Answers Part 2

Linda Marveng asked me to answer 11 questions as part of my Liebster Award.  I'm doing it in two posts because I'm a little short on time (as always).

6 .  What inspires you?  A little of everything.  For knitting designs, I might see a skein of yarn and immediately see possibilities for a garment shape or stitch pattern, or I might see a shape or color combination out in the "real world" and go on a quest for the right yarn to make them work.  I used to compose poetry while gardening, walking, or any kind of physical labor, but music comes to me in the middle of the night.  Inspiration for any of these things can come in the gesture of a hand or the intonation of a spoken phrase, the formation of birds in flight or a wrought-iron fence, the colors of a bag of citrus or leaves on a sidewalk, or the way weeds take over a planting.

7.  Name your favorite yarn or flower, if you could only pick one?  I don't tend to choose favorites, but I really enjoy working with Green Sheep Sport (a strange choice because I usually prefer fingering and laceweight yarns, but one I kept returning to in my considerations of which yarn I would name).  Flowers are hopeless---I love whatever's in season.

8.  What would be your dream job?  That's what I've been trying to work out for myself.  I love babies and children.  I love teaching and writing.  I love music and literature and theater and food.  I love baking and knitting and rocking in my rocking chair.  I'd be perfect for the job of grandmother, but I don't have any grandkids!  (Is grandmothering a career?)

9.  What is your worst craft/hobby disaster, that you can reveal?  I've never had a knitting disaster that went unsalvaged, but I once had a rice dish that didn't taste quite right.  I added lemon juice, then salt, then (for some reason) raisins, then spice after spice, trying to refine the taste.  It ended up being inedible---a strong term for me to use (I enjoy most foods, and don't like waste.)  

10.   Worst task you have to do?  Clean the bathroom.

11.   What is your favourite garment? It can either be a type or one you wear whenever you have the chance?  A flannel shirt or long (knee- or thigh-high) socks.