Spring Fling Coffee Swap Questionaire

Coffee

1. What is your preference? Whole beans or ground?

Ground so I don't have to try and dig out my grinder (wherever it is).

2. What kind of coffees do you enjoy? A rich, bold roast; a light, fresh one, or something in between? Leaded or non?

I like dark roasts, such as French roast or espresso. I also looove Kona and Starbuck's House or Breakfast Blend. I drink leaded in the daytime and un-leaded at night.

3. If you were headed out right now to buy some coffee for the house, what would you be picking up?

If I was doing t his right now, I'd be headed down to the Big Easy. We haul 2 cases of Community Coffee New Orleans Blend back with us everytime we go down there. But I like to keep some of the stuff I mentioned in #2 for a change of pace.

4. Do you drink for caffeine, pleasure, or both?

Both, but mainly for pleasure, so it has to taste good, in addition to being strong.

5. Do you enjoy flavored coffees? How about add-ins or flavored creamers?

No flavorings, no sugar or sweeteners - I don't want to coverup the bitter, smoky taste.

6. A large, lovely mug or a small, dainty cup?

I don't really care what the mug looks like, as long as it holds LOTS of coffee.

7. Describe your perfect cup - not JUST the coffee, but how you'd enjoy it!

I would be at my favorite resturant, Commander's Palace in New Orleans, sitting at a large table in the courtyard with my family and friends. I would have just finished a delectable Creole meal, savoring my Bread Pudding Souffle with Vanilla Whiskey Sauce, and sipping a cup of hot cafe au lait, made with strong chicory coffee. Taste bud heaven!

8. You're sitting down to enjoy a nice cup in the local coffee shop, knitting bag in hand, iPod all tuned up - or maybe you're there with a few friends for knit night! What treat do you pick up to enjoy with your coffee? A sweet, rich brownie, or something more healthy? How about a salty treat? What goes best with that great cup and company?

Unless it's beignets or a special dessert, I usually don't eat anything while I'm drinking coffee. The coffee itself is the treat. Although every now and then, I do like a good biscotti.

Yarn

1. Do you knit or crochet?

I'm a knitter. I learned how to crochet when I was a kid and can probably crochet better than I can knit at this point. But once I fell in love with knitting, I lost all interest in crochet.

2. What are your favorite types of yarns to work with?

Merino and merino blends- the softer the better, in DK or worsted weight. I also like good-quality cotton/wool blends. And I love the workmanship of hand-dyed and handspun yarns.

3. What do you have on the needles (or hook!) right now?

2 baby hats (1 for charity, 1 for a friend's new baby), a Baby Einstein jacket, a dishcloth, 3 scarves and probably some other stuff I am forgetting. Oh, I just cast on for ISE6 yesterday, so make that 4 scarves.

4. What are your favorite colors in yarns? What about those that you'd never find in your stash?

At this time of year, I am tired of dark colors and I like bright colors that remind me of spring and summer - the colors of the ocean and sky, flowers and leaves - blues, purples, blue-greens, lime green, and even pinks would be nice. I avoid anything beige, pastel, or muddy colors. And I don't like bright primary colors.

5. What sort of needles or hooks do you enjoy using? Any you just detest?

My first choice in straights and dpn's is bamboo. If the yarn sticks to the bamboo or if I'm using circ's, I use Addi's. I really like a pointy tip, and find both Addi's and bamboo aren't pointy enough. I just saw some Hiya-hiya's yesterday at MisKnits and would like to try some 16' ones for my next baby hat. On very rare occasions, I will use some hard acrylic Susan Bates needles that have sharp points. I detest aluminum and plastic needles - they give me the heebie-jeebies when they rub together.

6. Are there any particular notions you absolute do NOT need? Some of us swap a lot - are you sure that you have enough tape measures to last your lifetime? Enough stitch markers to mark every stitch of a 10 foot wide afghan?

I don't need many notions because I don't use many (how many do you need when you knit mainly squares and rectangles, haha) and I have enough of the ones I do use...but if I were to get extra notions, I'd either make a traveling notions kit, or I'd save them until I did need them. The thing I don't have are needles cases - right now, I carry them around in freezer bags if I have to take them out of the house. They're not pretty, but they do get the job done!

7. You walk into the yarn shop and have exactly and only enough money to purchase 2 skeins of yarn in their 2 for 20 special they have going..The choices are a soft, thick cotton/viscose blend in your favorite colors, slightly variegated..a beautiful sock yarn that's just squishy and sproingy in your hands.. a soft, worsted weight wool like malabrigo.. and a lovely bamboo blend with colors to just die for. Which do you walk out the door with?

Okay, this one's too easy - the Malabrigo of course.

Spring

1. We're starting sign-ups on the first day of Spring - is it already truly Spring-like where you are?

Lets see... brown grass, bare trees, high temp in the 30's... nope, no spring around here. The robins have been mobbing for about a week now, though and my yellow magnolia's buds are swelling. And we haven't had any snow for about 2 weeks now, so there's a little hope.

2. What's your favorite spring flower? Do you have one?

Daffodils and narcissus are my absolute favorites - they are the first leaves to start popping up in my garden and really signify spring for me. The yellow is so cheerful, there is such a variety in terms of size, shape and color. And they are deer-proof, bunny-proof and freeze-proof. I just love them.

3. What do you most look forward to about springtime?

I'm a gardener so I love everything about spring. The smell of the earth and the grass. The newness of everything. Getting back in the garden and out on my porch.

4. They've predicted a gorgeous day tomorrow - Sunny and about 65 with a nice breeze - how do you spend your day?

In the garden.

5. The day after, it's going to be cooler and pouring down rain - does that impact your mood? How do you spend that day? what helps cheer you up?

I like rainy days, especially in the spring. I'd open the porch door so I could listen to the rain and curl up on the sofa and knit the day away.

Odds n Ends

1. Do you collect anything BESIDES yarn and needles?

Rabbits, little bird figures and glass paperweights.

2. Are you allergic to anything?

Cigarette smoke, many fragrances such as most florals, cinnamon and "clean" or "breezy" or "linen" scents.

3. Do you have pets?

The canines are Chloe and Abbie, the felines are Criquette and Bitsy BonTon (aka Ninja Slasher Kitty). All 4 are rescues. We sometimes have foster pups.

4. Is this your first swap, or are you an old pro? What are the last 2 swaps you participated in?

I've been in several swaps and can't stop! I just finished the Beat the Winter Doldrums Dishcloth swap and the Hot Cocoa swap. BTW, Anne puts on the best swaps out there!

5. List 3 of your favorite blogs - craft related or not - and tell us why you love them.

Well of course I have a lot of knitting-related favorites - check out my sidebar. (I also have about 100 or so bookmarked that I try to check in on at least once a month.) I also have some favorite non-fiber blogs that I like - they're pretty random, but here are 3 of them: my favorite cooking blog, my favorite nature blog, and one of my favorite pet blogs.