everything you never wanted to know...and more

Agnes tagged me with a knitting meme- thank you, Agnes!! I actually saw this meme a couple days back while doing my daily stalking of Carolyn's blog, and I'm pretty positive that in her wildest nightmares, she never envisioned it making to this lowly realm. In the interest of full disclosure, I've been knitting for less than half a year and while I love it beyond measure, I have craploads more to learn and experience. In true Wayne and Garth fashion, read: "I am not worthy, I am not worthy!" Given this caveat, I apologize in advance for all of my RSAs (really stupid answers).

What is your all time favorite yarn to knit with?
Hmmm, being the ghetto knitter (I guess the PC term would be socioeconomically disadvantaged) that I am, I don't have much (okay, any) experience with upscale, luxury yarns. Knit Picks Shimmer, an alpaca/silk blend, is the closest I've come to tasting the good life. However, I am sinful and covetous, and if vicarious experiences are allowable here, I'd say fondling Acornbud's Classic Elite Lush was as close to heaven as I'll probably get.

Your favorite needles?
While I adore the *ahem* one pair of Addi Turbos I own (ghetto knitter, remember?), I really love my Clover bamboo circulars. They're warm and smooth, and in spite of my uptight nature (stop looking at me, Hairy Legs!), I am, ironically, a very loose knitter, so they work out well for me. For sentimental reasons, I also love my late grandmother's old aluminum needles. Some of her dpn cases still have the 25 cent price tag on them! For socks, I'm loving my Brittany birch dpn's. I know, I know, 2 circs or Magic Loop is the way to go, but I'm a stubborn, antiquated oaf.

The worst thing you've ever knit?
So many items, so little space...hmmm. Well, my first pair of socks were a complete disaster. I made them 3 weeks after I started knitting to less than stellar results. Let's see, I messed up the ribbing (Hello!! Who messes up *K1,P1* repeat??!!) AND I tried to modify the pattern for 4 dpns instead of 5. Which wouldn't be such a big deal now, but I had little, okay no, understanding of how turning the heel and gusset decreases worked, so I wound up with a big ol' "V" running down my instep, instead of my ankle, where it should have been. Second place would go to a boobholder I knit about 2 months back. Nothing technically wrong with the knitting, but I had run out of yarn in my stash and was going through horrific knitting withdrawal and, and, and....so I (enough with the blubbering- spit it out, already!)..... *hangs head in shame* I made it out of acrylic. 100%. Red Heart. You may stone me now.

Your most favorite knit pattern? (maybe you don't like wearing it...but it was the most fun to knit)
I loved knitting Honeymoon Cami. Just the right mix of soothing stockinette and interesting shaping. And bonus, I actually wear it, too. I just wish I could knit some great triceps to accessorize the cami.

Most valuable knitting technique?
After several screwy looking sock toes and a lot of profanity, finally figuring out Kitchener Stitch was a pretty auspicious a-ha! moment. Right up there with grafting shoulder seams, which was amazingly fun. Such a dork.

Best knit book or magazine?
I am a ghetto knitter, but a resourceful one, so while I don't own too many books, I use my library card like it's going out of style. Okay, so the 1969 A Very Floral Christmas Knitting book didn't serve me too well, but I've checked out several great ones a multitude of times. Among my faves: Vogue Knitter's Companion and Barbara Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. My fave bargain basement find: Knitting Without Tears for $1.75 (!!). I've got a sweater in the queue that I'd like to fashion after EZ's seamless raglan sweater.

Your favorite knit-a-long?
Well, I've only done one knit-a-long so far (Lolly's Socktoberfest), but I've loved it!! It's been inspiring to "meet" so many knitters and see their fabulous work. I'm now addicted to blogstalking, so I definitely see more KAL's in my future. Which probably means restraining orders are in yours.

Your favorite knitblogs?
Being an avid blogstalker, I could probably blather on for pages here. In the interest of brevity and lulling you into a false sense of security about my stalking obsession, I'll try to limit myself to just a few. In terms of purely beautiful knits, I like/stalk SO MUCH YARN, SO LITTLE TIME!, Grumperina, Wendy Knits! and Knitting Escapism. For humor and knits, I enjoy Neglecting My Kids and Knit and Tonic. Being a sentimental sap, there are a special bunch of ladies with whom I feel a special personal connection . So for personal connection and fabulous knits (and in alphabetical order, as they appear in my BlogStalk, I mean Bloglines, list), I love Acornbud's Yarns, Adventures with a Knitting Spaz, Aloha & Oreos, Lolly Knitting Around, Knittin' Mom and Musings of a (mostly) Self-Taught Knitter.

Your favorite knitwear designer?
I love the simple beauty of Debbie Bliss designs, especially her baby items. I also love looking at Alice Starmore's designs- with my delusions of grandeur, I believe one day I will be able to attempt her patterns.

The knit item you wear the most? (how about a picture of it!)
A tie between Honeymoon Cami and Fiery Bolero, usually worn simultaneously to minimize public gawking at the arm flab and deflated balloons.

Who to tag?
Acornbud, Keohinani, Miss McSpazzitron and Karen....*TAG* you're it!!!