Success!

I've managed to remember my camera today which allows me not only to upload the countless work pics I took last week on my site visits, but to finally give my Secret Pal some love.


Gustav Stickley's House at Craftsman Farms
Really pretty in the snow right? Yeah not so pretty, when there's no heat.

I got my reveal package last week and it was truly fantastic. And my spoiler is Heathir! I feel like she completely outdid herself with each successive package and it blew me away. It's probably for the best that the next SP swap has been put on hold for awhile, because I don't see how anyone can live up to my first SP experience. But enough talk, get to the goods!



See what I mean? Holy cow!

Included there you see a project bag and circular needle case both made by Heathir and both currently being put to good use by yours truly. I've been using the project bag for the many scholar scarves I've been churning out this holiday season. What a relief to have my yarn and project safely separated from all the junk in my ginormous purse.



The circular needle case especially is awesome. (After the inital SP survey, I realized I should probably find somewhere to keep my needles more accessible and orderly, but this just meant I stuck them in a Yankees Souvenir cup on my desk, so not exactly organized ;) This is much better!) You can also see that the interior lining matches the color of my duvet color. So I am obviously a big fan of Heathir's color choice :)

Other stuff in this package: A pair of socks with little chicks on them (in washing machine at time of picture, because yeah, I procrastinated doing laundry so long that a clean pair of socks was a very welcome present), a sock blocker key chain (which will replace the broken carabiner that keeps losing my office keys. Sweet!) , a postcard with tasty tex-mex recipes (roommate Lauren loved that) and a Texas cookie cutter (Heathir's originally from the Lonestar State), a notebook (currently being used to strategize my holiday baking - cookie cutter will come in handy there), yummy chocolates from Vermont (I forgot to write down the exact name of the chocolatier... will update later with that very pertinent info), some more sugar and cream cotton (yay!), a magnet with a lovely quote from Pope JP, some Soak wash, popsicle printed tissues (how did you know I was getting a cold??), and a pack of J-shaped post-its. Wow.

Soon-to-be-not-so-blogless-Jenn-from-DC also wished me to extend her gratitude for introducing us to the Susan Bates End Weaver gadget. Thanks for being the best SP!

Wow wow wow

Is all I can say.

My secret pal has outdone herself again. I can't even begin to describe my joy at the latest package. There's something so wonderful about coming in on a Monday and seeing a package sitting on my desk that is not work-related. Hooray!


So where to begin? Maybe first with the fact that my SP has quite a knack for packing, because I cannot fathom how she managed to fit so much into a small box. :)

First there was this:

Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn. Awesome! For some reason all these fancy NYC LYS's just don't want to carry it... hmmm. Someone's going to be making a dishcloth soon :)

Then there was this!

A yarn end weaver! INGENIOUS! Oh if I had only had this bad boy while working on the tilted duster! I foresee myself getting lots of use out of this.


Funky Flavored Spicy Chocolate... sah-weet!


A bookmark! (just when I was complaining that I keep losing my place in Middlemarch)


Hemp Yarn... wow. I cannot wait to try this out. I've never knit with hemp before so I'm very excited.

And last but certainly not least:


How cool is the box? But wait, there's more!


Crabtree & Evelyn Summer Hill scented products. I love Crabtree's stuff and this scent is delicious.

Secret Pal, you rock!

Secret Pal Contest #2

Best viewed LARGE

1. Reynolds Garden Tweed, 2. Caron One Pound, 3. Cherry Tree Hill Sockittome, 4. Debbie Bliss SoHo, 5. Malabrigo Laceweight Emerald, 6. Cherry Tree Hill (unknown), 7. Boston Stash, 8. Malbrigo lace weight Emerald, 9. Patons SWS - Natural Earth, 10. Tofutsi Sock Yarn, 11. Handmaiden Sea Silk Rose Garden, 12. Knit Picks Palette Ivy, 13. Knit Picks Palette Green, 14. Knit Picks Palette Lemon, 15. Yarn Pirate Sierra, 16. Koigu, 17. superwash wool cone, 18. wool ease green, 19. cascade 220 wool (2), 20. Cascade 220 (1), 21. Knit Picks Grass, 22. Knit Picks Memories Cape Cod, 23. Knit Picks Calypso Heather, 24. Knit Picks Hyacinth, 25. Knit Picks Lemon, 26. harrisville new england shetland, 27. classic elite princess, 28. LL shepherd worsted icehouse, 29. LL shepherd worsted cranberry, 30. rowan scottish tweed chunky

Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

My hostess, Shelby, posted a new contest asking to see our stash, so I decided to have a little fun with this one. I have never done a flickr mosaic before so this was an entertaining exercise today once I got back from a site visit to the "Spinning House" (unfortunately they spun rope there, not yarn, way back when and it's currently an abandoned building inhabited only by pigeons, but cool nonetheless). Now granted most of these pics are just the single skein shot I took for the Ravelry "headshots" but I think you get the gist of it. :)

Projects and Pics and Updates, Oh My!

I managed to upload a set of pics to flickr last night (finally). Mostly they're a stash update with the yarns I picked up in Boston with the addition of some UFOs (Hey there cabled blankets! Where have you been hiding?). I think the fact that I feel guilty walking out of a yarn shop empty handed is not a good sign. But out of all the vices I could have, I feel like yarn gluttony is least likely to get me into any kind of serious
trouble. I just need to work on these projects.

You already saw this Malabrigo lace in my Secret Pal post, but good lord it's so purty I felt the second skein deserved its own moment in the spotlight.


I'm trying to decide which lace pattern to use on this unbelievable stuff. Both are lace shawl patterns by Miriam Felton: Icarus and Seraphim. I'm leaning towards Seraphim, but gosh it's hard to decide.

Then there's this little beauty:


That's Colinette Mohair. I'm planning on doing the Branching Out Scarf with this.

The lace pattern from Elizabeth Zimmerman's February Baby Sweater has whetted my appetite for some lace. So I think I'll have to bump one of these projects up in the Ravelry queue.

Ok, enough with the lace already! This bad boy I can't even remember which yarn it is. I'll have to check later when I get home. I do remember it's in a colorway called Midnight and I think it's beautiful.


Then there's the Debbie Bliss SoHo. This yarn just leaped off the shelf into my arms and before I even knew what was happening, my credit card was swiped and the balls were tucked neatly into a shopping bag.


It's like I blacked out and had one of those "Ohmigod what did I do last night?" moments. But Jebus this is pretty. Perhaps for another My-So-Called Scarf? Perhaps a felted hat? The possibilities are (nearly) endless. I only bought 2 balls after all.

In other knitting news, I'm happy to say that I've got what is shaping up to be a regular Stitch'n'Bitch. Tuesday nights uptown (err, for me downtown?) at Yarntopia. I love this store. I love it more and more every time I go. Not least of all because Dona the owner was nice enough to take a pic of me in my Tilted Duster with some decent lighting. Check out those fabulous yarn displays! Is it any wonder I have no willpower?

Lady Eleanor is progressing nicely. I'm almost done with the 7th ball of SWS so I'm more than halfway there. But more exciting, I practiced knitting backwards on the subway this morning. And wow, did that make a difference. I'm still getting the hang of it, but not having to flip the whole project every 8 stitches (especially now that it's getting pretty big) will hopefully improve my knitting speed. I'm doing it in the Combination Method described for English Knitters, which I didn't discover until just now when I went looking for a link. So maybe my made-up methods of knitting aren't totally made-up!

I'm also trying to find some little goodies to use as filler in my Secret Pal package. Hopefully I'll get it sent out early next week.

There have also been some really cool links out there on the internets that have gotten my interest piqued:

• Like HomeEc from Flirt via Brownstoner via Subway Knitter. Rentals of sewing machines? Classes for beginners? Wine and chocolate? Sign me up!
• Or Park(ing) Day via NeoKnits.
• ETA: And then I just found this sweater from Urban Outfitters that is like a cross between Buttony and the Tilted Duster with some lace thrown in. I am probably getting way over my head but I totally want to make one.

In Boston No One Knows My Name

I find that song ironic if only due to the theme song of Cheers (was that intentional?). But anyway, yes, I spent a good part of Friday and Saturday in Boston, that most hated of cities. I was even forced to drive past Fenway Park on numerous occasions (boo! hiss!) but luckily, was able to tune into 660AM WFAN while I was there and get some quality NY sports.

I was there ostensibly for a wedding (which was meh) but my real goal was to hit some of the premiere yarn shops. This went better than the wedding (apparently the groom's family and friends hate the bride. I wonder if any of them conveyed this to the groom prior to the nuptials?). I stayed at the Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge, which was awesome if only for the leopard print bathrobes and security guards on segways in the park outside.


leopard print... hot!


Hey look! It's G.O.B!

On Saturday, I first drove around a lot which is saying quite a bit since Bostonians are horrible drivers and apparently enjoy living in a city that doesn't believe in street signage, let alone street signage that is coherent/legible/accurate. I got to see Beacon Hill (from my car). Drove around Boston Common and the Public Garden and then down Newbury Street looking for for a parking spot.


And I thought "Boston Common" was just a really bad TV show ;)

I wound up parking in the theater district close to Windsor Button, the first stop on my yarn shop tour of Boston. There were several knitters in here when I arrived. One of the shopkeepers mentioned that Norah Gaughan was coming in next week for a book signing. I restrained myself from exclaiming "She is BRILLIANT!"

I thought one of the things I might look for on this trip was another skein of the Malabrigo Lace I got from my Secret Pal. This is quite possibly one of the most lovely yarns I've ever seen or felt and I am so excited to make something with it.



The people at Windsor Button were great, I really should've spent more money there now that I reflect back on my spending activities. ;) When asked what I was looking for, I indicated the Malabrigo lace. I only saw it in the worsted and their posted price list didn't have the lace weight listed so I wasn't very hopeful, but sure enough in two baskets on the counter were a bunch of different skeins! Such pretty colors, but I was really looking for this one colorway and preferably the same dye lot. I wasn't going to hold my breath and, unfortunately, it wasn't in the baskets. "Oh, well" I thought. Then the man who was helping me checked the display in the front of the store. Sure enough, there it was! The same dye lot and everything! I couldn't believe it, but I was sooo excited and gladly bought it.

I also bought two more buttons to add to the Tilted Duster (the place is called Windsor BUTTON for a reason, afterall). I want to have it completely done for Tuesday when a group will be meeting at Yarntopia for a sit n' knit.

So with that task accomplished, I set to work on two of my other goals: 1) see a little bit of Boston and 2) get some fun stuff for MY secret pal. Now, my downstream is from the Boston area, but currently resides in more hostile territory, so I figured some reminders of home may be in order, but more specifically, some fun yarns from some fun Boston yarn stores.

I took a walk across Boston Common and stopped at the cemetery that's located along Boyleston Street (where Gilbert Stuart is buried, among other notable and not-so-notable New Englanders). You'd think I'd be sick of being in cemeteries, but, really, they have some of the most beautiful early American artwork you will ever see. I have a bit of a fixation on the iconography that was used on the earliest gravestones and this cemetery had some really beautiful examples of soul effigies from the 1790s and early 1800s.



Great hair!


After that morbid little detour I strolled through the Public Gardens and saw the Swan Boats, which I will always associate with one of my favorite books when I was young, The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White. *sigh*



I walked down Newbury Street (past Chanel and Burberry and all that nonsense) and hit my second yarn store, Knit & Needlepoint by Mary Jo Cole. Unlike Windsor Button, this store was small and I probably spent more than I should have. But I really liked the colorways they had in the Cherry Tree Hill yarns even though the saleswoman made them out to be a bit more precious than they actually are. She may have been more on the needlepoint side of things, but what can you do?

I continued walking through the heat and humidity and at one point remembered I was carrying around my gift from the wedding in my bag ( a pink chinese food take out carton full of chocolates). I guess it was better than leaving them in the car?

I reached the third leg of the tour: Newbury Yarns. It's on the first floor in the back of one of the lovely buildings on Newbury Street, and WOW. It was a really lovely little store. One other woman was in when I arrived and she was apparently a regular. Once she left, the owner turned her attention to me.

So the owner at Newbury Yarns was incredibly nice. I asked if there was anything she had that was unique to her store and she quite reasonably replied that she really didn't visit the other stores so she couldn't say what she had that was different or unique (although she did notice my bag from the previous store and noted that I probably overpaid considerably. This I acknowledged, but luckily I was selective in my purchases there.) She showed me some really nice stuff that is dyed only for her (there was some mohair in particular that was lovely, but definitely out of my price range).

So she asked me what I knit and I told her about the Tilted Duster and showed her my Lady Eleanor WIP. I am really in awe of this project and she was too. This got us talking about yarn stores and knitting and in the end it was quite possibly the nicest experience I've had in a yarn shop.

And I have to say this for the Boston stores, they really do know a thing or ten about customer service. I don't know if the NY LYS have taken the New York City attitude to heart or what, but I generally get a colder feeling from them. Almost like I need to really prove myself as the *right kind of knitter* when I walk in the door. So many feel like secret clubby places where you need to know the password and know the secret handshake. The Boston stores were the complete opposite IMO which was really nice. I don't know if maybe I was just being chatty b/c I was a tourist, or if it was b/c none of them seemed to have a cliquey group of knitters sitting front and center as if challenging your worthiness to set foot in their domain, but I felt completely comfortable and knowledgeable and in my element for quite possibly the first time.

Newbury Yarns was really beautifully organized in a really lovely light-filled space. She mentioned some stores she wants to look at when she goes to NY and I told her, much to her surprise, that she would probably find that Purl SoHo is about a third the size of her store (but I will say that they certainly make good use of their tiny space. Maybe that's what makes it feel smaller?). I gave her some more recommendations that I think are fairly universal in their praise among NYC knitters and visiting knitters (Knitty City, School Products, Seaport Yarns). She also mentioned she will be going to see the Habu showroom, mainly so that she can stock her store. I bought two skeins of a really lovely color of Debbi Bliss SoHo and a nice neutral/pink mohair from her and then stopped and got myself a half and half (iced tea/lemonade) from Tealuxe on the corner. All in all a very productive shopping excursion.

On my way back to the car, I passed Trinity Church and then the Arlington Street Unitarian Church with a sign inviting visitors to see their Tiffany Windows. Having worked on several Tiffany interiors, I was intrigued and gladly paid the suggested donation price to see these really beautiful examples (Although, I wonder how heavily they've been repaired). I happened to be there when the light was particularly good which made it even more rewarding.



A few knicknacks for my SP rounded out my spendfest, but I definitely think it was worth it. I even got to Jersey in time to watch the Irish lose pitifully to Penn State with my dad. Oh well.

Secret Pal Spoilage Saves the Day!

Next item on the update agenda... Secret Pal! (Unfortunately preceded by a completely unrelated, lengthy rant... I encourage you to just scroll down to the pics)

It's been a busy few days for me. With the non-infested roommate on vacation in Greece (sailing on a yacht from island to island... must be nice ;) ), I've been given the responsibility of supervising the moveout of the infested roommate. This means no beach house for me this weekend so that I can prep the apartment for the move-in of our new (hopefully bug-free) roommate. (I trust him, I think he'll be ok.)

So I've been cranky because of that and because it's becoming more and more clear that this chick needs to get out NOW but she's being purposefully difficult. (I also think she's leaving drunk notes on the refrigerator white board that she thinks are insulting/sarcastic but really just don't make any sense. She has made me completely confident in my assessment that the majority of people who attend ivy league colleges for undergrad are D-U-M-B).

Then to top it off, I discovered on Wednesday night while out for happy hour drinks with co-workers and former co-workers that the evil office manager is trying to get me fired. This comes after a big to-do on Tuesday during which she repeatedly screamed at me that I was a
"TERRIBLE PERSON!!!" and "SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF [MYSELF]!!!!" because I try to generally avoid contact with her in any form. She is an evil hag, but rather than similarly behaving like a lunatic, I bit my tongue and did not say anything in response other than "Calm down." and "Grow up." My coworkers were completely taken aback by her major flipout, which apparently only stopped when my boss arrived. I hate that work has become so miserable because of this woman, but my annual review is next week and I plan on using that forum to forcefully state my grievances.

This brings me to yesterday. I spent the day getting sweaty and dirty out on Long Island finishing work on the Cemetery Project from Hell, thinking the whole time about how the roommate was moving "most" of her stuff out that morning but had not yet given me her definitive time of departure, or the confidence that she would not be walking off with our stuff. I came home expecting to find the apartment in a state of disaster, but instead it was relatively neat and devoid of all her things (except for 2 bags. WTF? she couldn't be bothered to move the last 2 bags and leave the keys so I could be completely rid of her and enjoy my weekend in peace???). The smelly garbage she had filled up was gone and there was a perfectly polite note saying that she would be out "by early evening Friday." At least she is finally communicating soberly/coherently, even if she is not responding to emails. Oh well, can't win them all.

But then I saw sitting on the kitchen counter was a package... for me. From my Secret Pal. Suddenly all thoughts of crappy roommates, evil office managers, hot sweaty workdays in cemeteries, and lack of labor day beach house action were gone. All I could think about was this:


Now, we should first note that the hands that were about to open this package looked a little something like this:

Gross!

So there was some heavy-duty scrubbing in order which took about 10 minutes. I was not about to touch anything wrapped in tissue paper with those grubby mitts. Good lord, my nails look horrible. Time for a trim.

Once I had properly washed and moisturized, I tore into that tissue paper like a kid at Christmas and this is what I found:

Awe-some.

A plastic egg with the most ingenious row counter I've ever seen: It's a bracelet. It's a row counter. It's a bracelet row-counter! Now if only I remember to stop knitting long enough to move the beads and keep track of my rows, I won't continue to mess up all of those cabled projects that are currently on the needles.

A pristine used copy of Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac to initiate me into the world of lace and Elizabeth Zimmerman. And lord knows I love me some used books. Thank goodness I bought that extra bookcase at Ikea.

A bottle of Kookaburra Woolwash (because goodness knows I need it), a goat's milk soap (so frikkin cool), and YARN!

A skein of Malabrigo lace weight in Emerald and Garden Tweed (a cotton/linen blend), both in such gorgeous colorways I can't even stand it. Thank you, Secret Pal for completely making my day!

SP Kickoff Contest

My SP Hostess Shelby has kicked off the festivities with a contest. Squee!

She's asked us to answer the following questions and post them on our blogs. Again, I ask you,
when have I ever been known to pass on a post in numbered list format?

So here we go!
1.  What is the one knitting accessory you could not live without?
Right now I'm honestly going to say Ravelry. Does that qualify as an accessory? I don't know
what I would do without it! Simply amazing and it has become the tool that I turn to time and
again when I need help or inspiration.

2.  If you're heading on vacation, do you take knitting with you?  If so, how much and what
type of project?
I most certainly do. I'm lucky enough to have a beach house again this summer with some
friends (see picture in sidebar) and there is nothing I enjoy more than sitting on the porch
with a cup of coffee and my knitting. Recently it's been Big Red making the trip with me, but
last weekend I made the mistake of not bringing an extra ball of yarn. I could've gotten much
more done if I had it.

3.  Where have you travelled to that you'd consider your favorite spot?
Aside from my Jersey Shore house, I'd have to say the Isle of Skye in Scotland.
     
This is Loch Coruisk which is surrounded on all sides by the Cuillin, an unbelievably rugged
mountain range at the south end of Skye that rises right up out of the water.
How can you look at these pictures and not want to be there???

4.  What is your favorite knitting book at the moment?  Do you own it?
Toss up between Poems of Color by Wendy Keele and The Art of Fair Isle Knitting by Ann
Feitelson. Both are excellent in terms of describing techniques and color theory as well as
providing patterns (although truthfully, I wish the patterns came in slightly smaller sizes).

5.  Do you listen to podcasts?  Which is your favorite(s)?
I listen to non-knitting podcasts, but have never actually tried one of the knitting ones. I'm
partial to the Lost podcast (awesome TV show) and then I typically listen to WFUV's Take Five
(my college radio station, a great public radio station with awesome music), Wait, Wait! Don't
Tell Me! and Meet the Press if I happen to miss it on Sunday.

SP11 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I've noticed that I have knit almost exclusively in wool (and wool blends and some alpaca). I would really like to try some different fibers to see what all the fuss is about ;) But I lurve Lorna's Laces.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
As in organized? Ha! Any unused needles are currently jumbled together in a bag in one of my stash storage boxes.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting since my sophomore year of college (about 7 years). A friend who was in the Residence Hall Association with me ran a program teaching people to knit. She couldn't believe how fast I picked it up and I've been pretty much knitting ever since with some brief breaks.

I'd consider myself an intermediate level knitter but even as I write that I laugh at how mediocre most of my FOs have turned out to be. Beginner-Intermediate then? Since starting this blog I've been improving though, so I guess that's good :) I feel like there's so much I have yet to learn that achieving "advanced status" is impossible!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I do have an Amazon wish list! Which reminds me I need to update it.


5. What's your favorite scent?
Fresh baked goods, lilacs, lavender... wow this is a surprisingly hard one. My fave perfumes are Estee Lauder Pleasures (which I wear) and Estee Lauder Youth Dew (which my mom wore)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I most certainly do have a sweet tooth. I look forward to my coworkers going on vacation so that they will bring back candy treats. I never met a chocolate I didn't like and I'm starting to get into funky flavored high-end chocolates, but I will always have special places in my heart for nestle crunch, 100 Grands, and Reese's PB cups. :)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Knitting is pretty much it. Although I do draw and paint on occasion and am trying to do some photography. I'm thinking I want to try spinning, but am a little nervous about it.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like pretty much any music except rap, heavy metal and most country music. As a Jersey girl, anything involving Bruce or Jon Bon is heavily in the rotation, but jam bands, folk music, classic rock in general is the way I go. And yes I am MP3 capable.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I'm definitely a blue/green person. Must be the Pisces in me. I am not a big pink person. I don't wear it and I don't own many things that are pink.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live in an apartment with 2 roommates, one of whom is allergic to dogs/cats, so alas, no pets for me. At least, not until I get my own place. :)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Most certainly (excepting ponchos)! I live in NYC and the weather does tend to veer towards the colder range of the thermometer for about 1/2-1/3 of the year (global warming notwithstanding). Like many knitters, my scarf collection is extensive.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Wow, tough. I just recently tried socks for the first time (toe-ups). That was fun. But I'm not at all particular. I guess I prefer smaller things. And since I don't have many babies in my life, there is very little kid-sized knitting going on. But I think socks as a portable knitting item are going to become my go-to items. I like creative things and I also really like top down sweaters.

13. What are you knitting right now?
The Tilted Duster from IK Fall '07, the long-suffering Blaze from Knitty, and a Kid's Fair Isle Cardigan that has completely stalled

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
If they're cool ;) Don't have much need for knitted toaster covers, but fun stuff is always appreciated. Actually come to think of it... a knitted toaster cover might be pretty freakin cool.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I really like circs. DPNs and I do not mix due to the whole subway commute thing. I try to avoid poking my neighbors with sharp pointy sticks unless they invade my personal space, then all bets are off.

In terms of materials I like bamboo and aluminum. As in most things, it really depends on the project.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I do not! But winding balls of yarn by hand is a kind of mindless activity that gives me great joy. I actually have an unnatural fondness for detangling knots.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Oh you mean the cabled blanket. I would say it's at about 6 years. I should just frog it and move on.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Toss up between Christmas and Thanksgiving. But any time there is food and my family in one place it's sure to be a great time.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
I collect vintage paint catalogs primarily from the 1920s and 1930s. Esoteric, I know. But it happens to coincide with one of my favorite research topics. I even wrote my graduate thesis on them and will be presenting a related paper at a conference in January.

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 gosh, this is almost impossible to answer! I have no willpower when it comes to buying stuff I want. I really want to try some sea silk and Handmaiden yarns. I also can't believe I have yet to try some Manos del Uruguay. There are loads of patterns out there I have yet to acquire. I subscribe to Interweave Knits.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I have yet to try lace knitting. That's on my agenda. And I'm dying to make Eunny Jang's Entrelac socks and the Lady Eleanor Stole so Entrelac is up there as well.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I am now. Measurements eh? Small feet... um a size 7 shoe. I'll have to get out my tape measure and get back to you :)

23. When is your birthday?
February 20th

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
I am! JKPenny