Be still my beating heart – Secret Pal 10

I have been working my way though many of the craftorati blogs that shockingly have passed me by over the last few years, and have been intrigued by all of the swaps and craft-alongs that have been going on. As mentioned, I am extremely unobservant – how do people know when these events are going to take place? Back tack, Whip-up, Sock-apalooza – so many great opportunities to meet interesting people through the internet. And I keep missing them. (Although, I did sign up for Project Spectrum this year and have been useless so far).

But no longer! I am really happy that I managed to catch the sign-ups for Secret Pal 10 – I sent in my info yesterday. I don’t know what I hope to get out of it really – mostly I really want to meet more people who get why we knit, why we make things, why it is so important, not just for our own well-being, but for society as a whole, to take a step back from the rabid commercialisation of our world and spend time creating objects infused with dedication, craftsmanship and passion. I hope my pal understands these things and feels them keenly, as I do. And I hope I can do justice to what is a truly wonderful idea – to share openly and freely with a stranger some of the things that move me and hopefully will move her/him.

All of which is a rather long-winded way of introducing my questionnaire.

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

Total snob – love Debbie Bliss cashmerino. I have fairly sensitive skin, so cannot knit up thick wools for myself, and I will not wear synthetics at all (except for a tiny amount of lycra mixed in with other things for stretch, and in sock yarn for durability). The only time I knit acrylic is for vegan friends, and only if I can’t stretch to bamboo/soy.

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

I have a gorgeous needle “quiver” (my brother’s name for it) from knottydottie on Craftster which is perfect for longer straights and circulars, but my dpns and hooks have an irritating habit of sliding out of it. I am in the process (read: I have thought of) of making myself a little roll just for hooks and dpns, but goodness knows when that’s going to happen.

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

I was taught to knit at primary school – I remember knitting a teddy bear that was sent off with other teddy bears to an orphanage somewhere – but dropped it until last year when I got an uncontrollable urge to knit. I re-taught myself from the Debbie Stoller book (I have since learnt to crochet from the Happy Hooker book, so that shows how much of an influence she has had on my crafting life, although I haven’t made any of the projects from either book, so…!) I would say I am an intermediate – I have no problem with dpns, circulars, cables or basic lace, but more complicated lace projects or fair isle give me the heebie jeebies.

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

Yes, gluttonous soul that I am. I have both an Amazon list (Claudia Christmas 2006 – title needs to be updated) and a wist (www.wists.com/esmerelda)

5. What’s your favorite scent?

Jasmine, just adore it. Also like lilac and lavendar, caramel, port wine.

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

Lindt chocolate eggs are my current downfall – how can you just eat one? It will be a sad day for my waistline and wallet when I succumb to buying a bag of the mini-ones. I love cakes and pastries more than candy. We were very fortunate to be sent some maple syrup from Canada a couple of of months ago, so pancakes with syrup have become a Sunday staple round ours.

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

I would like to learn to spin, but I have a sneaky suspicion I would be rubbish at it (bad hand-to-eye coordination and complete lack of patience). It would be an incredibly cool thing to be able to do, though. I make beaded jewellry and dabble in papercrafts, recon altoid tins and cross stitch.

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

I love folk/roots, modern celtic (Solas & Karan Casey, not the Chieftans!) and opera. I have an ipod shuffle thingy, so mp3s are welcome.

9. What’s your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can’t stand?

All blues, greens and purples, lighter yellows and darker oranges. Really not fond of seventies colour combos (bizarrely, they make me feel physically unwell), or eighties neons.

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

Live-in lover (the most wonderful, adorable, funny Mr. T), no pets.

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

No, yes if not itchy, yes, noooooo!

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

Mittens and socks – so quick!!

13. What are you knitting right now?

My first sweater – free pattern from Bergere de France – and a hat for a swap.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Of course! Handmade rocks, I love that someone who has never met me would put time, thought and affection into making me something totally unique.

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

I prefer aluminium by far, and really don’t like plastic. Bamboo is ok for dpns, but I prefer to use aluminium ones. That said, I covet the new Blue Sky Alpacas dpns, but I think that is more about the pretty tins than anything else.

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

Neither

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Not that old. I go through periodic tidy-ups of my stash and frog things (so satisfying!) so the oldest thing is probably only a couple of months old.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas, by far! I love the colours and the cold, the lights and the food!! Easter is a close second (hmm, sensing a chocolate theme here…)

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Handbags/purses, although I might be turfed out of the house by m’boyfriend if I get another one. Amigurumi are always welcome, so if you crochet that would be cool. Yarn, obviously…

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

Oh, boy! I just bought a subscription to Interweave Knits – British knitting magazines pale in comparison! That said I missed the first edition of Yarn Forward, so would like to get my hands on that or the second edition when it comes out. Would really love “Folk Socks” by Nancy Bush, or “And So to Bed” by Lucinda Grey – the patterns in the latter are just gorgeous. Another book I would love is the Yarn Harlot’s “Knitting Rules” book.

21. Are there any new techniques you’d like to learn?

Fair isle, definitely. Otherwise, I’m pretty set.

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

Yes – although only recently converted, I am now a devoted follower of the sock. Feet are 9inches around, and 9.5inches toe-heel.

23. When is your birthday?

August 6^th

Knitters United

I was intrigued to read the Harlot’s post about knitters striking back at the muggles who refuse to understand that we are a fairly large group of people. I am fortunate that most of my friends are pretty open to the fact that I knit, and I have never had any problems in public – in fact, I have directed at least two people to knittinghelp.com, and taught a further two the rudiments of knitting in the round. That said, I do agree with many of the comments about the condescension coming more from a sense of “oh, you’re a woman, and you knit, how quaint!” My own dearest Dad, when I first whipped out my knitting at their house, said “That’s very domesticated of you!” in shock! As I was raised by completely egalitarian parents who believed a fine education was the key to success in life, I think he was baffled by why I would want to take up a hobby that was perceived negatively as stereotypically feminine. The fact that I was knitting a neon pink, stuffed octopus rather slipped his attention…!

Anyway, please please please – if you are a knitter and you are reading this, get your local group involved on March 22nd. Not all of us can obviously get to NYC, so get together, knit it up, and support each other – we know that knitting is cool and that we are a force to be reconned with, so let’s show the muggles!

The picture void

Another week with nothing to show for it! But that’s not to say I haven’t actually been busy. Extremely busy, both on the work and crafting fronts, and, unfortunately, the former seems to be impeding on the latter somewhat.

Back in November, Mr. T decided that he had had enough of being pushed around by his various employers over the past few years, and decided to strike out on his own, becoming a freelancer (and I am extremely proud of him for going for it.) So far, not much has changed, as he landed a six month contract with a local firm that, aside from a better rate of pay, means that he pretty much works exclusively for them. Recently, however, he has landed weekend work with a friend of his, and he asked me to come along as his assistant. This is great because it means we get extra money every weekend that we have work, which otherwise he would have to pay someone else. This is not great, however, for my crafting productivity levels, which were pretty much dependent on the weekends, particularly when dealing with larger projects.

The other problem I have when it comes to the blog is that currently most of the FOs I actually get FO’d are for swaps, so I don’t want to post pictures until they reach their recipients. So, you will just have to put up with a few pictureless posts for the foreseeable future.

In other news, I cast on my first sock for the February “Love” challenge. I am using the toe-up pattern from Knitty and so far, so good. I am on to the glorious whizzyness of the foot now – tiny rounds of stockinette, perfect for train- and bus-knitting without being too tedious – and should hit the heel portion by tomorrow morning. I will keep you posted.

January Socks

Finished!

Pattern: came with the yarn, but it’s a pretty standard one by all accounts

Yarn: “Jitterbug” by Colinette in Blue Parrot

Pros: Really comfortable to knit with; machine washable

Cons: Stupid uneven striping – the left one has about twice as many stripes as the right; heel is rather uncomfortable