Greetings and SP5 Questionnaire

I have been considering a knitting blog for a little while now. Secret Pal 5 finally tipped the scales. In honor of SP5's catalyst role, it seems only fitting that the inaugural post should be the questionnaire with my answers.

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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 love the natural fibers that I've used, so far just wool, and I don't mind acrylic. My Lion Brand Homespun poncho was fun, although I have found myself avoiding Red Heart on the yarn aisle of the craft store.


2. Do you spin? Crochet?
   
   I've never done any spinning, but I have crocheted a little.


3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
   
   Nothing that the meds can't control. ;-)
   


4. How long have you been knitting?
   
   About 6 or 7 months.
   


5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
   
   I've never taken the time to set one up before, but this seems like a good opportunity. Stay tuned. I finally got an Amazon wishlist set up. Just search for yarnomine[at]hotmail[dot]com. It doesn't have many items on it yet, but I'll keep adding. :-)
   


6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
   
   Rose, almond and honey, anything clean/fresh smelling, nothing too overpowering.
   


7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
   
   Of course. I adore dark chocolate, but I do try to limit myself.
   


8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
   
   I have done some beading, just a few pieces of jewelry, and origami. I've been thinking about trying fabric origami.
   


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 most music: pop/rock, classical, country, jazz, blues, etc. Rap is probably my least favorite, although I do have/like some of it too. I can play MP3 CDs.
   


10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
    
    I love jewel tones, purple and blue especially.
    


11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
    
    I'm single and have a couple of roommates to share my house. Between us, we have a German Shepherd, a Yorkshire terrier, and a cat. Luckily everyone gets along.
    


12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
    
    I would love to make a living writing fiction.
    


13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
    
    From my limited experience, my favorite would be Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. I'd love to try fibers like bamboo and hemp.
    


14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
    
    Again, I have very limited experience, but the project I least enjoy involves Red Heart.
    


15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
    
    I wouldn't call it an obsession, though it has potential, but I am looking at a lot of bag patterns lately.
    


16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
    
    Right now, bags.
    


17. What are you knitting right now?
    
    On the needles now, I have a Booga bag with Noro Kureyon, a cotton swatch-that-will-become-a-washcloth, and a Harry Potter Gryffindor scarf with the Red Heart. I also just joined the Mystery Stole-Along, so that will hit the needles as soon as the yarn from Handpainted Yarn arrives and I figure out which size needles I'm going to use. The idea of lace is a little intimidating, but I'm excited about the project.
    


18. What do you think about ponchos?
    
    I like them. I knit one from Homespun and enjoyed wearing it before summer set in with a vengeance -- ah, life in the Deep South.
    


19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
    
    Both. The Booga bag is my first circular project. I finally got the hang of the circs, and I love them.
    


20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
    
    Bamboo.
    


21. Are you a sock knitter?
    
    Not yet, but I do intend to try knitting socks eventually.
    


22. How did you learn to knit?
    
    I bought a kit and thought the instructions were confusing. Soon after, I caught Knitty Gritty on DIY and saw someone demonstrating Continental knitting. A lightbulb went off, and I looked for other resources. Stitch 'n Bitch has been helpful, as have several online resources.
    


23. How old is your oldest UFO?
    
    Hmm, I think I bought the HP scarf materials and the kit over a year ago, even though I didn't actually start the scarf until about last Christmas.
    


24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
    
    Harry Potter (okay, so that's not exactly animated). Hello Kitty, especially the Sanrio characters other than HK. As for favorite animals, I would probably choose dogs and dragons.
    


25. What is your favorite holiday?
    
    Christmas.
    


26. Is there anything that you collect?
    
    Books. Dragons -- figurines, stuffed animals, not the real thing. :-)
    


27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
    
    Creative (Easy?) Knitting.
    


28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
    
    I ordered Bags: A Knitter's Dozen, but it was backordered. I'm dying for it to arrive. I'd also love to have Folk Bags, Knitting without Tears, and Weekend Knitting.
    


29. What do you do for a living?
    
    I'm an editor and technical writer.
    


30. What's in your stash?
    
    Mostly acrylic stuff that I've bought on sale. I also have some recycled sari silk that's destined to become Unbiased from Knitty.

I'm really looking forward to SP5. This should be fun!