The Knitbert Interview - 5 question interview

Today I thought it was time to have a short break from photos of New Zealand, and as I saw the five question interview on Jacquie's Journal, I asked Jacquie to interview me and she has kindly sent me the questions below. Thank you Jacquie!

If anyone reading would like to be interviewed by me then ask me in a comment, or email knitbert AT yahoo DOT co DOT uk, and I will send you five questions.

Here's my interview:
1. How did you meet your husband and how did you know he was “the one”?

I met Mr Knitbert at work. I had just returned to my UK company after a two year secondment, living and working in Paris. The site where I had been working in the UK was closing down and I moved to another site, where the project I was in charge of involved holding meetings with various people from the new site. Mr Knitbert was one of these people, usually, by the way, to be found at the back of the room asking awkward questions.

He was assigned to work on a task which I was managing and one day we had to go and interview someone together. On the way we were idly chatting, and I happened to ask him if he had read the book "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat" by Oliver Sachs. I was expecting the usual answer from colleagues in my line of work, which is "what? never heard of it!", but he said yes he had! That captured my attention, and we began talking about less superficial things and soon discovered that we had a lot in common.

I am very particular about how I like things to be done, and Mr Knitbert is very laid back and quite happy to let me do things my way (most of the time!).

2. Have you settled back into “real life” again OK after your fabulous
trip?

I must say I am struggling a bit with this. On the face of it I am back to normal, everything is unpacked and I am back into my normal routine, but somehow this trip has been unsettling, and I don't know why. I have been to New Zealand before; in fact this trip was step two in a longer term plan to go and live there, at least for a while; and although I enjoyed my visit last time, I did not feel so reluctant to come home as I feel now. I really did not want to get on the plane to come home!

Like the Kenneth Grahame quote in my last post, "real life" seems pale and thin and very far away at the moment. I don't know if it is because our trip involved a holiday with the whole family, which happens very rarely now, or because I discovered something while I was travelling which is missing from everyday life and needs to be changed.

I'll keep you posted!

3. How do you normally manage meals in your house with a resident
vegetarian?

Most of the time I cook vegetarian food for everyone, because it is the easiest way. I love vegetarian food, and it is often more interesting to cook as well, because it involves many flavours and textures (although there really is a LOT of chopping involved!). If there are several meat eaters present, or when we invite guests, then I cook both veggie and non-veggie options. It is usually quite easy to split the meal at a certain point in the cooking and add the meat, as long as I plan this in advance.

Over the years, I have found that I prefer a diet which is low in meat and fish, but I would not like to give them up altogether, especially fish and seafood (yum).

4. If you were offered the chance to boldly go where no man (or woman) has
gone before would you take it and why?

In my present rather restless mood (see 2.) I certainly would!
More seriously, it is my belief that in life we are more likely to regret what we have not done than what we have done. I also believe that if opportunities present themselves, it is for a reason, and that it is good for us to be stretched and to move outside our comfort zone from time to time. I hope that I will never stop learning and developing as a person. For all those reasons I would have to say, yes.

5. What attracted you to knitting?

I learned to knit when I was very young, and my mother always had knitting on the go. So one reason is almost certainly that I associate knitting with pleasant, comforting memories. Another factor is that I love the textures and colours of the fibres, and of the needles and stitchmarkers. I love to have beautiful, colourful things around me. I would also have to say that I enjoy the process of imagining something and then bringing it into being from the fibre, it is very rewarding. And, finally, I enjoy the knitting itself. I can switch off the mind and focus on the movements of the hands and this is very calming, like a meditation.