Friday, November 30, 2007

Barcelona, Bye November, Yarn Porn, WIP



Given this is not the best picture in the world, I hope that the ones I sent PostCards to from Barcelona, got them, I got mine a day ago. I always send one to myself , just to know the time that people will be getting their postcards is close. Later on next week I will be put together a little Vacation story, of more than one posts of the fun trip we had in Barcelona!

The dollar was so bad, so we only bought the necessary stuff lol! Really we did not spend money on unnecessary souvenirs, I got some malabrigo yarn and some alpaca yarn from this BLOG HERE , I met the owner , Jennifer and she is a fantastic lady with her little girl , which Michael Babysitted for a while lol!,and her husband, Persones llanes, on plaça de la llana 7, Barcelona, 08003, because it was a great price and I needed some yarn, Chocolates, Calendars, and a Barcelona DVD that we may watch this weekend. I really enjoyed taking my daily siesta from 2 to 4 everyday! What a concept!
*

Well November 2007 went out with a bang, laughter, tears and more laughter. I was saddened by the loss of my pet friend. I want to personally thank all of you , for your compassionate thoughts and empathic notes & feelings. It was felt across the ethers. You always think that you are prepared for death, yet when it comes is a different story. In all honesty I did not believe I would get so emotional, yet I was and I am. Things will eventually even out and the feelings of pain and sadness will be replaced with joy and remembrance. In a lots of way Buster Brown had a great Life, he was rescued from a shelter 15 years ago. I will tell you he had a great Life.





This is my altar of remembrance. His tags, and some empathy postcards, his vet reminders Note, a Black Lab that I am painting Brown to put in our tree. Some times Buster will be looking out of one of the Bedroom windows at some cats that liked to lay on the fence. We called it Kitty TV. He was so intense in his stare! It was very cute. I never thought that I would miss that Buster Brown so much, but he is with me for ever more. Until we meet again, thanks for being a part of our lives.

*

I do have some works in progress that I have not started, I will be working on the Gryffindor hat and scarf later on next week. In the meantime I already have the photos for the blog entries, now is to take time on a day to day basis to share my trip with you. Now let's celebrate life , the Holidays and our personal victories. Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Buster Brown in Memory of a Great Dog



Good Bye Buster he went into spirit today at 11:45 AM. It is impossible to describe the loss of an animal that you consider family. Only those of you who have gone through this know what I mean. He was so calm and resting, he could not get up, but the decision was made to sacrifice him to a better life. Here is his You Tube Buster Channel .His spirit doggie friends were around to bring him across to the vast meadows of Doggie Heaven. He was with us through sickness and through health, through happy times and sad times. I will miss this dog forever and more, may he chase kitty cats in doggie heaven forever! We Love You!


GOOD BOY!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Barcelona Gothic Sun Hat


I will attempt to share some of the history of this beautiful City in Spain, where some of my ancestors came from. Reader be warned that I willnot be bale to show you what it means to be there, as it is beyond words to express the fantastic voyage in time that I experienced. Needless to say this is a hat that was inspired by the Gothic Architectures that I was surrounded by on a daily basis. Later as I get my journey in Pictures ready to share with you I will go more into detail. Barcelona has my gene pool and my Heart as well, "que tenguis un bon dia" as they would say in Catalan.

Barcelona (Catalan IPA: [bəɾsəˈlonə], Spanish IPA: [baɾθeˈlona]), is the capital and most populous city of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,605,602 in 2006. It is located on the Mediterranean coast (41°23′N, 2°11′E), between the mouths of the rivers Llobregat and Besòs, and is limited to the west by the Serra de Collserola ridge (512 m/1,680 ft).

*
Barcelona is a major economic centre, with one of Europe's principal Mediterranean ports, and its airport is the second largest in Spain. Founded as a Roman city, Barcelona became the capital of the Counts of Barcelona and the Crown of Aragon. Besieged several times during its history, Barcelona is today an important cultural centre and a major tourist destination and has a rich cultural heritage. Particularly renowned are architectural works of Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner that have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

*
The foundation of Barcelona is the subject of two different legends. The first attributes the founding of the city to Hercules 400 years before the building of Rome, and that it was rebuilt by the Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, who named the city Barcino after his family, in the 3rd century BC. The second legend attributes the foundation directly to Hamilcar Barca.[4]

*
About 15 BC, the Romans redrew the town as a castrum (Roman military camp) centred on the "Mons Taber", a little hill near the contemporary city hall (Plaça de Sant Jaume). Under the Romans it was a colony, with the surname of Faventia,[5] or, in full, Colonia Faventia Julia Augusta Pia Barcino[6] or Colonia Julia Augusta Faventia Paterna Barcino. Mela[7] mentions it among the small towns of the district, probably as it was eclipsed by its neighbour Tarraco (modern Tarragona); but it may be gathered from later writers that it gradually grew in wealth and consequence, favoured as it was with a beautiful situation and an excellent harbour.[8] It enjoyed immunity from imperial burdens.[9] The city minted its own coins; some from the era of Galba survive.



It is in my opinion a great city with a great multi ethnic population. More to come.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Barcelona Blizzard Scarf





Besides finding this pattern in the internet you can find it at Ravelry. or you can find it here BLIZZARD SCARF PATTERN . The peculiarity of this pattern is that you have to count because between the yarn Overs and the K2Tog, you can start with a scarf and end up with a blanket lol! It has happened before lol! This is my last project before my trip and for my trip. Thanks for stopping by and Happy ThanksGiving!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Honorable Slytherin House Hat,


Hello everyone as I put my Slythein Hat out into the ethers of the ethernet to show the workd that the Honorable House Of Slytherin is still Honorable. This hat came out amazing and it is made with Lamb's Pride worsted. It is amazing because I could not believe that I was able to create this onmy own. I am humbled by my creation, but thanks for all your cheers and support. If I can do it you can do it as well. I think it is a great challenge , but it comes alive as you continue working and shaping it up. I will not be posting from Wednesday until next week as I will be on Vacation looking for yarn in foreign lands. I will share my findings along the way if I can. But don't worry I will be here the week after.
I made this Marble Bundt Cake yasterday for a gather of the Budah People as I call them, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, the met onmy house today for potluck and this was my contribution. It is made with buttermilk, 100% powder cocoa, 4 eggs,1.5 cups of splenda instead of 2, 1/2 q cup of olive oil and half a cup of melted butter,, et cetera, so it is basically sugar free and high in unsaturated ftas as well. A treat and tha tis what I look at even if it is sugar free stuff. It came out delicious and it freezes well. I am taking some wooden knitting needles and a bone crochet hook, some bamboo yarn and some corn yarn and let's see what I can come up with in my long journey in the search of yarn. I got this little totewith Tom of Maine Stuff perfect for the new TSA traveling regulations. I am including some dental floss for cutting the yarn. At any rate if push comes to shove, I can take two pencils and knit. This package was free from http://Drugstore.com , I buy a lot of my supplements from them, supplements that have allowed me to retain my health even with all the medications I take and living with AIDS. I am very thankful for the opportunity to share my life with you and others with HIV/AIDS. We can live with this, but we have to change our life focus. You need to look at dark clouds and find their silver linings, looking at dark clouds alone is not a choice anymore lol!
*
Humor is one of the greatest healers in my life, I laugh so much, mainly because I am happy. I am happy because there is nothing else to be in life. Don't take me wrong, I do have my ups and Downs and some days my life really stinks, but I don't let my pains, aches and suffering interrupt the good things that there are in my life to enjoy. Well enough for today, must be all those M & M's I ate before lol! I will definitively be posting more pictures of things I have on the works before Thanksgiving. Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Happy ThanksGiving 07 Everyone!

I want to share with you a some of my works in progress and send you a warm Thanksgiving Salutation! Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, November 16, 2007

Barcelona Tychus, Slytherin Step 4 WIP

Well here I have some more knitting, I have baptized the upper hat the Barcelona Tychus as I am using the colors of Barcelona City to make two hats. This hat is being made in good old Acrylic. I am not a Yarn snob by any means. lol! The picture is not too great but it is a burgundy and blue striped hat. Acrylic never looked so great. You can find the Pattern HERE , it is from Knitty and Brooke Higgings , which is my Heroine when it comes to fast making Kool Hats. I love making the Tychus!

I am almost finished with the Slytherin hat and I like the way it is looking. I did a lot of experimenting with knitting stitches that I improvised on. I made a knit and a purl in the same stitch, I also did a knit and knit below and then K2, to give these snakes a 3 D look on a 2 D environment. The snakes will look like they are ready to jump out and get you.

*

At This time I am starring the Starry Sky part of the hat to start the decreases. In my opinion a Slytherin hat should be pretentious and very busy and proud. I am a little busier than usual, we have our Thanksgiving Holiday coming on and a lot to do this weekend. I will be finishing the hats before next Monday for sure, thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Slytherin Update 3

Color Stranding, Fair Isle, and Mosaic Knitting they all have the same basic notion of working with more than one color. I am about to finish the upper part of this design. I did some needle work with the snake, and I was able to experiment with doing a knit and a purl stitch on the One stitch. I also was able to do a knit stitch on lower stitches (One or two rows down) while keeping the regular stitch in mind. Then that I brought it all up up and finally knit three stitches together, specially on the head of the snake. If you wonder why, it is simply to give it texture.
*
I wanted the snake to look like it was going to jump from the hat. It is almost like a 3D stitching on a 2D surface. The hat is a great work of art and I am working on it diligently. I decided to leave the hat stretching a bit overnight.
*
The hat has about 3 or 4 rows to go for this section, then there is another section that will go quickly and I will finish the hat with a starry sky while decreasing. Is late and I am tired, thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Slytherin Hat Update Step 2


This is the design that I have come up with. It is inspired on things I have seen . The actual implementation has been mine and graphing is mine. The hat will have two Snake Panels, and on the left side of the picture as you see , is a checkered panel. This panel separates the two snakes and then a double checkered panel is the back of the hat. I should have reversed the Snake graph, but I did not think about it until now. I guess I got too excited about making the hat lol!
*
So this is my work in progress, I am 15 rows away for finishing this section of the hat. I am very proud of myself as this is my second Hat using Color-Stranding Techniques. There will be a small band on top and then the top of the hat will be a starry sky. Thanks fro stopping by!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Slytherin a Hat in Progress


Slytherin
Originally uploaded by apnevarez
This is the Hat progress so far . I am also testing the Flickr ability to post pictures to my blog. I am making this hat in the color stranding technique. I am using the Deep Pine and the Heather Gray Lamb's Pride Worsted Weight. There are so many fun graphs to work with this technique. I am hoping to make a new Christmas Hat.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Color Stranding Slytherin Hat a Cast On

Here you have the cast on of the Honorable Slytherin House Hat. It is actually telling me the story about Hogwart's and the slytherin house. Let's see what will happen as I finish making the rim of the hat wchich will have 26 rows and then it will be folded creating a cushiony brim.

This is my attemot at making a snake in the proper graph. There will be 5 Panels, I am hoping to make 3 of them snakes and the other two I have not decided yet what to make.
I started this hats with US size 7 , knitted 3 rows and it was way too big, so I frogged the 3 rows and recasted it using US 6, this works out a lot better. I believe that I will have this hat done by the end of this week. Thanks for stopping by.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Honorable Norwegian Ravenclaw Hat

Here it is the Honorable Norwegian Ravenclaw Hat. It is made on US 6 Circular needles, 5mm, and with KnitPicks Blue Ink Wool of the Andes and Slate Andean Silk. It is comfortable and very soft.
I thought I would give you plenty of cute views, lol!


Serious one, just before I cast a spell.


You have to like the pom pom! Thanks for stopping by, I have another Norwegian project, I think this time I will do the Honorable Slytherin House with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride. Thanks fro stopping by!


Meme from Kyle

I got this from my cyber friend Kyle who is a very interesting guy himself. So here we go a Meme. If you want to participate and let us know more about yourself. Considered yourself tagged, it is voluntary. Here it goes, the veil between Lt. Ydan and Andy completely vanished.

01. Can you cook? Absolutely and my favorite part of cooking is pastry making and eating.

02. What was your dream growing up? to be a Pediatrician.

03. What talent do you wish you had? the talent sing ballads

04. If I bought you a drink what would it be? A Samarian Sunset

05. Favorite vegetable? I would have to say salads are my favorite, side by side to Broccoli and Cauliflower.

06. What was the last book you read? Don Quijote de la Mancha

07. What zodiac sign are you ? Taurus with Leo Rising

08. Any tattoos and/or piercings? One tattoo, a ear piercings.

09. Worst habit? Multitasking!

10. If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride? The question is will you accept the ride? lol! IF I know you I have no problem.

11. What is your favorite sport? Football et Baseball...

12. Negative or optimistic attitude? Always optimistic, with a dash of realism, you create what you think!

13. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me? I am always good at emergencies , Depending on how long, past 30 minutes, Is a good time to meet a new friend. I will make sure we are safe and see if we could get out of danger.

14. Worst thing to ever happen to you? Death will be the worst thing, and even then I would think it is a good thing! I always try to take advantage of bad things!

15. Tell me one weird fact about you. Just the one? I don't consider myself weird, so that's a tough one,but here is one, I don't like to go to sleep, I enjoy being awake. If we could be like the Denobulans. Denobulans normally require very little sleep, but they do hibernate for five to six days each year. Now that's the perfect night sleep for me!

16. Do you have any pets? Yes, a dog.

17. What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly? If I know you I will welcome you to the house and we could visit for a while. I am always happy when friends drop by unannounced. We could even talk yarn!

18. What was your first impression of me? You are a Creative person, nice!

19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary? Cute!

20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? I would like a Bajoran Nose!

21. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience? Probably both or none depending on what you are talking about!

22. What color eyes do you have? What colour would you like them to be? BROWN.

23. Ever been arrested? Me and Captain Archer not a good experience when I was in the Delphic Expanse we got kidnapped by klingons and sent to Rura Penthe, but we managed to escape thanks to some Andorian firends lol!

24. Bottle or draft? a Keg!

25. If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it? That's so little money, but I would probably take 3 trips with my partner to different parts of the world.

26. Would you date me? I don't know , but one date is always possible, are you paying for dinner? lol! ( Consider this an optional question)

27. Where's your favorite place to hang out? I love being in my house.

28. Do you believe in ghosts? Yep, I actually see and talk to spirit!

29. Favorite thing to do in your spare time? Surfing the Internet, watching movies, reading and crochet or knitting garments to wear. There is always something to do in my life, I am never really bored.

30. Do you swear a lot? NO, but I am very versed in all the improper ways of calling people names if I need to defend myself, you will hear me across town! Otherwise I don't see the need to use this kind of language in my daily life!

31. Biggest pet peeve? People without a passion for life, they tend to be negative, they tend to be rude, whiners and do nothing to enhance life for anyone. Dirty fingernails on a waiter will end my visit to that establishment right there.

32. In one word, how would you describe yourself? Expressive!

33. Do you believe in/appreciate romance? Definitely there is a time for everything.

34. If you could spend 12 hours with me and ask/do anything you like, what would it be? Live!

35. Do you believe in God? I believe in a higher power.

36. Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same? I just Did.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Ravenclaw Norwegian Star Progress

Here you have the updated progress of the Ravenclaw Hat. Someone asked me if it was difficult to make. As this is the first time making this kind of hat using color stranding technique, it takes some time to get into the groove of the technique. It is also time consuming to read a chart-graph as you are knitting( or Crocheting for that matter)

This picture below shows you the backside of a color stranding project. I never thought I would get so excited about his one technique as I am, it is very pretty. The fabric is kind of thick. Anyway this is all for today, thanks for standing by!

Norwegian Style Ravenclaw Hat 1

Every time I take a picture of me wearing my hats with two circular needles dangling I feel like a Borg. lol! This is a new technique of Color -Stranding it actually has a graph. One of the points that you have to avoid is the fact that your vision of perfection and the reality of perfection are two different themes. This is a hand knit accessory and as such it is bound to have some so called imperfections. If you carry a strand more than 3 stitches away it will not be too good, I think the longest I feel comfortable carrying a strand is maybe 5 to 6 stitches before I let it get caught by the contrasting color.
*
I am using US 6 which I believe are 4.5 mm and the count for my stitches is 120 and the flexibility of the hat has not been compromised by the color stranding technique. I try the hat on every 2 to 4 rows to make sure I am not making it too tight and allowing for the normal draping of the stranding to take place. This knits very fast, I believe I will have a new Hat before the weekend is over, then I will be making another one with the copper yarn version. Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Honorable Ravenclaw Hat 1 / Family

This is the First Honorable Ravenclaw House Hat for Travelling and functions. It is done in what is called Tapestry Crochet. “Tapestry crocheted textiles can be made in a variety of ways. The technique varies according to which crochet stitches are used, which part of the stitch on the previous row the hook is inserted into, whether the crocheter is right-handed or left-handed, whether the textile is crocheted one way or back and forth, how many colours are used and how the yarns are carried and switched. For more information about Tapestry Crochet you can visit HERE . My cousin Nilka came to San Francisco to visit and work and we had the opportunity to meet and relate a bit. Her Grand Mother from her mother side was the Sister of my Grand Father from my mother side. It is amazing what blood makes you feel for people. She is feels like a sister in many ways. One night we had a good Meal at an Indian Restaurant above.


Here we shared with Mike at a Thai Restaurant, both meals were delicious! Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Reverse Single Crochet

Here I will show you today how to make a reverse single crochet or RSC that I often use to finish some of my hats weter crocheted or knitted. In words you you go as if to crochet a single crochet., but go backwards to pull the second loop, then you close the single crochet in the air and continue backwards. This will give you a handsome border to any of your hats or even scarves. It is a great stitch for a strong accented border. Thaks for stpping by!


Honorable Ravenclaw Scarf, (HAT WIP)


I have finished my Honorable Ravenclaw House Scarf. I just added the fringe. I used my own Pattern which can be found HERE and it is a general House Scarf, you can make it in any of the house colors. I was able to make this scarf in a week. I think the longest time I spent on it was blocking it. This is my Christmas Gift to myself along with a Hat and a Harry Potter Watch!
The hat is a WIP and I believe I may be done with it today, then I will block it. I am planning to make another Ravebclaw Hat with the Color Stranding technique and or Fair Isle technique, let's see how that works. I will also be working on my Gryffindorf Scarf in the next week or so, that one is for Christmas Gift. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, November 02, 2007

X marks the Spot

X marks the Spot or is it for Yarn Porn lol! The first time someone unfamiliar with yarn heard the word Yarn Porn, they laughed so hard, they almost fell off the chair they were siting on. Today I went to get my Bamboo fix, trying different brands of yarn. I guess it is a great substitute for cotton when it comes to hats. I like the idea of having antibacterial properties. Right below you have an X made by Berroco Bonsai Yarns, I selected this yarn because I wanted to see if the Nylon blend or the striping that this tape like yarn thread has allows me to crochet with it without much incident.

This yarn below is almost like the other yarn from Plymouth yarn, very silky, smooth and shiny, let's see if it holds up to the hook! All three yarns have strange names, the navy-purple on top is called Kaigum, while the Orange, which believe you me, it is like Paprika, is called Kaki. The yarn below is called CHO whatever that means.
I want to thank you for stopping by and may your weekend be full of fun and wonder!

Copper Yarn In my stash

This is my latest yarn for a Ravenclaw Scarf and Hat with the copper yarn. This will be made in the crochet form. The color is definitely prettier than in the picture. I will also be including some of my pictures for Lt. Ydan during the weekend!



I am still doing a lot of stuff, I will be working on my Scarf and Hat for the Honorable Ravenclaw House in the blue ink and slate. Thanks for stopping by, please help yourself to an apple, they are delicious!

Almost two years without blogging August 2020

Life can be a bowl of strawberries when cheries are not available.   It has been almost two years since I have been in this blog.  I have s...