Fall Felted Bag Questionnaire

How long have you been knitting or crocheting? How did you learn? or from whom?

Well, we're up to about nine months right now of serious knitting. I learned as a youngster, but never did a single project, save a dog blanket that was too small for any of our dogs. Anne piqued my interest last Thanksgiving, and the rest is history.

What was your first felted object, and why did you decide to try felting?

My felted needle case. You can see my first felting projects (and Mugsy) here.

What are your favorite colors? Any you hate?

I'd love to go back and see how this changes from one questionnaire to another, but I really don't have time right now. At this moment, I'm blue, so a sharp turquoise or a Williamsburg blue would be my favorite. (Sniff. Dang. I'm such an emotional sap.)

In general, reds, pinks, blues, greens, browns, teals... Heck, let's just say anything but orange and road sign yellow, okay?

What are your favorite styles\types of bags? (Long straps? Short handles? Handbags? Totes? Embellished? Plain? Include links to patterns or photos if you’d like – give your pal an idea of what you enjoy!)

Oh my. For daily use, a wee handbag, with a strap just short enough to shove my shoulder through, but for totes, anything goes! If you peruse my blog, you'll see quite an assortment. I'd say the one thing they all have in common is that they're colorful. (By the way, my Booga, which turned out to be smaller than I thought and WAY too orange is now enjoying life in Alaska, with Anne's fabulous mom, who sincerely liked it!) Basically, I like wee bags for regular and out on the town use, and big bags of any shape for toting projects and more around.

What handbag or bag are you carrying today? Do you use a separate bag to carry your knitting?

I'm still carrying my Sidekick. I used my bag from the first exchange to carry my books and knitting to the beach, and it's perfect for my baby blankie in progress at the moment. I also have my new Total Tote, and that's loaded with my next sock project, ready for wherever I ride next.

What other things do you enjoy knitting or crocheting?

Socks. Small projects. I just found a sweater I want to do though, and while I'm not very far along, I'm enjoying the baby blanket I just started.

What sort of needles do you enjoy working with? (straights vs circs, bamboo vs aluminum)

Metal circs., although it depends on the project. I don't mind dpns at all, but they too must be metal. I do use my Bryspun straights for dishcloths though. No bamboo or plastic. Snap, crackle, pop!

What’s one project you’ve not yet tried but are dying to make?

Felted bag or otherwise? Bag, I want to do the B4 bag, but have to get a better grip on bobbles first. Then there's the Bar Harbor Shell bag... Projects in general? I have several sweaters, a yoga mat bag (or is that a bag?), a baby kimono, and so much more.

What’s one yarn you’ve not yet tried but are dying to work with?

Again, felting or otherwise? Felting, my life won't be complete until I try Malabrigo. Otherwise? Bamboozle is my big desire at the moment, but check my blog, because I'm likely to buy some post-haste.

What other hobbies do you have? Do you spin? Sew? Garden?

Yoga, stamping, scrapbooking, my dogs... I do not spin and have no inclination. I wish I could sew, but Anne won't stay long enough to teach me. I used to garden, but my back doesn't like the bending and such.

Besides yarn, do you collect anything?

Roosters. Bags. Stitchmarkers...

What kind of goodies do you enjoy? Sweets? Salty? Anything you hate or are allergic to?

I'm much more inclined towards sweet than salty. I don't care for hard candies, except for mints. And I mean mint mints.

Do you have any kiddos? (Furry kind count!)

Indeed, there's Mugsy the Jack Russell Terror, aka: the Crup, and Fred the Basset Hound. Our home revolves around keeping the princes happy.

What kind of project best personifies you and why?

As cheesy as it sounds, a sock. I love diversity, and knitted socks definitely personify diversity. They're portable, adaptable, functional and sometimes warm and cute. (Hey, I have my moments!)

What is your favorite part of Autumn? You can also share a special Autumn memory if you'd prefer!

Well, as each season arrives, it is my favorite, but Autumn means cooler weather, beautiful leaves, more walks with Mugsy, and this year, our 10th anniversary. There are also lots of birthdays and anniversaries for friends and family, and that's special too. I love pumpkin and fresh cranberries, and they're much easier to find in fall and winter...

Tell us 3 things you would do if you won 10 million dollars in the lottery.

Just three? Well, there's the somewhat standard bit about the perfect yarn shop with some friends, but I'm going to give you three new things this time, not that hanging out with my favorite knitters every day wouldn't be heaven.

Buy a BIG farm somewhere, maybe in the Northern Neck, near my aunt and uncle's big farm. Mark and I both love the country, and he'd be happy as a pig in poop on a tractor...

Travel. I'm talking yarn crawls with you guys, at your favorite spots, mine, and those must-sees. Nascar races galore, a knitters cruise, seeing Europe with my favorite cousin, Africa with a couple of special folks, etc.

I'd also set up a foundation for training and educating fire fighters, especially volunteers. The world is changing, and training and knowledge will keep them safe, and allow them to perform more efficiently. Mark and I both have invested a lot of time in training, both our own and in training others, and it's something I'm passionate about.