But enough about me, let's talk about me

No pics today, sorry. But we're getting a shiny new camera soon, so there'll be bunches then.

Becky update:

Still cute, pooped on me today (which was not so cute), can pull herself to a sitting position (but can't stay upright without a little help from mommy or daddy), still hasn't rolled over, eats like a champ.

Knitting update:
The Sam sweater is off the needles and ready to be blocked. I normally sew and then block, but this one really needs it the other way around. I've been meaning to block it for two days and keep forgetting. For the purposes of giving other babies gifts, though, I consider it complete (I'm pretty good about sewing things together once I've got them off the needles). I'm almost halfway through the Mexicali -- one sleeve and the front are complete. So that leaves the back, the other sleeve, and the collar. In one day. One day during which I have to work as well, or I won't be able to buy fun yarn anymore. I meant to get a back up gift but, um, well, I sort of forgot. So do I give up valuable knitting time to go get something just in case? Or do I have enough faith in myself that I'll finish in time...tune in tomorrow for the answer.

So I joined a swap (actually, I joined two, but SP9 doesn't start for awhile, so let's focus). There's a button and everything (look over on the right. I'll wait.). This one is a Spinning Roving Swap, and I'm pretty excited about it, since it's my first ever swap. It's a round robin, and we're supposed to be secret(ish) pals until the big reveal at the end. Of course, I already boned that up pretty good by sending my pal an email with my name in the header. Duh. But she was very sweet and understanding, and I'm really looking forward to spoiling her (Hi, Harriet!). Anyhow, one of the things with these swaps is that you have to answer all these questions so your buddy knows what kind of stuff to send you. In this case, it has to be posted by the 8th. It is now 11:09pm on the 7th. Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute, I say. So, without further ado, the Questionnaire:

1) How long have you been spinning?
2 years, but it's not my main hobby so I've spun relatively little during that period.

2) Are you a beginner, novice, or experienced spinner?
Somewhere between beginner and novice, I would say. My fingers have novice skill, but my brain doesn't have the language yet -- what I mean is that even though (for instance) I can spin cotton pretty easily, I can't tell you what kind of draft I'm using or anything like that. The words just don't make sense to me. The fiber, though...the fiber speaks.

3) Do you spin on a drop spindle or wheel, or both?
Both, but I prefer the wheel. I used to prefer it just from a speed standpoint (I love spinning on a drop spindle, but I hate all that winding!), but now with a four-month old, it's a safety thing, too, as my drop spindling relies heavily on the "drop" part of the name.

4) What types and weights of drop spindles (or what type of spinning wheel(s) ) do you currently own?
I have a Babe double treadle wheel, which I love. All of the drop spindles I use are fairly light homemade ones: I have one of the CD-ROM spindles (which I learned on), one I made out of a dowel and an olivewood bowl I picked up in a little shop, and one I made out of a dowel and a top to a little unfinished wooden trinket jar from Rag Shop. I also have a couple of commercial ones that are heavier, but I never use them. Oh, and I only spindle with a top whorl (yes, I've tried a bottom whorl and yes, I hated it).

5) What type of fibers have you spun with before?
Romney wool, merino, alpaca, cotton, some sort of incredibly soft wool that looked like a tribble that I picked up at Stitches East, a merino/silk blend, angora, lots of unidentified wool at school (I'm a fiber ho. Don't judge me.)

6) What fibers do you prefer to spin with?
Anything with relatively few guard hairs.

7) What fibers do you dislike?
Anything with lots of guard hairs. Okay, look. I have an allergy. Yes, I know, woolophiles: most people really aren't allergic to wool. It's the dye, or the lanolin. But I've worked with commercial dyes with no problems (I was the technical assistant in the fiber studio in college, which despite my advanced age was only a year ago or so), and used lanolin hand lotion with no problems. And when I say "allergy" I mean there's a rash. It seems to be worse when I work with wool that's very guard-hairy, and doesn't show up at all when I work with fiber that has no guard hairs (non-animal fibers, alpaca). You do the math.

8) Do you prefer natural colored fibers, or handpainted/dyed fiber?
Both are lovely.

9) Would you prefer all one type of roving or smaller amounts of different types to sample?
You know what the best kind of roving is? Free roving. As you can see above, I really get around when it comes to fiber. I would love little bits and pieces of different cool things, but then I'd want a pattern that incorporated all their coolness. All the same thing would be lovely, too, and I would think much easier to find a good pattern for. You pick. Surprise me.

10) What are you favorite colors?
(Having a Monty Python moment. Okay, it's over. Carry on.) Purples, blues, greens -- and I love them all mixed together. Also a big fan of a pink/red/orange colorway (that's a colourway if you're Canadian, pal o'mine).

11) What colors do you dislike?
Butter yellow.

12) What would you like to do with your handspun yarn, or what do you plan to do with it?
Do I have to pick now? Dude, I don't even know what I'm going to wear to sleep in tonight.

13) What spinning projects are you currently working on?
Somehow I never think of spinning as "projects." To me, spinning is making yarn for projects. I have waiting to be spun: some more merino/silk blend; a whole whack of wool that I'm hanging onto to see if I need it for the blanket that I'm weaving for Chris; a big bag of lusciously soft grey baby alpaca; a bunch of cotton, some in plain cotton color and some in one of those funky "it just growed that way" colored cotton; and an assortment of 1-2oz bags of things like camel, yak, mohair, etc.

14) Do you have a wishlist?
Doesn't everyone? I assume this is referring to a wishlist at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I do have one at B&N, but it's really more just a reminder of books and movies I know I want to buy or possibly check out of the library.

15) What are your other favorite hobbies?
Knitting, weaving, dyeing, sewing, reading (lots of reading), web design (used to be a career, now it's just for fun).

16) Do you have any allergies (pet, smoke, food, fiber,etc...)?
Most perfume and scented products. There are actually lots out there I can use, but I never know until I try (I'm almost positive it's a scent preserving chemical that triggers the reaction); bell peppers, especially the green ones; aspirin; and see my notes about guard hairs, above.

17) What is your preferred shipping method (USPS, UPS, FedEx)?
They'll all get here, but the UPS man has complimented my door mat (plus he's really good about putting stuff in our little entryway and not leaving it out in the elements for the hoi polloi to lust after. You know they all know about my fiber addiction and long for my soft, scrumptious yarns.).

I may have to edit this when I read it in the cold light of day, but for now, that's all I got. Enjoy.

posted by Laura Y. @ 8:25 PM