Wisteria's Whimsical World: September 2010

If I were going into hiding (because I don't go camping), I would must definitely take the following:

A bag full of books. I always have to have a book with me. I could escape into any storyline and no one would every find me! I can't imagine life without a book to read.
A craft of some sort to keep me amused, be it knitting, cross stitch, scrapbooking or sewing. I love creating things and would want something to keep my hands busy.
A journal. One of the things I enjoy is putting my thoughts down on paper. If I went into hiding, I would want to leave behind the story of my journey.
A camera. I love taking photos to help me enjoy my journeys long after they are over. I would want to keep a pictorial record of my journey though life.
Photos of my family. I would never want to forget the faces of my family members or how they have impacted my life and made me the person I am.

It's the start of another season here at HSKS. In an effort to introduce myself to all the newbies...and some of those I haven't seen for a while...here it "All About Me"!

I learned to knit when I was a child but only did it on and off for most of my life. I did a lot of knitting in the early years of my marriage when I was pregnant and living in Tunisia. I knit a lot of baby clothes at that time. For a few years I made sweater vests to wear to work in the winter. Now I have discovered socks and it has re-awakened my interest in knitting. As in most things in life, when I get interested I start to accumululate stash. I am a self-confessed hoarder. My attitude is that I cannot leave this earth until I’ve finished everything I’ve collected!

I was always fascinated when I watched my mother-in-law take wool from the sheep, wash it, comb it, card it, and use a drop spindle to spin it. I have a blanket she made for my son out of the yarn she prepared. The love that went into that blanket can't be matched!

Here are some things that might be helpful to know about me:

Yarns: I love yarns that are muticolored, which is probably why I like sock yarns. I’m not much of a solid color person unless it is a tweed/heather type yarn. I like variety (or is it chaos) in everything! My favorite combinations are “peacock” colors and “autumn” colors…or shades of purples, shades of blues, shades of whatever! I don’t think I have any particular favorite brands, but I enjoy working with Ella Rae, Noro, Fleece Artist, Frog Tree, Berroco, Misty Alpaca. I also love to get my yarns from indie dyers. They usually have such interesting color combinations. I'm also in total love with Malabrigo!

Patterns: I really enjoy felting so I am always on the lookout for felting patterns. I make a whole lot of socks so sock patterns are always good. I love, love, love cables, so anything with cables is fun. I am also starting to get interested in lace so I'm always looking at great lace shawls.

Yarn Weight Preference: I use mostly fingering, sport, DK and worsted weight yarns.

Fiber Dislikes: I don’t like anything scratchy. I can’t stand the feel of mohair. I also don’t like most acrylics unless they are very soft. I also don’t like most novelty yarns.

Favorite Projects: I love making socks. I also like making felted bags, sweaters, and scarves, particularly if they involve cables!

Things I Like But Don’t Make For Myself: I love fingerless mitts , but don’t particularly like making them for myself.

Favorite Gadgets: I collect stitch markers of all kinds. I have a large decorated box filled with them and I love taking them out and looking at them. Of course, I also love using them! I love handmade project bags, tape measures, needle holders, organizers. I also collect 4” scissors and scissor fobs.

Other Interests: Besides knitting, I am an addicted to counted cross stitch. Again, I love working with varigated fibers. I would consider myself an advanced stitcher, as I am not afraid to tackle most any cross stitch chart. I particularly love samplers. I also do hardanger.

I love movies, mainly drama or anything historical or Disney. I’m not necessarily a fan of “stupid” comedy, as I like to call it. I like intelligent comedy, not slapstick, and my favorite comedian is, without a doubt, Eddie Izzard.

I read every day. Besides Harry Potter, I love historical novels, particularly anything taking place during the Tudor or Renaissance ages. Some of my favorite authors are Phillipa Gregory, Diana Gabaldon, Christopher Moore, Gregory MacGuire. I recently discovered the Tuesday Next series by Jasper Fforde which I so love. I also really enjoy Young Adult fiction, like the Gemma Doyle trilogy.

I love history, both reading about it, learning about it, and exploring it. I particularly like women’s history, i.e., how they lived, loved and learned.

I collect anything Disney (particularly the villians or Tinker Bell), witches, Precious Moments, stitch markers and books.

I love Yankee Candles, particularly anything spicy and some of the florals. I love all the little candle holders they have as well. I burn my candles daily.

I am interested in tarot and astrology. I have several tarot decks and, while I’m far from an expert, I love consulting the cards. I believe in spirt guides, guardian angels, and past lives.

I love to travel and would get on a plane every weekend if I could. Currently (besides California) my favorite place to wander and roam is Scotland. It feels so like a comfortable fit to me when I’m there. The next countries I want to discover are Ireland, England and Norway.

I have been involved in family research and genealogy for several years and have made some wonderful discoveries and have met distant relatives. My heritage is 75% Norwegian and 25% Irish.

Salty vs. Sweet: I prefer salty over sweet. I am totally addicted to popcorn and could eat it virtually every day. I am not a big fan of chocolate, unless it’s very expensive chocolate. I am much more into hard candies, particularly clove, cinnamon, ginger, peppermint, anything lemon or lime. I don’t like most things orange flavored and am not a particular fan of cherry.

Favorite Scents: Lilac, jasmine, clove, cinnamon, coffee

Favorite Holidays: Halloween and all that goes along with it. Christmas follows close behind. I love decorating in and around my house for both holidays.

Other Things I Love:
Unique and/or Antique Buttons
Pens and Postcards from Your Region
Fat Quarters of Fabric
Hard Candies from Your Region
Scrapbook Supplies

Old magazines