Okay, so there's this list of questions making the rounds. And being the late-adopter that I am, here are my answers. (Well, I can plead having been out of town).

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high-end/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?

Mmmmnnn...well, I wouldn't say I'm a snob, but I do have my preferences. I don't care for 100% acrylic (except in some rare cases). I use some Lion Brand yarns, and it's one color of Woolease that got me back interested in knitting again (back in 1997), so I can't really knock it.
I don't like Red Heart though, I don't like how the "typical" Red Heart feels.

I do prefer natural fibers. I especially prefer wool that still has a bit of the lanolin in it, and it doesn't bother me one bit to have to pick bits of hay or bark out of my wool.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?

I crochet. I tried my hand at drop-spindle spinning and wasn't coordinated enough to do it (or the video I was trying to learn from wasn't right for me). I'd love to try out a wheel but I don't live near enough to a spinning group for that to work. And I'm not going to buy one on "spec".

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)

Minor allergy to cats. Serious allergies to pollen and mold. Allergy to smoke, it can also bring on a migraine if I'm exposed to it for too long. Some strong perfumes bother me, too. I'm also allergic to miso and codeine, and coming into physical contact with grasses can raise welts on my arms.

4. How long have you been knitting?

I learned back in 1979 or so, but didn't really get into it until 1997. I was in grad school and I needed some kind of stress-relief that was easier to pick up and put down than the quilting I had been doing.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Yes, but more to keep a list of things I want to buy for myself as I feel rich enough to afford them. I don't link to my wishlists here because I'm using free Blogger and I don't want to feel like I'm begging. Nothing against anyone who does that, I just have problems with asking for things myself.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

Mostly herbal or natural scents. Nothing too strongly flowery. I like rose-scented candles but anything sweeter than that can bother my allergies. My favorite scent is "Olive Leaf" by The Thymes, which is becoming harder to find in stores.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?

Yes, alas.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?

I quilt and sew some of my own clothes. I make "critters" (mostly stuffed animals). I've dabbled in other things like making marble magnets. I'd like to have a go at making my own soap or bath fizzies but the initial investment in supplies feels too extravagant to me.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s?

No on the MP3s (again, late adopter). I like a wide variety of music. Classical (baroque and Romantic era) is probably my favorite, but I also like swing jazz, West Coast jazz, ragtime, bluegrass, Celtic, some World Music, French chanson, some early rock, some gospel...I tend to like music more when it involves actual people playing instruments or singing rather than music that has a lot of synthesizers and sampling involved. I also like music best when it's coming from people who are doing it because they love the music or love playing and not so much looking to make tons of money off of it. I can't stand most pop and modern country and current rock because it all feels so focus-groupped and designed to sell to me, that it seems not to have that same soul.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?

Green, gold (the yellow kind, not the metallic kind) and purple.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

Single, live alone, no pets (but am toying with the idea of going and getting a kitty from the humane society some time).

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)

Hmm. I suppose work-wise, make full professor and get more papers published. But what really matters to me is to follow my moral code without compromising, to try to leave the world a little bit better, at least in my local area, than it was when I got here, and to be happy doing it.

I'd also like to find an anam chara, but I don't hold out a lot of hope for that any more. I think I've kind of passed the threshold where I should have had a few failed relationships and a few near-marriages in order to be prepared to find what I really need.