The SP5 Questionnaire for my pal

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 think I might be a little bit of a yarn snob. I do prefer natural fibres or blends with high natural fibre content. Having said that there is some radical totally man made stuff out there. Don’t really know lion brand – not sure what the Aussie equivalent is but I really like Jo sharp’s DK and I'm a fan of Rowan yarns but they are just totally off the planet expensive here in Aus.

2. Do you spin? Crochet? I'm a beginner spinner and loving it. I have recently been donated TWO! spinning wheels. I don’t crochet. Next adventure is to learn to dye my own yarn and sliver.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) Cats, dogs and eggs – Don’t know why any one would spin dog hair do you???

4. How long have you been knitting?
More than 20 years but not constantly. I’m a quilter, I sew and other stuff too (too many crafts)

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? No

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) Pretty fond of lavender.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yup! But I am doing well on weight watchers at the mo having lost 18kgs since number two daughter was born. I have 8kgs still to lose ….sob sob..

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? See Q4 Most needle crafts and I like beading, handmade cards, and I’d love to learn bulrush basket making one day! Oh and restoring antique furniture too!

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) Yup. I like indigo girls, tori Amos, they might be giants, Bruce Springsteen, Hunters and Collectors, Paul Kelly and Sarah McLachlan to name a few at random.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? Cant stand orange or mustard Prefer blues and greens and carmine reds. Although I like to be surprised by colour.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I'm married, husband John. Two girls, Milly 2 yrs and 3 months and Gemma 9 months.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) To have a totally successful home business selling knitting related products (yet to be concocted) and to have a few more kids, knit them lots of things, live on acres with a view, a big house, huge vege patch, sheep cows and other animals…Its not just a pipe dream we are looking at land now!

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Jo Sharp DK for wool, Rowan All seasons cotton for a cotton blend and Karabella Roses. Love the Aussie brand ‘Rare Yarns’ too.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? We call it feathers here – oh I am so over that. Cheap harsh prickly wools and alpaca with guard hair still in YUK.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Interweave knits Mag and vogue knitting I've got a couple of the recent issues -boy I want to knit up a storm. Dying to try Rowan Summer tweed and denim yarns. Dying to knit a mobius from my own hand spun.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Kiddies Cardies I think. They knit up quick and get heaps of comments and they are actually a garment rather than a scarf or wrap.

17. What are you knitting right now? I'm lagging on a knitalong -a lace panel wrap around top that can be worn a number of ways from rare Yarns and Aussie Brand. A vest for Gemma from Rowan All Seasons Cotton and various umbilical hats from Stitch n Bitch I love that pattern!!

18. What do you think about ponchos? I'm warming to them. I don’t have one but I’m thinking that they are kind of more useful than shawls because they don’t fall off. Mum dug one out of her keeping chest that I had when I was 4 for my little girl. It was knitted by my nanna and I like that one.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? I like circulars for biggies but straights are much better behaved in storage.

20. Bamboo, aluminium, plastic? Casein and bamboo – oh and of course addy turbos I don’t have any yet - I just covet them.

21. Are you a sock knitter? Not yet but soon – very very soon.

22. How did you learn to knit? I think for a brownie badge when I was about 10 – Perhaps the North American equivalent is very young Girl Scouts – do you have Brownie Guides?

23. How old is your oldest UFO? MMM going on 10yrs – It’s a jumper - the collar has been frogged many times. I'm thinking of giving up, its out of style now any way.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? Miffy, I am partial to knitted tigers. Suffolk black faced Sheep and lambs are high on my list too!

25. What is your favorite holiday? Beach, Sun, long lunches, wine tasting and gourmet restaurants. Or camping, bush walking and open fires.

26. Is there anything that you collect? Ohh Dangerous question. Victorian dust pressed tiles, vintage sewing and knitting paraphernalia. (old sheets of buttons, cottons press studs, thimbles _+etc etc etc ) flour bags, Small willow patterned china pieces. Oh there’s others – I'm a collector. Vintage Knitting needles!

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Interweave Knits - That’s all

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on? Debbie Stoller Stitch ‘n Bitch, Debbie Stoller Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation, Sally Milliner The Knit Stitch and the Purl Stitch