This is a post all about me

…and all the things I do and all that I see. (Here’s a koan: do you have to be Australian to find Lano & Woodley funny?)

Here are my answers to the Hush-Hush Handspun Hootenanny questionnaire:

1. How long have you been spinning? What skill level do you consider yourself?

Intermediate.

2. What kinds of yarn do you create (singles/2-ply/3-ply/art yarn)?

Usually a 3 ply (which would probably – but not necessarily – be chain plied). I also enjoy a 4 ply. I’ve also worked out methods for a 5 ply and 6 ply that I’ve sampled but haven’t used. I only 2 ply occasionally. (Singles yarn, never.)

3. What do you spin with (spindle/wheel/both)?

Wheel, mostly. Knitting projects take so long because I work and I have a family, so spinning gives me the achievement buzz. The quicker the better.

4. What are your favorite fibers to spin with? Anything you don’t like?

The only fiber that I have tried and not enjoyed was pure mohair. It was…hairy. I go through a lot of merino, mostly because that’s what is available around here.

5. Who are your favorite crack dealers fiber sources (etsy or otherwise)?

My favourites are Ewe Give Me The Knits and Copperpot Woolies. I’ve never had substandard prep or service from either. I hope to get around to ordering from Sakina Needles soon; Wylie’s stuff looks beautiful.

6. What kind of fiber do you want to try?

Camel (or a camel blend). I like camels. They spit.

7. Is there any techniques you would like to learn?

I’d like to be able to spin a balanced singles. But given that it’s not my first choice for knitting yarn, I haven’t invested the time yet.

8. Do you dye fiber? If not, would you like to learn?

I dabble. Usually there just aren’t enough hours in the day, and if I do have the opportunity, my husband complains about the smell. (What smell?)

9. Do you have fiber prep tools (and like to use them) or would you prefer ready to spin fiber?

I have learned that my hobby is spinning, not fibre prep. Eventually I’ll move on and become proficient at scouring and combing or carding, but not this decade.

10. What do you do with your handspun? What projects have you completed?

There are some in my Ravelry, and maybe in my Flickr. Sometimes I keep handspun as pet yarn for a while. Sometimes I give it away (especially if – like this one – I only did it to prove that I could). If you wanted to get all technical and count, I use handspun mostly for socks (even though I’m not a big sock knitter). Perhaps this is why I haven’t got around to spinning a low-durability, highly feltable yarn like a singles yarn.

11. Are you in need of any spinning gadgets (WPI Gauge, threading hook, etc)?

My supply of oil is getting low, and the felt balls sound like a good idea. (Note: on *someone’s* blog, I saw that they had made felt balls. I don’t remember it clearly, but as I understood it their purpose was to serve as a core when winding balls of small amounts of handspun. I thought that it was either Jared Flood or Franklin Habit, but now that I’ve gone to find the post – I have to face the fact that either it was a very long time ago or someone else.)

12. What colors “fall into your shopping basket”? Any colors you just can’t stand?

Greens. It’s all about the greens. Blacks and greys are also a hit. Sometimes blues just happen. I’m pretty open-minded when it comes to colour, but I have and allergy to PINK. It gives me a rash, I break out all over. It’s terrible. Sometimes pink can get away with being a light purple, but it has to be very careful.

13. What is on your wheel/spindle right now?

White alpaca pencil roving, then something wildly colourful.

14. What other crafts/hobbies do you have?

I knit, and I love reading about knitting. I almost love that more than knitting itself.

15. Other than crafts, what are you passionate about?

Anime and Videogames (Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PC)

16. Do you have an online wishlist?

No, but that’s a good idea.

17. Is there anything that you collect?

I collect yarn, fibre, videogames, books and anime. I don’t have room for much else.

18. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What magazine subscriptions do you have?

(Currently subscribed to IK and Spin Off. Thinking about Wild Fibres and Wool Gathering) I’ve been meaning to get some knitting audiobooks. I do love my iPod.

19. When is your birthday?

3rd of September. Moderately typical Virgo. Absolutely typical Snake in the Chinese horoscope.

20. What book or movie character do you most resemble in personality?

I had no idea, so I queried my friends. The answers came back: Chewbacca (because I get violent when I lose), Motoko Kusanagi (because I’m a beautiful kick-ass cyborg on the inside), and my brother, who has known me for the last 26 years, thought that I’m most like Harry Callaghan (Dirty Harry). Which I’m happy to accept because I heart that movie sooooo hard. And Clint Eastwood is hawt.

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

It’s our winter now. Our daily maximum temperature is around 15 degrees celsius.

22. Tell us one weird fact about yourself!

I love lights on Christmas Trees. My record is somewhere around 1400 lights. (LEDs, to be precise.)

Favorites
favorite painting/picture(link):

The cover art for the sountrack to Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. Great game, great album, lovely picture. Oh look, it’s green and black. And there’s blood in it.

Candy:

After-dinner mints. Anything similar, like Junior Mints is also a hit.

Food:

Nigiri

Drink:

Mead or sake. Don’t make me choose!

Movie(s):

Alien, Aliens (NB: Particularly love the colorway of these movies. A lot of black and grey, with a bit of Acid Green.) Whodvethunkit?

TV Show(s):

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Book(s):

Terry Pratchett’s Discworld Series (esp The Watch)

Guilty Pleasure(s):

Reading HP Lovecraft

…and hopefully, that should be enough information for anyone. :-)

[Now edited to include links – again!]

 

~ by dreadlordvellan on June 30, 2008.