KrisWW

My emergency back surgery was a success, but it does mean I'm a little behind on a couple of swaps. I should be all caught up by 6th May (including my next university assignment, in case my tutor reads this...)

Mother of four, mad knitter, gardener, cook and chicken-wrangler. On Ravelry as KristyW as well.

My girls are 11, 9 and 7, and the baby boy is no longer a baby but 4 years old and spends his time laughing from one end of the house to the other. His sisters love him but squabble with one another. Ahh, where will I be in six years... awash in a sea of teen hormones. sigh

I'm a tactile, cerebral, 'scent'sual kind of person. I have to touch and stroke things; yarn, animals, flowers, walls. I put things to my lips to feel them; flower petals, pencils, wooden knitting needles. And I sniff things; new books, old books, fabric, leather bags.

Words have power and meaning and a magic all of their own. They can wound and heal and comfort and reject and if their powers were truly acknowledged, they would be closely guarded, hoarded by countries and governments and those with agendas, instead of being thoughtlessly squandered by tabloids and B-list celebrities.

I love smooth wood and bamboo, warm velvet and merino, softest silk and alpaca, strong cotton and linen. Fake and acrylic textiles make me shudder, and hell is novelty yarns.

Greens and autumnal colours are me. Soft sage and acid young oak leaf green, rich pine and lush grass green. Deep rich red, rusts and browns and that wonderful copper where they all meet together. But blue is not me, neither is any strident colour.

Scents are cinnamon and ginger, Nag Champa and fresh bread. New wood shavings and autumnal bonfires. Chanel No 5.
Not floral or soapy or cloying, and the only time I go near lavender is when I put the oil on a burn.

I love to knit - socks are my favourite! Just discovering lace, although I prefer using fingering weight to laceweight for shawls. Oddly dislike heavy aran and chunky yarns, maybe because I don't like using thick needles. I love merino and natural fibres such as silk and alpaca. Really hate acrylic anything (unless a little is mixed with wool to make a yummy sock yarn!).

I also crochet on occasion, and sew. I've never yet managed to scrapbook anything, nor do I have a real urge to.

I have a spinning wheel and a drop spindle that I use occasionally, although they're in hibernation right now. I love to spin natural fibres - raw wool and fleece and alpaca/llama are my absolute favourites.

I have a green quilt under construction, so I am always looking for bits of green cotton fabric and inspiration for blocks. Any little scraps of 2" square or more are perfect.

Did I mention food? I love to cook. Recipes for cookies and favourite breads are always welcome. And whilst we eat some free-range meat, inventive ways of getting young children to eat vegetarian food would be gratefully received.

And if you're looking for a particular recipe, just ask - I'm bound to have it. Or know where to find it.

I also love growing vegetables. Flowers are pretty and have their place, but there's nothing more pleasing to the eye than a row of fast growing beetroot with blood red veins in dark green leaves, or twining stems of heirloom beans climbing up corn stalks above a sea of winter squash leaves, the purple and white of their flowers off-setting the brazen gold squash flowers and pale fruit lurking under the plate sized foliage below. Seeds are wonderful things - that half used packet lurking in the back of a drawer would make a perfect heart-earner.

Movie music, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, John Williams, James Newton-Howard, Klaus Badelt, Danny Elfman, Dario Marianelli, Steve Jablonsky.

Classical, Lisa Gerrard, Ludovico Einaudi, Karl Jenkins, Yo Yo Ma, Andrea Bocelli, Gregorian chant, Loreena McKennitt,

Rock and heavy stuff, Linkin Park, 30 Seconds to Mars, Breaking Benjamin, Nickelback, Def Leppard, Hoobastank, Nine Inch Nails, Rammestein,

Anything green, seeds, soft yarn, wood, glass, felt, purple, brown paper, real pens, pencils, baskets, my piano, sparkly things, smooth things, lemon, chocolate, ginger, cinnamon, books, recipes, my garden, tea, ice, the 1940's, yellow, bronze, autumn, dragons, stars, notebooks, stationery, Japanese food, slender Thai buddhas, good friends and warm conversation. Oh, and Transformers - I have a thing for Bumblebee, and Optimus Prime's voice. I know, I know...

Acrylic yarn, fuzzy stuff, dolls, clowns, pastels, neon brights, almonds, marzipan, mushrooms, metal knitting needles, kawaii, manga, anime, cutesy stuff, clutter, lavender and other cloying scents, craneflies, fat Chinese buddhas, aniseed, twee, bright blue, the 60's and 70's, fast food, horror movies and grumpy people.

Flakers :( Still waiting for a couple of things from folks, although I've pretty much given up. I got flaked on two sock swaps, and I love socks. ETA Got flaked on again, this time in the Sock and Cocoa swap by @bevinpiphi :( What is it with me and socks?

New, unwanted or gently-loved items all welcome here.

I use Knitpicks and Knitpro Harmony needles for everything. Spare tips, cables or caps, of any size or length would be given a grateful, working home - even single needle tips are useful for replacing the ones the boy used to 'fix' his toy garage with.

Sock yarn - any colour, any quantity. Little left over half-ounce balls or unfinished sock knitting projects. I teach children to knit, so stray DPNs are welcome too - kids don't notice mismatched sets! (if you have the ball band for the yarn, I'd be eternally grateful - once I did half a sock in superwash, and half in pure wool without realising... that was interesting after a run through the washing machine!!)

Scraps of green cotton fabric. One day, I will finish that quilt...

Vegetable seeds - I love my garden!

Stationery - notebooks, pens, crayons, pencil cases. I have four children and it's a running battle to keep a hold of my own supplies!