Sunday, August 31, 2008

Reverser Quay Cap WIP

This first picture was when I casted the first cap, on size 6 US 4mm with 33 stitches, I found it to be too small for me. This yarn is Malabrigo I bought at Persones Llanes in Barcelona last Thanksgiving.

I have made enough hats in my life to just look at one and know this is not going to work, so I re casted with 38 stitches and Size 9 US 5.5 mm. Even with this recast I may need to add a ribbing edge of some kind, because I don't like the way it looks, but I will wait until I block it to decide. In this pattern I actually did a provisional cast on with a crochet hook and I am working on doing Short Rows with Stitch Wraps, very interesting, but I am learning. I will perform a Kitchener's Stitch join when I remove the provisional casting, there may be a video lol!


In knitting, a short row is a row that is not fully knitted; the work is turned before reaching the end of the row. Just before the work is turned, the yarn is generally passed around the next unknitted stitch, to prevent a hole from forming at the turning point. Short-rowing is the name used to describe where you turn your work in the course of knitting a row and work back. If you don't wrap the next st you inevitably end up with a very visible hole. So you work until the stitch you are supposed to then bring the yarn forward, slip the next stitch purlwise, bring the yarn backward, slip the stitch back to the left needle, turn your work and continue knitting.
* This is the final yarn and colorway. It actually has the colors of Dublin, some hues of blue. The yarn is Cascade and I frogged the other one as I did not like the way that he cap was looking with the Malabrigo, maybe the malabrigo will be good for a crochet cable Cap. This is the Pattern on Ravelry Here, but you can also buy the downloadable book on HERE, the price is in British pounds. I like these patterns because they help me build skills and improve my knitting. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, August 29, 2008

Baby Crayola Set FO




Here is the completed set it all it's glory, well the Jacket set by itself.


Here you have the wrap envelop and the set, very clever don't you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Baby Crayola Cap WIP


So here you have the Baby Crayola Cap. The little tab you see at the bottom is the ribbing and it will be in blue. Sometimes photos are different than the real color, but this set is very nicely done in contrasting colors. The blue is softer than it appears. I have not decided if I will have a pom pom or not, the hat in itself is very decorative, I believe a pom pom will be too much. I am hoping to have this hat finished today and have the whole set blocked before Sunday and shipped along with the Yellow Baby Set aka 5 Hour Baby Set. I hope your week continues along and that you have a great Labor Day Weekend. Thanks for stopping by and I do have some knitting on my needles that I need to go back t.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Baby Crayola Booties WIP

This is the upper View of the Baby Crayola Booties WIP.


The bottom Picture is the Side View.
The Finished Product, well one of the two. Thanks for stopping by!


Sunday, August 24, 2008

Crayola Baby Jacket Done


Today I finished the Baby Crayola Jacket and I am very happy with it. I will need to block it later on, but now I am going to move to the Hat and later on the booties. The pattern is from the same leaflet and in fact is the same as the Green Set, I called Summer in Kobol , which I Did before about a month or so ago, but the color combination takes some thinking and working the color palette that looks best to me. I really like the way it looks. Well there will be more to come. Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Bigotry et Ignorance, Men Who Knit


My name is Andres , I usually go by Andy or Crafty Andy. You would be surprised if I told you that I am very shy, yet my desire et interest to meet people and learn about other cultures brought me out of my hometown to this City by the Bay in the search of Freedom and Equality, mind you I was not uncomfortable where I was, but I knew I could be more at ease here by the bay. In my 20 something years of living in San Francisco I learned to love who I AM and to be comfortable no matter where I live or go.
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I will tell you that in my search for socializing with other people, mainly men, it was nice to know that there was a place of meeting other men who knit even if it was in cyberspace. Women who knit are easy to find, just go to the local yarn store. It is nice to revive old traditions of gathering in a circle and share stories and do something creative together, something not aggressive and positive and not competitive. When I compete I compete with myself, even though we can be competitive at times, it is nice to hang out and just enjoy each other's company, getting to know the person. Here I found MEN WHO KNIT and Women who support them, without judgements about who we are, what we do for a living, wether we are young, old, tall, short, skinny, not so skinny, and so on and so on.
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So I found myself lucky to find such a great place of Men Who Knit and to consider myself lucky to be here, we have laughed, we have cried, we have gotten angry and the we have made up. We are here together toward a common purpose, to promote Knitting Among Men and those who Identify with us, in a Positive, Non-Competitive, Non-Aggressive Way. Thanks for being part of our community all of you and Darrel for having the vision and foresight. The Fellowship of the Golden Needles is here!
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By the way I don't know if Russel knits or doesn't, but he is secure enough to be able to take this picture, how can two sticks and some thread make him look like anything else but Himself? Here you have some excerpts in Italics of the 54 Y old South Carolina Man's Posting and I quote

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"How do I start? It seems funny to me that when I knit in pubic how often I’m misunderstood. I was at a local meeting group ‘Calling all Knitters’ one Saturday, I’m the only man, when a foursome sat at the table next to us. Within minutes I heard the muted talking that suggests that they’re talking about you, you know, voices lowered even lower than they need be, because the acoustics in a Hardees isn’t that good anyway?Raucous laughter followed with an overtly loud, “I just can’t get over it, it looks so funny.” I hoped the “it” was my knitting and not me. I looked over, and made eye contact with the speaker. I nodded my head in greeting."
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Now do you go to Hardees to eat and drink or do you go to knit, none of my business to start with, but this is in my opinion a bogus story from an insecure straight man which I believe is a closet case or at least very insecure about being a masculine guy and I told him so in my response! How did he know they were talking about him or not, they were sitting beside him, maybe they were talking in a foreign language too? I think the story is made up just to put his opinion across, what an insecure man.
* "The laughter dying down, continued off and on for a few minutes; I kept on knitting, listening more to the ladies talk in our circle about this pattern or that, what charity things were being knitted for whom, and so on. Then I heard from the table again; “you know, you kind of get used to it after a while.” I smiled inwardly, as I’ve noticed time and time again that that is the general pattern of acceptance."
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I married man intimidated by women taking about him, sounds paranoid and far fetched to me, specially if he was accompanied bu other females. Women are very defensive of their male knit companions, that I have learned.
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"I’m hoping to find the same thing here. For some time, I’ve looked for a man’s knitting group, one which wasn’t overtly gay. Not because I don’t like gays; but because I don’t care much for the talk that comes naturally out of a gay community. Things like “partner” or wife followed by the pronoun, “he”. or talk about showing off a finished work, a knitted willie warmer, by having one’s better half model it. I can honestly say that of the four local knitting groups I go to, ninety-nine percent women, it’s the kind of talk I’ve never heard, and yet I find it here within minutes of reading blogs."
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In his first posting he put his foot so far up his bum that the toes were making him stutter. If I join a group of Chinese knitters, maybe I can ask them to not be so overtly Chinese? Or women not to be so effeminate, or maybe some Caucasians not to be so Caucasian? The Gay and the LGBT Community is so diverse and complex, people have no idea, there is no such thing as the stereotypical type, there are many types , many enough that you will need a reference guide lol! How does that sound to you?
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I don’t know where I’m going with this; but, I guess I’ll discover if I belong here or not, we’ll see. I personally am trying to prove to the world that not all knitters are effeminate. A side effect from the historical transfer of knitting to women and its general abandonment by men. I guess I’m just asking for a little decorum; or not. You see, I do believe that everyone here has the right to freedom of speech; and perhaps I’m the one who doesn’t belong here.
I would like to hear from others on this…. the real subject is “decorum”.
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Well let me tell you most guys went insane, straight, gay and just the guys, people from all over the world commented. I told him that he looked very effeminate to me . His eyebrows look plucked and I told him so, plucked well formed eyebrows on an older man look effeminate, even on a young guy. Yet I know effeminate men and masculine me, and then there are plain men, and that has nothing to do with being gay or straight for that matter. Why do people have to sexually a craft? A lot of people told him that he could leave at any time or stay and learn something different. So far he has stayed, one thing is for sure the self righteous picture he had of himself is no the same he came with. I think he is a closet case. There are countries were same sex marriages are allowed, what are you the reader and him for that matter do when you go and visit and see two men exchanging marriage vows in a foreign country,like Spain, Canada, And so on ? The likelihood is that he may stay in his little corner of his small world. I will not tolerate bigotry against anyone no matter what. This is the 21 st Century and there is a LGBT Community Worldwide fighting for the right to love and be equal!
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This is a long post, not as long as I want it, but shorter than expected, please don't judge people for their sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, slim or not so slim, tall, short, for their religion, political affiliation or gender or crafts they do, don't judge a Knitter or Crocheter because of the Yarn they Use, I apologize for the length, Silence = Death. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, August 22, 2008

Knitting in Public Alamo Square

The video is windy, I was far from the camera, but if you turn the bass down and you turn the volume up, you will hear better . If you mute the volume It also has annotations that you can read if you go full screen. It was a nice day to go out and Knit in Public. Just wanted to share with you some of the fun, thanks for stopping by!


Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Crayola Baby Set WIP 1

This is a very fast crochet project and as you can see I have been making progress on it. I sometimes leave a day of no crocheting, because my hands and wrists needed the rest. I decided to make this Jacket with this variegated yarn instead of the white and it is lovely.
The picture above is the body of the Jacket, ready to start on the Sleeves. Right below you see me finishing the sleeve with a ribbing. Crochet ribbing is different than Knit ribbing and not as elastic. I finished it with a single crochet row, this is different from the pattern itself. If this sleeve is too long, the parent may choose to fold it over. This is such a fun project. Thanks fro stopping by!




Sunday, August 17, 2008

Crayola Baby set

From Leisure Arts #3162, My Very First Layette by Tammy Kreimeyer is the inspiration for this set. I have done my other set Summer in Kobol Baby set with this pattern as well. I find this pattern is very exciting and versatile, the possibilities are endless. This pattern is very modular allowing you make increases by section. I love the colored yarn it is Sugar N Cream , Rainbow Bright and the Blue is Morning Glory from Lion Brand Kitchen Cotton.
I am working on this set very quickly, I want to finish it by month's end, so that I can take some of my UFO's in knitting and I have some Celtic Crochet and Knitting ideas running around my head.
I want to thank you for stopping by!

Monday, August 11, 2008

FO's Aug08, Kitchen,Peppers, Killer Pies



This is my two Baby Bath wraps for you to see and some Kitchen tips. Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, August 09, 2008

WIP, Blue Garter Stitch Wrap, Bloggiversary

It has been almost 3 years since I started blogging in this fantastic media. Scott Hooper turn me into blogging and taught in the little time we spent together as friends a lot about blogging and syndication of blogs. You will be amazed at my ability to copy and paste and edit the many things I post on this blog. I have enjoyed my blogging, sometimes I have gone very personal, sometimes I have gone very angry, but always sincere and frank. I have learned in my almost 50 (fifty) years of existence that no one is perfect, yet they are. Life is as good as you make it and blogging changed my life. I know people from all over the world and have visited some of you in my travellings. I am here to learn and to teach and to have as much fun as I can. Happiness is as close as laughter and I do a lot of laughing. Blogger has come a long way baby!

What do I get from Crocheting and knitting? I derive pleasure from my creative self expression, to put into fabric what is inside you is fantastic. I am extremely creative and always on the lookout for new things to do and challenge myself. Sometimes I enjoy doing things over in new ways just to see how it will look. I have made a commitment to myself to try to buy renewable yarn, meaning coming from wool, cotton, silk, bamboo, you get the idea, at least 50 percent of the yarn has to be renewable resource and by the Gods of Kobol, they need to be made in the U.S.A. if possible. I don't mind stimulating the foreign economies, but mine comes first.

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So on this bloggiversary , I want to tell you that I choose to be happy and to have fun, that is what I will do until the end of my days on this planet as a physical being. If Life allows me to I am hoping to keep on aging gracefully, eating well, having the right mindset and being happy. Being happy is a serious business, but takes little effort, laugh, smile and change yourself, life will follow. Look for silver linings on dark clouds, don't look for the dark cloud inside a silver lining. Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Show us Your Bedroom Stash!



So after rearranging some of my closets and shifting towels. yarn and changing strategies of where to put my stash, I consolidated my bedroom stash and here I challenge you to show us your Bedroom Stash. You know you have one, is it under the bed or are you out with your Stash? We want to know in the Blogosphere! Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne


The Secret a film and a book that talks about a Secret and is nothing new. Spiritualism has been teaching this for a very longtime "The Law of Attraction" The phrase Law of Attraction, although used widely by esoteric writers, does not have a consensual definition. However, the general consensus among New Thought thinkers is that the Law of Attraction takes the principal "Like Attracts Like" and applies it to conscious desire. That is, a person's thoughts (conscious and subconscious), emotions, and beliefs cause a change in the physical world that attracts positive or negative experiences that correspond to the aforementioned thoughts, with or without the person taking action to attain such experiences. Yet that is not completely true, you need to take the first step, ASK!, then comes the second step Believe/ Trust. After that comes the third step which is accept.
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I am a positive thinker and have always been. It has been the only way I have been able to survive the misfortunes that have happened in my life. Sometimes our mind tricks us into dwelling on the negative. Well it is not that the world is full of pink clouds, but while you acknowledge that things are bad, focus on how to change it. As Mother Teresa said once, if you invite me to an anti-war rally I won't go, if you invite me to a Peace Rally count me in. This is the clearest demonstration of that this law can be demonstrated. Give your energy thoughts to what you want to accomplish, not what you want to avoid. We are aware of the world, we just choose to focus on a different aspect of our being.
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Our minds are such a powerful tool, and that is what it is. It gathers data, classifies it and brings it forth according to the program. Have you ever felt guilty because you were pampering yourself? Who do you think makes that happen? The mind brings forth the relevant data that it thinks is relevant to the situation that you are in , will be or have been. The mind needs to be disciplined and control as to being able to create.
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What do I think about these things:
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1) You can change your reality by focusing on what you want. Don't focus on the fact that you don't have it or you will never will.
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2) I avoid negative people, I avoid negative thinking, at night before going to bed I try to see something funny on TV so that it is the last thought in my mind. I avoid dwelling on gossip, rumors and judging others. I do have the tendency, but I know better.
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3) You can actually change your life by changing your thinking, is not easy nor hard it is just a matter of effort , asking, believing and being able to accept.
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So if you want to know about the Law of Attraction , this book is a great read. Like attracts like and remember that you can always change your Past , Present and Future, you can do it in the Now, which is all you have. Live life to the fullest, live life in the Now and have No Regrets. No matter how dark the horizon seems, there is Sunshine right around the corner waiting for your enjoyment. Also be kind to yourself, don't harbor bad thoughts or feeling toward yourself, your body or anyone else for long. Imagine if you hate your body and you do it every day, your body is going to eventually react to all that hatred and negativity, love yourself, be kind to yourself and remember that hate, negativity poisons the soul, but love can raise your vibration. Believe it or not everything in life has a frequency and like attracts like. You can heal yourself, you can become the richest man or woman in the world, but if you don't it's not a big deal, the most important Secret that there is in life is to be Happy no matter what. True happiness does not depend on outside things, but it may be enhanced by it. Remember You are a co-creator of your life, make it the best! Thanks for stopping by!

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...