SP8 Survey and blog excuses....lol

Gee, no posts from me in awhile. Life has been very busy in our household lately, and I just had severe blogger's block for a few days. I'd sit down with a few minutes to blog, and my mind would go totally blank.

But I have accomplished a lot. In the past week, I have taken my step-daughter out to get her prom dress. We got the dress, shoes, jewelry, etc at a very good price. Prom is on Saturday evening. She's really excited!

And I found a dress shirt, black suit and dress shoes for my son who has his first city symphony concert on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. He looks SO nice in a suit! This is a boy I have never been able to get to dress up --- so it was really a big change to see him in a nice, perfect fitting black dress suit. I'll make sure to take pictures on Sunday when he has on his suit and bow tie for the concert. :)

And I've been religiously going to the gym for the last 2 weeks. Gotta whittle down the ..... knitter's butt. LOL. You crafters know what I mean. Hee hee. That rear end spread catches up with us! So I'm running around trying to lose the extra pounds. It's going to be a long endeavor. But I can say that I feel much better already.

Ok, on to the SP8 survey:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? Sock yarn and wool, mostly because I love to make socks.
What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? Really stiff acrylic like Pop 'n Yarn (used to be sold by Walmart) mostly because it rubs the skin dry on my hands.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? A wheeled plastic storage container with drawers.

3. How long have you been knitting? I have been knitting since March 2005. But I've done needlepoint and embroidery since I was a little girl, and crocheted for 16 years before I learned to knit. I picked it up easily.
Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? Intermediate to advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes, there is a link to it in the left hand margin of my blog.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) Spice, cinnamon, patchouli. No floral scents please -- they make me sneeze for some reason.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Please no candy unless it's sugar free. I'm a diabetic.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? Crochet, embroidery, needlepoint, miniature painting, furniture refinishing, plastic canvas. I'll try about anything! lol. I want to learn to spin, but I'm having problems finding a drop spindle and rovings where I live. And I don't want to invest in a spinning wheel or anything more expensive than a drop spindle if I can't get the basic supplies here.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I don't care for Rap or screamer metal, and country really isn't my thing....but I like pretty much anything else, especially classic rock.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? I like deep colors -- autumn and jewel tones, especially teal blue. I do not like pink. Please please please....no pink. :)

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have one step-daughter who is 17. Two sons. One is 15, and the other turns 2 in July. I have a great husband. :) We have four cats -- Fooful, Grover, Frenchie, and a new kitten who is yet to be named.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? No ponchos please. I do wear scarves, hats and mittens though. And I like shawls instead of ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Socks! But I also make a lot of dishclothes, potholders and towel toppers as little projects for some relaxing knitting time.

13. What are you knitting right now? A diagonal 14" pillow, two dishcloths, and a toy teddy bear.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes, Love them!!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? It depends on the project. If I need the cable to hold stitches, I use a circular. To make socks, I prefer aluminum dpns. But I do also have bamboo dpns. Plastic needles are great when you need some give, but I have had them break before.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? No, but I wish I did!

17. How did you learn to knit? I took a class at the local community college to get the basics and then taught myself.

18. How old is your oldest UFO? 3 years old. It's a scrap afghan that will be gorgeous when it's finished. But it's a pain in the heinie to work on.

19. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween. I just love costume parties!

20. Is there anything that you collect? Teddy bears, and knitting patterns.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I'd love to have the Folk Socks book. I have subscriptions to Interweave knitting and Creative Knitting.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I'd love to learn to do more with lace weight....like shawls or really airy pretty scarves.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? Yes! I wear a women's size 9. I can provide more detailed measurements if needed.

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd) July 11th

TTFN!!