HHHH questionnaire

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?
I started spinning in September 2007, and I consider my skill level to be beginning-intermediate. (Is that a real level?)

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?
So far 2 ply and 3 ply (including Navajo ply). I have never made "art yarn" (even unintentionally), and I really don't have any plans to do so. However, I reserve the right to change my mind.

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?
Wheel forever! I don't even own a spindle.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don't like?
Love merino, bluefaced leicester, targhee, and alpaca. So far I haven't spun anything that I've hated, although my tolerance for scratchy wool is pretty high.

5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?
Ooh, so many—All Spun Up, Crown Mountain Farms, Spunky Eclectic, Freckle Face Fibers, Enchanted Knoll, Copperpot Woolies.

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?
Hmm, I'm open to just about anything. On my list are silk, bamboo, tencel, llama, and cashmere. I'm more interested in animal fibers than plant fibers, though.

7. Are there any techniques you would like to learn?
Cabled yarns (I understand the concept, but I haven't tried it yet), thread plied yarns.

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?
I have dyed yarn, but not fiber. However, I have a boatload of undyed fiber waiting for me to experiment on it.

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?
Nope. Ready-to-spin for me, please.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?
Um, doesn't the handspun count as completed projects? I have knit a pair of socks from my own yarn, and I will certainly knit more.

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?
Nothing comes to mind.

12. What colors "fall into your shopping basket"? Any colors you just can't stand?
I tend to buy a lot of dark, earthy colors. Brown, green, red, orange, and deep blues make up most of my stash. I'm generally not a fan of pastels or neon colors. Pink is probably my least favorite color, although I don't mind it in small quantities.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?
All Spun Up merino:



14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?
My woolly pursuits don't leave much time for other hobbies. However, I am an avid cook/baker and reader.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?
The Professor, of course!

16. Do you have an online wishlist?
No.

17. Is there anything that you collect?
Besides fiber and yarn? Um, I used to collect teapots, but not so much anymore.

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?
I have subscriptions to Spin Off, Interweave Knits, and Interweave Crochet. (Yeah, Interweave pretty much has me in their back pocket.) I can't think of any books or patterns I don't have that I've been lusting after.

19. When is your birthday?
November 17.

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?
The first one that comes to mind is Hermione Granger. I do try to curb my know-it-all tendencies, though. My memory's capacity for useless facts is astounding.

21. What is the climate like where you live around this time (need to know for careful shipments of anything meltable)?
Hot, hot, and more hot.

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!
My mother named me after her favorite uncle. When I was a bratty teenager, I complained to her about having been named after a man. She replied that if she had named me after her favorite aunt, I would be called "Gertrude." Touché, Mom.

Favorites

Favorite painting/picture(link): Good grief, there are too many to choose from! I do like a lot of Klimt's work.

Candy: Chocolate, caramel, jelly beans, gummies, mints.

Food: Indian, Mediterranean

Drink: Tea

Movie(s): I could never pick just one. However, I tend to go for drama over comedy. Oh, and I love period pieces.

TV Show(s): I am a geek who watches PBS, the History Channel, and the Discovery Channel. I adore old Britcoms too.

Book(s): Again, I couldn't possible choose one. I am in inveterate Jane Austen fan, though. (I know, how original.)

Guilty Pleasure(s): None—pleasure should be guilt-free!

A tale of two greens

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted. Sorry about that, folks, but I have to tell you that posting will likely be sporadic for the next month or so. You see, the Professor and I just became homeowners. Eek! So much work to do.

Anyway, you're probably expecting to see some yarn. Far be it from me not to oblige. Today I've got two very different green yarns.

Fiber: The Arts at Eagle's Find 100% merino, "Leaves on the Water"
2 ply
500 yards
114 grams (4 oz.)

This yarn is nothing if not subtle. The subdued green blends easily with the gray to create a yarn that could tempt even the most conservative person. This yarn would make great man socks, although my man would probably yawn at it and say, "too boring." Well, I like it.

However, it does look a little drab compared to this vivid yarn.

Fiber: Crown Mountain Farms superwash merino, "Out of Time" (overdyed with green)
2 ply
305 yards
115 grams

This fiber was predominantly green with bits of brown and blue (see it here). Unfortunately, the lot of fiber I got had quite a bit more white in it than I really wanted. The commissioner of this yarn was very clear about wanting as little white as possible, so I decided to overdye it. (Sorry, I didn't take a "before" photo. Bad blogger!) The end product is almost shockingly green, albeit in a good way. In fact, it's remarkably similar to Dream in Color's "Happy Forest" colorway. It is indeed a happy green.