Sock-ret Pal Questionnaire!

Sock-ret Pal Questionnaire

Please post the answers to your own blog once you receive your swap partner info – if you post it too soon, your pal will have trouble finding it, buried beneath other posts.

Also, on your initial contact with your pal, you will need to ask for their mailing address, since you don’t want to be posting that up on your blog *S*

The basics:
How long have you been knitting? Since I was 4 years old, but hardcore for the last 2 years.
Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep? I'm an intermediate/advanced knitter, but when it comes to socks I've only ever done one pair so I'd say I'm pretty beginner-y!
 
The measurements:
While your pal may ask for some additional info to ensure a great fit, please provide your shoe size, or any other fitting related info you think is pertinent. I am a UK size 5/6, European 38, US 7/8. I have skinny ankles so socks tent to fall down on me :(
 
(fiber related) Favorites:
What colors do you love? I love bright colours. Contrasting colours are beautiful like blue and orange, red and green (so long as they are the right shades for each other). I suit greens a lot, wear a lot of blue-greens/teals, purple/aubergine( I think you guys call it eggplant in the US), yellows, black, everything. Basically I love anyhing with conviction, deep colours like red/burgundy, khaki green, golds...autumn colours are boooootiful! I cannot stand pastel shades! They make me look ill when I wear them. So any colour is fine for me, just no pastels (why didnt I say it like that from the start, sorry!) :)
Do you prefer solids or variegated? I dont mind either way, though solids might just be my fav by a nosehair.
What fibers do you most love to knit with? anything natural and soft.
Who do you consider your favorite yarn vendors?
What projects (other than socks, of course*S*) do you most enjoy knitting? I love knitting hoodies and jumpers (sweaters). Also little booties for my newest cousins and newsboy caps for all the grown up ones. Really want to make myself a pair of legwarmers and some slippers for the Bostonian winter.
 
(fiber related) Dislikes:
What fibers can  you not stand to knit with? To wear? Anything scratchy or looks like my grandmother would have forced my Mother to wear!
What colors would you never wear? PASTELS....the only remotely pastel thing I own is a powder blue/green (nearly minty coloured) jumper, its lovely. I cant wear some shades of yellow, makes me look jaundiced...it has to be pretty rich and buttery..not lemony! NOthing too blue, must be on the greener side of things...sorry I'm just blabbing on here :)
 
The Tools:
Plastic or Metal? Bamboo or wood? any and everything. bamboo are for when I want to treat myself tho, student budgets dont quite stretch that far.
Circs or Straights? again either are cool with me.
DPNs or Magic Loop? I use DPNs all the time (as well as circular needles) I have no idea what Magic Loop is...maybe you want to educate me :)
Are there any knitting accessories you don't have in your collection but would like? Well at the moment I'm very low on everything, I had to leave my knitting bag back home due to limited packing space so I have pretty much nothing right now. I have been pining for some pretty stitch markers and point protectors, but at this moment in time anything would be helpful!
 
The Extras:
Do you have a wish list? If so, please share the link! no sorry, but feel free to ask me more questions if you like.
Do you like sweet, sour or salty? (or all of the above? *S*) I am a food fiend so anything is good. I love salty, dairy (cheese, glorious cheese!), sweet, sour, anything. I love chocolate, but particularly the dark stuff with high cocoa content, nice and bitter (being from Europe I'm a bit of a chocolate snob...not that I wont eat the cheap stuff, its good, it just all tastes different in the US until you get to the better quality stuff)
Do you have any allergies your pal should know about? (Certain foods, smoke, pet hair, etc) nope.
Favorite scents? Scents you can't stand? I love anything that smells natural and real. Lavender, rose, jasmine are a few favs. also love fruity smells. Basically again anything is fine, but cant stand things that smell synthetic...musks and fake floral smells just give me a headache.
Do you collect anything (other than yarn and knitting toys of course)? I love original jewellery. I have a ridiculous number of earrings! The bigger the better I think when it comes to them. I also love rings. I love collecting little nicknacks from vintage shops. I love things that look old/antique. I love finding little antique purses/wallets or wee nicknack boxes.
When is your birthday? (month and day is fine!) 9th June, 1985!
Do you spin? Dye your own yarn? No I havent done wither of those to things yet, but I'm really interested to learn about spinning, sounds fun.
Your favorite author/band/vacation spot, anything you think will help your pal know you better...hmmm well fav author would have to be....oh boy there are so many...Nick Hornby, Shakespeare, Emily Bronte, Zadie Smith.....fav bands, this list is going ot be even worse as I am a music student so I listen to ridiculous amounts of music, at present I am listening to (taken straight off my ipod!) Kate Bush (she rules!), Arctic Monkeys, SnowPatrol, Regina Spektor, The Who, Run DMC, Shostacovich (classical composer)...my tastes are varied. Right now my fav holiday spot would be back home in Ireland in my boyfriends arms! I would love to go to Australia some day and take more time exploring Europe, I go there so often but dont feel i take the time to really explore, I take it for granted being so close.

So as you've probably realised from reading this that I have hugely varying tastes in a lot of things. Basically I'm easy going, there are very few things I dont like...more than anything I want to get to know other passionate knitters!

A bit of background info on me...I'm from Northern Ireland. My mother is from the Republic of Ireland and my daddy is from Iran, so I'm half Irish and half Persian. I'm the eldest of 4 kids (I miss my wee munchkins!) and am in a long distance relationship with my boyfriend of 4 years, who is also from home.

I'm currently living in Boston, getting my degree at Berklee, College of Music, majoring in Music Production and Engineering (all the tech head studio stuff and live sound). I am a singer-songwriter, I also play the flute, tinwhistle, harmonica, arabic flute and am learning the guitar. My degree is the most fun in the world but is pretty stressful and hardwork, lots of late night sessions in the studios (I have been in the studio til 2am the past 2 nights producing and assisting recordings, and then am up at 9am for work and class). I get pretty burnt out so I'm really looking forward to a wee spoiling :)

Outside of music, I love art, literature, films (did you see the Illusionist? absolutely brilliant, go now, I insist you stop reading and go to the cinema!), clothes (shallow I know but I liketo make them, change them...buttons are great!), Sex and the City, West Wing (just got given the first few series and I'm hooked), Grey's Anatomy (It's not like I have time ot watch anyo f this, I just like to daydream about watching it while knitting)...hmm what else...walkis, the outdoors, I come from a wee village right on the coast of Ireland, surrounded by mountain on a lough that opens into the Irish sea, Boston is lovely but living in the city just isnt the same as having all that space and sky :)

My friends say that I am a fairy trapped in a humans body. When I was little I always wanted to be a punk, but always ended up more hippyish...I got pretty upset about this, a little Irish hippy fairy cant be listening to the Ramones and enjoying it so much?! but t was my mother who really hit hte nail on the head, she said you are all those things and that is called a Bohemian :) I am a proud Bohemian...nice to meet you. hope this was all helpful.

p.s. if you want to hear some of my music Iim on myspace...myspace.com/parisar
 

Oh Yeaaaaaaaahhhhh!!

(singing in a goofy lil voice) "OH Yeah, It's Here...Sockret Pal....Oh Yeah!!!!"

cue *bad dancing*!!

OK I'm off, gotsta go questionnaire some stuff...will post it super soon!

**"TO THE BAT-CAVE"**

PHOTOS FINALLY!!

PHEW! So here it is my pride and joy...a week ago!! It's now actually finished and lying on the floor of my bedroom, blocking. With any luck you might see finished photos a week from now :)

It's been a busy, busy week. School is 2 weeks in now so the grace period is over and its down to hard graft. I've been in the studios recording so many times already and things are only set to get busier. Also my boyfriend has been staying with me for the last 3 weeks, he came over from home to help me move in, and so I havent really been making time for much else apart from him and doing whatever school work is absolutely necessary. He goes back to Ireland today though. It'll be a hard drop back to reality, I get so used to having him around 24/7. Time to put my creative skills to good use and practice my sock knitting to take my mind off him. Christmas break always comes way sooner than I think it will and then Kol will be moving to NY to work and life will be good - no more long distance, WOOHOO (well technically it still is but, hey, its better than having the Atlantic between you!!)

The only thing that will get me through this week is the thought that I will be finding out who my Sockret Pal is and I honestly CANNOT wait I am so excited. I tried to fill out the questionnaire earlier this week and I don't have a clue what to say...It shouldn't be this hard to describe yourself and your likes and dislikes. I find myself to-ing and fro-ing on things, I seem to like everything and am mortally afraid of being pigeon-holed. When did I get so worried about how other people see me? Very scary!

And speaking of being pigeon-holed, I got my nose pierced yesterday (noone tell my parents!!). I thought people would be shocked or wonder why I did it, but today NOONE has noticed and when I point it out they're like "wow, it just looks like you were born with it. I was going to say something but then I thought you had always had it done!" (however I go to a contemporary music school so nose piercings are childs play round here!) Maybe it doesn't colour a persons opinion of you as I thought it did. That's probably just my parents opinions screwing me up :) I'd love some thoughts though from others out there...What do you think of piercings and tattooes and the like? Does it make a difference to how you view the person? I'm worried people wont take me as seriously and my Ma always said that as a musician (singer/songwriter) I would be alienating potential audiences.

OK, after reading that all back I cant believe how insecure I sound and for the record I must say it really suits me, I've wanted it for awhile now, Kol loves it and I've no regrets!! I will try to get a pic up ASAP and stop writing these epic blogs about very little :)

Sock-ret Pal swap!! and the All-Ireland Football Final

I just got into my first swap and I am so excited. It's the Sock-ret Pal Swap and I'll have ot knit someone a pair of socks. I'm alittle nervous about this as I have only ever knitted one pair of socks in my life. Granted they worked out fine and are very loved by their owner (well he is sleeping in my bed so he'd better love them!), it was a test of nerve turning those 2 heels so whoever gets my socks had better appreciate the sweat, blood and tea that went into them. I cant wait for it to begin!!

Also in crochet news, I have finally finished all the granny squares needed to make my bohemian bag and now just have to construct the thing. I have photos that I will post tomorrow or at least at a more sane hour today! I have been itching to knit though, I miss it but was forced to leave all my knittin suppies back home in Ireland due to an excess of new clothes bought while home, leading to limited space in my luggage (damn you Primark!!). What is a girl to do...clothes or knitting goodies?! It's like asking you which of your arms you'd rather not have chopped off!!

My boyfriend is badgering me to go to bed, we're getting up early to go to the North end of Boston to watch the All-Ireland Gaelic football final in a pub, and it'll be so much fun. Gaelic football is the native sport of Ireland and a real man and womans sport (the womans matches tend to be more vicious than the mens!). It makes me miss home, but it's worth it. Kerry is playing Mayo for the honour of calling themselves the best footballing county in Ireland. Quite an achievement when you bear in mind there are 32 counties in the whole of Ireland, North and South. Well I know who I'll be going for, as I proudly come from a Kerry bloodline...my Nana likes to tell me how I could be the Kerry rose in the Rose of tralee contest if I wanted (it's a 'lovely ladies' pagant held in Tralee, Ireland every year and is loved the nation over by grannies!) No chance of me ever appearing in anything like that but I let her dream. So off to bed I go....UP KERRY!!!

I GOT A COMMENT!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I proud to announce that I have just received my first comment ever. It was left by a lovely fellow knitter who valiantly tried to warn me of the perils of knitblogs but, alas, it seems that I am hooked!

I'm so proud, someone actually read this blog of their own accord, someone who doesn't know me or have any obligation to do so!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH, you made me day. (My boyfriend is reading this over my shoulder...we've been together 4 years and he's only realising now that I am a nerd!!)

Secret Pal 9

So ever since I found out that Knitters blogged and had their own websites, I have been obsessed with the idea of the knitter secret swaps that they have going on, and now I have my own blog I want to be part of one SOOOOOOOOOO badly!! I just applied to be part of Secret Pal 9, which seems to be one of the largest knit swaps, and I really hope they let me participate.

One of the rules says that new bloggers must have atleast 10 posts though to be eligible, so I'm going to post LOADS this weekend and hope that counts because I swear I'm serious about this all. I want to do it so badly!! So if you are a member of SP9 and you're checking out my site to see if I'm eligible PLEASE see that I am geniunely excited to be a part of this swap!

What was meant to be about what projects I'm working on but turned into 'Knatty Knitter: A History of'

So right now I am utterly addicted to the new book in the Stitch n Bitch series, 'Happy Hooker'. I bought it for myself as a treat when I got back to Boston to start my new semester here (I'm in my last year of my degree!!! AAAAHHHH!!!) I have always been a huge fan of the Stitch n Bitch series, the first of which I received for Christmas 2 years ago (just after starting in Boston) and have been on a knitting spree ever since. This book on crotchet is great though and finally bridges the gaps that myself and my Mother weren't able to get over ourselves.

I've been knitting since I was very small, I think about 3/4 years old, though my want to do it came and went every few years, depending of fashion, school work and if I could steal anymore of my Mam's yarn. Mammy taught me, her wee left-handed daughter to knit, and I took to it immediately. Art and Maths collide in my life often, particularly as I love Music, but I think knitting was the first place these two loves of mine met. However, my Mammy's true love and calling is crotchet. She was taught as a young girl by an elderly neighbour of her family and used to make all sorts of crazy beehive hats and scarves for her ones. When it came to teaching me though, it all went wrong. For a start I did everything backwards from her and it seemed so crazy and freeform to me that I just couldn't grasp it. UNTIL NOW!! All of a sudden everything my Mam ever said to me has started making sense. I crotcheted my first scarf over the summer and am now working on the bohemian granny-squares bag in 'Happy Hooker' and loving it. Suddenly it doesn't seem random and non-sensical, it seems liberating and allowing for improvisation.

I also have a new appreciation for my Mammy's crotcheted creations. I have always loved them but now I see their inner workings more clearly and that deepens the love. Mammy will crotchet just about anything that sits still long enough but these last few years she has been experimenting with wire and beading to creat magnificent crotcheted jewellery - necklaces, cuffs, even belt pieces - and even better she has started selling them in local craft stores at home, under the name 'Lily Cobweb'! The two pics I have at the top of the page are of a necklace she made as a present for my friend Kelly and the other is of some crazy 'bullion' thingys she's been playing with recently, kind of looks like beach treasure!

She still does her lace and baby blanket and has been promising me a little 70's crotcheted dress for as long as I remember, but it is this new innovative work that really grabs my attention. I want to be as creative and free-spirited as she is, and usually I am, especially in my music, but recently I have lost that impulse. I think its kind of been worked out of me in school but I want to find it again! Truth be told, I was never that Mathsy, I loved it but my heart lies happy with the ethereal, spiritual force inside me that never cared I couldn't cut paper in a straight line (left-handed perogative!) and stand still when I played my flute (used to drive my teacher nutty..supposedly ruins your tone, but it was good music, I had to move and look who's in music school now!). Anyway that is enough ranting, especially considering I don't actually have ANY readers yet. Oh well, this blogs just for me and it's made me super happy!!

Welcome to the Land of Blog!

So this is it! I always promised myself I'd never ever blog but here I am. It dawned on me today that I would love to be putting my creations out into the world and communicating with some of the lovely people I've got to know through blogs. Thing is though, none of these people know me. Because I don't have a blog. I just read theirs, keeping up-to-date with their projects and kicking myself when I found out there had been an Olympic knit-a-long that I would have loved to have been part of. So here I am! Please feel free to introduce yourself, I'm looking forward to finally getting to know this vast knitting community that I've only been peeking at for so long!

:)