Oh, BTW

I meant to note this on my previous post in the sections about my Monkey socks;

My most wonderful SP sent my a set of 5" Lantern Moon DPNs of Blondewood with my first package. I was quite new to the concept of 5" needles and have always been quite fond of 6" needles. Also the first time I used Bamboo needles to do socks I was not so very impressed and have stayed with my INOX needles since then.

With that said, I decided I should broaden my horizons and try the lovely needls my SP sent me. I must say that for 64 stich socks that are mostly Knit/Purl with a few YO and K2tog these needles were quite the dream to work with. I will most definitely be using them in the future. It has helped me to learn that there are definitely reasons for using certain tools for certain jobs.

Thank You so much for introducing me to something so wonderful and different CJ!! :)

So Here is the Knitting Part

First we have Nicholas' Cardi - Yes, it is for my great-Nephew (I think). You see I have been getting differing opinions on whether or not these are appropriate "boy" colors. He would be wearing it this fall as a less than one year old. Any further opinions are greatly appreciated.

Next we have my Monkey Sock from Knitty (free pattern) that I absolutely loved knitting. It is one of the fastest patterns I have ever knit up. The yarn is from e-bay and I think it is a Merino type yarn. It definitely has a bit of 'sproing' to it, and so, while the sock looks kind of small and stubby:
... it fits like a dream(US size 8/8.5 EU size39). I prefer my socks a bit snuggy and this is great. I did change the heel to an Eye of Partridge and the toe decrease I extended a bit. Now all I have to do is finish Rick's first sock so I can knit MY second sock. I am an equal opportunity knitter (giggle)

Speaking of Rick's sock, here it is thus far. It is the Gentleman's Sock, by Designedly Kristi. It has a twisted rib leg pattern and an Eye of Partridge heel (reinforced I might add). It is just that an 80stitch sock takes alot longer to go around than a 64stitch sock (my sock above). So far he is liking his sock.

Hope you have enjoyed your little stroll down knitting lane. See You All again soon.

Yes, Life has been in my way -

Hi everyone!!
First sorry I have been away from my blogging...I tell you when life gets on a roll, it really takes off. There has been so much going on, yard sales, parents visiting, boys here, birthdays to celebrate, and much more. Alas, today (even though I have to go to work in a couple hours) I shall try to up date my blog. I think I may do it in multiple installments. That way if you get bored you can move on to the next one.

First - I finally blocked the beautiful lace shawl that my Dear Friend Viv knitted for me at least a year ago if not longer. It is called the Edwardian Lace Shawl from Heirloom Knitting.

This is the shawl before blocking on the left (it takes up the space of approximately 1 1/2 seating spaces) at the dinning room table and I was able to stand next to the table to take the pic.












Here is the shawl (to the right) after blocking but still on the blocking blocks and me standing on a chair looking down. The picture below is the shawl just after removing the pins (yes, I did it with pins) but more about that later.

I must say though, that since my Birthday on Sunday I am now the proud owner of a set of blocking wires from Knit Picks. My Beloved took my instructions to heart (as well as saw the box of pins that I was working from) and ordered them for the Boys to give me.

Now, as for the pins I was working with - I made a small error in judgement and was using Applique pins that are approximately this__ long (think from the 't' to the end of the underscore line). Yep!! it was a learning lesson for me.

I may even try to reblock this with the wires so that it is more even and then use the pins to block out the scallops.

THANK YOU VIV!!!! for such a georgeous work of knitting talent. One day I may even try one of the Heirloom Patterns.

Now for another very important Thank You - to my Secret Pal - She is most awesome. Arranged it so my package arrived within 24hrs of my Birthday (not bad since B-day was on a Sunday this year) and what a package it was.

The sock yarn she dyed herself and I Love the colors (still trying to decide what sock pattern will best show it off) ; The Chocolate and card are just full of Nursing Humor (which I can totally appreciate); The sheep ornie is just too cute, and the Lavender Body Butter is just heavenly. The hand made cloth is the most luscious color of purple/lavender/periwinkle - and all the Mary Englebrecht bits are really cute. Thank You again my Fellow Nurse & SP

Must take a short break to go feed the girls finish the laundry and then I will be back with more pics and news bits.

I am still knitting...

Hi everyone, yes, I am still here, and yes still knitting. Life has been crazy (which is nothing new for me), but I have fit some knitting time in here and there.

I have hit a block with the baby cardigan - for some reason, I just don't seem to want to work on it. I am so close to being done... Although I must admit, it could be because I am having so much fun working on my Falling Leaves/Monkey socks. The yarn is great and the pattern is quick.

As for Rick's socks, I have made it to the heel, but alas, again I am having more fun doing my socks and so his have gone to the bottom of the bag again.

My oldest came last night for a visit, he is now back at home at his mom's house, but it was really great to have him come here for a night. I am ever amazed at how long I have know these boys and how far they have come. But before I get too remeniscent, I must get on my way to my Accupuncture appt. I think it may be working. More later

So Here are my 5 ?s from Viv

1.)If you could choose anywhere in the world, where would you live? Why?

This is really tough, because, as, my blog title indicates I am always Dreaming of Germany…but I also have a place for the Desert of the Southwest – particularly the Phoenix area. So truly if I had my choice and $$ was not an issue I would live in both places.
Germany because I love how clean and neat and uncluttered it is. The western/central areas remind me very much of where I grew up in Pennsylvania only better. I like the lifestyle and the pace of life in Germany. It is much more laid back than here in the US. When it all comes down to it there is just something about arriving on German soil that makes me take a breath and think “OK all is well I am here and life is good” I have so many fond memories and some truly wonderful German friends that make it such a draw for me to live there.
As for Phoenix, it draws me for many of the same reasons as German but with more sunshine and different landscape. The fact that you can live in Phoenix, and in the winter time, drive 2.5hrs and go cross country skiing and then return home to 65 degree weather and take a dip in the hot tub if you like. Everything there is very casual (except the traffic congestion). The fact that I married my Beloved in Sedona (Red Rock country) holds a very special appeal for me to live there as well. Sedona is a magical place and with such good energy you cannot help but feel good just by driving into the area.

2.) You like Germany a lot - what's the thing you like most about it?

Well, other than the things I stated above, I would have to say the superior Beer, Wine, and Chocolate as well as the CLEAN food. What I mean is the purity of the food, unlike here the only way to get clean food is to buy expensive organic foods, because of all the chemicals and drugs used by the suppliers here. Oh and also the openness to alternative and complementary medical treatments.
I guess that is more than a “thing”, but ah well….

3.) If you could keep any kind of "exotic" animal as a pet (thinkwallabies, platypuses, wombats etc.) what would be your choice? Why?

Wow, an exotic… I am stumped on this one and will have to come back to it.

4.) I'm turning 4-0 this year, hence the question - do you think this isa milestone age in a woman's life?

Since I seem to be someone who is not particularly conscious of ‘age’ (my friends are both younger and older than I, my Beloved is 12yrs older than I) I am not sure I would consider this a Milestone Age for a woman. I must admit I certainly did some looking back, some evaluating of where I am and where I thought I would be at this point in my life. I also spent some time trying to figure out where I want to go in life. I would have to say I think it is more of a contemplative age in a woman’s life than a milestone. If you were to ask me about this at 60, I would probably say that is more of a milestone. By that point we have made it through some pretty incredible changes and processes in our life and have much knowledge and wisdom to share, as well as accomplishments to be proud of. I actually find myself looking forward to that time of my life more so than I was looking forward to 40.

5.) If some unknown rich person (whom we all dream of meeting) gave youa huge amount of money to spend on knitting or stitching stash, whatwould you buy?

What ever yarns my little heart desires, without thought of “would I really pay that much for a sweater or socks, or whatever?”. I think more so than buying stash, I would by “time” to knit and stitch. Right now my life is so busy that I often feel like I would like for some one to pay me to just enjoy myself doing what ‘I’ want to do. That way I don’t have to feel guilty about not contributing to the household, and there aren’t a ton of things that I need to do because I will have time to intersperse them with my knitting/stitching time.
The more I think about this the more I wish we could win even a reasonable size lottery (I am not geedy –$500 to 750,000 would be more than plenty.

If anyone should like me to pose 5 ?s to them to answer (I believe this is called a meme) I would be most happy to put some thought to it and oblige.

As for my knitting these days, the Baby Cardi is coming along well, I am currently working on one of the sleeves. I am amazed at how quickly you cover ground with these miniature clothes.

Rick's socks are coming along slowly - I am over the 'manly - man' color of both his and Dad's socks, so they are not moving as quickly as he might hope for.

I have started a pair of socks for ME from some yarn that I bought from e-bay last year. Since it was a hand-dye and not labeled I am REALLY hoping it will be fine for socks, but from the way it feels I think it will be just fine. The pattern I am doing is the Falling Leaves pattern from Knitty. Rachael made a pair and I saw them somewhere else and decided to try it. I love how quickly they are knitting up. Plus, wait until you see the color. The more I knit with it the more I love it. Pictures will follow in the next day or so.

Must run off to work... oh where is that person who is going to give me stash $$ or the Lottery win????

Spring in FULL bloom

I just could not help myself. Our Azaleas are looking so lovely I just had to take some pics and here they are. Don't they just scream SPRING TIME???

In fact I took the first picture and made it my desktop image. It is really cool.

Oh and here is the promised picture of Dad's Socks. I must admit, my paranoia of running out of yarn created one sock that is smaller than the other. The good thing is Dad has one foot a whole size bigger than the other, the bad news is, that means the socks will wear out soon from not rotating them. I shall keep the tiny bit of yarn left over to do mending when the time comes.



Here is the Baby sweater in progress. Yes, I did take a DPN and weave it through the hood to creat a 'seam', and then add a ball lace yarn as a "head", but all in all it is looking pretty cute.













No, Viv, I did not forget about my 5?s I "promise" I will get them up here very soon. Honest!!

Have a great one everyone!!!

They're Done

I finished Dad's Socks!! Yippee!!!! I tell you these men with their big, wide feet... I used a 100gm ball of Regia Havanna and had probably 1-1 1/2 yards remaining. Infact I think I may have shorted one of the socks abit when I was doing the toe decrease because I was afraid I would run out. I must say though, I now have a better visual on how much yarn I go through when doing a toe decrease on an 80-stitch sock.
I will post a pic either tomorrow morning, or early Tues. Tomorrow is a busy day for me with one job from 6:30am- 12:30pm followed by the other job from 2p - 8p.
Then Tues I will have some time before I go off to my first Accupuncture appt. I want to regain some balance in my health. This last time that I was sick is the 2nd time since January and this is very unusual for me. Especially since lately I have been eating better and trying to walk on my treadmill at least 3-4days per week. Since my blood pressure is still not responding I am loooking to Accupuncture to help my body do it's work. Mainly because I really do not want to go on blood pressure medications at this point in my life.

I wish everyone a good start to their week and .....

Keep on Knitting!!!!!!

I guess this just proves what lots of people have told me

You Are Cookie Monster

Misunderstood as a primal monster, you're a true hedonist with a huge sweet tooth. You are usually feeling: Hungry. Cookies are preferred, but you'll eat anything if cookies aren't around. You are famous for: Your slightly crazy eyes and usual way of speaking How you life your life: In the moment. "Me want COOKIE!"

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

I have had several people describe me as the Cookie Monster over the course of my life, I guess they were all right - "who'd a thunk it??"

I am finally beginning to feel like myself again. Been away for a few days. Some sort of 'buglet' crept up and jumped me from behind. There I was enjoying myself on Saturday - outside in the sunshine, working in the yard, transplanting flowers and trees and then - ALL OF A SUDDEN - BAM!!!! I am laying on the couch feeling like I have been run over by a truck and 3hrs later I have a fever of 101.2 (which for those of us who usually run 97.6 is close to death). So being the naturalist that I am I try to burn those little buglets out for my system for a bit and just let the fever do it's thing. Only trouble was, I was so hot that I could sleep, sit still, or do much of anything with out everything (including my hair) hurting. I should remind you all that this was a Boys weekend - and the boys do not like it when I am sick - life just isn't as fun when Cheryl's not either around, or feeling well (it is so good to be loved).
So anyway, by about midnight I decided to go for the Tylenol. Then spent that whole night not sleeping, of course neither did my DH. Sunday comes and goes - I call out sick to both my jobs - very unusual for me, especially these days ($). Lots of Echinaccea, Hyland's Homeopathic Sinus and Insomnia formulas and then a little bit more sleep. 2hrs at a clip was better than none. Still could not get the temp below 100.0 . Monday comes and I call of sick again to my job at the store and the sniffles, sneezes and coughs start. DH comes home from work and promptly goes to the Vitamine Shop for more Echinaccea, (between the 2 of us - me trying to cure and him trying to keep from getting what I have) we ran out AND some Hyland's Flu formula. Let me tell you with in 1hr of my first does life was already beginning to improve.

So here I am today at 98.8 (still up for me, but much much more liveable), and with a bit of cabin fever so I think I shall go do a few errands just to ge out of the house for a bit. Good thing the weather has been gorgeous the last few days and I could have the house open. It doesn't feel like such an icky place when the house is open while someone in the house is sick. I guess if I have my druthers I will choose getting sick at this time of the year instead of during a time when the house is all closed up for either heating or air conditioning purposes.

Yes Viv, I did get your email with my "meme" in it, and now that I can actually think clearly I think I shall work on that after I go outside for a bit.

Stay well everyone, and if you must get sick - open the windows and let the fresh air blow through.

Here it is - the new ME

I took the leap and got my hair cut... I must say I am loving it. Excuse the funky picture, I used my web cam to do it, as I was impatient to post for my friends.

On the knitting end of things, now that my sweater is finished I am working on a little cardigan for my Great Nephew. Once I get a bit further with that I will post.

Yep, I did finish it finally

Hey Everyone, here it is - the Neck Down Weekend Pullover from Knitting Pure and Simple. The pattern really knitted up quickly and fairly easily.

Would have been easier if I had followed directions, and not had to cast off 5 times in order to get the body correct. But alas, this is how we learn in life. The Plymouth Baby Alpaca yarn is just wonderfully soft and I haven't even blocked it yet.

Luckily my LYS (the one that is "going out of business" but not really now that someone else has purchased the store) had another batch of the Baby Alpaca - enough for me to do another sweater (maybe for my DH or not - haven't decided yet), only this time it is burgundy and only one color. I think I need to figure out how to knit a bit tighter with this yarn, since the pictures indicate quite clearly what color bra I have on. DH says you really don't pick it up in person but it is very obvious in pictures.

So next on the needles is the baby sweater for my new great-nephew who just arrived 2 nights ago. Yep, I am already behind with this one, but I am hoping that since he is still small the sweater won't take too long.

You will all notice I now have 'functioning' buttons on my side bar. My wonderful friend Que at my Meet-Up mtg this morning enlightened me on the how-to's of getting them to work the way they are suppose to. Now I am really dangerous - look out world - here I come.

Well, I am off to work on my baby sweater and maybe even finish Dad's socks this weekend. Wish me luck.

This Time For Sure....

Yes folks, it took not 1, not 2, not even 3, but 5 attempts to cast off the bottom of this sweater correctly. Correctly meaning it made it past my arm pits, over my belly and able to rest on my hips AND have a bit of 'sproing' to it, so that when the day comes that my hips and belly are not the size they are today the bottom of this sweater will still fit me. I am putting it out there for this to mean that both will be smaller.

Yes, I admit it, I did a Viv. But let us face it folks, it is Saturday, and I have been frantically trying to get this right (icluding a run to the LYS for advice - and yarn of course), so I am not really looking my best. I will save that for once the sleeves are on. I can honestly say I am hoping that will happen really soon, so that I can wear this one once or twice before it is time to put it away. After all we have had SNOW off and on all day here in Viginia Beach. Can you believe it??!! You could have nocked me over with a feather. Infact yesterday I was telling people they were nuts for actually listening to the weather guessers. But alas now it is just sunny out and windy and not a flurry in sight.

Well I am off to go start on my sleeves. Have a great weekend everyone!!
Remember Life is what you make it....so make it GREAT!!

OOooooo I am such a Lucky Girl!!!!

I have a wonderful Secret Pal. Last evening I recieved on my doorstep a lovely little box filled with all kinds of marvelous things. Thank You so very much my Secret Pal!!!

This is my best attempt at a still-life photo grouping. I guess I really need to talk to my son to get some tips.
The yarn on the left is absolutely scrummy. The Wooly Washers in the middle, all I can say is the soap smells soooooooo wonderful, and the wool it comes with, I don't know - it almost seems too pretty to make into a soap-y thing. Let's see, on to my lovely Lantern Moon 5" sock needles. This will be a first for me. I have only used 6" and thought they were little, but my SP tells me once you have used 5"ers, 6 seems huge. On to my wonderful Chocolates, she really knows the way to my heart. My name stitch markers on the left came just in time for me to start working on the repeats in my lace shawl and the oriental case just above them is perfect for storing stitch markers. Last but certainly not least is the treat she enclosed for my four-legged daughters - peanut flavored dog biscuits with 1/2 dipped in carob. As you can see from the pics below the girls LOVED them. Thank You from Misty and Naya for our treats!!!!









Can you just see the sisterly concern Naya (the silver one) has for Misty - wanting to make sure she got all the crumbs. The the final shot with Naya offering to help Misty vacuum the carpet really well. I do promise we feed our dogs twice daily and these shots occured AFTER breakfast.

On to some knitting stuff...the promised pic of the Baby Alpaca Neck Down Sweater need just a bit more time. I casted off the bottom edge of the body this morning just before rushing off to work only to realize that I bound off too tightly and could not get said sweater past my arm pits. Errrrgggg Arrrrggggh!!! So that my dear friends is what I am off to do right now.

Have a lovely weekend.

Just to let you all know

YES, I am still among the living. It has been quite crazy this past week or so. My girlfriend came to visit, then my DH came home after being gone for a month. and then the new Summer Floor set arrived this week at Coldwater Creek.

Needless to say, I have not gotten much knitting done, nor much sleeping, but I am hoping I will get back to my routine here very soon. Maybe tomorrow after I get home from work I will be able to post a pic of my Baby Llama sweater.

Take Care Everyone and enjoy the Spring time

Catching up with SP

First of all

THANK YOU TO MY SECRET PAL for the lovely postcard I recieved this morning. I have been on off my puter for several days now and not always keeping up. It was so lovely to see the roses she sent (I am a sucker for roses). Yes, the first few days of spring have been great.

Next up....
My contest entry is the sweater pictured in my previous post. I absolutely love working on it. It is from Knitting Pure and Simple and is called the Weekend Neck Down Pullover. I am working it with Plymouth Yarn's Baby Alpaca Grande. It has got to be one of the softest sweaters I will ever own. Yep you saw that right, I am making this for me. I have been a bit selfish with my knitting lately what with my Einstein Coat and now this sweater... but I know there are many pairs of socks already on the list (and the needles for that matter) that will go to others.

This will be my first attempt at a sweater, so I am really hoping it comes out well. Plus it seems to be working up fairly quickly (as long as I get chance to work on it).

Must run now and go visit with my friend who is here visiting, and then it is off to work for me.

Tootles

I am in Love....

... with baby alpaca wool. Oh My Goodness, it is just so soft and squshy, and soft, and I can't wait to be able to wear it. Never mind the fact that it is already 70+ degrees here today!! I am going to have to wish for cold weather when I get back from my days away (which are - oh btw going to be in a warm climate). So what is it that has me all aflutter for Baby Alpaca wool

It is just the prettiest blues I have seen. It is a very loosely twined dk & lt blue, but as you knitt it, it just becomes totally lovely. This is the neck portion of my Weekend Neck Down Pullover from Knitting Pure and Simple. Silly me, I thought the title meant I could knit this in a weekend - yes Viv I had you in mind (silly me thinking I might be fast enough to make this true) - It took me nearly ALL weekend just get these 40 stitches cast on and connected and knit in the round (which I might add I have done in the past). I tell you everyone, after the umpteenth attempt at this, I was ready to throw myself off a cliff and just join in with the dumb rocks below. But alas, I finally go a bit smart and went to Knitting Help and watched the video a couple times and low and behold I was able to not only cast on, but also join in the round and subsequently start actually knitting my sweater.

Here we have my sweater after just the first skein of wool. It looks kind of goofy in this picture, but I still have it on the small circular needles with all the little markers and such. I am just about ready to split off for the sleeves, but I need to join a new skein of wool (but first I need to wind it into a usuable cake)

Of course this also means that I have not been working on my Dad's or DH's socks. I figure I will keep those for my plane rides.

Oh and the other exciting news is..... I just got my Secret Pal assigned to me and she is a sock knitter (whoo hooo). I have my SP too, but I will not say too much about that or I am sure I will give something away. I am so excited to have a SP, I have not ever done something like this before.

Off to do some laundry and wool winding, and maybe even some knitting.

The Pics I Promised

So here they are....

First me looking 'sheepish' in my Einstein Coat. Although I must admit I am very proud of it. It is so toasty and comfy. I sometimes come in from outside and don't even remove it.

Then we have my oldest who was here last night on a stop-over for spring break. I took him to the airport this morning and about now he should be arriving in West Palm Beach, FL to visit his Aunt & Uncle.

Lastly we have my lovely Daffodils. They were looking very chilly and huddley the other day, so I went and snipped them and brought them into the warmth. By the next morning this is how they thanked me.

Today was a great day, in that I got to spend a bit more time with Rich, and then went to my monthly Knitting Group mtg. We are called Yarn for Breakfast. This morning there were about 10-12 of us, and we really raised quite the din in that little coffee shop. I think the computer users were glad to see us finally leave at about 1230. As I wrote in my comments for our mtg - Chitty- Chatty; Chitty- Chatty ... KNIT KNIT KNIT. For those of you familiar witht he muscial The Music Man, there is a tune that fits just perfectly.

I am off to go do some more knitting.

...and then there is this

Here it is my very first Dish Cloth/Rag. It seems strange to be calling my hand knit item a 'rag', but that is what it is and what it is meant to be. Please excuse the center glitches near the top. After all this is my first attempt, and oh by the way I did it in 4 separate sessions of walking on the treadmill for 20-30 min at a time. I have found that I am capable of walking 3mph while knitting (in a controlled environment). Plus the use of 5mm bamboo needles helps too - a) they are big enough so not too hard to keep hold of and b) the bamboo isn't so slippery like aluminum.

Since this seems to be my most recent way of motivating myself to get on the treadmill I guess everyone can look forward to Dish Cloths through out the year. Plus it is a really great way to satisfy that desire to finish 'something' when working on other projects.

As I live and breath my dish cloth knitting will NOT travel anywhere with me unless there is a treadmill to be walked upon.

I am hoping to be able to wear Einstein to work tomorrow or definitely by Tues so there will be modeling pics soon.

Heeeeerrrrrreeee's Einstein.....

Yep Here she is!!!

Completed with buttons.

Really pretty pewter buttons with a little Edelweiss flower on them.

I am very please with my first BIG project. Now all I must do is block her. I think I will save that until tomorrow morning when I am fresh. Once she is blocked then I will model her and have someone shoot a pic for me.

Time for sleeeeeeeeeep

Here is Einstein

So here is Einstein thus far. Actually she is just a bit further along, as I did some knitting at my meet up this evening and so the sleeve that you currently see without any dark blue on it, now has some dark blue on it. I will post again after I get it seamed and cast on the collar. Maybe I will even get buttons when I go to class.

The Secret Pal Questionaire

Yes, I have finally found the Secret Pal site and am very excited to finally be a part of one of these. So without further ado, here is my Questionaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
So far I cannot say I have a 'favorite' yarn so I guess any and all are good for me. I have found that I am not really into the ribbon yarn type fibers.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
A Burt's Bees Demo Bag (sock needles), and original packaging for all others

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I learned to knit Christmas of 05' and I would consider myself intermediate. I have taught myself lace knitting, and enjoy doing all kinds of socks. Have not yet tackled cables.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I think I have an Amazon whish list, will need to check on that.

5. What's your favorite scent?
Fresh Lavender

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
OH BOY do I!!! My favorite candy is European Dark Chocolate especially Ritter Sport Halb-bitter and Dunkel Voll-Nuss. In a pinch Dove Dark Chocolate is a good stand in.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I do counted cross stitch but not cutesy things usually more involved projects.

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 New Age type music, Classical, Country, and Celtic. My computer can play CD's but not sure about MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like blues, purples, colors of Sedona Red Rocks, and mauves - the can't stands would have to be neons, primarys, and especially orange and green

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am married to my Beloved and we have 3 sons that live with their mom. We have two 4-legged daughters Misty and Naya.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I do like scarves, but more accessory type than warmth type (due to where I live) not so much mitten, and no hats. Ponchos if they are light in weight might be nice.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
Socks and Shawls (right now)
13. What are you knitting right now?
I am finishing my Einstein Coat, I have 2 pairs of socks on needles and a lace shawl, oh and a sleeveless top for me.
14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Oh yes, as I know the love and care that goes into them.
15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I like both straight and circular needles and both bamboo and aluminum but not plastic.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes to both and am very willing to share its use with anyone.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Probably the sleevelss top it is about a year on the needles.
18. What is your favorite holiday?
I would have to say Christmas as I am a Santa collector - anything neat or unusual
19. Is there anything that you collect?
Santa's and unique ornaments, and of course sock yarn
20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
No subscriptions, (trying to keep the clutter at bay), books any of the Yarn Harlot's would be lovely, and Alton Brown's I am just here for more food.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I would like to be able to get better at what I am doing and learn cabling.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes to being a sock knitter and my measurements Leg Length 3.5-5inches; Heel to toe 7inches; Toe length 2.25inches; Heel flap length 2.25inches; Foot circumference 9inches. I wear a size 8-8.5 shoe (US) or a 39 (European)

23. When is your birthday?
May 20th - by the way Emerald Green is the only color green I like, but only in small quantitites.

So that should cover it all.