Edited to add: I'll be taking pics tonight of the diaganol lace scarf and the multi-directional scarf so stay tuned for them and for some exciting news! (Well it's exciting for me, I can't promise anyone else will be as thrilled as I am.)
The Knit-Geek Questionnaire (unrelated to any swaps or secret pal exchanges), as seen on A Strikke.
1. What's your worst habit relating to your knitting?Starting a million things at once and not finishing them. I leave them sitting around for so long that I start to feel guilty and I end up frogging them.
2. In what specific ways does your knitting make you a better person?I have a tendency to be very high strung and I have a short fuse. Knitting is the one thing that seems to calm me down. It's my stress reliever. It's also the only time I ever sit still.
3. How might you or your life be different if you were suddenly unable to knit?I'd probably drive everyone around me crazy. I would no longer be the calm, mellow, semi-level headed person I've been since I first picked up the needles.
4. If money were no object, what one yarn, and what one tool or gadget would you run out and buy first?I always say if I ever won the lottery I would knit exclusively with Noro Yarns. I love them.
5. What knitting technique or project type are you most afraid of (if any)? What, specifically, do you fear will happen when you try it?I don't have any knitting related fears. I used to. My first knitting related fear was dpn's. But then I gave them a try and realized it was easy. Next up was lace, but again, I quickly conquered that fear. Then it was turning a heel, but it was easier than I thought it would be. With the Nina Shawl from Mason Dixon Knitting I faced my fear of Fair Isle and realized not only was it easy but fun! After that I threw all my fears out the window, after all if I make a mistake I can always frog. Since I started knitting though I have developed an irrational fear of Rheumatoid Arthritis. I don't have it, no one in my family does, but it scares the crap out of me!
6. Who is/are your knitting hero(es), and why?I really admire all the ordinary women and men who's blogs I read that write their own patterns or just jump in fearlessly.
7. Do you consider knitting, for you personally, a mostly social activity, or a mostly solitary activity?It's mostly solitary, however I do knit with my friends on a regular basis. I love it, but sometimes I prefer being alone, it's easier to get more accomplished when I'm not sitting around laughing and gossiping.
8. Is there a particular regional tradition in knitting that you feel strongly drawn toward (e.g., Fair Isle, Scandinavian, Celtic, Orenburg lace)? Any theories as to why it calls to you?Not really, although recently I started reading about the history of the Gansey and I must say it is interesting.
9. If you were a yarn, which yarn would you be?
Something silky and soft, maybe pure silk or silk rhapsody.
10. Some statistics:
(a) How many years have passed since you FIRST learned to knit?A little more than 2.
(b) How many total years have you been actively, regularly knitting (i.e., they don't have to have been in a row)?A little more than 2.
(c) how many people have you taught to knit?3 or 4
(d) Roughly what percentage of your FOs do you give away (to anyone besides yourself, i.e., including your immediate family)90%
11. How often do you KIP (knit in public)? i.e., once a week, once a month, etc. Where do you do it?Usually once a month my friends and I will get together and knit at Starbucks. We've also knit in Borders and talk about one day knitting at the grocery store just for giggles. I usually have knitting in the car with me as well so if I'm waiting for someone I can just pull it out and knit in the parking lot.
12. If a genie granted you one hour to stitch-n-bitch with any one knitter, living or dead, who would you choose and why?I don't know, I don't really know anything about Elizabeth Zimmerman who seems to be many people's first choice. I'd have to choose someone who's blog I read on a regular basis, but there's to many of them to narrow it down to just one.
13. What aspect or task in knitting makes you most impatient?I seem to get stuck in a knitting rut with larger projects. Especially things like lace shawls where you're increasing in size every row. By the end, you're telling yourself you only have three more rows and then you bind off, it sounds so close, but in all reality, it's thousands of stitches away and takes forever.
14. What is it about knitting that never lets you get bored with it? The end result. I always look forward to getting something off the needles and blocking it to see what it really looks like. Or knitting for other people. Seeing someone appreciate something I spent that time on makes me happy and proud. Learning new things as well. It makes me feel accomplished when I correctly do something I haven't done before.
15. Describe how and where you most often do your knitting - where do you sit, what is going on around you, what tools do you use and how are they (dis)organized?I usually knit in my bedroom. I lounge out on the bed, sitting up against what seems like hundreds of pillows and knit. Usually I have the TV on in the background, but if it's something complex, I don't always pay attention. I seem to use my addi's more now then ever and they're not very organized. Just thrown into a felted box on a bookshelf. My WIPs are kept in different places. My Log Cabin blanket is in a plastic bag with all the yarn for it in my dresser, others are kept in plastic bags on the arm chair no one can ever sit on because it's over run with yarn, and others are hidden out of site in baskets or bags. My yarn is stored in two dresser drawers, a huge cube end table and various big baskets I have around my room, as well as in boxes on my floor and bags on my armchair because I don't have anywhere else to put it. I also have a few hanks hung up for decoration as well.
16. Which one person is the recipient of more of your knitting than any other?There's no one imparticular as of right now, just friends and family. When I'm dating someone, I tend to knit more for them than anyone else.
17. What's the oddest thing about your knitting, or yourself as a knitter?I don't think there's really anything odd about my knitting or other knitting related habits I have, but non knitters think I'm kind of crazy once they see how much yarn I hoard. They also look at me funny when I sniff yarn (I highly recommend sniffing Elisabeth Lavold Silky Wool, it's heavenly) or stop strangers in the street to admire their scarf or sweater. They also seem to think it's weird when I examine the seams of a sweater in the store or try to guess the fiber content without looking at the tag. But really does that seem weird or funny to any of you?
18. What do you see yourself knitting - if anything - twenty years from now?Probably sweaters, shawls, scarves, socks. Hopefully by then I'll have kids to knit for. I'd love that!
19. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could have only ONE SKEIN of yarn, which yarn would it be and what would you do with it?Only one skein of yarn? I'd die. I'm half tempted to say something cheap that would hold up against being frogged over and over again so that when I'm finished knitting it all up, I could just tear it apart and knit something else, but since we're being honest here, I'd much rather have some handpainted lace yarn to knit a shawl with. If it was complex enough, it could keep me occupied for weeks.
20. If you were allowed to own only one knitting-related book, which would it be? (you'd be free to browse others, but you couldn't keep them)Scarfstyle. It's the one knitting book I own that I use more then any other ones.
21. Is knitting the new yoga? Why or why not?I don't do yoga, so I'm not exactly sure how the two compare. I guess I could see why some people say that. After all yoga became such a big trend and now knitting seems to be the new trend. Also yoga is relaxing and knitting can be relaxing. For me, it's not just something relaxing though, it's something so much more. I think knitting beats out yoga.
22. What important thing are you trying to put off doing whenever you knit?" Work, hanging out with my friends, cleaning, venturing out in public... The list goes on!
Labels: Meme
