Rockin Sock Club!!

I just pre-registered for the 2007 Rocking Sock club from BlueMoon!! I'm beyond excited about this!! And they updated teh colors they offer online too. Woo hoo!!

There's a first time for everything.

This weekend was a hectic and crazy weekend! My mom and step-father were up friday and saturday, and my in-laws came up late friday, through saturday/sunday and just left this morning. I'm exhausted! For the first time in a long time I am glad to be at work!

Friday, my mom, step-father, Celia and I took a trip into Alexandria, VA to see what it was like. None of us had been there before (or in a long time at least), so it was an adventure. It was drizzling pretty much all afternoon, but we hit a great spot for lunch. It was called Bittersweet, and it was Karma for us to go there, because the house I grew up in was on Bittersweet Lane. ;) The food was excellent, sandwiches and soup and cookies! We walked around a bit, and stumbled on Knit Happens! I was SO excited to find this place, since I've seen a lot about it online. Overall, I liked some of what they had- a TON of Koigu, Art Yarns, Lorna's Laces and various other yarns. I found a few things I liked, but didn't buy anything! See, when we walked in, we had my daughter with us, and she was in her harness. We just got this harness thursday, because she's now in a phase where she refuses to sit in a stroller, and will run off before you can blink an eye if you aren't very careful. The harness lets us keep her close, and she doesn't mind it at all. I was walking towards the back, where there were a few ladies at a table chatting. One turned over to the other, and said something like "the leash= NOT A FAN." I looked at her, so she knew I heard her, and was pretty annoyed! I walked out after a few minutes of browsing, without buying a single skein of yarn. And I would have bought 2 or 3 skeins of the Artyarn. That was their loss. Though I'm sure one loss of sale isn't going to matter to them, I still couldn't justify spending money there.

Saturday morning was Celia's gymnastics class. I wanted my mom and step-father to go, because they hadn't been before. She did great, and had a blast! I signed her up for the 3 year old class again too. Then we got back to the house and my in-laws had left, to go into DC to get my FIL's tags for the marathon on sunday. They left Nathan at home, without telling him how long they were going to be (if they were coming back right away or staying in DC). So we left them a key, and went shopping at Tyson's Corner. I did some good shopping too! Bought new sneakers for me and the hubby at New Balance store, a down vest for me at L.L. Bean and some shirts from J.Jill. We had an awesome lunch, and headed back home around 3. The Inlaws finally got back around 4. We all went for dinner after that, and got home in time to get Celia in for a good night sleep.

Sunday was not great. I was planning on running to the grocery store and getting the food for the week, and a pumpkin, and coming home. Instead, we all went, which always takes much longer than if it's just me. Then we ate lunch and headed into Rosslyn to see Nathan's dad finish the race (which we didn't do because it was way too far, and with Celia, I didn't want to push her any more than we already had. She was crabby, cold, and never got a nap. Needless to say, it was not the place to take a young child, and we should have stayed home. After we met up with FIL, we waited for an hour to get into the metro station, and finally got a train back. We ended up being 2 hours late for a pumpkin carving party that celia was invited to, which I felt horrible about. She was really looking forward to it, and missed half of it. Anyway, the party was fun! Celia had fun playing, I carved the pumpkin, we ate pizza and cupcakes (yum!), and chatted. Celia had an awful night. She fell asleep in the car on the way home (she was exhausted!!), which was probably an hour later than we would have stayed if we actually got there on time. By the time we got her home and woke her up, she was hysterical. For Two hours, hysterical.

Thankfully everyone left this morning and we can get her back to her routine. I love it when people visit, just NOT all at the same time. It's too much stimulation for her, and then I get upset because she's tired and upset. I know I usually don't vent too many personal things on this blog, so I do appologize for that. I just really need to go home tonight, pop open a nice bottle of red wine, and drink the entire thing. I'm not cooking tonight. Can we say Pizza??

Socktoberfest

I finally finished the socks I started earlier this year, which were meant to be for Project Spectrum! They have orange and yellow, which I usually never like. But they are a bit funky, which seems to be my thing lately! I do have about 4 other socks on the needles, and will start another pair today. My daughter loves my socks and said she wants some "just like mommy's". Thankfully I did them on 3s, so there is plenty of yarn leftover.

And here she is!!

Last night I brought the wheel in and tried her out! I have to say it took me about 10 minutes to really get going, but once I did, I had some fun! Here is my finished Ashford Kiwi. I only did 1 coat of stain, because I really like how the grain of the wood comes through so well. I had a hard time getting a good picture of it.
I used some of the roving I got at MS&W and like how it's turning out! It goes so much faster than using a drop spindle!

The wheel!

Sunday night, I took the wheel out of the box and put her together. Then I realized that it might have made more sense to wait to put it together until AFTER I had finished it. That's ok though, some of the parts easily came apart again so I was good. Last night, my wonderful husband gave our daughter a bath, and put her to bed, so I could go out to the garage and start staining my wheel! I sand-papered it lightly first, then slapped on some stain, and it looks fantastic!! I was going back and forth between doing a cherry stain, or something with more funk. I didn't take very long to decide, because when I looked at the stain samples at Benjamin Moore, I knew instantly that I had to use the one with a light blue tint to it. It turned out SO well! You can see the grain of the wood, but it's light blue. I will take pics tonight and show you all how it turned out. Now I must come up with a name for her...!

Hot Socks swap package!

Sunday afternoon, when I walked in the door after the 5 hour drive from New Jersey, I saw a box sitting on the counter! It was a Brita box, with my name on it! I was SO excited, and knew it was my Hot Sox swap package, since my pal e-mailed me to let me know it was coming. I opened it right away and found this:

First I opened the letter from Rebecca! She is so awesome!! Then I opened the book- Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris!! I've wanted this book since it came out! I can't wait to start some recipes from it. They look fantastic! Then I opened the beautiful box, which I will use to display some of my stash in my office. What a cool idea to pack things in such a pretty box! Then I opened up two skeins of Koigu in this really pretty peaches/cream/blues colorway which I really love! Then came the chocolate coffee flavorings (YUM) and the hot chocolate, which is actual chocolate paties. It's called Abuelita, and I can't wait to try some! There were also chocolates, blistex and a cool Haloween pez dispenser. And, something I've really been wanting to try- ARTYARNS merino!! I'm so excited to try this yarn! And the colors are lovely! Thanks Rebecca!! I feel completely spoiled!!

Rhinebeck, the aftermath.

What a weekend! At 4pm, a friend and I hit the road and headed up to her parents house in New Jersey. At 5:30AM Saturday, the alarm went off, we got up, showered and on the road!

We stopped partway up for breakfast, and made it to the fairgrounds by 9:10. Thankfully, they were already selling tickets so we bought them and entered! The first stop was to be The Fold for Socks that Rock. I was lucky, in that they were already open, and the booth had only 10 other people shopping, so it wasn't too crazy at all! There was NO line, and I was done with my 3 skeins very quickly. 2 are for me, one for my SP9. Then, we walked around a bit, talked to some people and shopped some more.

I ended up chatting with a lady at a wheel, asking for advice, and she sent me over to Susan's Fiber Shop. She was very helpful, and I ended up buying a wheel! It is an Ashford Kiwi, and I'm really excited about it. Thankfully I spent less than I planned, and I was able to walk away with it! Now it's in a box and I need to put it together.


Here are some pics from the blogger meetup. I met lots of people, and got about 15 of my bingo squares crossed off!



Here is the lowdown on Rhinebeck- You have to get there EARLY unless you want to be stuck in traffic and long lines. By 12, it was packed! And in line for food, we heard that the drive from the expressway was 2 and a half hours long! It took us 10 minutes...just for comparison. We even got an awesome parking spot since we were so early. The layout is MUCH nicer than maryland sheep and wool- the barns have more space in the aisles, so you aren't as cramped. There seemed to be a lot fewer animals at Rhinebeck too. But overall, it was great! We had fun, got lots of shopping done! I'm lucky to live about 40 minutes from MS&W, so I think I'll stick with that next year.

Here are some pics of my new acquisitions:


Three skeins of Socks That Rock (though there were at least 10 more I wanted!), in colorways Pucks Mischief, Purple Rain, and Blue Brick Wall. Blue Face Leicester in greens/blues, Brooks Farm in a red colorway for a friend of mine, and some other special gifts. But I can't tell you about those!!


And the required pics of animals:

48 Things You Could Care Less About
1. FIRST NAME? Shelby
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Yup, the Shelby Mustang from the early 1960's, my dad always wanted one.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? A few weeks ago, when one of my best friends called to tell me that her fiance's sister died from a 3 year battle with leukemia.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not really
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Wegman's brown sugar ham, or salami. Depends on the day.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Absolutely! I'd have someone to scrapbook, knit and shop with!
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Just online.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes, unfortunately. If I get strep one more time this year I'm going to scream!
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I don't know! Probably not now that I have a kid.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Lucky Charms. And Honeycomb. If I want to be healthy, Special K vanilla almond is good.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope!
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? A little, but when you lug around a 2 and a half year old it's hard not to be! ;)
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Chocolate peanutbutter, or chocolate oreo. Cake batter ice cream is pretty yummy too.
14. SHOE SIZE? 10 Wide, thanks to my darling daughter.
5. RED OR PINK? Pink (again, thanks to my daughter).
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My weight.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My family and friends that are in Buffalo, NY
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Why not!
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue shirt, jeans, and no shoes yet
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Dora the Explorer
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Plum purple
23. FAVORITE SMELL? My daughter, after she's had a bath and is in her jammies. Nothing in the world like it!
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My dad
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? their eyes
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I never met her. She's one of my SP9 participants!
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Caramel macchiatto, diet cherry coke, OR a nice red wine
28. FAVORITE SPORT? Football (Go Bills!)
29. EYE COLOR? Brown
30. HAT SIZE? small
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope! I stopped wearing them when I was working in a lab full time, and got used to glasses again (now that they can make them thin!). Contacts were too expensive for me anyways, since my eyes are so bad!
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer
36. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? usually chocolate mousse cake. Or Dulce de leche cheesecake. YUM.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Not sure
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Not sure
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Um...I haven't been reading much lately.
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? I have a laptop, so no mousepad
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? World Series of poker second to last episode for the main event. The suspense is killing me!!
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My daughter's laugh, birds chirping, the ocean waves
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Budapest, Hungary
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? I'm a good listener.
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Buffalo, NY
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I swiped it from a SP9 participants blog.

pic

This is for those of you playing Blogger Bingo at Rhinebeck! And for those of you who I hope to see at the meetup! I hope to find my hat and wear it (it's green, and covered with pins). Sadly it was lost in the move!

Advice, please!

Do you have a spinning wheel?? What kind is it? Why do you love it??

I really want to get a wheel, and am hoping to find one I like at Rhinebeck. Hopefully I'll be strong enough to back away and not buy it yet...but we'll see what kid of mood I'm in! Any advice on this would be awesome!!

Are you going???

Just 4 more days until Rhinebeck!!!! I'm SO excited! I keep thinking about what I want to get, and I have a million ideas. Definitely a few things for my SP9, and some other gifties. Definitely some things for me. Definitely want to decide on which wheel I'm going to purchase once I save enough cash.

Are you going? If you're going to Rhinebeck, leave me a comment! I'd love to meet some of my readers!

It's here, it's here!!!!!

I got home to find my package!! I opened it up and saw this:

Such pretty paper, and a great card that revealed my pal!
I quickly opened everything! My daughter kept trying to open everything but I wouldn't let her. Dora the Explorer is great for distracting her. ;)

My pal, Suzie, our hostess with the mostest, completely spoiled me rotten! Everything was PERFECT!! I've had that exact colorway of Lisa Souza yarn (Berry Poppins) in my shopping cart several times! I had decided to order it after Rhinebeck, and now I don't have to! Also included is some Knit Picks essential in green, some chocolate, and english tea cookies, English blend tea (by Typhoo, which I've never seen before!) and some really cool mesh bags for the tea, which I've also never tried! And then there is the Stash Tea, double spice chai, which I can't wait to try! There's also a great sock pattern (which I'll use with the Lisa Souza). So many things, and so much fun!! Thanks Suzie! And thanks for organizing KTS2!! I'm definitely joining if there is a 3!

Here are my answers!!

Actor - Tom Hanks.
Actress - Julia Roberts.
Animal - Snow Leopard, I've loved them since I was in 3rd or 4th grade. They are just so amazingly beautiful to me.
Band - Barenaked Ladies are my favorite, but a close second would be a tie between Great Big Sea, Guster and They Might Be Giants.
Book - I love the Harry Potter books
Bubble Bath - Lavendar Vanilla from Bath and Body works...it really helps me relax!
Candy - Twizzlers.
Color - Purple. No Blue. No Purple. No Blue...I'm pretty indecisive on this one, I love both colors!
Drink- Caramel Macchiatto from Starbucks. Unless it's holiday time, and then it would be the Gingerbread latte.
Flower - Roses
Food - Thai food- especially Panang Beef. YUM.
Lip Balm - Blistex.
Lotion - Bath and body works, lavendar vanilla
Movie - Star Wars, the original (Episode IV) When I was younger I swore I was going to marry Luke Skywalker. :)
Place- Niagara Falls. I've seen it hundreds of times (one of the many benefits of growing up and going to college in Buffalo- the drinking age in NF is 19, so we used to head over there most weekends and go to Rumours (night club). It's just so magical! Especially in the winter, with all of the ice and snow everywhere.
Song - Currently, it's probably BNL's "Sound of your voice" off of their new album BNL Are Me. It's sad, but I can't stop listening to it!!
TV Show - This is where I'm pretty pathetic. I love Gilmore Girls, and was PSYCHED when 7th Heaven started an 11th season after ending last year.
Yarn- Handpainted sock yarns, hands down. There are so many great fiber artists out there, I want to try all of their yarns!
Vacation Spot - Probably Florence, Italy. We were so impressed by our stay there, that we decided to forego our stop in Venice to stay in Florence longer. I'm not sure if it was because we were tired of trains and switching hostels, or if it was the food, culture, etc. Followed closely by Paris. Many don't like it, but I really loved Paris.

Contest time!!

Patty, one of my co-hostesses for SP9 has put a list of "favorites" on her blog for her group to answer. I liked the idea, so I've modified it a bit and decided to do my own contest! Thanks for the inspiration Patty!!

The rules:
Copy the list below and post to your blog with your answers!
Post it to your blog by Friday Oct. 20th!
I'll check blogs to see who has posted, and put names in a hat that weekend!

List your favorite:

Actor -
Actress -
Animal -
Band -
Book -
Bubble Bath -
Candy -
Color -
Drink-
Flower -
Food -
Lip Balm -
Lotion -
Movie -
Place-
Song -
TV Show -
Yarn-
Vacation Spot - .

SO excited!!!

Ok, so we've been working on a super secret, special project for all SP9 participants, and I can hardly contain myself! Let's just say...fantastically talented artist...special colorways...ONLY for SP9 participants!! I'll tell you all more as soon as I can!!


EDITED: Check out the SP9 website for info on this! We have 2 exclusive SP9 only colorways, and I must have them both!!

WTF??

So my mom e-mails me yesterday with two words... IT'S SNOWING!!

Now I'm from Buffalo, NY, so that is where they are. All I could do was laugh. Then I get home and she calls me saying how creepy it is, it's a thunder storm only with snow instead of rain. And trees are falling everywhere! She said she went out to move a branch from the driveway, and all she could hear was wood cracking. And a branch fell just a few feet from where she was standing. Needless to say she ran inside.

This morning, I'm listening to WTOP, and one of the lead stories at 9AM, was "Buffalo, NY= 2 feet overnight...many without power...thruway closed from Rochester to Buffalo". And it's ONLY OCTOBER 13TH!! All I can say is it's going to be a LONG winter. And that I am extremely glad that my husband agreed to move down here for my job offer 4 years ago. Phew!

sick.

We've had a very quiet weekend! Starting thursday, when Celia had pinkeye, and friday, when she had a horrible cough and I took her to the doctor (again) to find that she had croup. I was so desparate for something to keep her occupied (and not more
TV!), that we ran over to target and picked up a few board games. We now have Dora's Memory, Dora's Chuttes and Ladders, and Dora's Candy Land. She really didn't get the concept of a game, but at least it got her away from the TV for a bit. I think if we keep trying, she'll get it pretty quickly.

Of course the steroid the doctor gave her makes her hyper, so she hasn't really slept much. And as my luck would have it, I woke up with a sore throat yesterday, and it's only gotten worse over the last day. I'm hoping it goes away quickly. We're still not sure if Celia should stay home tomorrow or go to daycare. I guess we'll see how tonight goes. The barking cough is gone, but she's still coughing a bit and the doctor said she'd be contagious for 4 days. Poor kiddo. She's sitting watching Dora the Explorer's Halloween video right now, and looks like she's going to pass out.

Not much on my knitting front, just been so tired. However, I did finish my mittens for my Mittens swap partner. Hopefully I'll get them to the post office on tuesday. I also got some things for my hot socks swap pal too! And my Knitters Tea Swap 2 package got mailed off last tuesday! Hopefully she should get it very soon! I had fun shopping for her. ;)

Well, I'm really groggy from my nap, so I'm going to relax, have a cup of tea, and sit with Celia for a bit.

More fun questions

Jody posted these questions and I thought they would be fun to answer. If you're in my SP9 group, and you answer the questions on your blog, comment here, I'd love to see your answers!!

1. Where is your favorite knitting spot?
Probably the couch in my family room, it's right in front of the TV, so I can get some good TV in while I knit.

2. If you suddenly could never knit again (shudder) - what would you do instead?
I'd probably buy a spinning wheel and spin like mad. Part of what I love so much about knitting is getting to touch all of the yarn!

3. If you could travel anywhere in the world - where would you go and why?
I'd really love to see Asia, especially Singapore (my mom and stepfather have been there many times and I've heard amazing things about it!).

4. When you were little - What did you want to do "when you grew up?" Are you doing it?
I wanted to be a teacher, doctor, lawyer, and a mom. All 4. I'm a mom, so 1 out of 4 isn't bad!

5. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
chocolate peanut butter. Especially if it has lots of peanut butter through it!

So what are your answers???

Socks!

In the spirit of Socktoberfest, Lolly has asked us to answer a few questions about our love of socks. Here goes!

* When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
I went over to Woolwinders, and asked for a reccommendation of a good sock pattern. The owner, Jacqui pointed me to the Ann Norling pattern, so I bought that, some regia striped sock yarn, and some size 2 Crystal Palace needles. The pattern was great, and when I got a little stuck with the gussett, I just put on the episode of Knitty Gritty where they made socks. I love TiVo!

* What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
My first pair was out of regia self striping, with blue, purple, green and grey/white stripes. I've worn them only a few times, but they are fantastic! I made a mistake with one heel, the flap was too long, but other than that I love them. They have held up perfectly.
* What would you have done differently?
Paid more attention, since one heel was too long. Other than that, not much.
* What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
I am doing socks out of koigu right now, and I really love them. I also started some in Socks that Rock, which is amazing. Any hand dyed yarns are great in my book. It's so much fun to see how they come out when knit up.
* Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
I don't crochet well, so I only knit. I have tried DPNs, 2 circs and magic loop. I am really loving magic loop right now! But I have few small circs, so I tend to use my DPNs as well. I have to have more than 2 socks going at a time!
* Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
I've only tried the heel flap.
* How many pairs have you made?
So far I've completed 3 pairs, and have several in different stages. My second pair was a birthday gift for my mom last year, who loves them! Especially to walk the dog in cold Buffalo winter weather.

SP9 questions...answered!!

Dear Secret Pal 9,

I hope these answers help. If you need to know anything else, please don't hesitate to ask!!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I tend to prefer natural yarns, and have been really going nuts with sock yarn lately, especially the hand dyed ones. I've wanted to try malabrigo as well, but haven't had a chance to order any yet. I love yarns that are soft. Some of my fave's are Socks that Rock, Fleece Artist, Cherry Tree Hill, Mountain colors, etc. I am a total yarn snob, but do believe that every yarn has a place.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? I have a lovely needle holder that my SP7 made me for my straights, and my circs are in a zipper bag that my SP8 gave me. I don't have anywhere to store my dpns, they are just in the original packaging in a drawer when they aren't on a project.

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 knitting for 25 years, I learned when I was 5 when my aunt taught me. I put it down many times over the years, and really started becoming knit obsessed when just after I had my daughter and I wanted to make her pretty little sweaters. I consider myself intermediate, and willing to try anything!

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Yes, it's linked to on my side bar.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
lavendar vanilla, anything crisp and clean. And cinnamon- love that in the fall/winter.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
YES! Twizzlers, sweet tarts, spree and starburst are some of my fave's...but I also LOVE chocolate. Anything milk chocolate with peanut butter, caramel or mint. I hate coconut...but anything else is great!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I scrapbook, rubber stamp, make stitch markers/jewelry, love photography, I have been spinning on a turkish drop spindle and hope to buy a wheel very soon...still working out which one I really want, I love to cook, and wine tasting/collecting.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I love mucic! The only thing I don't love is country music and rap. My favorite bands are Barenaked Ladies, Guster, Great Big Sea, Dave Matthews Band, and They Might Be Giants. I have an iPOD and iBook, so MP3s are always welcome!!

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love blues, purples, greens and pinks. I really don't care much for yellow or orange.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have a husband, 2 and a half year old daughter, and 2 cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, yes, yes, and not yet. I started a poncho a year and a half ago and haven't finished it yet...will be froged soon because it's not really what I wanted to do with the yarn. I do like poncho's though.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
lately it's been socks, but sweaters for my daughter are a close second.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Um, too many things. Socks, mittens, a hat, scarves, purses, sweaters for me and my daughter...

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Absolutely!!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
circulars for most projects. I love bamboo/wood needles. Though the new Knit Picks needles are great and I want to get more of those too.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
No...maybe someday.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
2 years, it's a crochet blanket that is awful. It was my first attempt, and uses LB Homespun, which is very hard to crochet with because you cant' see the stitches well! Needs to be frogged and started over.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween and Thanksgiving. But now that I have a kid, Christmas is up at the top of the list too.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
wine, fabric, yarn, tea

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 really want Sensational Knitted Socks and Scarf Style. Needles- the DPNs I've been needing are size 6, 7, 9. I've been on a sock yarn kick lately, anything in great colors is awesome!! I don't have any subscriptions, I love Interweave Knits though. Had a subscription but it expired and I haven't gotten around to renewing it.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Just spinning on a wheel- hoping to order one when I go up to Rhinebeck in a few weeks, but we'll see!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
Yes!! I have a size 10 wide foot.
23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
6/25/76, just turned 30!