Friday, November 25, 2011

A bit of History

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The patio of the Serralles Castle has a fantastic view.  It is full of beautiful flowers and trees. You can see the Caribbean Sea from the house.  The house is an actual museum and it is a fun place to visit.  We had a great tour this time as well, this is my sencond time here.

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Butterflies , from all stages of their metamorphosis from pupae to butterfly.
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Second picture from Below, you will find a butterfly from the butterfly conservatory. The lst time I visited there were no Butterflies in the conservatory. We also got the opportunity to see some Guaraguaos or Puerto Rican Hawks, looking for prey. The day was very productive and tomorrow is another adventure. If you come to Ponce , this is a must see. Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

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This year we went to Puerto Rico to spend the Thanksgiving Holiday and defrost for a change. I was fortunate to be able to spend a Thanksgiving with some family. Michael came into the fold and embraced the dark side, he is part of the family now.  The picture above is in the old city of San Juan. This is a must do walk if yu come by.  I also had a Glass of Mavi which I have not had in years.  I have almost forgotten how good it tasted
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Below Crafty Andy Nephew and Niece and my mother as elegant as always.  She is such a sharp dresser and always wearing her jewerly and make up. She is like Marie Barrone  from "Everybody Loves Raymond", in many ways, but today, she behaved like a saint. lol!
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We were very fortunate to find a great restaurant with the ability to take a group of 10 for Thanskgiving, lots of places were closed for the Holiday.  It has been the best Family Thanksgiving that I have had in my time. I was glad to see and spend time with my loved ones. The food was fantastic and the Sangria was very refreshing. I hope everyon had a good Thanksgiving and more to come , so stay tuned. Thanks for stopping by!
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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Knit or Crochet in Public

In Purto Rico a man Knitting in Public or Crocheting in Public is a wonderful sight.  People ask me if I am an Artisan, and I have to say YES!
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Here In the picture above you find me knitting in public.  At the bottom you find me crocheting in public .  I had to hide the item I am crocheting as it is the new hat that will be coming out soon.  Tonight I went to Punto Reves again and what an experience.  I enjoyed the company of the creative people that surrounded me.  I  am so glad that I found this place and I will tell you that I would go every day if I could.  There is something wonderful happening here and I got so much inspiration.  Thanks to CUca and Merce for their hospitality and fantastic Coffee.  The coffee, the conversation, the sharing of ideas and techniques, it is really what Knitting and crocheting is about. Thanks for stopping by!
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Monday, November 21, 2011

The Winter hat secret is...

There is a Secret this Winter!  It is to be revealed soon, and it is a Hat, perhaps a scarf or two, maybe even a shawl and another hat as well.  The Lords of Kobol have been kind to me and flooded my imagination with plenty of inspiration for a creative endeavor in the taking. This Winter you will have More than one Crafty Andy hat to work on , that is a promise!Wintercrochethatsecret
The picture that you see is the wrong side of the hat and it is a very interesting hat in the making. I say stay tuned, as I reveal the gifts of Winter on Tapestry Crochet and  creative Crocheting.  Trully my inspiration, my followers and my friends, have influenced me for my patterns.  Thanks for your patronage,  and know that I am very grateful to all of you for the support.  I am a simple Artisan with one thing in mind, "Renew the Art of Crochet" .  Yes you may not call yourself an artisan, but once you have  made one of these hats, I you have become the apprentice on the road of becoming an Artisan of the Art of Crochet. May your Thanksgiving be Full of gratitute and joy, no matter what life conditions you have, there is always reason to celebrate something. Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Punto Reves, Man knits Pink, reviews

Life is yours for the taking and there is so much to do and to see while on this plane.  I went to Punto Reves Yarn Shop in Altamira, and what an experience it is.  I am still glowing from the fun I had with the group. I learned to knit Left handed. What a hoot. I am making my niece a scarf on this wonderful yarn from Katia called Temis, is an acrylic,cotton,nylon blend, perfect for the tropics  and ver washable. This yarn is thick and thin and it is a lot of wfun to work with.  I recommend the yarn for lacy work with minimal knitting or crochet. This scarf is all in Knit Stitch on US 13.  I am hoping to visit the store again next week.  Their website is WWW.PuntoReves.com  .  If you are ever in Puerto Rico this is a must see. They have classes of lots of different crafts that are needle related. I was very impressed with the service , the friendliness and the vast knowledge of subjects in the arts that they have to share.CraftyAndySticksAndPink (2)
If you think this is the only project I have during my vacation you are mistaken.  I am working on a Tapestry Crochet Hat .  It will be a very funky Winter Hat, I hope people enjoy making it as much as I enjoy designing them.   Can't show you a picture yet, but I can tell you there is a Knit hat in the works as well.  It just struck me like a rain in the rainforrest.  Hope you are having a great November, I believe this has been the most fun time I have had in Puerto Rico, while visiting.  It is nice to sit and crochet or knit with fellow crafters.  Pina COlada por favor, stay tuned. Thanks for stopping by!
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Sunday, November 13, 2011

Aibonito 2011

So today ,  I have been taken to the town of Aibonito.  This is my first real outing after arriving to the Island.  Toro de Piedra is a fantastic Restaurant, with a great view and great cuisine.  There will be more to come, but right now I am just posting for you to see where is Crafty Andy.  It is a balmy 74 degrees and I think is like 102.  It takes a while to get into the weather.
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The Restaurant has a balconey with a view, a simple wine cellar and fantastic friendly staff.  The shimmer at the horizon is the ocean  or rather the Caribbean Sea.  We are in the Middle of the Sierra that divides the Island North and South. I had some Chicken brest, grilled with rice and beans. My sister had Chuletas Can Can, and my niece and her boyfriend had a beef churrasco. My great niece had some chicken strips, the child size.  We had a great time and the view was magnificent. Hope to share more of the journey with you as I get inspiration to creat a pattern or two.  Thanks for stopping by.
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Friday, November 11, 2011

"Slipstream A Crochet Scarf"

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Slipstream is a scarf pattern about color work and manipulation of stitches. I wanted to make a trendy scarf that had vertical and horizontal lines as options; With or without fringe, with or without a border. The subject is stripes vertical and horizontal. You have choices! Two Scarves 1 Pattern.      I am following mi intuition and following my heart when it comes to crochet.  I have a mission to bring crochet to a new level of fashion with color and textures that is wearable. This pattern has a video supplement to assist you in the making of the border for the Vertical Stripes Scarf  and weaving the ends in.

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I want to thank my friend “R. Buffalo, Jr." , for his suggestions , swatching and helping me with the proof reading of this pattern; Thanks to Naomi Balint for her Photographic Design Input and Michael for his devotion to me and helpful assistance.
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Featured yarn:
Simplicity dk by HiKoo (Horizontal Stripes) 2 Skeins of each color.
Crochet Hook: 5.00 mm (US H) for DK

This HiKoo Simplicity is great because you can put it in your washer and dryer. I have done it, so I know it is true.  It takes 2 skeins of each color and it makes a long scarf. I would have made it about 6 stitches shorter, and blocking it would make it longer. The Horizontal stripes is constructed lengthwise, so the ease is not much, yet it will grow some in length.
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Featured yarn:

Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool Worsted MC 190 yards CC 150 yards (Vertical Stripes)
Crochet Hook: ; 6.50 mm (US K) for Worsted Weight
Lionbrand Fisherman's wool is one of the most flexible wools I have seen. great for projects like this one and it blocks like a dream. You can also use Cascade 220 superwash worsted weight and you will have a fun washable scarf.  Just one skein of each color and you have a deal. 
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There is more to come in the following weeks as I take some time to make new patterns, with HiKoo Simplicity and Cascade 220.  I am in the motions of making the Gryffindor Philosopher's Hat into a pattern, this will be coming out within this month if the muses stay with me.  There is a Winter hat coming as well, so stay tune.   Thanks for stopping by!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Summer Rib Scarf by Schacht

Summer Rib Scarf
Simple and elegant and fast to make.  This is a pattern from Schacht that deals with mohair.  How many people have I come accross that have mohair and have no idea what to do with it. Wwell this scarf which I started last night is about and hour or so from being done.  Weaved in about 8 hours, you will have a beautiful masterpiece. I made this on my Cricket Loom.  I am impressed with the quality of the Schacht Family looms. Thanks for a great pattern. I hope you enjoy the picture, I promised I will have a better picture tomorrow along with a new  scarf pattern from Crafty Andy that is coming out. Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, November 05, 2011

November 11 WIP and more

I am aiming at finishing this scarf this month. I am enjoying the making of this Tunisian Crochet Short Rows Scarf ,by Kim Guzman, a lot.  It is just fantastic and believe me if you want to test your knowledge of Short Rows in Tunisian Crochet this is your pattern.  You also get to make Reversed Tunisian Knit Stitch and Regular Knit Stitch. This is a fingering weight sock yarn.  I really can't wait to finish it , then block it.ApollosScarf (1)
The picture below is the fuzzy image of the swatches I have been making for my newest  Scarf Pattern, I am using dk weight yarn and it is a great looking scarf. I am hoping to have it finished by the end of Monday or Tuesday and publish it.    It is thinking outside the box for me and creating a scarf with two options of making it, is all up to you. I like them both, but more to come.
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What you are seeing in the picture below is a crochet chain.  I am about to make a Double crochet.   If you look carefully there is a little bump that comes up.  I am yarn over and put my hook through this bump ready to make my double crochet.  This is what they call the Purl Bump. At any rate, when you are done crocheting or casting on in the Knit fashion like this, the bottom of the Row has two parallel bars, very tidy and very nice to work with.  I am creating a new Scarf Pattern on worsted weight and on DK weight and I hope that you enjoy the pattern as much as I have been doing making it. Welcome to November 2011, thanks for stopping by!
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