1. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn?
   

   I have known how to knit for seven years, but really became obsessive about it three years ago. I leaned by taking a class at Joann's and became reacquainted with it when I moved to Maryland and had a yarn store right down the road from me.

2. Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
   

   I guess I'd say intermediate. I'm still a little scared of colorwork, but can do it. Just not quickly.

3. What are your favorite colors? Any you dislike?
   

   Pinks, reds, purples. Blues and greens are good too. I don't like "earthy" yellows, greens, and browns. Though a deep chocolate brown paired with baby blue or pink is nice.

4. Do you like Latvian type patterns? If so, what are your favorite patterns?
   

   I do like the look of them. Wouldn't know any patterns off the top of my head though.

5. Do you desire mittens for yourself, your "special someone else" or your child?
   

   Myself.

6. What other things do you enjoy knitting?
   

   Socks. Right now, I'm on a scarf kick, too!

7. What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? (straights vs circs, bamboo vs aluminum)
   

   Circulars. Aluminum. Love the Knit Picks needles.

8. What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make?
   

   I'm dying to try the Endpaper Mitts from Eunny Jang. I have the yarn all ready to go, but haven't had a chance to bust them out yet.

9. What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with?
   

   I don't know that there is a yarn that I'm dying to work with. I guess I haven't work some of the Dale yarns and would like to, especially for colorwork mittens.

10. What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden? Cook?
    

    I try to spin, I try to dye yarn, but I don't have time for either!

11. Besides yarn, do you collect anything?
    

    Nope, yarn is it. Unless you count things like dust?

12. What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to?
    

    Goodies are goodies. I prefer non-food goodies, though. Things like bookmarks or journals or lotion or tea (which isn't food).

13. Do you have any kids? Pets?
    

    I have one cat.

14. What is your favorite part of Winter?
    

    Wearing my handknit socks!

15. What is your least favorite part of Winter?
    

    Driving in the snow.

Work has me in the DC area this week, which means I got to attend my former knitting group.  What a fantastic surprise I had last night when I saw that Chelsea was also there!  She and I moved away from DC about the same time, and I haven't seen her since then.  She now lives in Austin, and I have wanted to go visit for quite some time, however, you know what a busy schedule is like.  It was the coolest thing to see her, and she hasn't changed a bit!

Don't get me wrong, Chelsea wasn't the only joy of the evening.  I also go to see Sarah (she's preggers now, and I think that's just the best news ever), Sarah K (sadly, still blogless), Paula (I might get to see her at Handmade Arcade in Pittsburgh.  Can't wait for that!), and Lara (still adorable, as ever).

I hope that I can get back to DC more often, though, I have to say, I really am allergic to this place.  Ever since I landed, allergies have taken over my body and I can't stop sneezing.  My eyes are watering, and my nose won't stop running.  Someone recommended I try Quercetin, so I bought some on the way back to my hotel yesterday evening.   It does seem to be helping, as this morning, I'm not completely miserable, but that might just be the super-high from seeing all my old knitting buds last night!  Thanks for a great time.  I hope we can do it again!

There are so many items I'd like to place on my blog, but just don't have the time or energy at the moment to do it. I've missed oodles of blog time since I moved into my house (in APRIL!) that there seems little point in apologizing or sharing what I've done in that time. I do want to share pictures of the redecorating projects I've done in the house, but find myself unwilling to take pictures because its still. not. perfect. I will get there, though, when is the question.

So I've decided that, in order to get back in the swing of the blog, I'm just going to skip the past and head right to the future - or maybe the present - and share what I'm working on and what I want to work on.

My newest favorite project at the moment has got to be the Chevron Scarf. The yarn is Socks that Rock Mediumweight in Puck's Mischief, along with ShiBui Knits Sock in Peony. Puck's Mischief is no longer listed on the BMFA web site, but it is an amazing colorway! I began this scarf two weeks ago, and granted it hasn't grown a LOT, it is still cruising along faster than I thought it would. Here it was at the beginning of my plane ride last Tuesday.

And here it is tonight, in all its crapily lighted glory.

It is almost 3 feet long, and I have at least another 4 feet to go. This scarf is going to be long! I will probably end up using 1.5 balls of the ShiBui yarn and at least 3/4 of the STR. This is fine with me, as both of these yarns are slightly thick as socks for my taste.

The next two projects I'm working on I can't share. Mostly because they are going to be for books, and you know how that goes. Needless to say, I'm very excited to have the chance to do some design work.

And my last major undertaking as of late has been more Lizard Ridge squares!  I actually have 30 squares - enough to do finish the blanket.  However, I *might* have bought more Kureyon and I *might* have enough leftover yarn to make five more squares.  I'm totally psyched to finish this!  I even bought the Cascade 220 to seam it up with.  I'm just going to use black - boring, basic black.  But I really think that will finish it off nicely.  Right now, I'm just sewing in the ends and trying to photograph all of my squares.  I'm hoping that will help with the layout.  If not, I'm rearranging the furniture in the basement to accomodate me laying them all out and figuring out how I should have them in the finished project.  It will also give me room to block them.  If anyone happens to have knitted and finished Lizard Ridge, did you block first, then seam, or seam, then block?

This week, I'm in Maryland, and tomorrow night, I get to visit my knitting homies from Maryland.  I absolutely CANNOT wait to see them!  Especially since we have exciting fun news to catch up on.