More Wool Yarn

What to do with it? should I dye it? and then what?

S.

Wool Yarn!!!!

Helloooooooo!!!!!

I finished my mom's hat, but I haven't take a picture of it, so that'll be in another post...

I want to show you!!!!!!!!!!! I'm incredible excited!!!!

I have a friend that has a ranch, and he has sheeps... so not to long ago he sheared them and sent the wool to be spined........................

Isn't is delicious?? scrumptious? beautiful??? comfy? warm??? maybe a bit itchy, but that'll be ok...

I'm planning on make a carpet... and the BeSt ParT of All is that he will sell it to me for a really really cheap, low price!!!! it's a total bargain!!

1 Kg, it's a bit more than 2 pounds................... ready????

.............. just............ for.............. 9......... dollars!!!! less than that!!!!!!


Woooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Join me in the happy dance!!!!

See you soon!
S.

Today in my Creative Space...

A LOT of WIPs!!!!!

Well, maybe not a LoT... but it feels like it, if I think that I just came for a visit and I've started one and another and another...

Here they are!

Sleveless top in pumpkin orange for me!

 Bag in process with scraps-leftovers of the Ripple Blanket...

Granny shrug for ??? who knows!

Lattice Hat made with a free pattern from here, for my mom!

That's it! See you soon!
S.

Quick Share - Tunisian!!!

Just wanted to show you......... isn't it beautiful???? I liked the colors at the end, even when they're not what I'd use for myself... but that is what MG asked, so he is getting "earthy" tones...

All made in Tunisian Crochet... my first project!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm happy happy happy!!!!!!!!

I think I'll make a cushion with this block... it's not really a square, or a rectangle... it's wider on one side than on the other... well, first trial...

The dark brown edge is made in regular hook-crochet tecnique... and it is a *back post double crochet, front post double crochet*...

See you soon!
S.

Straight Edge on the Ripple

Of course you remember my Ripple... it was only yesterday!!!
I thougth I should tell you how I worked the edge to make it even and straight instead of leaving it zig zag...

Well, you can see in the picture above what I'm talking about...

Here's what I did...

I crocheted all the ripples following Lucy's method of Neat Ripple at Attic24.  (I love her blog and colorful inspiration)
140 chains to start I think... all the way up until the desired size of the blanket...
So the edge of it...........

Starting on the top part of the zig-zag, the "Mountain" as Lucy call it, I worked sc's... and on my way down to the "Valley" I worked 2 hdc, 2 dc and 2 tr (one on each decrease of the valley), then up again:: 2 dc, 2 hdc and 4 sc (one on top of each of the V increases, as there's 2 increases, that makes 4 dc to work on sc)... then down and up again....

I got to the corner and worked a sc in the last stitch, then a chain and another sc in the same stitch... sc all the way down, making 2 sc on each dc (4 sc by color stripe as my stripes are 2 rounds of color).
Again to the corner:: sc, ch 1, sc...

And continue with the lower part of the blankie... now the valleys are the mountains and the mountains are the valleys if you know what I mean... this is because you are holding it up side down...
But you work the same as before...

I have to confess that I didn't worked the same as the top part... here I worked sc on top of the mountains (4 of them), 3 hdc, 4 dc, 3 hdc and back to 4sc...
It just worked like that for me... I don't know if the first group of stitches is better than the second one, but both my edges are straight now... and I like the look of it... a LOT!!!!

Here's a closer picture, I hope you can see it...

I upsized the picture in the hope of giving you a little zoom...
I finished the row going up on the other side of the blanket 2 sc on each dc... and made 2 other rows, one in sc and the last one in hdc... and then the sl st row in green on the top row of purple...

Hope this is useful for you!!!

See you soon!
S.

Ripple blanket 2

Hellooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! how are you today????

I'm fine, not great as I slept weird, or got cold in the middle of the night or something and my shoulders and back neck are hurting me.... ash ash ash...

I just wanted to show you really quick my Baby Ripple Blanket!!! I finished it....

I absolutely LoVe iT!!!!! it's made in the same colours than the first one, but in different shades... and it's inpired by the beautiful color combo of Bake and sew!

Do you want to see it all???

More than that???


Ok, here it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ripple BlanKet!!!!

Don't you love it???

It's a toddler blanket... aprox 40x38 in... all made in Vanna's choice... with one skein of I love this yarn... the purple of the edge...

I worked the edge to make the ripple even, so it is a "square" instead of ripple edging... and then added a row of hdc, sc and hdc.... and a row of slip stitch of light green on the last row of hdc on the purple edging....
Take a closer look!

I love the efect!!!! it's like a chain thin and delicate that holds the whole blanket! I'm very happy with it...

I thought about adding a second row, below the green, in light pink, but I'm not sure about it....
And look!!! I love the back of this green line too!!! it's like a thin dotted line!

Very happy with it!!!

Well I have to go... a pleasure to see you here today!!!
See you soon!
S.

Tunisian Crochet...

I've wanted to make a Tunisian Crochet Blanket for MG since I discovered Tunisian Crochet exsisted.... like a year ago... but I only found patterns that weren't exactly what I wanted.... To be honest, I didn't know what I was looking for, I just knew that the patterns that I've found weren't right for this blanket....

But two weeks ago, I went to a yarn store here in Mexico City, to buy 1cm needles to make a sleevles top... other story... and being there, looking all the beautiful yarns, the scrumptious vests and shawls already made that they exhibit there, I decided to show my ripple blanket to the vendor lady...

We talk a little bit about hooks and crochet, and then she showed me "THE" blanket!!!!
I mean, it was perfect!! that was what I've been looking for!!!

I loved the pattern, I loved the feeling of it, the yarn was super soft, it had a great edge........ and it was made with Tunisian Crochet tecnique!!!!!!!!!!!!

I learned then that I could take a class there with a teacher that doesn't get a lot of students, as the majority of them goes to knitting class and not to crochet class... Monday and Thursday.....

So I went today!!!! all morning...... from 11 am to 3 pm, more mid-day than morning, but still....
The pictures upthere are all from the store, I took them today, they are kind of weird because I took them from the second floor, where the class was held... and I took them quick, I know they aren't the best pictures... Here is the needles and hooks wall, the worst picture of all!

There were 4 knitting students, the knitting teacher, my crochet teacher and me! so not a very crowded class and I had a teacher for myself!!!

Here is what I acheived today!

This picture isn't good either... is night already but I couldn't wait to show you... this one was taken without flash...
here is one with flash:

I think you can't really tell the colors from neither of this 2 pictures... it's dark brown (mocha), light brown (beige mist heather) and white (silk), all in Bernat Satin. It's the first time I work with it and I'm loving the feeling of it!!!
I'm right below half of the pattern... I hope to complete the square tomorrow... the plan is to make 9 or 12 or them and sew them together and then make the edge... I'm not crazy about the colors, but MG wanted a blanket in "Earth" tones and they didn't have a huge selection.... I want to make it as a Christmas present to him!

Anyway, that's all... I am excited and I wanted to show you this new thing I learned!!!

See you soon!
S.

Sunday at home...

Hello!!!

I didn't post yesterday... maybe we can think it was Saturday and I was resting and that was the reason I didn't post???? 

Well, not really.... I went out to have breakfast with my parents, and then return home to cook with them... Breaded shrimps with cream cheese inside... and lobster, and small potatoes with spices.... mmm yummy!!! it was very good... a friend of my mom came, and one of my aunts, and my best friends (they are twins) and their sister...

It was a great day.... but sorry! no pictures today... it's a shame!

See you soon!

S.

More Celebrations...

Hello again! second day in a row posting, lets see how long I can achieve this time...

So today I want to tell you about the September 16th celebrations... I think there are similar things all over the country, but really I only know what happens in Mexico City... a tradition that I love to live and share with my friends!!!

On the 16th morning there is a militar parade along Reforma, a long avenue, one of the principals... I think the parade has a lenght of 7 km... and there is soldiers and marines of all tipes of regiments and functions... 

with a large display of uniforms, cars, boats, horses and more....

...hawks and eagles...

Nurses and historic uniforms, and women in different regimens too!

And uniforms of diferent tipes of weather......

The parade lasted around 2-3 hours... although we got there a lot of time before it started passing!!! My friends and I got to my grandma house at 9 am, and we went from there to were we waited for the parade, in bycicles, unicicles, skates, skateboards, scooters... we were 17, and we took a portatil stair (the ones that you use in a construccion site) to be higher and have a better view...

It was a lot of fun!!! and we had a great time...

At the end of the parade, we went back to grandma house and played all afternoon and evening in a slackline and juggling and me crocheting too!!!

It was a great day!!

I borrowed the pictures again from Bicentenario Mexico 2010.

See you soon!
S.

Independence Day!!!

Hello People!!!! How are you?? I really, really hope you all are happy, healthy and having a great time with your loved ones...

I know I haven't posted in a long time... I have to confess that I've had a difficult time this past weeks with all the "visa issues"... but apparently, luckily, it seems that there is a light on the road that will help us sort this out... I feel so releived, I feel like the clouds had opened in the middle of a storm and there is a tiny bit of sky showing shiny up there!!!! 

I have a lot of things that I want to share with you all, but I can't write all of them in one single post, that would be very long, so for now I'll only focus on the past two days, well, yesterday and today...

This is a very important and exciting week as it is the 200th aniversary of the Independence of Mexico.

The official "time" is the night of the 15th, so that night is when the President of Mexico recreates the start of the Independence at the National Palace, downtown, with a lot of people on the main plaza - The Zocalo - and everywhere around and in every state, there is people out, enjoying, celebrating... it's a big party.

So yesterday was this night and, as it was the 200th aniversary, it was a very special time, and the celebration started with a parade of floats... that had 8 themes of different times of Mexico history.

One of this themes, Revolution, included a great huge sculpture of a revolutionary man...

That was pulled-pushed through the parade in parts and was ensambled at the end of it at the main plaza...

We have an Angel sculpture that represents the Independence, and this time there was a flying woman representing it!!!

The people started gathering early in the afternoon... The parade lasted around 3 hours and it had a lenght of around 5 kilometers (around 3 miles)...  and after it there was concerts and shows... then the recreation of the start of the Independence and 8 tons of fireworks in those 3 miles... yes! 8 tons!!! then more concerts and shows... everything ended up at 3 am today!!! And gathered almost a million of people... yes, 1000 000 people!!!!
Although the main plaza was open just to 50 000! Here is a picture!

The huge man was ensambled at this plaza!!

So it was a LOT of fun... a great thing to live and remember for ever... I was very happy to be here and be able to see it....
I'll tell you more about the rest of the celebrations later....

I borrowed the pictures from... Noticias prodigy and Bicentenario Mexico 2010
If you want to see more pictures of this celebration you can check the second link, I think it's one of the official ones...

See you soon!
S.


PS.. This is my 50th post!!! so exciting!!! it's a good post to be the 50th I think!
Thank you for accompany me in this trip!

Sadness

I've been in my home country for 2 weeks now, I love being here and seeing family and friends has been such a blessing and a great oportunity.
Grandma was very sick and weak 4 weeks ago, and she recovered almost completly the next day after my arrival. It's great to see her ok, and fighting.
My friends are awsome and I'm very happy talking with them and catching up in the tiny bits of life that we miss being apart.
I've enjoyed tons my parents, my family, had amazing times with my mom.
Very cultural days including 2 plays at the theatre and museums and a lot more.

But this has been also a very difficult time, because I need to renew my visa so I can go back to MG's arms, and I've been asked for a specific paper at the Embassy that we don't have and isn't the easiest thing to get.
So we have been struggling with that, having some-very-stressful conversations over the phone, and thinking in everything we can do to get that paper so I can go back with him.

This have me stressed, and anxious, but the worst part is that it has MG worried, stressed and it's not easy for him to talk with me... so I miss him a lot. We haven't had fun conversations over the phone, and we bearly spoke this week... and that makes me feel so sad... and husbandsick.
It's so frustrating not being able to sort things out and have a solution for a problem. And it's awful not to be together to at least have a hug or hold hands to comfort each other.
So it appears that I'll be "stuck" here for at least one more month, a bit more that we had planned as my plane was booked for next Friday.

I really, really hope that this will work somehow... but right now, I feel a bit empty.
I'm missing MG so much, and I get worried and sad that he is too.
All this makes difficult for me to enjoy my people and I kinda feel guilty from while to while of had coming, for being here... and it makes difficult to him to enjoy and focus on his new job.

Hope to see you soon!
S.