock knitter? Do you want to learn?
Yes, but I haven't done nearly enough yet. I am still trying out new combos of cuffs, toes and heels.

8. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
In the fall I make tons of hats for Xmas gifts, but my favorite project are socks for bus knitting.

9. What are you knitting right now? Any current obsessions like socks, lace, felting, etc.?
I am currently knitting Rogue (sweater) actively. I have Icarus on the back burners waiting for me to have more time for it though. My current obsession in probably socks.

10. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? What have you always wanted to try knitting/crocheting?
I am very curious about all I am hearing about Elizabeth Zimmerman. Also I am always on the look out for good one skein patterns, as I am trying to destash my lonesome skeins right now.

11. How old is your oldest UFO (UnFinished Object)?
I am usually pretty good about finishing things. One execption is a pair of intarsia "poi gloves" which only need a million ends woven in.

12. Do you have any knitting magazine subscriptions? Any that you love or buy regularly?
I have a subscription to Interweave Knits (which I love!). I have found that Vogue Knitting has been good recently too, but I am still buying it on a magazine by magazine basis.

13. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Absolutely :)

14. Would you like to receive hand knitted socks? If so, what are your foot measurements? (Don’t give just your shoe size—measure around the ball of your foot and also the length from heel to toe.) Of course, giving this information is no guarantee that you will actually receive knitted socks. It’s just in case. 
Having knit a couple pairs I know how much care goes into them. They would be well loved, but not something I am looking for specifically. (Length = 9", Circ = 7.5")


Non-knitting stuff
1. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Include a link.

2. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.) Any you can’t stand?
mint (particularly wintergreen), lemon, lemon verbana, vanilla, chocolate

3. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy or snacks? Anything you would hate to get?
A little bit. I am a big fan of reese's peanut butter cups and wintergreen mints.

4. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (in case your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like a variety. Favorite genres include accappella, happy hardcore, and vocal trance. Good female vocals can win me over to pretty much any type of music though.

5. What is your favorite holiday?
summer solstice

6. Do you have a favorite animated character, animal, etc.?
I really like cats, but due to allergies in the house can't have one. I also really like the characters from Spirited Away.

7. Are you into any fandoms? (Harry Potter, Buffy, etc.)
not really, but I am active with a con called Arisia

8. How do you decorate your room/house? Is there anything that you collect?
I am really attracted to Japenese and minimalist rooms. Despite that I do collect dragon and mermaid/nayad items.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? Is there a specific color family/palette that you enjoy knitting with or wearing?
I love blues and greens. I wear a lot of charcoal/black and burgundy/reds. And I am not afraid to knit dark colored yarn ;)

10. Would you like and use icons, layouts, banners or wallpapers? Anything specific?
icons definitely!


Other information about you
1. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? Dye yarn? Are you looking to try any of these, and which ones?
I spin (wheel), dye, cross stitch, draw, and do watercolor painting. I don't really scrapbook, but I am looking into trying it.

2. What is your family/living situation? Do you have any pets?
I live with my daugher (age 7), life partner, and our African Fat-tailed Gecko named Cupric.

3. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens/gloves, slippers or ponchos?
Living in New England, all of these can be useful. Slippers I would use somewhat less though.

4. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
6/22

5. Anything else you’d like to add?
Nope, I'm good :)

Comments

[infinitedomain.livejournal.com]

Oh I was under the impression you liked to knit your whole life? Only a year? That's pretty cool. You think I can learn to do it? See, I've always liked looking at things other people have knitted and find myself coming up with patterns I think are cool. When my grandma would crochett, I would always ask if I could try and she'd let me make a few loops while holding the hook so I wouldn't cut myself and then take it back. I've been putting it off learning because because there were other people around, but now that I have my own place, it occurs to me that I can go to the local yarn store and get the stuff I need to do it. I have to keep it on the down low though because if any of my boys find out they'll instantly accusse me of being something less than heterosexual and not associate with me after that so I have to save it for rainy nights and keep it under the bed. Anyway, what is a good place to start? Recommended beginner resources? How much of an investment (time and money) is a typical project and what do beginning supplies cost?

[omly.livejournal.com]

Honestly the hardest part about knitting is getting started. Everything else is just a variation on "knits" and "purls". A local yarn store will make learning a lot easier. They are there to help you and will usually spend the time answering questions.

There is a great website called knittinghelp.com that has video of all different knitting techniques so that you can actually *see* someone doing them if you can't get someone to show you in person.

As far as how much of an investment a beginning project would be, it depends on what you want. (Don't you hate that answer =/). You can get some cheap straight needles for a couple dollars, and a skein of yarn for a couple more. There is a significant faction of people who think you should buy the best you can afford, because then you will enjoy the process more. Honestly when I started I saw nothing wrong with cheapo acrylic yarns (such as Caron Simply Soft, you can get a large skein enough for a long scarf for only a few dollars), though now I sometimes find it makes my hands more tired than wool. Wool has more give to it, and you can find some really soft wools out there that aren't sratchy at all. Merino for example is really soft, although it can be a little more expensive. But for some metal straight needles and a skein of acrlic yarn, you can make a scarf for less than $10, and you can oviously use the needles over and over.

Whatever fiber you pick, you may want to consider washability, ie will you want to throw it in the washing machine. Acrylic and cotton are both completly washer friendly. Wools marked as "superwash" are too. Just look at the ball band for care instructions.

[infinitedomain.livejournal.com]

How does knitting compare to cross stitch, crochett, conventional sewing that you see granny sitting there in her rocking chair with here needle, yarn, and thimble, and swing on a sewing machine?

Which is the most difficult of the several techniques? Which is most portable (like can take it on a business trip and work on it in the hotel room)?

[omly.livejournal.com]

cross stitch - I enjoy this hobby, but find that it doesn't travel well for me. I find I need down time to do it, and I don't have a ton of that. When I took the commuter rail for an hour each way I did some though. On the bus I would be too afraid of losing needles, thread or getting the fabric/thread incredibly dirty. Plus in counted cross stitch you run a much higher risk of miscounting and having to risk sipping out sections due to a bumpy bus ride. If you were to be doing it like in a hotel room it would be fine. Investment costs for start up are moderate/low, but most "beginner" projects don't appeal to me. Also though I enjoy the result, I think it has little practical use compared to many of my other hobbies. You could do this without any lessons. It is pretty self explanatory, and most patterns come with a quick "how to" for stitching.

embroidery - You don't ask about this one specifically, but as it is similar in many ways to cross stitch I will talk about it. Unlike in cross stitch where you make little "x"s, in embroidery you fill in areas with thread. This means that this isn't the same danger of "miscounting", just of filling in the wrong area. Start up costs are the same, and again there is some question of what you do with your finished items.

crochet - This is much faster than knitting, but requires more raw materials to make something of a comparable size. A lot of people find their mind is more suited to one or the other, though of course some people do both. There are a number of good books out there to learn from and/or you can take classes. An intro class need not take more than an hour or 2 just to get you started. Crochet hooks are stupid cheap though, so your costs (and space required for project in process) are mostly just yarn. This is a very portable hobby. I see almost as many crocheters on my commute as knitters. If you were to wear items that you make, commercially made items tend to be more like knitted items since that is how they are produced (though with machine knitting not usually hand knitting). Crochet is used more in commercially made products as trim or for lacy area, since most crocheting produces a "holey"er fabric than knitting necessarily has.

"conventional sewing" - I know few people who hand sew for more than very small projects/parts of projects. It is just super time intensive once your projects are to any scale. On the plus side it has a lower start up cost than buying a sewing machine. Especially for a beginner the results may not be sturdy enough to toss in a washing machine. Technically this could be a portable hobby, but like I said I don't know anyone who does a ton of it.

machine sewing - I don't do a ton of it, but I know people who do. (mrpet for example has his own part time sewing business and collects antique sewing machines in addition to being a kick-ass engineer.) I might suggest taking a class in this if you are interested though, since you are learning both the skill of working with the machine and sewing at the same time. A little help from a teacher will go a long way. This is exponentially faster than hand-sewing, and even for a beginner results in a sturdy finished project that can usually be tossed in a washing machine. The results usually look fairly professional. Obviously this is not a portable hobby though. You could bring it with you to work in a hotel room, but it is going to add a lot of weight to your baggage.