Sockret Pal Starts

I like the idea of this exchange: a secret pal for sock addicts like me!

I emailed this to my Sockret Pal already, but Rachel says to post it here, so here it is!

Sock-ret Pal Questionnaire
The basics:
How long have you been knitting?
I’ve been knitting for almost 3 years.

Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep?
I’ve knit a dozen or so pair, so I’d say I’m intermediate. Nothing scares me, tho, knitting-wise.

The measurements:
While your pal may ask for some additional info to ensure a great fit, please provide your shoe size, or any other fitting related info you think is pertinent.
I wear a size 8.5 shoe.

(fiber related) Favorites:
What colors do you love?
Dark green, black, purples, blues, sage green, cream, burgundy
Do you prefer solids or variegated?
Depends on the pattern: lace and cables, I usually use solids, but some patterns, like feather and fan, look great with variegated.
What fibers do you most love to knit with?
I like natural fibers, and rarely if ever knit with acrylics. I’m not keen on novelty yarns or solid cotton yarns.
Who do you consider your favorite yarn vendors?
Jaggerspun, for their Zephyr laceweight, Ornaghi Filati for their merino oro laceweight, Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Cherry Tree Hill, Nature’s Pallet, Artyarns and Koigu for their sock yarns.
What projects (other than socks, of course*S*) do you most enjoy knitting? Lace shawls and stoles. I like to felt stuff, too. Bags, clogs and slippers.

(fiber related) Dislikes:
What fibers can you not stand to knit with? Novelty yarns, 100% cotton, itchy-scratchy yarn. To wear? Same, really.
What colors would you never wear? Yellow, orange. Not for socks, tho. I’ll wear just about any color socks!

The Tools:
Plastic or Metal? Bamboo or wood? Addi or knitpicks circs, magic loop.
Are there any knitting accessories you don't have in your collection but would like? One can really never have too many doo-dads.

The Extras:
Do you have a wish list? If so, please share the link!
No wish list.
Do you like sweet, sour or salty? (or all of the above? *S*)
Salty, and sweet. Not a big sourpuss (although I do like pickled things!)
Do you have any allergies your pal should know about? (Certain foods, smoke, pet hair, etc)
No allergies, except my horrendous housework allergy.
Favorite scents? Scents you can't stand?
I like non-sweet scents: lavendar, rosemary, clove, sandalwood, musk, tea tree, patchouli, that sort of thing.
Do you collect anything (other than yarn and knitting toys of course)?
I collect old tea things.
When is your birthday? (month and day is fine!)
January 25
Do you spin? Dye your own yarn?
I don’t spin, but I just started dyeing. Or I should admit, I’ve just dyed my first skein. Not a pretty sight.
Your favorite author/band/vacation spot, anything you think will help your pal know you better...
I love to read. Barbara Kingsolver, lots of mystery writers, Jane Austen, Jasper FForde, John Steinbeck

I’m a scarey-obsessed Harry Potter fan.

Music: Dave Matthews, Norah Jones, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Dixie Chicks, Allison Kraus, Tom Petty. I have fairly pedestrian tastes, I guess. I love celtic music.

Fav vacation spot: anyplace with a beach, mountains, Scotland (that’s my latest obsession. I just discovered that my family is from the Shetland Islands and now I’m aching to go back to Scotland).

Long time gone

When school starts back up, I find myself with lots less time to knit, let alone blog about knitting. But I'm home sick today, so I thought I'd post an update. But first, a question. "What's in your wallet"? I just cleaned mine out, and I'm obviously a knitter. I had three dimes, a quarter, two pennies, and 2 stitch markers in my change purse!

I just got back from answering the door. I had to sign for a package. For me! The beautiful cobweb weight yarn I ordered has arrived from Ukraine. 3400 yards of black loveliness! Disgustingly low price: about $12.00 for the yarn and shipping. It will have to wait in the stash until I've finished at least a couple of the 5 shawls I'm currently working on, but at some point it will become either the Gladys Amedro Sheelagh Shawl or Heirloom Knitting's Spring Shawl. Here it is, with my new best friend.

As some of you know, I can rarely resist a swap of any kind, so I signed up for the International Scarf Exchange. I'm using the pattern Tilting Blocks from one of the Barbara Walker treasuries, and it's a fun pattern to knit. I love the yarn; it's an oh-so-slightly variegated fingering weight merino. The woman I'm making it for likes jewel tones, and this certainly fits the bill. The pattern is reversible, so I think it will make a nice scarf. Here's what it looks like after 5 pattern repeats.

Lastly, I can hardly do a knitting update without mentioning socks. Here's a pic of the most recent completed pairs. I really did finish both socks of each pair!

Back to the kleenex and my knitting!

Secret Swag

Secret Pal 8 is over, and I recently received my package. My Secret pal decided to wait til the end and send one package. Here's a pic of the swag. It includes a book that was on my wish list, 2 skeins of really pretty yarn from Classic Elite and a skein of Knitpicks Shadow in the color Redwood Forest. If you look closely, you can see the cute stitch markers, including one with my name! And see the gift card from Michaels? I'll certainly be checking out Michaels real soon.
School started a couple of weeks ago, which is cutting into my knitting time, but I am managing to make progress on a couple of pairs of socks and my self-designed Shetland stole. Pics soon, but I have some grading to do today!