Thursday, October 27, 2005

Knitting meme

Knitting Scientist Grumperina tagged me with my first knitting meme. (Or at least I think it's my first knitting meme. I think my memory is starting to fail.)

What is your all time favorite yarn to knit with?
I don't have a single yarn that's my favorite because I always like to try different yarns. There are so many yarns out there and I want to try them all! (Except for the novelty yarns. And the acrylic yarns. And scratchy yarns. Ok, so maybe "all" is a gross exaggeration.) However, I definitely prefer to knit with animal fibers and I'm having a love affair with yarns that contain angora (bunny yarn!). I like the softness of angora and the slight fuzz that it gives to yarn. I have yet to knit with 100% angora, but I would love to some day.

Your favorite needles?
My trusty Boye Needlemaster set. Yes, I bought one of these despite all the bad-mouthing of Denise fanatics. (Many Denise devotees have never tried the Needlemaster set, they just "heard" this and that about Needlemaster and happily spread those rumors to anyone who will listen.) I also love my small but hopefully growing set of Addi Turbos. I'm trying to collect a set of 40" Addis. (Hint, hint gift-giving family members!)

The worst thing you've ever knit?
A shrug that never before made an appearance on this blog because it was made during my preblog days. The construction of the shrug is fine, I just made a critical error in selecting a yarn substitute. I wasn't very well versed in types of fibers and yarns at the time. The pattern called for 100% angora. It seemed ridiculously priced to me and I thought "mohair is fuzzy." So, I used Lamb's Pride worsted. The thing has no drape so it bubbles up very unattractively in the back. But what's worse is that it's so ITCHY! Not something I want to wear next to my skin.
I am not a hunchback


Your most favorite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it...but it was the most fun to knit)
Probably Peter's cabled sweater. The cable pattern was interesting and the construction was very challenging for me at the time. It was the first time that I had encountered saddle sleeves and the collar was a bit tricky.

Most valuable knitting technique?
I'm tempted to steal Ms. Grumpy's answer and say that my most valuable knitting "technique" is fearlessness and the desire to try new things. Is that cheating? Ok, then--cabling without a cable needle is very valuable to me because I love knitting cables.

Best knit book or magazine?
The Knitters book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie Wiseman. I like the fact that it's spiral bound, that it's small and portable, and that it gives the pros and cons of different techniques. The directions and images are very clear.

Your favorite knit-a-long?
I haven't joined many knit-a-longs (isn't "knit-along" more correct?) because I'm usually doing my own thing and I don't always follow the herd. However, the Fall Cable KAL is made for me. All cables, all the time! Plus, it's the knitters aren't all knitting the same project which makes the KAL much more interesting.

Your favorite knitblogs?
Grumperina because of her witty writing and her take-no-prisoners attitude toward knitting. Fruitcake Knits because Monkee is strange and because I actually know her and see her regularly. (And because I want to know what she does with all the yarn that I give her.) MJ's Yummy Yarn because she's a fantastic knitter and photographer. I believe that, with her camera, MJ could make a lumpy, stockinette, acrylic sweater look like high-end fashion.

Your favorite knitwear designer?
I don't think that I've knit more than one pattern from a single designer. However, I truly admire the work of Sarah Dallas. I made one Sarah Dallas sweater and I drool over her other patterns. I admire the simplicity and elegance of her designs.

The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)
Right now, top honors go to Grace. It's barely cold enough to wear her, but wear her as often as possible. I even wear her with shorts. A wool sweater with shorts--now that's a fashion statement. The combination also highlights how desperate I am to wear Grace. Before Grace, I wore Elspeth most often.

Who to tag?
I think I'll tag Rachel because she loves being tagged, Agnes because she making a crazy intarsia project right now, Karma because she has a purple house, and Shetha just because.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for answering! Yeah, I'd be wearing Grace all the time, too :). Thanks for naming me as one of your favorites - I'm blushing!

Agnes said...

The one making a crazy intarsia here! hahaha ... I'll put up my meme tonight or tomorrow. Just want to tell you that I own both the Denise set and the Boye needlemaster ... actually I like both, but just that the cables of the Boye set are a bit hard to harness. Besides, I am a little bit jealous of you having a husband who would wear cable sweaters ... LOL!

Jennifer said...

Yay for cables!!!

Anonymous said...

LOL! The secret behind the shots is I close my eyes before taking each one. I think it's the camera...

Would you ever make Grace again? I have a cotton one (LB Cotton-Ease) and am thinking of another, maybe in dreamy aahlpaahcaah.

Anonymous said...

Firstly, I would like to request that your next blog post include a picture of you wearing Grace with shorts.

Actually, I think I'll start my own knitting meme...well, I guess it's not a meme, exactly...called Flash Your FOs. Where you have to photograph yourself in an outfit that showcases you wearing/using as many of your FOs as possible at once -- the wackier the outfit the better. Wait, why am I brainstorming this on your blog? Well, I guess because I thought of it right here and there isn't any filter between my brain and my fingers on the keyboard. But feel free to the first FO flasher!

Okay, back on track. Thanks for tagging me! I will definitely complete this sensible meme as soon as I have two seconds, so sometime around Christmas.