Lacevember Contest questionnaire

The knitting questions, or the usual suspects

How long have you been knitting? I have been knitting for just under two years.
How did you learn to knit? From online tutorials, some fabulous forums, and books.
Favorite thing about knitting? I am in such awe over the engineering marvel that knitting is. It is so versatile, challenging and my skills are ever growing.
How long have you been knitting lace? Just about one year. I started with the Branching Out Scarf, then the Dayflower Scarf, then attempted the Flower Basket Shawl for my Olympic Endeavor. Phew, I was so engrossed that I finished it in under 3 days!
Favorite thing about knitting lace. When I finish the project and I block it. I can just stare at it in amazement forever. "Wow. I made that." What a fabulous feeling!

The yarn questions, or flash your stash

Favorite lace yarn? I really don't have a favorite. It is according to what I am making and the effect that I want to achieve. I just amassed a nice stash of Zephyr, so I will be making a few things with that.
Variegated or solids for shawls? I have made a few shawls with variegated yarns, and I just was not happy with the results. I feel that most variegated yarn deter from the beauty of the lace. I hate when the yarn and the pattern competes with one another. One glaring example of the competition would be the Bird's Nest Shawl using Lorna's Laces in the Tuscany colorway. An example of one that does work, would be the Flower Basket Shawl using the Mountain Colors with just a delicate, subtle variegation.
Favorite lace color? I love all colors that are rich, deep, earthy and fully saturated. I love burgandys, rusts, reds, greens, blues. I abhor pastels and gray and browns are my least favorite.

Technique, or show us your skills

Circs or straights? I knit most of my lace using circulars. But, my current project is the Estonian Garden Wrap with Zephyr. I am using straight bamboos. This is the first time that I am using the Zephyr and I'm having a wicked time controlling it. The straight bamboos are giving me enough drag to make it manageable. I am forever learning.
Favorite lace knitting trick? Markers, markers and more markers.
Lifelines? Nah. With markers I am able to find a "mistake" right away and I can fix it right there and then. I haven't ever found a need to (OMG... Lace gawds have mercy on me) frog and rip out.
If so with what? Markers. I use cheap baby hair scrunchies. I can pick up a pack of 50 for under $2. Be sure to get the coated kind, not the rubber band ones used for braces. They come in an assortment of colors, so I can color code my lace patterns.
Fancy blocking wires, or just sewing pins stuck in your carpet? All of my projects have been blocked on my dining room rug using T pins. However, my last project the Estonian Garden Wrap, I was loaned dressing/blocking wires. And all I can say is, "Wow". With the wires I was able to keep a true rectangle shape without any of the dimpling on the straight lines that I would have had pins.

Pattern, or can you follow directions

Shawls or lacey items? Oh Shawls. Definitely shawls. One size fits all.
Triangle, rectangle, or circular shawls? My favorites would be triangle and rectangle. I am in awe of circular shawls, but for the life of me, I just can't get it past my brain that they look like tablecloths.
Charts or printed instructions? Charts.
Favorite lace you've knit? Here you go, asking me to pick my favorite child. I can't do it. I love them all. They each have their own little qualities that make them endearing. If push came to shove, it would have to be Evelyn Clark's Estonian Garden Wrap.
Favorite lace you want to knit? I want to knit them all!

Just Fun, yup that's right, just for fun

Favorite jelly belly flavor? Pina colada
Tell me everything you know about Eric the Red..... Wasn't he some Viking explorer? Didn't he go from Iceland to Greenland? Why Greenland?
Coke, classic or with lime? Oh, I am a classic coke kind of gal. And puleeze, not diet.
Holiday carols, sing along, or wish they would be banned from all public airwaves? Oh, the weather outside is frightful, and the fire is so delightful. There's really no place to go. So let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. (if I had some recording capabilities... you would have heard that being sung, in my true shower singing voice)
What is the definition of irony? I love the ocean and I live in the middle of a desert!
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop? None, I bite it.
Why is my cat always puking in front of my son's bedroom door? Ew... Now I know why I don't have a cat.
What is your superhero power? I can get things done by just thinking about them. An example, hmm "think clean toilet." Poof.... It's clean.
If the laundry is 9 foot by 11 foot (just dreaming, that's a big laundry room), and the walls are 8 feet tall, and you are going to tile the entire room in tiles that are 3 inches by 5 inches, what color should those tiles be? Spa-colored sage green. But, I wouldn't worry about any color. With the laundry piled up so high, you won't even be able to see the color of the walls.
What's for dinner tonight? Reservations.
What is clogging my children's bathtub drain? Legos, definitely legos.