Another Stitching Meme

I found these questions on Stitch Bitch's blog and thought it might be fun to answer them myself.
1)   Which fabric do you most prefer? 36 ct and 40 ct linen, though if a design is charted for 28 or 32 ct, I will work with it 

2)   What is your favorite fabric count? It depends on the design and on my end game!  I have been known to stitch something designed for 28ct on 40 ct if I want to reduce the size dramatically ... and vice versa.

3)   What color fabric do you most enjoy stitching on? Mostly neutrals for samplers but I stitch a lot of fantasy charts that tend to look better against an over dyed green [suggesting forests] or an over dyed grey [suggesting a winter sky] or an over dyed blue [suggesting skies].  And I do like the dramatic punch that comes from stitching on black linen but the design has to be right.

4)   What is your favorite fiber? I love silk for most stitching but I admit to loving all the glitzy specialty fibers as well when working on ornaments.  Wools and wool blends for needlepoint, over dyed cottons for a lot of my cross stitch projects.  It really depends on what I am working on.

5)   How many of the 450 DMC Colors do you own?   All but the newest releases from this past Fall.

6)   Of your last five projects—how many used DMC/Anchor as the main floss? One.

7)   Of the last five projects, if you didn’t use DMC/Anchor—what did you use? Over dyed cotton floss from GAST, Week's Dye Works and Crescent Colors.

8)   What needles do you prefer? 28 Bohin and 28 Piecemaker tapestry needles since they are both slim enough to serve as beading needles for petite seed beads.  I like John James 28 petites for the same reason.

9)   What is the UGLIEST design you’ve encountered? I can't be bothered remembering such things.

10) What is the most BEAUTIFUL design you’ve encountered? I have stitched many Teresa Wentzler designs and would be hard put to decide which was the most beautiful.  I have also stitched a Sweetheart Tree Christmas Sampler, Holly and Hearts, that I thought quite lovely.  And then I have seen some gorgeous work at the Show & Tell sesions of retreats and on blogs that I read.  Impossible to pick just one.  And anyway, why would I ever stitch something I didn't think beautiful or clever or appealing in some way.

11) Who is your favourite designer?  Depending on my mood, Teresa Wentzler,  Prairie Schooler, Victoria Sampler, Primitive Needle, Sue Hillis, Cedar Hills, Dragon Dreams and at least half a dozen others.

12) Least favourite designer? Anything saccharine sweet or involving teddy bears, Precious Moments, cartoons, or self-conscious cuteness, etc.  But specific designers:  Brooks Designs, Lizzie Kate and their ilk

13) Will you/would you support a designer whose personal beliefs offended/angered you? Personally, I am not offended or angered by the sincerely held belief systems of others, except in extreme cases like hate groups such as Neo-Nazis or White Supremacists or the Westboro folks.  I tend to be a live and let live sort.  For that matter, I can't say I have a clue about the belief systems of any designers whose work I stitch.

14) Do you have a lamp especially made for needleworkers/crafters? Yes, I have a Brite Lite.

15) What brand of stitching lamp do you have/prefer? It's not so much the brand as the lamp.  I miss my old table top Ott with magnifier and lamp in one.  I will have to replace it as my Brite Lite is too much of a light weight, always tipping over at the slightest tap.  Ultimately, I'd like to get a Dazor floor lamp with magnifier.

16) What kind of environment best suits you when you are stitching? I like my straight back wooden chair with cushions supporting my spine. It is set up next to my book case and with a small table in my living room.  I generally watch DVDs while stitching.

17) Have you stitched any design more than once? Yes, a few ornaments or smalls for exchanges.

18) Favourite design you have stitched and finished?  This is a tough one: some of my samplers or one of my dragons or faeries.  I don't have an answer, off the top of my head ... so, I guess that means I don't have a favorite.

19) Least favourite design you’ve stitched and finished? A design featuring a shed wall covered with lobster buoys that I stitched for my husband.  Second runner up: a design of a cat entangled in toilet tissue that I stitched at the specific request of my husband who assured my sister-in-law that I'd be "happy to stitch it for her".  He now knows not to make promises he can't keep! 

20) Last, but not least, what’s your longest running WIP? My last BAP, Teresa Wentzler's Woodland Angel Christmas Stocking took 17 months of intermittent stitching.  I think the Teresa Wentzler Autumn Faerie took nearly as long.