Since the knitting magic was off yesterday (way off ) I figured I’d better distract myself with something else like a bona fide blog post. If I didn’t it seemed pretty evident that anything fiber-related that I touched yesterday would instantly turn into a flaming pile of doo doo. And let’s face it knitty kids – doo doo is never fun. Funny maybe, but not fun. Still somehow, even blogging yesterday turned into something that just wouldn’t work.
So, here today instead, is the final installment of answers to all your fantastic contest questions. I know it’s a bit anticlimactic now that the contest is over, but I didn’t want anyone to think I was taking their questions un-seriously. Quite the opposite! It’s just been a fuzzy-headed kind of week so I’m a bit slow on the draw with pretty much everything right now. But without further ado (or doo doo), away we go……
Shannon O. asked: “Of all your Bloggy Peeps, who(m) would you most like to meet IRL? And why? I don’t think anyone has asked this question..”
Nope. No one else asked this question and it’s a good one! Well, I think it would be totally amazing to meet any of you guys! Seriously :) And it’s way too hard to have to choose between all of you! But if I had to choose one, and only one, because say, my life depended on it, I’d have to say Kasia because she’s the least likely person that I’d ever actually meet in real life being as she lives in Switzerland. Plus, we have a lot in common on so many levels and a peek into her world would sure be a lot of fun :)
Darcy asked: “What was your favorite vacation you have ever taken?”
I’ve pretty much loved every trip I’ve ever taken, but I guess the most special would be my honeymoon. We spent 5 days in Maui and 5 days in Kauai and the only damper on the whole trip was having the airline lose my luggage on our trip over and then spending 2 days without clothes trying to reach the airline to find out if they’d recovered it. We eventually got it back , but not until we’d already wasted a whole day basically replacing the important parts of my wardrobe (you know – bra, underroos, swimsuit, shorts). Poor R. Darling had to comfort his weeping bride all day long! He’s a trooper though :) We did so many amazing things while we were there: snorkeling in Molokini, going to a luau, watching sunrise over Haleakala, driving the Hana highway, a kick ass helicopter tour in Kauai, and finally just relaxing on the beach. A toss-up for my next favorite trip would be our 13 day sojourn on our Harley in the American Southwest. Totally fantastic! But then there was Sturgis….. See! I can’t just choose one! They’re all good!
Just after sunrise at Haleakala on Maui (yes we are wearing winter coats! It was freezing!)
Because the answer is the same to both of these questions, I’m combining Sharon Rose’s question: “What was the happiest moment of your life?” with Nicole’s question: “…what was one of the best surprises you’ve ever had?”
The day that I got engaged was the happiest moment of my life so far and it was also one of the best surprises that I’ve ever had. My husband had been away for a couple weeks for some work stuff and he told me that he was taking me somewhere special when he got back to make up for having been away. But he wouldn’t tell me where we were going or what we were doing, only that I needed to dress sorta nice. Part of me wondered if this was “the day” that he was going to propose, but another part of me didn’t want to get my hopes up. When we arrived at our destination and I saw the train (he took me on The Spirit Of Washington Dinner Train which sadly, is no longer operational, so no hope for recreating the moment on our 10 year anniversary or anything) I clapped my hands and said, “Yay Yay Yay!!!” which he teases me about to this day. I was so excited to be going on a train! It’s one of those things I’d always wanted to do. He had been acting a little funny all day, but I still didn’t dare to hope that this would be anything other than a nice treat. When the waitress asked us if we were celebrating anything special, he said “no” and I started to really assume that nothing monumental was going to happen. But when we arrived at the winery (the halfway point of the trip), took our little tour, and he ushered me to “someplace quieter”, I started to suspect again. And when he got down on one knee amongst the blossoming cherry trees in the dusk, then I knew that something special was going on for sure! It was definitely the happiest and most surreal moment of my life. To this day I barely remember what we said to each other, but we were nothing but smiles all through dessert on the way home. Thanks for a lovely memory sweetie! I love you :)
At the train depot before I even knew he was going to propose!
Kodachrome asked: “If you could invite anyone to a tea party, who would you invite and why?”
What a great question! I was watching a documentary on Leondardo da Vinci over the weekend and I was both fascinated and supremely awed at the sheer genius of this guy. I mean seriously. Was there anything he couldn’t do? I think having some cupcakes and teatime chatter with him would be really enlightening; a little peek into a mind, the likes of which, rarely exists. Maybe I could even get him to paint my living room!
Lucette asked: “Of all the things you have created, including the knitting, what has been the most enjoyable to make?”
Oh wow. This one’s a tough one for me and it really shouldn’t be! The reason it’s so hard is that I tend to go through a phase during each project where I’m working like gangbusters and all of a sudden I hit a plateau where I can’t stand to look at whatever it is that I’m working on. You can find evidence of these lulls all over my house – random projects stuffed half-finished into boxes and tubs here and there. I’m trying to be better about that this year! So for me, I have relative amnesia when it comes to how much I enjoyed working on something. I seem to only remember the frustrating bits. Does that make me a pessimist? Maybe. Anyway, I guess the project I enjoyed the most was my first pair of socks that I ever made. The reason for this is because I taught myself how to knit the sock entirely on my own from a copy of IK that had a basic pattern for a toe-up sock. This included teaching myself the dreaded eastern cast-on and knitting on teeny tiny dpn’s (not that I was a stranger to dpn’s, just a stranger to microscopic sized ones). It was really cool to know that I’d figured it out on my own and I remember being really proud as I knit and then completed the first sock.
My very first pair of socks!
Josiane said: “I see in the post over this one that you like making up your own words. As I love it too, my questions are related to that: What is your favorite word among those you’ve made up, and what does it mean to you? Do you tend to make up more words related to knitting, or to other areas of your life? Any idea why?”
I’m afraid that I’m really more of a word dabbler. Most of my words aren’t truly new words, more like subtle twists on the original word. And, as I’m a bit of a dirty little monkey, some of my words probably can’t be used in polite company ;) I really don’t make up knitting words very often actually. Most of my words are related to other areas of my life. Probably because the people that appreciate, or even engender, my “new” words aren’t knitters. In fact, the only contact I have with real knitters is online. So if I want someone to chuckle at my invention, where I can hear it, it had better be non-knitting related! My favorite knitting word is probably “Knitterazzi” (which maybe I didn’t make up, but I haven’t read anywhere else yet; debuted in this post from my blog). This is my name for people that I imagine hover around knitting celebrities in the same way that the paparazzi hover around regular celebrities. But probably (hopefully) in a more positive, less creepy fashion. The non-knitting word we use the most around here (not necessarily my favorite, but definitely in the highest rotation) is “ooky” which is a combination of “poopy” and “icky”. Used most commonly when one feels sick, but not violently ill. In fact, I’ve used that one at least 30 times this weekend!
Chrispy asked: “What are some of your favorite comments from your blog readers?” and “What do you look for in a knitting pattern?”
Dang! You’re tough ;) O.k. You’re totally going to think this is a cop out, but each and every one of my comments and commenters is important to me! Seriously. Pinky swear. That’s not just doo doo. No matter how long I’ve been blogging now, I still get a little secret thrill whenever someone, anyone, leaves a comment. Because no one has to, and the fact that you would take the time is really touching to me! Probably the ones I enjoy most though are the ones that make me laugh, or the ones that make me feel like I’m not alone with my crazy thoughts and – woo – out there ramblings. So thanks so much to all of you for putting a smile in my day!
As far as what I look for in a knitting pattern, I’m a sucker for feminine silhouettes or a retro feel when it comes to styling. Give me some lace edging or a unique neckline and I’m there. I tend to like clean un-fussy knits too with maybe one or two interesting details to break it up. As far as technique wise, I admit that right now I look for things knit in the round mostly because I am still nervous about seaming and am not sure I’m quite ready to tackle a full sweater with set in sleeves and all. Hopefully I can get up the nerve sometime soon though because I think it would really open up a wider range of patterns for me that I’m currently intimidated by.
Agnes says: “So far I only read about your and R. Darling’s winter kayaking last month and I know the two of you have a training program which started recently. How do you motivate each other to be sporty and keep the training going? Have you considered entering a race together (ex: Ironman or the likes)?”
Another great question! As far as motivation, I think that having a time set aside for both of us to work out together has been the biggest factor in staying motivated. In the past I’ve tried working out on my own but found it really difficult to take that time for myself when I felt that I should be spending it doing something with R. Darling. I felt like I was wasting the little time we had doing something non-essential (even though it really is a very important activity!). Last summer when he was training for his marathon, I got a bicycle so I could keep him company as his runs got longer and longer. I think that experience made us realize how much easier it is to stick to a goal when you have a little extra support from your spouse and make it more of a team effort. I’m sure if you ask him though, he’ll tell you that the prospect of me prancing around in workout clothes for an hour is plenty enough motivation for him! As far as training for an Ironman or anything like that together, I’d say you’re giving my fitness level a lot more credit than is due! I just can’t run like I used to (craptastic knees you see) so I’m guessing it’s out of the question. I will be helping him train for a new goal he has this year over the spring/summer/fall seasons and I hope to give running another try with him in the next couple months.
Last, but not least, Tami asked: “What’s your most favorite knitting toy? needles? accessories? stitch markers? Us knitters love our toys”
That’s true! Us knitters do love our toys! I can’t live without my row counter and stitch markers. And probably my tape measure. But as far as the coolest gadget I have? That would have to be my Knitter’s Block that I purchased last fall. If you hate blocking your knits as much as I do, you totally need one of these! I’m definitely digging it!
Well then! I’m sure you’ve all had quite enough! I really hope I didn’t forget anyone and if I did, I’m super sorry. It wasn’t on purpose, I swear :) Thanks for your patience and again, thanks so much to everyone for entering my little contest! It’s been swell sharing with all of you and reading all your great comments :) Thanks bunches!!
P.S. I will most likely be MIA a bit this week again. I can’t get in to see the doctor until Friday morning so I’m thinking I’m in for another fuzzyheaded week this week. I promise I won’t be ignoring you, just trying to rest it up. Until I’m full blast again, take care everyone & thanks so much for the well wishes!
