Fair Isle to Crochet by Leisure Arts

 

Fair Isle to Crochet by Leisure Arts  , 5 Afghans for the family by Karen Ratto-Whooley is an interesting book if you are looking for charts.  It will not teach you Fair Isle, nor will it teach you to crochet a proper Color Stranded gauge swatch.  When I first saw this booklet I thought  it would enhance my knowledge of color work in Crochet, but it did n't and it can't.  There is value in buying a booklet with 5 Afghans patterns with some colorful charts, but even at that, there is a lot that could have been done, that was not done in this book, to really teach people about color work in crochet.  I want to rename this booklet after I read it and call it Pretty Charted Ideas for Crochet Afghans.  Even the finishing techniques are just simple, but does not tell you that you can choose to finish this afghan in a different way.  It assumes you want to make an Afghan with  tassels or fringe at the ends.  I think the author should have added that you could add a frame around the afghan in single crochet as well so that you can hide the end by making weaving easy.  I shall say to all of you that this is not a book I recommend for it's instructional value on color techniques, it uses graphs that are public domain, and is not what I thought it would be. If you want to do some advance color work in Crochet I do not recommend this book for you, but if you are new to color in crochet a beginner that does not have any idea how to make charts or colors in crochet, this will be a book that  is worth looking at.  I had to revised my review because it sounded harsher than I wanted it to be. Sometimes things get lost in translation when is late at night. I intended no offense to the author, but I needed to express my personal opinion.

Well as of today June 17, 2011, I had the honor of having the author of the book comment on this posting.  This book is not what I wanted, but will definitely point you into the direction of Fair Isle Crochet as the Author commented below. Would I make the afghans in it?  I bet you I would, but I would find a way of not having the fringe on the sides, I personally don't like it.  Those ends can be weaved in and the fringe will be gone. Thanks for stopping by!

Tauron in Caprica and Debbie Stoller

One of the TV Series that has inspired me more to knit and crochet has been Battlestar Galactica and now Caprica.  The Above hat is in the 101 One skein projects is called the In Between Seasons cab.  It is done in two parts ,, the band is done flat and then stitches are picked up.   My other posts will tell you more about it, here I am showing you the finished object.  The hat can be made longer if you continue to knit more than the pattern calls for, but remember this is not a ribbing headband, so it will have to stay like this while you wear it, otherwise you will not look very fashionable, lol!


Here you see sporting my Galactica Tattoo and the Boneyard scarf/shawl and the Windchief Hat, both from West Knits.  The windchief is a cowl and a hat  in one pattern, so if you are looking for something this fashionable for your neck and head, this is the pattern for you.  I don't like cowls much, they tend to make my neck shorter.


 Lastly I bought this book today as at my local yarn store, Imagiknit , Debbie will be giving a class on lace and there will be an opportunity for her  to sign my books, I am sure, but I will also bring the Son of the Stitch 'n Bitch, which is a book completely dedicated to patterns for guys. I perused lightly through this book "Superstar Knitting" and saw a lot of instructional chapters that will be  making people push their limits to the next step with more intricate designs and challenges.  She will be giving a class that I am signed up to take on Lace Knitting.  I can't wait, it is November 13, 2010 at Imagiknit.   Is nice to have the authors come along and spend time with you.  I hope you can come if you are close by.  Thanks for your visit.

A Tauron in Caprica Cap

This is the perfect project for anyone wanting to learn two things.  A) Twisted stitches, B) Basic Cables.  Bonuses are decreases and YO lol! The band is done flat then grafted together, the stitches are picked up and knitted, you can use DPNs or circular needles.  The Book is " One Skein Wonders " , which is a great book for those who want quick projects that use one Skein.  I have done many a project from here and gotten lots of inspiration.  At any rate this hat may be done by day's end at which time I may or may not take a picture depending how warm it is. lol.  Thanks for stopping by!

Home Spun The adventure

Homespun (4)
Originally uploaded by Crafty Andy

I will tell you that my hopes is to make yarn and teach people how to make their own yarns. So far I noticed that it is exactly like the Drop Spindle in a sense. You need to practice and become the observer. WHen you become this observer you pay attention to your hands, your feet, what is happening to the fiber in your hands and on the flyer. How am I drafting, how fast is this thing going lol!. Don't worry I am a true believe that your body and brain will get into an automatic mode and you will be able to create various yarns easily. One thing that you need is lots of practice. I got a gift from a friend Teach yourself Visually Hand-Dyeing, it is a book worth my studying.

As You can see I am always reading and learning something.  I enjoy reading different people's ideas and listening to different people about how they approach something and then I can pick the best way for me.  I personally would not go to the last place I went to take a Spinning Wheel Class, but I am defintiely returning to A Verb For Keeping Warm in Berkeley for their Navajo Plying Class this Saturday, I am hoping to join them in the summer for the natural dyeing class.

Thanks for stopping by

Ashford Book of Carding

 

The Ashford Book of Carding (Ashford Craft Series) is a fantastic book for your library and it will give you an insight into carding and color blending while carding.  It shows you the different kinds of carding and what each one gives to you.  The color theory is not new, but it definitely gives you the show and tell to demonstrate what is it they are talking about.  There are some projects on the back of the book that you may want to involve yourself in, but it is not necessary to get the best out of this book.  This book is in an easy to understand language that you will be able to translate into art, yes you heard me right.  After reading this book I am very comfortable that you will be able to take risks into carding with color to create unique blends.  There is also a brief explanation on how to use different kinds of animal fibers to create a more soft or lustrous blend.  Thanks for stopping by.

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!

Vogue Knitting

This is Vogue Knitting hard cover and My 400 Post! This book is not for the faint of heart, yet you may be able to start knitting by looking at its' pages. This posting is actually my 400 or a number 4 for those who follow Kabala, very good number for a foundation. Kabbalah (Hebrew: קַבָּלָה‎), which literally means "receiving", is the mystical aspect of Judaism. It is a set of esoteric teachings meant to define the inner meaning of both the Hebrew Bible and traditional Rabbinic literature, as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances

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Going back to knitting, I learned to knit about 20 years ago when I was sick in bed. I needed to be on bed rest for 30 days. Very laughable if you ask me, but I followed my doctor's orders. I had friends that helped me a lot and some of them got me the materials I needed for success. I had some yarn, some size 13 needles and two or three knitting books. Talking about knitting, what is knitting? Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth. Knitting consists of loops called stitches pulled through each other. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can be passed through them.

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At the end of the month I had a sweater for the New Year's Eve party , a scarf and a Hat, Turquoise and black. Everyone was amazed that I have never made a sweater before and there I was with a new sweater, hat and scarf. lol!

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The first and last word on knitting. Includes the history of knitting, knitting supplies, basic techniques, a stitch dictionary, correction of errors and much, much more. In the past I don't believe that I would have been able to understand this book as I do today. The experience I have accumulated in the last two years and the experience from the Educational Videos from Swansen, Solomon, Galati, Zimmerman and You Tube, yes You Tube have allow me to grow my craft and my ability to be unafraid of this book. Men who Crochet, Men Who Knit, The Old Crochet Depot, The Twisted Skein, The 3 Sisters Cyber Quilting group and so on. I guess I am celebrating the exuberance of my crafts, knitting as well as crochet.

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon; 1st edition (November 22, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039457186X
• ISBN-13: 978-0394571867

Please allow me to end this review by saying that this book is a great addition to a knitter's library. Vogue has also created these Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Volume One-Four: Knit & Purl: The Ultimate Stitch Dictionary from the Editors of Vogue Knitting Magazine (Vogue Knitting Stitchionary Series) . I want to thank you for stopping by and see you back soon!

A Hat, Harry Potter Deathly Hallows, Felting

I just got this Book on CD, I think it will be a very nice read as I make more of my Potter Inspired Hats. Talking about Harry Potter Inspired Hats, I am working on The Order of the Phoenix Hat. It is taking a very interesting shape. I am looking forward to making 5 or six more hats inspired by Harry Potter and his adventures.

It has been a long day, yet I am still with energy to write and have a nice afternoon finishing the Order of the Phoenix Hat. The next One will be a Gryffindor and another Hufflepuff. Yep I like hats, if you don't have hair you might as well have lots of hats to cover your head and protect it. lol!

I am also sharing with you my felting tools , I am going to be doing more felting this weekend and will definitely be doing felting for Christmas Gifts. I will be touching up a case that I am working on, it already felted somewhat, but not completely. I got the coarse needles to see if that works better. I will have pictures later this weekend, but it does not seem like it will be possible today. Thanks for stopping by and here is a pick at my hat in the works!

Charmed Knits and Dobby's socks!

Well I am not going to give Dobby his socks yet as I have an extremely busy weekend. Men Who Crochet Meeting Saturday and Sunday Men's Division meeting from my partner's Buddhist Group. I have a new stash of yarn for my scarf projects. I am also realizing that I may not have time for a sweater now until I have finished my scarves and do at least a pair of socks. I have not seen the DVD by Nenah Galati yet, but I will be making a review after I see it.

I will be frogging this sweater and probably use the yarn to make some baby blankets as it is acrylic. There are babies being born that require my Crochet Expertise! "Charmed Knits" is an excellent addition to those who are fans of Harry Potter and love to knit and Crochet. I believe there is only one Crochet Project and the rest is knitting. There are so many things that you can make, you will not be bored. From bookmarks, to magic wands covers, to wizard hats and afghans, sweaters and such, and everything for Quiddich. Definitely a must have for the Potter Fans. I think it was a great buy. I got it from Ebay , fast shipping and reasonable price. I will be making some of the stuff this winter. Well I may bot see you until Monday, so have a great Weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by.

Christmas in July 2007 and then some!

Christmas in July? It seems like it, I decided this year to get my Yarn way ahead of time so that I can start making stuff for the Holidays. I will be working in multiple projects at the same time, but the will have deadlines for my own sake. lol! Otherwise I will be with so many UFOs that nobody will be able to save me from myself. Nevertheless I have these creative urges to get rid of some yarn by making something.

Where did I get it? I got this Hand Dyed Wool from Ebay and the seller is http://stores.ebay.com/forestgreener06 , I can tell you that this picture does no justice to this wool. I will definitely be buying some of my wool from this Store. I got a good deal and look forward to doing business again in the near future. Well it really made feel like the Holidays are very close. I don't know about you, but I would spread Holiday Joy all year long.

I am one of those people who loves Christmas, and I don't let anyone give me any Grinch stories, what is the saying bahamba!, If you want to be miserable then lock yourself up and be miserable alone ha ha ha! Well I have been reading a lot about knitting, I just bought 3 E-books one of them being Stranded Color Knitting by Nanette Blanchard that is very interesting, You end up purchasing, as a download of course, from Lulu.com I am almost done reading it. I am also reading the Knitting without Tears. On another level I am reading the "Last Jew" in Spanish, a very interesting book of a Jew in the time of the Terrible Inquisition, in specific the Spanish Inquisition, I am on Chapter 6, not a bad book. I remember one of the characters as a real character in life, Tomas de Torquemada , First Grand Inquisitor of Spain, and confessor to Isabella of Spain. I enjoy multitasking this way , and don't worry I will not get confused or lost, it is very challenging and keeps my mind Sharp!

What will I be making? What do you guys and gals think of a cabled sweater where the sweater is white, but the cables are red and green? Should it be socks (I am learning) , or a hats and scarves? Well I could use my software to create a pattern. Last year I bought Instant Stitch Sweater Design Version 2.22. It was working in XP, but now in Vista I had to re-install the software and running the software, you right click on the Icon and get it to the compatibility mode and check mark , Run as administrator. It means it will run, as I have tested and runs well. So anyone out there that has this version you can install it in Vista and it works, but when you do as I just explained in this paragraph.

So there was more yarn and needles and other goodies from Joann. I am planning on making this Tree of Life Cardigan Sweater . I will definitely make some adjustments and I don't know if I will make the neck the same way, but pretty much it will be a great gift for myself. I promise that I will do my hair in a different way!



Thanks for stopping by.

A Man that knits

I guess it is all for the fun of having a great sweater, pair of socks, scarf , skull cap and if you have made it, it is all that counts. I have made at least four or five sweaters in my life. Three of them have been knitted, two crocheted . There was one cabled that was the talk of town. I was very proud of that sweater. Now in my old age I have decided to revive my knitting along with my crocheting.

I just went to my LYS ImagiKnit (visit their website at www.imagiknit.com) and bought these three books. There is so much for women out there, but not enough for men.

who like to knit for themselves , I think the same happens in crochet. I know one of the authors of one of the books and I like to sponsor designers I know like Drew. He is co-author of the "Men who Knit and the Dogs who Love them".

These are the Books:

Men in Knits would be a good volume for men who like to knit for themselves
ISBN-13: 978-1-931499-23-1


Men in Knits Tara Jon Manning is another great book that if you casually flip the pages, you can see it has a lot of Cable Sweaters, Vests for the boys and the men in your life and that includes you the Man who Knits.. There is something for everyone and the cables I was looking for Woohoo! Is that a word? lol!.




Never Knit Your Man a Sweater (Unless You've Got the Ring)
Refreshing batch of projects for brothers and fathers, too!,
ISBN 13: 978-1-58017-464-0

This book by Judith Durant this book has everything, hats, scarves, gloves, socks, cardigans, mittens. It has 22 handsome projects for every level of commitment. What does that mean lol! I think the book is nice, different and a good addition to my small library



Men who knit and the dogs who love them
ISBN -13: 978-1-57990-874-4

Flipping through the pages more than casually I was able to see how much detail and care Drew and Annie, the co-Author, took for this book. It has a nice variety of patterns for you and your pooch or the man in your life.

All these books are great for the projects that I am planning on making. I have my Christmas presents on queue with these three books. I want to get rid of my yarn stash so that I can buy something different, something nicer in the yarn department. Thanks for stopping by and come back later, there is more to tell.

Knitting without Tears!

It is hard to take a book for learning knitting after you have already knitted sweaters , scarves and hats, to go back to the basics of understanding a craft.

I became a knitter by chance and necessity. It was 1988 and I have gotten sick and needed to be in bed rest for 30 days. I could not imagine what I would be doing for 30 days, it was December 1988. A friend of mine accompanied me to the Doctor's Office, which was at the French Hospital here in San Francisco, now part of Kaiser Permanente. I think that I told him that we should go to Woolworth's ( Remember the Good Olde Woolworth's?) and get some knitting needles, yarn and a booklet, because I was going to teach myself to knit. I was going to make myself a sweater for New Year's Eve Party and I did! I taught myself to knit.

Since then I have made at least two sweaters, with and without cables, hats and scarves, but I never thought that I had properly learned the craft, maybe I did, because as one of my blogging friends says, (LadyLinoleoum) knitting is one of those crafts that is embedded in our genetic material as a basic need or as part of our genetic make up.

That is the reason that I have been busy reading this book. "Knitting without Tears" by Elizabeth Zimmermann, is the book that I have been reading. So far this book is a nice read, easy to follow and I am expecting to learn or re-learn how to knit.

The lady is very funny and I agree with her in the perception that many people have of knitting. If you are looking for perfection, perfection meaning rows of flawless stitches, then you need to purchase a knitting machine. The art and hobby of knitting is about fun and about the ability of taking two sticks and using some thread to create something to wear.

Her advise is sound and it goes into details of explaining the different materials that needles are made of and subsequently the materials that you will use to make things. I will go along and make the projects that she has for practice along the reading.

For those people that knit very tight, as I have done from time to time, this books teaches the need to allow yourself to relax your gauge. In all reality, as she says, get a different pair of needles to reach a comfortable gauge, do not force the knitting to reach the gauge. Your hands , neck, ,back and wrists will suffer the consequences, plus you will be frustrated beyond belief and to the point of giving up knitting.

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

A Jointed Bear is Born

Here He is at last. I thought I was going to be able to make a little movie. but I am afraid it will not be this time. Madison A jointed Bear will give you a show in still frames lol! Oh my he is tired from all the dancing and has to take a break. He is adorable.

I guess I wanted a larger Teddy Bear, but that is from the adult perspective. For a child this is the perfect size. This Pattern took about One Skein of LionBrand Chenille for the main color, ( using G size Hook), and probably less than five yards of the black chenille for the other parts. If you want to make an interesting and inexpensive Teddy Bear, I believe the Madison model will be a great asset for your needs. I used a very tight gauge and my model came out different than the model from the pamphlet as you can tell. The material has also something to do with the fact that it looks different, but all in all it is adorable in both views. Fiberfill is used to stuff it.

If you want the details of where to find the pattern and stuff, just click on this previous posting or click CrochetAndy: A Crochet Bear Head is born, Madison if you prefer to read more about the construction of this Beary Cute Bear. The owner of the Pattern allowed me to use it for a Crochet Along in the Crochet Depot Website. This is a great pattern for doing your Charity Bears. I want to thank Carolyn Christmas Savage for allowing me to have this pattern in our Crochet Along. THANK YOU!

Click on the picture below , it will take you to the page to order the pattern book, I get nothing from this, but satisfaction, no monetary compensation is intended from this; so wether you go directly to her website or click from my page, it is still the same deal for both of us. CraftyuAndy justs thanks you for stopping by!

Entering Tenebrea a short Book review

I just finished this novel and I can tell you that it kept me entertained and wishing I have bought the other two books, which I have , but they are hidden , they are collectors items as they have been signed. I buy two sets , one to read and one to keep untouched.

So What is this about ? You may ask. The books Starts with Andre Flores and her family enjoying a nice day by a shore. As Andrea Flores watches her family gets annihilated by the COR Ordinate. The COR is a human system where the workforce is made out of clones. Andrea was injured and was taken by a Jod another race and was recruited into the Tenebrea, which is an exclusive military corp. Andrea trained and embarked into her mission to infiltrate the COR and see what they were up to. Will they be able to destroy The Clone Welfare Institute? Will the NewGen clones make to a second generation?

To make a long story short, this novel is so full of action that it keeps you guessing what is going to happen next. The authors were very clever in the development of the character, yet the characters have a life of their own. If you like Science Fiction , you will enjoy this series of books. Now as I ordered the other book "Tenebrea's Hope" , what will Become of Andrea, Tara aka Tara 2862 aka TRA model, Eric aka ERC model and Brigon the son of a clone.

I enjoyed reading the book very much so and here I am sharing a review with you. If your mind is like mind, you need very little to create a picture that you can follow in your head.

Thanks for stopping by.

Crochet Vests , Sweaters and Shawls

It's Wednesday, hump day to some of you and another day to some of us! I am going to start working on crochet sweaters and vests today. I have a lot of yarn , to make a lot of people happy!!!



I bought a fantastic pattern from Drew Emborsky, his blog is http://thecrochetdude.blogspot.com, a fellow crochetter that is very creative as well. So works in progress are vests, sweaters, Dachshund Heidi, maybe some hats and some doillies.

Here is a shawl I made for a lady in Arizona. The Ruffled Peacock Shawl, in a pineapple crochet. If you want to buy the book, is a Leisure Arts Publication. You can find a geat deal on this book at Amazon.Com, the ISBN 0-942237-63-3, starting at $3.65 what a deal. I altered the pattern to make space for a broche button that I thought would add a real classy and vintage look to it. The Spaniard Ladies would have used these garments, when it got a little chilly during the fall and winter nights in the "New World" . The New World meaning the Americas as they are known today.

I have to have many projects at once, because I like to do lots of things and multitask. I also have to see how my neuropathy is that day. Some of the projects are more hard on my body than others and I can only work for one hour and rest for two or more.

As you can see I have some Needlecraft webring that I have joined. It's very exciting to see how much creativity is out there and how many people show their work on the Internet. Please come back and visit, leave your comments and share the magic of working with needles. Shalom!

Is it a Quilt or an Afghan?

I am pleased to announce that I have finished the Quilt Afghan. The pattern is quite complex , but as you can see the outcome is astonishing. It is done 99% in Bernat Berella "4", and the golden border is Lion Brand Wool Ease. This Afghan is primarilly made up of small granny squares which later are whip stitched together. Each square is about 2.75 square inches there are 384 squares that make the majority of this Afghan.

I really had to be creative and improvise in the stitching as I could not understand or was unable to understand the stitiching instructions for the borders. I also added some bulk to the border by making the Bubbles twice and by using a single crochet on the strings that do form an elliptical pattern around the Bubbles. You definitely need to block the pattern as you go in sections. Using the steam iron I pressed the sections, needless to say acrylic does not like steam much, but it came out really good once it dried and was stretched and blocked.

Here we yet have another view as how it will look on a Queen size bed. Any 4 ply yarn will do, taking into consideration that a size I crochet hook or size to obtain gauge is used, remembering the gauge is the size of the square. As you know sometmies we have to adjust the gauge to our way of crochetting, tension, et cetera. I hope you enjoy this crochet project as much as I did. The pattern for this Afghan can be found in the book "The Classic Collection MORE GREAT AFGHANS Crochet and Knit" it's ISBN 0-86675-305-2 .

This book is out of print, but may be found at Amazon.com . I hope you enjoyed your time here, please call again.

Puertorrican Plus!!!

I have a confession to make, I am a puertorrican since birth. It is not a well known fact that puertorricans have been american citizens for about 100 years, the Jones-Shafroth Act gave the citizenship to puertorricans a long time ago. It is not a secret, but I am more than a puertorrican. In the year 1988 I became HIV +. Having the HIV Virus has been no picnic and, needless to say some people think I deserve it; while others pity me. Some show compassion, some people make the distinction between being HIV as opposed to having AIDS and being puertorrican. I like that, I want to be treated like an individual that has many layers. Being HIV positive is like being human, until now, there is nothing that I can do to change who I am, so I will have to live with who I am and do the best I can everyday for which I have a breath of air. Today I have AIDS.

Puertorrican Plus!!! Blogging my life away, i am getting out some of my secrets in hopes that someone will benefit from what I write. I was sexually abused by my father from the early age of 5 years of age. I remember the first time it happened like it was yesterday. Going forward in life at the age of about 8 my half brother started the same game of abuse; he is 5 years older than me. Did I tell anyone? You bet, I told my mother and she spanked me for fibbing, how dare I say that kind of thing about my brother. Well ladies and gents, my father sexually abused me until the age of 14. My brother sexually abused me until a week before he got married. I thanked the God I believed in. Now I had room to breathe for once in my life. From this moment on, it will be up to my mother to emotionally try to scar me for the rest of my life with fear of God and whatever she could find available. (Yes. I know she was doing the best she knew; that does not mean I had to like it.) Hopefully for me I created a thick skin, independant thinking and, by the age of 37 -- yes 37 years of age -- I realized that I have been operating from the modus operandi of a sexually-abused person. I secretly trusted no one ever since.

A child survivor of sexual abuse has a very difficult life, for it colors everything you do and everything you say until you start to mend the broken boy and become a mending man. Unfortunately, the job is never done; it is a continious work in progress. The book that helped me turn my life around was "Broken Boys Mending Men" by Stephen D. Grubman-Black. At the age of 37, I realized I was still the victim of that sexual abuse from so long ago. I was confused, lost and not knowing who I was, what was mine, or what was the result the abuse actually had on my life.

Why me? It became a constant question. Being an incest/sexual abuse survivor really SUCKS!!! Why did I feel this way? How can I fix this? Who can I trust? I realized I had to take care of my own problems. No one could help me that I trusted but me. Yet, why did it take so long in fixing myself? The only thing I had left was to help myself heal, to pull myself up, like many times before, and look at what was really mine, my accomplishements, my creativity, my loving nature. I stopped the cycle before it went further. No more abuse, the buck stops here. I am free.

I am proud of that. I am sharing this in hopes that someone can benefit from it and in hopes that any child molester will see how the truth eventually will come out. If I allow my anger to take over, I will publish the punishment that I think is fit for this kind of crime, but needless to say, anger does not possess that kind of hold in me any longer. Children are innocent and should be protected from child molesters no matter what gender, sexual orientation or habit they wear. Child molesters come from every walk of life, whether being a heterosexual, homosexual, male, female, priest, president, neighbor. I guess you get the idea.

Life was very different from that day on. I live life without regrets 100%; I have no fear of death. I believe in the law of physics: "For every Action there is a Reaction"

In classical physics, a reaction is defined by Newton's third law that can be formulated like

• Whenever one body exerts force upon a second body, the second body exerts an equal and opposite force upon the first body or also
• For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. One must never forget that these two forces are exerted on different bodies.

The idea that any given force has a pair or opposite force.

That is how this puertorrican plus has learned to view the Universe. When I was younger I had the arrogant concept of an Earth Centered "God" and, by that, I mean that, in our arrogance as humans, we believe that "God" has no other planet to worry about, his constant attention is devoted to Earth, the Blue Marble. I do not limit "God" to that frame, my "God" is incomprehensible by human standards, but it is there. It you say yes, as far as I know, there is no gender in heaven; the importance of gender is an evolutionary necessity for procreation . Anyway it is my personal belief.

Nature always brings peace to me. In nature, I find the hand of the unknown, the Universal Intelligence at work. Here is a picture of me many moons ago near my home town enjoying the
"El Yunque Rainforest"


My father's ancestors came to Puerto Rico in the early 1500's to colonize the island and convert the natives into Christians. What a concept, but I will leave it at that. My mother's family can be traced to when Rodrigo de Nevares set foot on the shores of Arecibo sometime between 1700 and 1708, coming from Spain. I really enjoy this ancestry search, it can get very complicated if you allow it to overwhelm you.

San Juan the capital city of Puerto Rico is almost 500 years old, you can see in this picture taken from one of it's fortresses, the Old San Juan .

I grew up being proud of the city I was from. Lots of culture, art, and history, the main Cathedral in the middle of the island city.

Well this puertorrican plus is about to finish his post for today. It is important to say nobody can take away my innocence anymore, or rob me from being a loving human being. The God I believe in is bigger than any human word, book, or philosophy can describe . My God is the ruler of the whole Universe, not just a selected group of people, like the Sun my God shines on good and not so good people. From California I say to you Namaste.

Stardate Fall 2005, it begins !!!!

Astrologically fall does not officially begins until September 22, 2005 tomorrow around 6 PM, when the sun goes into the sign of Libra.

I have been working on my Quilt Afghan, it will be done definitely by this weekend , I will have a picture posted when I am done.

I got some patterns from crochetdude.biz, great patterns I think they will be a great foundation for sweaters and such. The holiday season is around the corner, I am getting ready , making some of my presents, vests, sweaters, hats, washclothes. No socks this year, I will have to learn how to make them first.

The books I was waiting for arrived, they are all great. for those who want the pattern for the Quilt Afghan, you will need to buy the used book ,maybe at Barnes N Nobles, the ISBN is 0-86675-305-2 "More GREAT AFGHANS Crochet and Knit", by KC Publishing, Inc.

Stardate September 08, 2005

I am still working on the quilt afghan, my head is running with many ideas for projects. I had to buy more yarn today. I have forgotten how much yarns it takes to make this afghan.

Also I got some nice patterns from Ebay, what a deal. I also got the book "From Knit to Crochet" by the needlecraft shop, very good. I got it at Amazon for a good price and was in my hands almost instantly. I rather buy these books online from someone than deal with a book of the month club, it's just not sensible for me. I recomend this BOOK, it is great . I am planning to get some cotton and make some washclothes with the stitches for practice. Well enough for today, I will definitely come back during the weekend.

Stardate September 01, 2005

Still working on my quilted afghan, lots of stitches need to happen, LOL. I purchased the Book "Big Book of Scrap Crochet Projects"; I got it at Ebay that way I did not have to deal with monthly books arriving. The book is wonderful and has plenty of ideas of things to do with scraps of yarn.

To the people of Nueva Orleans, as I knew it, my prayers and my contributions go to you. It's late and I am ready to go to bed.

Buenas Noches.