I got an amazing package from my SP12 friend!

Look at this lovely stuff I got from my SP 12 pal! You should go check out her blog, radarkaty.blogspot.com.

She sent me sevral books, an adorable Halloween lantern, a crochet case (god, I've been needing one of her's and the one she made me is lovely!) (it's from an line Berroco pattern, kluster), weight watchers stuff (much needed as midterms draw near), and yarn. Georgeous, wonderful yarn. I'm thinking I need some pairs of heavy socks as the cold weather comes on, don't you? *grins*

Thank you so much Kathleen! I'll write more when I have more time, but for now, I'll be in touch.

Have you ever entered your knitting (or anything else) in the fair? Would you ever consider it?

Honestly, I've never participated in the running of a fair. I've been to a few, especially when I lived in Ohio, but I work at a camp over the summer, and as a result I don't end up getting out to do much outside of camp... including participating in a fair.

But recently I've thought about competing in crochet contests or other things. My crochet is coming along quite well, and while I have no illusions over the fact that my crochet isn't perfect, it is a part of my life that I want to expand and explore more. I'm beginning to realize there's a whole craftworld that I want to explore more, and part of that is challenging myself. Entering in contests might be a good way to start, though I have no clue how to go about doing something like that.

Favorite supper for a hot summer evening?

Cereal with cold milk!

MMMMM.

And because I'm sick that's all the answer I'm going to give.

I've been sick

Okay, I admit to being gone for much too long, and not posting enough, but camp has left me less time than I expected to post. I've been sick for the last week and a half, and am just getting over it with lingering congestion and a cough.

But, in the process I've completed a really cute baby jacket that I'll have to post, and I've made some progress on some other projects. Plus I'm putting together my last package for my SP12.

What are your favorite places to craft, what objects make the setting perfect for crafting?

I changed the word from knit to craft, because for the most part I'm a crocheter that dabbles in other things. My favorite place to crochet is when I'm crocheting and I'm listening to a book on tape... I love listening to books on tape, it's almost how I would imagine others would sit doing work while listening to the radio. TV requires too much of my visual attention... but I love listening to books on tape. Especially if they're books I need to read for class because then I'm working but not working, if you know what I mean.

As for objects that make my crafting complete, I'd have to say my spoon ring. I wear it on my left ringfinger not because I'm engaged, but because it doesn't fit on any of my other fingers. It's a family piece, and I've found that sometimes if I can't get the right tension on a yarn, threading the yarn through my spoon ring will help.

Favorite type of project to take along?

It would have to be something simple and probably lacy... I like lacework because I have to slow down a bit, and I want the small project to last the duration of the trip. I like projects that you finish during the trip, so the work is filled with the memories of when you have worked on it.

Favorite place to go on a trip, one place I would like to go?

I'd like to go back to Sweden, and Stockholm in the summer. Oh gosh. I read a blog about a woman who is spending six months in Stockholm, and she takes beautiful pictures of places I'm familiar with, and it just makes me homesick in a way I can't describe.

One place I haven't been that I would like to go? India, probably. Just because. No real reason except the people I've talked to who have been there have painted a beautiful tapestry of juxtapositions, and I could like to see it for myself.

What yarns would make my stash complete/ what yarns can't I be without?

Wow, tough questions, like last week. I'd have to say that the yarn that would make my stash compete is a yarn I saw a year ago at a small novelty shop. It was this silk yarn that just flowed like water. At the time I could neither afford it, nor would I have been in the mood to make something out of it, so I talked myself out of buying it.

But I still think about what I would make out of it. I suppose it comes close to a yarn I dream about. I'm sitting on the beach, and I grab the water and twist, and it becomes yarn, which I begin to crochet. As I crochet, I make a blanket, which if you look at out of the corner of your eye, contains the ocean- fish, mermaids, sea-wrecks, whales, dolphins, squids, coral, and all manner of other creatures. It is a fey blanket, destined for someone that cannot bear to be without the sea, but must.

The yarn I saw in the store was a very pale approximation of that dream yarn, but it is the closest I've come.

As for what I can't be without? Some cheep acrilic for when I need to make something simple or easy, or I want to test out a pattern I'm working on. Some wool, because I love the feel of it through my fingers. Bright mohair, and some nice alpaca, because again, I love the feel. A solid, affordable cotton for when I'm working on cheep therapy- washcloths.

What do you consider the perfect amount of stash?

To be quite frank, I have no clue. Sometimes though, you just need to make something, to fulfill a deep desire in you to craft, and when that time comes I want a yarn that fits that mood. I have yarns that are cheep and silly, yarns so expensive I have to wait to find the perfect project for them, and some yarns that I've been given from friends that I don't want to use just because that would change the nature of the gift for me.

Right now my stash is hovering around a boxful, and that is about enough for me. But it fluctuates.

What did I look forward to most about summer break?

I think every year since I was eight, it has been camp. I've been going to the same camp for 14 years, first as a camper and then as staff. My family has moved around a lot, so Camp is the place I've grown up. It has my childhood friends, and I know every inch of it like the back of my hand. I can walk from one end of camp to the other without a flashlight when there's no full moon and not trip (or not trip much).

The sights, the smells, the lake, the songs... it all cements into the place where I've grown up and where I've sunk my roots into.

Cheep Therapy

So the last few days of camp have been a lot more difficult than I expected. After being a counselor for four years, I decided to join the program staff and teach swimming lessons. It's a very scary transition for me because I don't always do well with change, and it's always difficult to step outside of your comfort zone, and I'm definitely doing that.

In reaction of being pushed out of my comfort zone, I've moved from Knitting (a new, uncertain craft for me) to crochet again, and I've been mass producing washcloths. I've got some cheep cotton yarn and I've been pumping them out. They're both simple and brightly colored and crochet, and they're a source of comfort- one of the first things I learned to use on the hook I got when I was seven, and single crochet... the simplest thing in crochet beyond the chain. I'll have to take some pictures of the ones I've made, but I'm a little behind on uploading pictures onto my computer and thus onto the net. It's been very very busy.

In other news, I'm rather excited because Secret Pal 12 is underway, and I've both contacted my Secret Palee and been contacted by my secret pal. For those of you who don't know, Secret Pal is a circle of people on the net that participate by sending fiber-themed care packages to each other. I have some ideas on what I want to do, but I have a question for those who have participated, and even those who have not. Have you ever received some really cool, creative packages? What made them special? I'm perfectly willing to mine good ideas off others (after all, copying is the highest form of flattery), or use others ideas to jump start my own. I want to make my packages special!

Let me know.

What's your favorite summertime drink?

I'd have to say water. I'm not a big fan of Lemonaide, though I do like it, and there's nothing that compares to a big glass of really cold milk, but the thing I drink most is water, no ice no lemon.

Mmmm. Nothing beats that.

Secret Pal 12!

Secret Pal 12!

I saw this before and decided I desperately wanted to join.

Here's the questionnaire:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
My favorite yarns to knit with tend to be different types of wool: plain sheep wool which I love to felt. I recently got some alpaca by Lavish (www.lavishfibres.com) which I'm making into socks for my boyfriend. I love just running it through my hands. I also like cotton such as Lily's Sugar 'n Cream line or Ty-Dy by... I can't think of the name right now.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
As of right now? An old case for glasses for my crochet hooks, and a plastic bag for my di-point knitting needles. I always intend to make something where I can carry and organize them all in, but I hesitate to buy something at the store because it often has only one place for a size hook, and often I have doubles of my favorite hooks because I want the hook to match the project. Sometimes I want aluminum for a project that I'm churning out, but if I'm doing it more for the pleasure, I might get out one of my beautiful wooden shaped hooks so I can more enjoy the process.

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 crocheting since I was six or seven (I'm 21 now) and while I prefer to do more simple, clean lined projects, I would consider myself advanced in crochet.

Knitting is another matter. I learned to knit when I was ten, but never enjoyed it as much as I did crochet, probably because by that time I was rather quick at crochet, and awkward with my knitting needles. Recently, in the last six months, I've slowly picked up knitting again. I started with a pair of socks, which turned out well but large, because I do continental style knitting (feeding from my left hand almost like crochet) instead of the throwover method, and I've found that my gauge is a bit looser so I have to choose a smaller needle than the pattern dictates (sometimes I'll even go two sizes down).

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes! I love to read, but oftentimes don't have the money to buy the books I want, so I go on Amazon and pretend to shop by adding things to my wish list. It's like drinking water when you're hungry... eventually I'll eat but I can hold it off until I have some time.

It's located at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1NQLYUYXB2SEJ

5. What's your favorite scent?
I don't wear perfumes, but I do put vanilla bean sachets into my drawers (especially my sock ones). I like vanilla because it's subtle. I also like the Bath and Bodyworks lemon handsoap. A lot.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
I do have a sweet tooth, but I've been on Weight Watchers for the last two years and have lost 55 lbs, so I humbly request that candy be sent in very small quantities because I have very little willpower. Given that, I love sugar free york peppermint patties, Weight Watchers bars and frutties, dried fruit (dried strawberries and kiwi are my favorites)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I do spin, if badly, but I still enjoy it. I've never had formal instruction on how to spin, which I think might be part of it. I have a single drop spindle which is rather worn and well loved, and occasionally I'll treat myself to some fiber.

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 country, oldies, musical soundtracks, folk music, irish music and am open to almost anything.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I tend to like blues and greens when choosing yarn, though I look better in brighter colors. I wear a lot of pink, light yellow, jewel tones, and bright blues. I'm not fond of muted colors, tans, dark greens, etc.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I'm the oldest of four children. I don't have any pets, except for my youngest brother. *wink* I'm a senior at Davidson College (our basketball team rocks!).

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I occasionally wear scarves if they're soft and warm. I love mittens, socks and hats (thought I don't always look good wearing hats). I've actually haven't owned a poncho since the winter of ninth grade (it was black and I was trying to be a goth which lasted until the spring) so I think I would wear one if I had one.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Well, I haven't been seriously knitting for all that long, so I've been doing simple things- socks for the most part. But I don't normally do socks in sock yarn unless it is on the thicker side of sock yarn (or worsted) because I'm still slower at knitting than crochet and I do like to feel like I'm making progress. Thing sock yarn feels much too SLOW.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Socks for my boyfriend. Thick yarn not made for socks, but they're turning out good.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I do, mostly because none of my friends are as crafty as I am, so I don't get them.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? If it's crochet I like aluminum (Boye- I'm picky), though I already have a large collection. I also love wood for crochet needles, as long as they're well polished.

Knitting needles I have full sets in in 6" and 10" di-point needles (from 0-10.5) I also have lots of plastic circular, but I don't like the feel of them so I don't use them that much. For knitting I prefer bamboo, because I need a little bit more friction. Aluminum tends to just slip too much for me.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No to both, and god how I'd love them.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Four years. It's my christmas/summer ripple crochet blanket, because those are the only times I work on it.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween and St. Patrick's day. It's a tie, and each of them happens in a different semester so it counts. Why? because for both of them I dress up and go all-out. My father is a Shriners clown by the name of Shamrock, so it's rather necessary that I dress up on St. Patrick's day.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
My Little Ponies... but not in a serious way. More like I'll be in the store and see one I like and buy it. It goes back to when I was a kid.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I don't have a subscription to any magazines, much to my disappointment. As for patterns, I tend to like to play, or wing-it. Patterns are guidelines. I'm very visual, so I like to look at crochet things at the store so I can copy them. Recently I got a book of different advanced crochet stitches that I love (blanking on the name and it's still in my boxes that I have yet to unpack from college) to just play and experiment with.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Hairpin lace.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes, I've knit socks. I also crochet them though it doesn't work as well.

Foot Measurements?: Heel to toe: just short of nine inches. Base of little toe to bottom of my arch, where the heel begins: just shy of four and three quarters inches. Widest part of my foot: four inches.

23. When is your birthday? April 24th

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Yes. jecrowley