*Left Coast Knits

Mushrooms

2011-04-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

Here at Chez LeftCoast, we really like mushrooms. So, just for fun, we decided to try growing some ourselves. We bought a kit to grow Maitake mushrooms, and although we were not completely successful, we did get a nice bunch going down on one corner of the mushroom patch. We think that if we pick that portion and keep watering, more may grow from the rest- here's hoping!A closeup- Yum! We need to come up with a special recipe for them...

You may recall my round robin quilt square from my last post- here it is with the frist two borders on it! Holding it up is the lovely Dee (who is not actually hiding her face, rather she is reading something from a paper on the counter), Cpurl's and my quilting instructor.

And finally, this was spotted on the sidewalk in Berkeley last Saturday.

P.S.- Guess what tomorrow is? That's right- flea market day! As long as it doesn't rain, this will be the inaugural trip of the year, and since we expect it to be very crowded (this is the first week this spring where we have had nice weather), we are leaving at 5:30 in the morning to get good parking!

Quilting! (and some knitting)

2011-03-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been doing a little quilting.

I took a beginning quilting class with CPurl at our local quilt shop, In Between Stitches, and instantly became addicted! I have a few completed quilts that I need to photograph, but until then this is a Round Robin starter square that I made:

Lone Star Round Robin Quilt Block

In a Round Robin, each person makes a starter square and then hands it off to the next person, who adds a border to it. It is very fun to see what each person adds, and this Round Robin has 12 people in it, so my quilt will quickly grow from a nine-inch square!

Because I do a fair amount of "remote sewing" at classes and get-togethers (and I plan to attend a few quilting events in the near future that require travel) I bought this recently:

1964 Singer Featherweight 221

I expected it to be lighter in weight than my standard sized sewing machine, and it is- but only if you carry it around without the carry case! Once you add in the weight of the case it is pretty much the same (maybe a little lighter), and once you add in the travel iron and mini-ironing pad that I bought for it, it is definitely heavier! I really love it though; it sews beautifully, it is definitely compact enough to travel with, and frankly it is just super-cool.

On the knitting front, Stitches West happened a few weekends ago!

I didn't go too crazy, but one of the things that I did purchase was the pattern for Autumn Vines Beret, by Alana Dakos, and some lovely Sanguine Gryphon "Bugga!" to knit it with. The pattern was really fun to knit, and I think that the resulting beret is lovely!

Autumn Vines Beret

Flea Market Day!

2009-07-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

Here in the San Francisco Bay area, we all wait with baited breath for the first Sunday of every month to roll around. Because the first Sunday is.... FLEA MARKET DAY! Woo!

So on July 5, Cpurl and I got up at the crack of dawn, grabbed our little old lady rolling shopping carts, and hit the old Alameda Air Force Base with a vengance.

The now-defunct Alameda Air Force Base is a really cool place for a flea market- it lies on a point on the end of Alameda Island, and is roughly triangular. It has water on two sides of the triangle, and if you look off of one side you are facing the Port of Oakland across the water (think lots of giant shipping containers all stacked up, and cranes to move them around), and if you look across the water on the other side, you have a great view of the city of San Francisco. The only bad thing is that at 7:30 in the morning, it can be really cold. Regardless, it is worth it!!

We have very fancy carts with bike bells on them- Cpurls is red and mine is black. However, when we got to the market, we realized that to really be considered market masters, we would need to sew new linings for our carts out of brightly colored (but coordinating) fabrics- all the cool kids had those. And cup holders- trying to steer a cart with one hand because you have your coffee in the other is likely to result in catastrophe in a place whit tons of antiques at ground level.

The flea market is huge, and it has a rule about no new stuff and no reproductions, so there are many many lovely displays and lots of great stuff to be had.

Bottles...

Balls... (anyone know what these are for? Lawn bowling, maybe?)

Tennis racquettes...

Cool vintage stripey beach umbrellas...

If you had an empty summer cabin, this would be the place to go to furnish it. See the taller wooden rack on the back of the table in the photo? It holds 36 old bread pans, and is now in my house holding letterpress printing supplies.

This is another find that made its way home with me- a vintage egg-laying chicken.

Finally, here is the view from the end of the market- the city of San Francisco!

Underwater basket weaving

2009-05-10T19:35:00.000-07:00

Except without the underwater part.

This Saturday, Cpurl and I took a basket weaving class. It was offered at Knit-One-One in Berkeley. It was super fun! First, Knit-One-one is really neat. It is a space, rather than a store, where the owner Sile (pronounced Sheila) offers different classes and events.

We arrived a little early, we got to be in charge for a few minutes while Sile went out to find the instructor, who had lost her way driving to the studio. So we took a few minutes to investigate...

The space is full of neat stuff, most of it made in the classes and events that they offer.

Lovely jewelry...

Handbags and sweaters...

Giant condiments...

In just a few minutes, Sile returned with the instructor and the class got under way.

Basket making is not hard- in fact it is lots of fun!

Here are our baskets at the end of the day- not quite finished, but almost! Cpurls is on the left, and mine is on the right. You can't see it too well in the photo, but mine has a giant open space in the middle too.

Here are all of the baskets made in the class- each one is shaped a little differently.

We took home enough supplies to finish our projects and then some- here is my completed basket. It is a little rough, but not too bad for a first try!

Roller Derby Queens!

2009-05-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

A while ago, CPurl and I heard that Roller Derby was coming to town, and of course we knew we could not miss that, right? Well, our big night came last Saturday! We picked up CPurl's pal R and headed for Kezar Stadium in San Francisco- oh, the anticipation! We didn't really know what to expect- none of us had been to Roller Derby before, and to be honest, we didn't even know how it worked- all we knew was that there was rollerskating, in a circle (ok an oval if you want to get technical about it), and that there was lots of "bone crushing action." What else did we need to know? If there is bone crushing action, we are there!

R and CPurl waiting for the action to begin!

The team waits anxiously for the game to start- excitement fills the air!

And they're off! Roller derby is super fast, so it is hard to take photos- mostly you just get a blur whizzing by.

The show was so exciting that it was broadcast on TV as well! The camera guy is filming a man who has a notebook full of signs- one for each player on the team. He flips through it and holds up the appropriate one as that player zooms past... this is an extremely enthusiastic crowd!

There was lots of smashing and crashing!

and audience participation...

Time for a hotdog break!

Back to the game- this is the men's half of the team. There are both men and women on each team, and they skate separately.

There is a lot of fighting...

everyone joins in...

even the referee!

Victory- the Bay City Bombers win!!!

R and another dedicated fan pose with one of the roller derby ladies!

The schwag- possibly the coolest t-shirt ever.

Sooo- now for the review!

Was roller derby everything you expected?

It was very fun, with lots of action. I had no idea how it was played or how they win, so that was a little confusing- I thought there was a ball involved. But in terms of retro coolness- it was everything that I expected. It was a little exaggerated- you can see that there is some acting going on, but not so much that it ruined it.

Do you know how the game is played now?

No...

How was the crowd?

The crowd was awesome- they were SO involved, and many of them knew a lot about the teams and players. There was a lot of stuff going on that seemed to be traditional- booing the other team every single chance they got, getting up and yelling face to face with the other players, etc.

How was the concession stand?

Rather limited- hotdogs, or pop corn.

Would you go again?

Absolutely. And we will too- I heard throughthe grapevine that there will be roller derby every single day at the county fair this year!

If you were a roller derby queen, what would your roller derby name be?

Boom Boom Jones

Hotdog rating: Derby Dog- 4

Gaah!

2009-02-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

You will recall my recent enthusiasm toward knitting "Lizard Ridge" from Knitty. Well, I finally finished my crocheted cardigan (photos later if I like it- if not, you will have to use your imagination) and instantaneously (ok, I really did it a tiny bit before I even finished) cast on for Lizard Ridge. I started knitting and got to the short rows... and messed them up. What? You mean I have to pick up the wraps? Plus, knitting backwards did not work out quite as well as I had expected... So far I have knit the beginning of square one twice, and I am currently back to a ball of yarn. Oh well- I shall persevere, because I am smarter than a ball of yarn, most of the time.

The other day, I left the house on my way to work, and spied this:

A gift from the neigbor's cat. He used to be a stray, and my husband would feed him every night- now he brings us worms as gifts. Woohoo!

I put them in the grass and send them on their (wormy) way.

Quiet Sunday

2009-02-08T18:26:00.001-08:00

It has been a quiet Sunday here on the Left Coast.

I have been working hard to get my Ondori Crochet Cardigan finished in time for Stitches West at the end of the month. It is just about done- all I have left is one side of the front from the armpit up, and then the collar.

It has been a fun project and a learning experience... good thing that crochet symbols are universal, because the pattern itself in in Japanese.

Earlier this week, I got the yarn for my next project in the mail. Twenty-one skeins of Noro Kureyon in every color they have (plus a few doubles)- can you guess what I am making? Here is a hint!

I bought this yarn from Annie Amelia , and it came so perfectly packaged that I am not sure I can bear to use it!

Dishcloth Mania Continues!

2009-02-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

You can never have too many dishcloths, right? After all, there are always lots of dishes in the world that need doing. Keeping that in mind, I hit Michaels for their dollar sale of discloth cotton (I only bought five balls of it- I was good!). "Chinese Waves" in Sugar and Cream Faded Denim (not to be confused with Peaches and Creme Faded Denim)

"Grandma's Favorite" in Peaches and Creme Faded Denim, which is ever so slightly lighter in color than the other Faded Denim.

This is more hand dyed cotton- I was rummaging through my stash looking for some other yarn, and lo and behold, I spied something that looked suspiciously like cotton... it was not one, but two skeins of it in two different colorways. I think that they are froma Spinning Guild Dye Day a few years ago. Score!

The leaning tower of dishcloths.

More coming soon- I got a book on ebay!

On another note, one of the great tgings about the Bay Area is that once the holidays have passed, we don't waste any time with more winter- we move right along into spring.

This guy (gal?) was in my yard this morning, partaking of the bird bath.

Here is my hellebore that finally opened...

Daffodils on the way too!

SUNDAYSUNDAYSUNDAY!

2009-01-26T07:47:00.000-08:00

This year, CPURL and I decided to do some stuff that we have never done before. SO, it's a quiet and gray Sunday afternoon... what are two forty-something women to do to keep out of trouble? That's right- go to a monster truck rally. What else?

The location: Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA.

The seats were packed! The crowd grew restless with excitement...

Leftcoast and CPURL could hardly contain themselves!

The anticipation grew, and finally the lights dimmed... and then, finally, a single spotlight glowed... the announcer gave an exceptionally lengthy and heartfelt introduction to the National Anthem.

At last, the engines roared to life! Only for long enough to give us just a taste of what was to come... That is Gravedigger at the far left- the star of the show. The dinosaur truck is Jurassic (driven by a woman!), the red truck is Terminator, and the camo truck is Airforce Ranger, which is driven by a man who is a parapalegic, and controlled completely with hand controls. Cool!
We were wowed by skilled and daring ATV racing (California vs Nevada, CA won, of course)

And then came the real show! Monster trucks racing side by side, over a jump and to the other side of the arena- exciting! Airforce Ranger won this round!

Then it was time to get ready for the wheelie contest.

3000 horsepower makes a lot of noise!

This was a sissy wheelie- the best wheelie, in case you did not know, is one where the back bumper touches the ground but the truck does not go over backwards. This requires the truck to be perpendicular to the ground. Gravedigger won this one, with a perfectly vertical wheelie!

Intermission... my bottle of water accidentally got knocked over the ledge and under the seat of the man in front of me... bye bye water! Oh well.

Of course we had snacks too...

At last, the grand finale of the Monster Jam- the freestyle show. Trucks get 3 minutes to do whatever they want, and they get a score. Usually this means that they try to do donuts and almost tip over but dont, and then they drive over the old-car jumps at one end of the arena and do some more wheelies. Gravedigger always wins, but we still rooted for Airforce Ranger!

This is not Gravedigger, it is another truck that crashed into the end of the arena (oops).

Not a problem, though- if your truck turns over they just turn it back with this bulldozer!

Feel the power...

And now for the Champeen of the Monster Jam, GRAVEDIGGER! Woohoo!
The Review

Was this what you expected it to be?

We'll, actually no- I expected that all of the trucks would drive around at once and try not to crash into each other, doing cool tricks at the same time. This did not happen. In reality, the trucks don't do a lot, and what they do do is very limited by the small space- although the arena is big, it is not quite big enough for a Monster Truck race!

What was your fave part?

The freestyle portion, and any pert where they drove over the old cars at the end of the arena.

Who was in the audience?

Besides myself and CPURL, mostly families with very cute small children. In many ways the show was geared to kids.

How were the souvenier stands?

They did not have as many t-shirts as I thought, and many things were quite expensive! They did brisk business, however!

If you were a monster truck, what would your name be?

Hell on Heels, and my truck would look like a giant high heeled shoe.

Hotdog rating: 6.5.

All hotdogs are rated against a Costco hotdog, which has a rating of 10. I have not had a Costco hotdog, so I had to take CPURL's word for it.

Monday Back to work shot...

Skeining Party!

2009-01-21T22:01:00.000-08:00

Last night, my knitting peeps and I got together to help out Janelle of Snicklefritz Yarns wind skeins for dyeing. We wound 30 skeins in all, and we got to have a sneak peek of what she will be bringing to Stitches West (booth 637)!

KnitPsycho & J working as a team

The Master (Snicklefritz) at work

Blogless Friend B and our assistant Jack

Jack, supervising the winding

The un-dyed stuff (No, we did not give Jack a haircut and spin it up)

Samples!

Dishcloth Mania

2009-01-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

Recently I was gifted with some absolutely lovely handknit organic cotton dishcloths. They were far too pretty to use, but at the insistence of their creator, I gave them a whirl anyway... they are so fantastic that I had to knit one or two myself. Full on dishcloth mania has ensued.

Dishcloths are a great project- they are small, easy (usually!), inexpensive, quick, fun to use, and they always fit. I have used up all of my cotton yarn- time to hit Michaels!

On another note (not to do with dishes), it was lovely here in the Bay Area all last week, and, for the first time ever, a Hellebore that I planted three years ago is about to bloom!

Woohoo!

Spinning Projects

2008-07-07T06:07:00.000-07:00

I noticed that I have not posted anything that is actually about knitting since about October. Well, the project that I amcurrently working on is a secret, so instead I will flash my recent spinning projects.

Spinning is a nice way to relax at the end of the day- it is repetative, soothing, and you get yarn at the end. Recently, I saw an ad on Ravelry for spinning fiber from Yarn Wench. The fiber in the ad was so pretty that I visited her web site and bought enough for three pairs of socks! As soon as it came in the mail, I started spinning... this colorway is called Portal 1.

This is what it looks like spun up...

Now I just have to spin the other bobbin and ply it, and voila- sock yarn!

I received another fun package in the mail this weekend as well- some dark gray fleece from a Rambioullet lamb. For those of you not in the know, Rambioullet is a type of sheep breed with very soft fleece, and lamb fleece is the softest of all. I have been looking for some really nice dark gray fleece for a long long time, so when I saw this, couldn't pass on it!

To prepare a fleece for spinning, step one is to wash it. Lucky me- the woman who I bought this from had already done that! Step two is to process it, either by carding or combing it (or sending it somewhere to be carded by machine!). I like to comb, so that is how I do it... but it takes a while! I already have another combing project in the works, so I just combed up a few locks of this fleece to see what it looked like... pretty!

Next I spun my tiny sample of combed fleece on a drop spindle, and got this- a few yards of yarn.

Finally, I knit up my few yards of yarn into a tiny square... just to see what it was like!

I only have about a pound of the fiber, so a sweater is probably out of the question, unless it is very tiny... maybe I can make a vest? Regardless, it will take a few months to comb this and spin it up, so I guess I have lots of time to plan!

LeftCoast & CPurl at the county fair

2008-07-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Saturday, after our 10 mile 3-day Breast Cancer Walk training walk (and some Mexican food for sustenence), CPurl and I went to the County Fair.

It was still early in the day, and pretty quiet.

We bought some lemonade from a giant lemon...

And searched for Unraveled Breast Cancer Walk team member A.'s handknit hat on display in the Exhibition Hall...

And finally, bought some souveneirs.

We're walking, yes indeed...

2008-06-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, my knitting peeps and I joined the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk to raise money for breast cancer research. The walk itself is in September, and over the three days, we will walk 60 miles. Preparing for this involves lots of training, so yesterday, we participated in a 13 mile walk through San Francisco.

We arrived on-site at the Warming Hut at Crissey Field at 7 am, and were greeted by smiling faces of other walkers and a lovely view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

We set off through the park- up hills, through woods, and finally out into the city.

There was lots of scenery to be had, from rocky cliffs to the Sutro Baths to the lovely homes in Pacific Heights.

There was even an element of danger just to add excitement...

Finally, after 13 long miles (so long that they were really 14.5 miles), we made it back to Crissey Field, where we celebrated with a nutritious meal of hot dogs and lattes from the Warming Hut.

L to R: Cpurl, Jo, LeftCoast, and KG (3 day walk impersonator)

Stuff

2008-06-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well, hmm- it's been a while huh? Obviously, I've been busy.

Since I last wrote, I have...

...gone to Alaska with a bunch of knitters (cpurl & blogless friend Betts included)...

We took a helecopter tour

We ate canapes

We drank drinks and knitted.

...walked my butt off (not literally- don't I wish!) (stole this pic from cpurl, btw)...

...gotten a shiny new nephew...

(who is matched in cuteness only by his adorable big sister)

...visited my Sis...

Those are her real eyes.

Seattle Aquarium

Sock, in Seattle

...met the Yarn Harlot... (also stole this pic from cpurl)

...and fed crackers to a chicken.

life is good, huh?

I won! I won!

2008-02-05T17:59:00.000-08:00

Here it is- the coveted "Your Blog Makes Me Yawn Award!" Finally, all of my hard work has come to fruition!

Thanks Cpurl- you're the best!

Rhinebeck Rhocks!

2007-10-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I went to Rhinebeck with my sister J and her friend K. The day was a lovely New England autumn day (yes yes I know, technically Rhinebeck is not in New England...), and we started out early with our coffees in hand. Sadly, I forgot my actual camera, so these photos were taken with the one on my phone (sorry!).

We arrived just after it opened, when everything was still quite- that didn't last for too long!

There was lots of fun stuff to see (besides yarn!)...

...lots of Autumn scenery.

and plenty of critters!

And of course, lots of hand dyed yarn...

And some tasty treats. I did not try the fried artichokes (or the fried pickles, thank you very much)

On the way home we passed a sight that many Rhinebeck attendees will recognize- The Fork in the Road (I kid you not). And guess what is right across the street from The Fork In the Road?

In Sheeps Clothing... also known as... Morehouse Merino. Woohoo- lovely, soft, hand dyed yarn! You know, becuase we did not get enough at Rhinebeck!

Stay tuned for some of the yummy goodies that I brought back with me!

Hand Dyed Yarn Swap!

2007-08-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

Lookie lookie what I got in the mail a few days ago! It came from my super-nice Hand Dyed Yarn Swap pal Jessica, at alfiberdreams. I just love it, and she gave it the perfect name:

Evil Queen

Do you think that she knows something about me that I don't? For those of you who are laughing right now, you can just stop it.

Jessica also included a set of beautiful sparkly stitch markers

And some treats (no, I could not get that coffee to stand up by itself!) to make my knitting time even more pleasurable.

Thanks Jessie- I absolutely love it all, and I cannot wait to knit that yarn!

YPF

2007-06-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

I dyed this one myself- I call it "Jimi Hendrix" yarn due to the psychadelic colors.

This is Socks that Rock in Firebird- this months Rockin Sock Club yarn!

This is called "boring brown yarn, but I washed, combed and spun it myself so you have to look at it anyway"

Super Duper Super Sox Box Swap pal!!

2007-06-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

I left work today all tired and cranky- I had a long day with lots of meetings and a very short lunch. So you can imagine how nice it was when I arrived home and found this on my doorstep:

It didn't look quite like that, of course (the mail man prefers that you ship in a cardboard box), but it did contain all of the wonderful things that you see, all of the way from Sweden!!

The bag, as you can see , is lovely- beautifully felted in my one of my favorite colors- gray. It is wonderfully soft and has a bit of a halo- maybe there is some alpaca involved? According to my SP, this is her first felting project ever- I am not sure that I believe that (look at the lining!).

There were lots of goodies inside the bag, including yarn- enough for two pairs of socks.

First there was some very pretty ragg yarn "to knit a pair of gray and red traditional Swedish Ragg socks" - and a set of DPNs to knit them with, along with a pattern, translated from Swedish to English by my SP (girl genius). Ragg socks, she says, are meant to be worn over regular socks inside of winter boots. Although it doesn't get that cold here that we would need boots, we here in California are giant babies about the cold and act like the world is going to end if it drops below 50- so Ragg socks will be perfect slipper socks!

Next, (continuing the gray theme) there were two skeins of super cute Strompegarn Jacquard print sock yarn, along with a set of Holz and Stein DPNs (be still my heart) to knit them with. These will be the perfect knitting group project- since the yarn is self patterning, I can knit really pretty socks with no patterning!

The bag was full of neat stuff- pretty flower needle keepers, Earl Gray Tea (keeping with the Gray theme!), a packet of fair trade Vart Goda coffee (that will not make it past tomorrow morning) and a Halge the Moose pen (yes, I did have to Google that!)

oh yes, and there was some candy...

Thank you Secret Pal! You truly made my day!

And here is my crack photography assistant, Friday the 13th, who is wondering why there was no peel-and-eat shrimp in the box!

Finally, here is a tiny tidbit for my gift-ee Secret Pal- I will be shipping your package in a day or two!

(Thank God its) YPF!

2007-06-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

Tumblebloom by Hobbledehoy

Confetti, by Rainbow Fibers (Purchased live and in person at my fabulous LYS Knit This Purl That)

Bread and Water

2007-05-25T12:13:00.000-07:00

Super Sox Box Swap contest question: What is your favorite beverage and snack while knitting, and why?

When I knit, I like to have bread and water as a snack, except without the bread. So it is just plain old water. I choose water over other (far more delicious) beverages mainly for it's calorie free properties, and also because if I drink wine the whole time I knit, then I will end up with very wonky knitted items...

Thank you supercrafty Betts!

2007-05-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Betts, who is clearly supercrafty, is too good to us. She made DillyDally Knitter and I little tiny sock necklaces- she knit the socks on size 0000 needles, and then added them to the necklaces that she also made herself. They are adorable- thank you Betts!!!

Sock necklace, modelled by Dawn (who is thinking "Can I have the other sock please? I have been wearing these stupid high-heeled shoes since, like, 1974 and they are killing me. And who thought shoes with big holes in the bottom were a good idea anyway? I mean seriously."

Betts also made us these- most excellent. She bought the tiny blocker keychains, and then knit the socks herself using a special yarn for each of us. We love Betts! Oh- she also made us delish butternut squash soup, but that is, ummm, loooong gone!

YPF.

2007-05-18T19:11:00.000-07:00

Blue Moon Fiber Arts, Silkie Socks That Rock: Walking on the Wild Tide

(this is the Socks that Rock Club yarn from April)

Hand Dyed cotton sock yarn, dyed by your's truly...

This is what it looked like before dying. It came from a friend's annual yarn swapping bash, and I got six skeins of it- when I dyed them I somehow missed this one!

Ok, ok, I know it is not yarn... it is a peony in my yard, and this is the first time that it has bloomed!

Super Sox Box Rocks!

2007-05-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

Super Sox Box Swap Questionnaire:

1.What are your favorite colors?
Jewel tones- sapphire blue, ruby red, deep orange, deep pear green- you get the idea! Oh, and I love grey.

What colors make you cringe?
Candy pink and shamrock green. I guess I have bad memories of the "preppy" early eighties!

2.Are you a new sock knitter? How long have you been knitting socks?
I have been knitting socks for about three years, but for the first two of them I just knit a tube with a toe and a heel- not even ribbing! Recently I have been inspired by DillyDallyKnitter (a sock goddess) to advance my skillz somewhat, so now I use actual patterns and everything!

3.Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn?
I like variegated solids or multicolored yarn.

4.What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn?
Superwash merino or superwash and nylon.

5.Where do you usually knit socks?
On the couch, in the car, at my LYS... wherever!

6.How do you usually carry/store small projects?
In a drawstring bag or small handbag.

7.What are your favorite sock knitting patterns? Any favorite designers?
I guess my fave pattern that I have knit so far is "Roza's Socks" from Interweave Knits. I like Cookie A., but have not been brave enough to actually knit one of her patterns yet. I also love Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks book- the traditional patterns are so pretty!

8.What are your favorite sock knitting techniques?
I am traditional- I like top down on DPNs. I honestly think that I just like the way the DPNs look- all fancy and like I am doing something important.

9.What new techniques would you like to try?
Different heel techniques- I can currently do an afterthought heel and a flap heel, but I know that there are lots of other interesting variations out there! Also, fair isle... I have the yarn, but not the courage.

10.Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting?
DPNs

11.What are some of your favorite yarns?
Hand painted yarns- no particular brand, although I always love "indie dyers"

12.What yarn do you adore and yearn for? What yarn makes you happiest?
I yearn for Joseph Galler Pashmina (loads and loads of it)- I knit a small project with it once and it was woooooonnnnderful. It is way out of my budget though! What yarn makes me happiest? I guess hand dyed yarn- the colors are so pretty, and each one is a little bit different.

13.Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object?
A great big soft fluffy sweater made of chunky brightly colored cashmere.

14.Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)?
I would kill for Holz & Stein size 0 sock DPNs- do they even make those? Barring that, I like regular old bamboo 5 inch DPNs.

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be?
I don't know.... but if I had to date someone from Gilligan's Island I would go with the Professor. Does that help?

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? Sweet or salty?
Citrus fruit flavored jelly beans- I ate 4 lbs of them at Easter...

Do you collect anything?
You mean besides handbags?

What is your favorite scent?
Citrus, rosemary, lavender

Will you be celebrating a birthday, anniversary, etc. between now and the close of the swap?
Nope!

What’s your favorite animal?
The jellyfish. (just kidding)

Do you have pets?
5 cats, 6 goldfish and some guppies.

What are their species/names/ages?
Minette (cat), Ponette (cat), Friday the 13th (cat), Bijoux (cat), Ramona (cat)
Godfish 1, Goldfish2, Goldfish3, Goldfish4, Goldfish5, & Goldfish6
Guppy, Guppy, Guppy, Guppy, Guppy, etc. etc. etc. (guppies are very prolific)

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read.What is your motto in life?
Just because you can doesn't mean you should. (this particularly applies to fun fur)

Do you have a wishlist? (ie: Amazon, B&N, a LYS, online store, etc.) Please list link here.
No- sorry!

Anything else you’d like to share with your Sox Box pal?
Yay sox!

Any allergies to be aware of for this swap?

Coffee, Tea?
Both!

Anything Else?