Let’s see if I can get caught up!
Day 25: Do you have a knitting book or a place where you keep patterns, ideas, size measurements? Post a picture of it!
No, I really don’t. I track projects on ravelry and on the notes app on my phone.
Day 26: Have you ever been a part, or wanted to be a part of a knit-a-long? What was it? If not, why?
Yes, I have. I just recently participated in Melanie Berg’s Any Shawl KAL. It helped me knock out my Miller’s Daughter. It was really awesome to keep up with the thread on ravelry because I loved seeing all the color combinations people came up with. I also loved that it was for any shawl, not just one pattern. I took a second look at several patterns that didn’t really tempt me at first, and I think that has a lot to do with seeing how so many different projects turned out.
Day 27: How do you acquire most of yarn? Online retailers, local yarn shops, swaps, or large chain craft stores? What’s your favorite?
A little bit of everything, really. My favorite thing ever is to find awesome yarn at a thrift store. Otherwise, I’ve gotten a bunch of yarn from people who were destashing. I really seem to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time when it comes to scoring yarn. If I had a yarn shortage (and a job), I would strive to shop exclusively from local sources, my LYS and indie operations online. As it is, I love finding bargains online. I occasionally shop at a big box craft store, but only when I need supplies for a specific commissioned piece. Not everything can be made with merino!
Day 28: Do you do any other crafts besides knitting? What are they, and did learning to knit come before or after learning these other crafts?
Not anymore, really. When I was a kid I would do any craft I could get my hands on. I particularly liked counted cross stitch. I’ve done anything from making beaded jewelry to embroidery to macrame bracelets, latch hook rugs, etc. As an adult, I’ve tried a little spinning but I don’t intend to pick it up any time soon. I’ve also done a fair amount of sewing over the years. I would like to get back into that at some point soon. I have a handful of projects in mind that I want to work on.
Day 29: Do you have any tips, or things that you’ve learned from knitting?
I’m going to defer on this one for right now. I think this could be a whole separate post!
Day 30: What’s your name on Ravelry? If you don’t have a Ravelry account, why?
My ravelry user ID is alexand. I’ve been a member since it was in beta and you needed to get an invite to join (September 21, 2007 if you’re curious). I am raveler #13148.
I cannot overstate how much I love being a member of ravelry. I’ve learned so much from the forums, from looking at others’ projects, and from just being exposed to so many awesome knitters, designers and patterns. I’ve found amazing community there that has supported me many times and in many ways. I’ve connected with people I otherwise never would have met, including some people local to me who have turned out to be wonderful friends.
So that I don’t leave you photo-less, here’s a shot of Kitten Man in his impromptu box fort the other day:
Happy knitting!
The 30 Day Knitting Challenge is the creation of Meggiewes who blogs at Knitting in Wonderland.
alexand knits 
I love all of your answers. How cool that you got to be a beta tester for Ravelry! I joined in 2011; however really didn’t start using it until I started knitting last year. I truly did not know what I missing out on. Your cute kitty shot has me missing my two 😦 He is so adorable! My husband is allergic and always said that when they passed away, we could not get anymore. So, thank you for the cute kitty shots that I can enjoy vicariously 🙂 I was going to start this challenge yesterday, as I have really enjoyed getting to know you through your answers; however totally forgot about it. I think I will make a note on my calendar to start on August first.
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Oh cool, I would love to read your answers! I’m thinking about writing a set of questions for a similar challenge, but one that you could do every year instead of just once. We’ll see if I ever get around to it!
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