KrisWW

I'm going to give up doing Sock swaps - I've been flaked on both sock swaps I've done this year!!

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

My girls are 9, 7 and 5, and the baby boy is no longer a baby but two 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 eight years... awash in a sea of teen hormones. sigh

I'm a tactile, cerebral, scentsual 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 and baby jumpers are my favourite.

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've rediscovered after a long hibernation period. I love to spin natural fibres - raw wool and fleece and alpaca/llama are my absolute favourites. Carded roving and batts are fun too, but I'm not really keen on too much sparkly or acrylic mixed in with them.

I have a green quilt under construction, so I am always looking for bits of green cotton fabric and inspiration for blocks.

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.

Movie music, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, John Williams, James Newton-Howard, Klaus Badelt, Danny Elfman, Dario Marianelli, Steve Jablonsky (does anyone have a copy of the Score of Transformers that needs a new home?)

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

Rock and heavy stuff, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Nickelback, Def Leppard, Hoobastank, Finch, HIM, 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, good friends and warm conversation.

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, 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:

One Pair of Socks swap - International I just sent my second package for this swap, as my first never turned up :(

Teetering on the edge of a deep spirituality, I'm still searching. I've found a Goddess and a Buddha but haven't learned how to listen to them yet.

Peace is elusive, but I keep looking.