Wires & Yarns

Soooo tired

2012-02-10T19:36:00.000-05:00

It's 7.29pm

I left the shop at 6pm, hoping to catch the 6.05 bus.... 6.23 and it hadn't arrived, when I heard someone from the bus station saying to a customer that the bus would take another 20 minutes to get there...
We have rainy snow right now and it's cold... it was getting dark and I was cold.
I walked a block to a little coffee and chocolate shop to buy a hot chocolate... I like their products but I think they are very expensive... (seriously... $2.60 for a one bite chocolate-truffle kind???)
The hot chocolate was good though, not amazing but good and warm. Walked back to the bus station (bus stop downtown where all the buses stop so you can change to another and get to a different part of the city) and kept waiting...

Got home at 6.59pm...
Now in my PJ's and after relaxing a bit online... I'm off to bake!!!! nothing that a sweet baking can cure right?
So today we are making a Tres Leches cake to take tomorrow to the shop to eat with my friends!!!
I'll show you pictures later.

See you soon!
S.

Nimbus sweater....

2012-02-09T18:32:00.000-05:00

Just a quick post to show you my Nimbus sweater, which I finished back in November!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it got lost in time but finally making its appearance... not the best picture but...

The pattern is by Berroco, and here's a link to the Ravelry pattern. I took a class for it although I really didn't need it, it was fun to do, and so far I'm the only one in the class that finished her sweater (the class was during November)...
It's made with Peruvia Quick yarn, 3/4 sleeves, and I LOOOVE it!!! warm, comfy and I MADE IT!!!!

See you soon!
S.

A cultural catch up...

2012-02-06T11:18:00.000-05:00

Good morning!!!! I hope you are all ok and had a great weekend full of nice things...

This past week we were very cultural.... starting 2 Fridays ago, we went to the auditorium at campus to see STOMP... which it's described in their website as "unique musical theatre of choreographed percussion, movement and physical comedy", and it's a wonderful performance show of music formed with percussion with ordinary objects like brooms, sand, match boxes, trash cans, pans, etc...

photo from "de todo como en botica" blog

Amazing, entertaining and full of rythm. It was part of my Christmas present to MG and we had a great time and enjoyed lots.

Later in the week, on Wednesday night we went to a comedy show when one of MG's coworkers was performing... several comediants and all was good and fun.

During the whole week, our cozied tree had great response from the people!!! it's fun to be at the shop and see all day long people stoping by to take pictures of the tree or of themselfs with the tree... we've also had several people come into the shop just to say how wonderful the tree is and what a great idea it was. It has been succesful and we all hope it'll be up for a long time.

Saturday came and MG and I went to H&R Block to file our taxes... everything was good and smooth, and later when he droped me at the shop, one of my friends offered us a couple of tickets for a dance show that night...


Photo from "L.A. Opening Nights"

Evidence, A Dance Company is a fusion of African, contemporary, and classical dance that tells you a story and won't let you take your eyes from the stage...

And finally Sunday, we had tickets for a play with the local theatre company, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, which tells the story of the creators of Alcoholics Anonims... it was a wonderful play with awsome acting, and a good story. I thought it would be a lot stronger and difficult to watch but it was nicely written and interpreted so I didn't have a problem with it.

So that's all for today cultural review...

Off to life!!
See you soon!
S.

Oh, and for those of you who asked (thank you!)..... we still don't know were we'll be moving... MG had a job interview last week and has a couple of other things lined up so we are waiting for the best but still don't know where life will take us!

Yarn bombing...

2012-01-31T18:58:00.001-05:00

This past weekend I had the opportunity to participate in yarn bombing a tree...
Our very own contribution to the public art of our lovely town... with the help of my sweet MG and my fun friends from the yarn shop... all my friends at the shop pitched in and made some squares and stripes to make a tree cozy.
As an image says more than a thousand words.... here, some images for you...

A day off...

2012-01-27T11:59:00.000-05:00

Hello friends... nice to be back....
I can't believe this is my first post of the year... You can tell I've been busy!!
I've been around the computer, but not long enough to read blogs or write a post!!

Since the beginning of the year my knitting/crochet have been flying, I feel I've completed several things and usually have more than 2 projects in my bag all the time!
Some big, some little but I'm happy with them.
I want to talk a little more about each, and I promess I will but for today I'll just leave you with a collage of them.

I took the day off today, I'm planing on working on my photo album, and I need to hurry up because it's getting out of date!
Plus I need to clean and get nice all the apartment because tomorrow the management will show it off to someone... will be leaving in the summer! so sad! I'll miss the shop SOOOOO much!

See you soon!

Happy New Year!!!

2011-12-31T19:28:00.000-05:00

I just want to wish you all a great and happy New Year!!

May 2012 be a wonderful year from you, with lots of love, health, good food and happy people around you!

See you next year!
S.

Christmas eve...

2011-12-27T09:51:00.000-05:00

How's everyone's Christmas going on???
I hope you are having a wonderful day.... we are used to have the "big" celebration on Christmas eve, more than on Christmas day.
So yesterday night we had a big dinner and a few friends over...
MG finished his work early on Friday so we started our cooking... we like the idea of a big dinner, and by big I mean with multiple dishes so even when it had been just the 2 of us, we've had the big dinner... so I was glad to have friends over to help with the food. :o)

Yesterday morning we went to see Annie to the downtown theatre with the local theatre company... it was incredible and magical play that I enjoy tons... MG had never see it before and had a great time too.
Then a little stop at the Yarn shop to say hello, Merry Christmas catch up about the last day things and off back home to finish with the cooking and cleaning...

We did a very good job with the cooking-preparing whatever and cleaning/washing immediatly afterwards, so by the time we finished the cooking the kitchen was actually all tidy and neat just waiting for the final heating of the food and the arrival of our guests.

You see, I was very excited about having this little party because it was not only our first Christmas together and with more people, but really it was the first time we had people over for dinner, our first "entreteinment party" since we got married and live together.
I've had friends over before, but more in the middle of the day, maybe an ocassional lunch, but not really a dinner. And I was SO excited!!!!

We had 3 people over. 2 of my yarn friends and the husband of one of them.
The food was amazing...
For apetizers we had some cheeses and cold meats with fresh bread...

And then the dinner... buffet kind so every one could get whatever they wanted as many times as they wanted.

Stuffed mushrooms with cheese and the same insides of the mushrooms...

breaded and cheesed shrimps...

4 cheese ravioli with marinara cream sause...

and turkey!!!

Here's already carved and with the stuffing next to it.

We did the turkey injecting both white and red wine in it the day before... then covering it inside and out with a lemon-honey-onion-garlic mixture... and stuffed with minced meat with apple, bacon and raisins.

Everything was delicious! our guests enjoyed it and served several times :o)

And for dessert we had baklava and salted caramel toffee bars that one of my friends brought...
And kamelado, which I made. I don't have a picture of it, but I'll post a recipe soon... it's delicious!!!

Then we had presents... that's for another post...
How was your Christmas????
Did you get any presents???

See you soon!
S.

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-24T15:52:00.000-05:00

This is my 200th post!!!!

Merry Christmas, Hanukka, season or whatever you celebrate!!!

Shanti

Viking knit necklace...

2011-12-22T22:22:00.000-05:00

One of my friends at the shop saw a necklace I've made with Viking knit technique and asked that as a Christmas present... so I had an order made.

I'm REALLY pleased on how it came out... Here are some pictures:::

See you soon!
S.

Christmas has arrived!!!

2011-12-22T22:07:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday that I said we were going out to buy presents, we ended up buying our Christmas tree and some comic books for MG's presents.

Today, finally Christmas tree is full with lights and ornaments... I still have wrapping to do, but I hope tomorrow...
Our tree this year is short and fat... ;o)
It makes me happy... we have a tendency to name things... so the tree name is Stanley, Stan for short!

We put all out not round ornaments, all my crocheted and some clay like figurines that we bought our first Christmas together. Some stockins and some small round ornaments... not a lot.

I did a little mantle (I'm not sure if that's the word) on top of the corner bookshelf with our little nativity and Christmas tree... we don't have a lot of ornament things because it has been an uncertain time of when we'll be going back home so we try to not to buy tons of things that later we won't be able to keep.

I got that Nativity set last year at a Holiday bazar, it was very cheap because the head of one of the wise man was broken... I love it.

Anyway... After getting the tree last week... we went to the yarn shop party, with all my friends.
It was great and I was very happy.
We did a "Dirty Santa" which means that everyone brings a gift, and you put it in the center of the room. Then you make little paper with numbers for the total of presents that people brought.
And then you pick a paper and you get a number. So the number one pick a present and opens it.
#2 can decide to pick a new present and open or "steal" the one that #1 picked, shich would make that #1 has to pick something else.
and from #3 to the end of the numbers they can pick something new or steal.
everyone gets a present at the end.

I got a long necklace

I think you can't see it good there... I'll try to take a closer picture to show you because it is beauuuutiful!
That's one of my friends in the picture... she's spending Christmas eve with us and I'm excited about it.

that's all for now...
Hope to be back soon!
S.

Football Field Baby Blanket...

2011-12-21T19:33:00.000-05:00

Someone called to the shop the other day asking for someone to crochet a blanket for her.
Then a few days later, an older man came to the shop asking for the same thing. Result it was the brother of the one who called.
I had already planned the pattern I would be using and was ready to giving him the option of colors and yarns... and then he says::

"So, you'll be able to make the football field then?"

"Excuse me????"- I said.

Apparently, the father-to-be was a former profesional football player, so the man (I'm guessing the grandpa) wanted a football field blanket to give the baby as a present...

So here I am...

... in the making of a crib size football field blanket...

It had been very funny to say "I'm in yard 20"... "I got to yard 30"... "I just have 60 yards to go"...
So that picture is from yesterday... today I'm almost at yard 90... I hope to finish the field and the goal line tomorrow.

Then the goal post made in slip stitch on each side and then a white border of 2 inches all around...
I'm still debating if I should emborider the yard numbers...

That's all for today!
See you soon!
S.

Going out...

2011-12-18T11:22:00.000-05:00

just about to go out with dear MG to buy Christmas pressies!!! and then the Christmas party with my friends from the Yarn shop!

See you soon!
S.

Yarn Swap!!!

2011-12-12T10:26:00.000-05:00

Almost mid December!!! where did the year go??? there's only 2 Mondays in the year after this... Oh my!!!

I'm excited today to tell you about a yarn swap I just had.
It was organized by the 'We love Lucy' group at Ravelry... This was my second swap.

We got our names drawn in mid November, package sent by Dec 5th, and finally on Dec 8th, I got my package!!! a big box full of wonderful pressies!!!

Now... first what I sent to a lovely girl in New Jersey...

A box packed with goodies... lots of goodies!!!

3 balls of Tonic yarn... blue, green and hot pink!

Some crocheted Christmas trees... And flowers...

The package must contained a handmade item... so I put a pair of earrings and a cowl.

And a lot more of little things...

A project bag from Knit Picks (Fabulous bag)... a set of rainbow crochet hooks, some colorful pens, a set of stencils to decorate cookies or coffee, a couple of patterns, a ball of Lustra yarn, and a couple of notes.

I loved putting it together and I think my 'partner' loved it too... she said it was a great gift and was happy with it...

Well she did wonderful too!!!!
Here's what she sent me.... a HUGE box came by UPS! I was so excited...

Of course I opened it imediatly... it was full of packing peanuts... so I dove in them in the look for the presents...

Look I found the first one...

And they kept coming and coming... a lot of them!!!

And then the opening... first came her Handmade item... a bunch of lovely buterflies and dragonflies (which I'm in love with)... I think she did an amazing job with them!

Then the most fun pair of sock!!! bright green and orange-red polka dots, very elf-ish... which I'm wearing right now of course...

More goodies!!! a little stocking with 2 bags of hot chocolate powder (Yum!! I love Hot Choc)... a string of glass beads, a bag of pompoms and a bag of paper cups for my baking!!! in polka dots!

A Fabulous-GoRgEoUs-amazing Christmas tree that you plug in the wall and changes colors!!!!
And a bag of Haribo Gummy Bears that MG claimed as his own :o)

This incredible book!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been wanting that book for so long... I have the edgins one and this one is just perfect, besides super inspirational and happy with all the great colors!

A tube of the sweetest Christmas ornaments!!! bright colors, yei!!

And some definetelly yummy yarn!!!!!!!

Oh!!! and I almost forgot... the most amazing wire rack to hand my jewelry!!!! I love it!!!!!

Here! All my treasures together!!!!

Isn't that amazing???? I was truly spoiled and I'm SO happy with it... Oh and I see I didn't take an individual pic, but there's also a red silicone Christmas-Tree-Ice-cube tray... and 2 notes! including 2 of her family Christmas recipes!!!!

Fabulous, isn't it???

See you soon!
S.

Divine Slouchy Hat---and Snow....

2011-11-30T11:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we had snow.... the first official of the season!!!

I was at the Yarn Shop... and I have to say it was magical!
We were "complaining" that it had been raining all day long... and then around 3pm it started to snow... slowly at first, mixed with the rain and it melted as soon as it touched the floor. Then it started to fall heavier and heavier and sticking a little more... and then suddenly it was a heavy snow!! it covered the cars and awnings like in half hour.
It was amazing to be sitted warmly surrounded by beautiful color yarns, and see the snow fall... we even had hot apple cider!! it was perfect!!!
I tried to take pictures but it didn't work...
And of course, all of it will melt today as from now to Sunday the weather is supposed to be clear and sunny!

I worked on a hat for an upcoming class that we'll offer in January for the intermediate level.

It's the Divine Hat by Sarah Arnold... it's a good project for someone that is starting to crochet but has already the knowledge of the stitches.
It has increases and decreases and uses fpdc and bpdc with are a little more advanced that just a dc.
And... while I was looking for a right hat pattern for the class, I noticed that this one is the crochet pattern with more projects done in Ravelry!!!!!!!!!!

I added some increase rounds to make it a little slouchy...

I love the swirl on the top!!It used almost the whole skein of yarn... a pretty tonal purple-lilac Ultra Alpaca by Berroco.

With the remaining I had just enough to make a flower:::

I loved it! I might make a tutorial on it one of this days... when I can have MG to take pics of my hands working.

See you soon!
S.

Thanksgiving review...

2011-11-28T11:53:00.000-05:00

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How was your Thanksgiving???

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, full of magic and nice things.

We had wonderful times... dear MG took all 4 days off work and it was a blessing.
I started crocheting a little stocking to welcome MG on Wednesday night... he loved it!!!
I saw a post on Ravelry pointing to it (post done by Lucy from Attic24)... and then follow the instructions on Le Monde de Sucrette blog (wonderful and nice colorful blog I must say!)

It was rainy outside so I didn0t have good light to take the picture... I played with my camera settings but none gave the right colors... but you can still get the idea...

We cooked a "Cranberry Ham" on Thursday morning...

... then went for lunch to a nice restaurant in campus...

...and then took the ham to a party with MG's friends... It was fun to get together and meet new people.

Thanksgiving is not something we have in Mexico, and we didn't grew up with it, but since we've lived in the US it had become MG's favorite holliday. He awaits it the whole year and he counts days to it on the last month.

Here are some reasons I'm thankful for this year:::

I have a really wonderful and sweet husband that loves me completely and makes me feel really like the most special girl in the world.
We are both happy and healthy and loving each other more and more.
We both have amazing families that love and support us.
MG has a work he loves, were he's inspired and happy.
I have a whole bunch of incredible friends at the yarn shop.
I have someone to love, something to do and something to wait and wish for.

Friday started early (6am) at the mall... where we got nice deals in some clothes for me and tennis shoes for him. Not a lot more shopping. But it was nice and fun.
Nice breakfast and then a good amount of yarn shopping in a different yarn shop, since my loved shop doesn't carry the colors I needed (more on that later).
And then all afternoon spent with my friends and MG at my usual YS. Happy times!

Saturday with friends and a college football game!!!

Sunday of relax and laziness with MG at home... I stayed all day in my pj's!! that's happyness!

How was your weekend??? What are you thankful for?
See you soon!

Tiny Hexagons Scarf...

2011-11-17T11:48:00.000-05:00

This so pretty scarf is made with what appears to be several strands of lace weight yarn held together and changing colors in every row.

In my version, fingering weight, self striping yarn is used... that way we hope that the hexagons won't have the same colors without having to change in every row, which allow us to not to have to use lots of balls in different colors and weave tons of ends...

The yarn I'm using is Mini Mochi from Crystal Palace... A Slow Striping fingering weight, single ply yarn, 80% Merino Wool-20% Nylon, 195 yds/50g ball, in a pretty color that I think is called Rainbow Trout. The hook is a D or E.

I made the first hexagons in a class and blocked them after that... it made a huge difference and I think is the way it should be done:::

However, I thought about all the sewing that would be needed at the end with so many hexagons, so I decided to join as I go...

Every time I get to a corner I join with another(s) hexagon(s). I'm planning on making half of the skein in single hexis and then join them with the rest as I go. This so I can play a little bit with the colors and mix them in a fun way and not necesarily as they come out of the ball.

Here's the pattern I'm using:::

Multi-hexagon Crochet Scarf

Hexagon Pattern:
Ch 3, sl st to make a ring.
Rnd 1: ch 4 (counts as first dc + 1 ch), (dc in the ring, ch 1) 5 times, sl st on 3rd ch (6 dc + 6 ch-1 sps)
Rnd 2: ch 3, dc in same st, (2dc, ch 1) in each ch-1 sp, sl st in first dc (12 dc)
Rnd 3: ch 3, dc in same st, *(2dc, ch1, 2dc) in ch-1 sp, 2dc in next dc* repeat from * all the way around, sl st in first dc. Fasten off

Half Hexagon Pattern: (use for side panels)
Ch 3, sl st to make a ring.
Rnd 1: ch 3, 5 dc into ring (6 dc)... Do not join to close the round.
Rnd 2: ch 3, turn, (2dc in next dc, ch 1) twice, 2 dc in next dc, 1 dc in next dc (8 dc and 2 ch-1 sp)
Rnd 3: ch 3, turn, dc in same st, [2 dc in next dc, (2dc, ch1, 2 dc) in ch-1 sp] twice; 2 dc in each of next 2 dc. Fasten off

You would need 3 full hexagons and 1 half for each scarf row. And about 120 full and 40 halfs for the whole scarf.

Let me know if you make one! I'd love to see a picture!
See you soon!
S.

Health Center...

2011-11-16T23:45:00.000-05:00

I hope you're doing ok...
We are, but today we spent a good amount of time at the Health Center...
MG had been having a little bit of discomfort and some pain in the back, we thought he might had something going on with his kidneys... so we went to check him up at the university health center...
It's a great place for the students!!! we get a great attention and we are not really students... he's a post-doc and I'm the spouse, so we don't count as students... luckily, we still get great services there.
Anyway... good thing, he was checked and he's perfectly healthy and in good shape... granted, he could use more excercise (we both need it!!) but he doesn't have anything going on with the kidneys... uff!!!

We also got (both of us) a flu shot... so my arm is a little bit sore and I feel tired... although that is probably because i's almost midnight!!!
We went out today to the Comedy Attic... a place with an open mic night for aspiring comediants... one of MG's coworkers was performing and we went to hear him. It was a good show and we had a good time... we came back a little before 10pm... had dinner and I talked to my mom and now he's just hanging up with his parents... so I guess we are going to bed!!!

Good night!!!
See you soon,
S.

Holliday decorations for the shop...

2011-11-15T20:15:00.000-05:00

As I've told you before, I'm in my knit/crochet year... I'm involved with my LYS and I'm there almost every day, Monday to Saturday. I'm teaching crochet and helping with a lot of things and learning.... learning a whole lot of amazing and fun things!!!!

Last week we started thinking about the decoration for the Hollidays for the shop...
We went to Hobby Lobby and bought a whole bunch of ornaments and lights for the store front...
Next I worked with 2 girls to make yarn ornaments...

We made a mixture of water and glue and soaked yarn in it...

Then we squeezed the yarn to take out the excess of glue-y mix and wrapped it around balloons...

... and hung them so they could dry over night...

When they're ready, dry and hard, we'll pop the balloons and hang them around the shop as Ornaments...

We also crocheted some stars...

And finished them with a golden trim...

We haven't made a lot, but we don't need a big amount.

Here you can see the size of them

****************************************
So this week, we popped the balloons, we took out the lights and decorations and worked around the shop to add more color and some bright and sparkle spots...

Can you see the colored lights and snowflakes (crocheted) under the arch in the photo above??

and you can see how the balloons turned out!!! we were very pleased with them and made 8 more to complete de decoration.... to pop next week.

The next photo is kind of small, but maybe you can see the bright lights framing the windows ? and the ornaments hanging in the middle of them??

And last, the crocheted stars in the window... we still need to block them, and maybe make some more...

Is your LYS decorated??

See you soon!
S.

Knitting, knitting...

2011-11-13T16:29:00.000-05:00

Thank you all that commented on my last post! I felt totally fine yesterday, actually by Friday night I was fine.
Ladies at the Yarn Shop called it a 24 hour flu... I think it was a 6 hours flu... but who knows... the point is that yesterday I was good and went to see my friends at the show and then to the yarn shop as I had a beginner crochet class to give... it was very good. Nice afternoon knitting and then movies night with my dear MG.
Today totally lazy day with him, cooking and doing tons of laundry!!! I hate laundry! we have to go to the basement and I don't like it when is too cold... today is suuuuuper windy! although not cold.
Good thing that we do the laundry together... that way is not as tedious and burdening as it could be.

Now to the knitting bussiness.......
I thought it was ridiculous that I spend almost every day a GOOD amount of time crocheting/knitting and MG doesn't have a scarf or a nice hat...

That is not possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what kind of yarny girl I am???

So I took him to the shop to see different patterns and to choose a yarn...
He chose a delightful Vintage Chunky, by Berroco. I love that yarn and I've used it for a lot of projects. It's really soft and it's made with wool, acrylic and nylon, so is machine washable!!! it comes in great colors and one of the best parts is that it comes in DK, Worsted and Chunky weights! FABULOUS!!!
So MG picked a dark navy blue with heathery hints of something that looks purple-ish.

And for the pattern, a Brioche stitch that is mindless once you've got it. It looks like a knitted ribbing but it doesn't have any purls in it!!!

I'm half way on it, I'vee used a whole skein already... so it'll be a 2 skein project and then a hat. I don't know which one yet. I want a knitted hat that goes with the same texture as the scarf.
Last year I made him this one

Which is what he uses but I think is far from being my best finished item so I don't like it very much. And I'll make him another hat with the same yarn as the scarf.

On other knitting stuff... I took a class this week in knitted fingerless gloves...

Wow! I'm doing a lot of knitting this semester... maybe is just the time to get used to it... but this, by no means, means that I prefer knitting over crochet or that I've stopped crochet!!! that CAN'T be!!!

Anyway, fingerless gloves are coming nicely but the double pointed needles take their toll on my hands... I get tired super fast and my hands ache. So not so happy there...

That's just the cuff...

See you soon!
S.

Not so nice day.

2011-11-12T09:33:00.000-05:00

My morning yesterday was wonderful. I was at the Church were the Spinners and Weavers show would be held at 10.30am. My friends were already there.
I helped them mark the spaces where the different booths would be and then helped them unload their different things from the cars and then set up their booths.

I was amazed at all the things they carry and have to set up a nice display of their handmade things.
I have a friend that is a knitter and a weaver, another one that just knits, and one more that dyes yarn in delicious colors and makes soap.

People started coming later to set up more booths, quilting, baskets, felting, a lot of weaving and knitting... it was fun to watch the inside of a show.

After that I was going to go to the yarn shop and then come back when the show opened to the public in the evening.... but when I left there, I started to feeling bad... my stomach hurted and was upset and luckily I was just crossing the street from my house, like a block and a half away... to I run to my house and started feeling ill.
I talked to my mom and she said it could be an stomach infection and gave me all the recomendations that moms give.
After a while I layed on the couch and I was feeling so poorly and awful that I started to cry. I wanted my mom and she was so far away!!!! and I called MG but he didn't answer because he was in a seminar.
I was very cold and trembling and all my skin hurted and was so sensitive to contact with anything... I think I ran a fever for 2-3 hours in the afternoon/evening.
So I couldn't go back to the show... I just stayed in the couch and watched TV.
MG came home soon... thankfully!!! but only because he was a bit uncomfortable too, and he had pain in his back after some bad movement the day before... not nice.

Anyway, today we are better... he is off to the lab, and I'll rush to go to the show quickly and then to the shop as I am teaching a Christmas tree ornament class today!!!

See you soon!
S.

11.11.11

2011-11-11T10:17:00.000-05:00

Today I'm ready to be happy!!!

To make a wish at 11.11... and you get two if you make one in the morning and another one at night.

I'm off to help defining spaces and organizing the Spinners and Weavers Guild Annual Show... later the vendors will come (the guild members) to set up their stands... will be so interesting and fun to see the inside of a show, the set up and preparations, instead of just getting there when they are ready and open to the public...

Then I think I'll go to the Yarn Shop for an afternoon of making Holliday decorations with a couple of girls that go there after school while her mom gets out of work... don't you love the idea of "day care" where you can knit and crochet and learn fibery stuff???? I love that!

And then back to the show to see it in full with the vendors in place!

Have a great fun day and don't forget to make your wishes!!!

See you soon!
S.

Yarny business

2011-11-10T15:03:00.000-05:00

It looks like my days pass by without giving me much time to seat down and write leisurely...
Anyway, here I am today... Very happy in the refugee of my home. I appears that it had started to snow... at least for short periods of time and not over the whole city at the same time.
Yesterday I had a bit of snow falling on me while I waited for the bus... I had that feeling of excitement that comes with the first snow, but also a bit of sadness that warmer days had finished.

I've been all over the place with my yarns!!!!
I finished my sweater, and its pretty, cozy and warm/hot... I'll show it to you later, as (again) pictures are in MG camera... but for know I have pictures of some of the parts... The back and one front...

The pattern is called Nimbus and as you can see is a knitted sweater. My first sweater knitted in parts and sewn together. The yarn I used is the one the pattern asks for and is Peruvia Quick. A thick chunky yarn in 100% wool.... ideal for the cold weather!!!!

But I do have a lot more thing to share!!!!

Here I am wearing the white shawlette/stole I finished a while ago...

Very fun... I felt like I was wearing a cloud!!!

My LYS had a promotion with an already-dressed-loom so you could seat just for the afternoon and weave even when you didn't know a thing about weaving (like me) and without having to take a full class and dress the loom and all that.... so I took advantage of it and wove a table runner that I took to Mexico with me to give to my uncle as a Birthday present.... he was very happy with it and I was so proud of myself!!!

I did a couple of headbands using Shepperds Wool yarn... it was my first time using that yarn and I loved it!!! it is totally great for this headbands... they are knitted with 2 strands held together and are quick and easy to fix. they button in the lower part of your head and I added a flower to embellish one of them. I didn't have enough yarn to make a flower for the other one. I gave the one with the flower to a friend from Mexico and she loved it! she is living in North Carolina so it gets cold there the same as here, so with a headband we get to cover our ears and be warm even if we have styled our hair.

And finally (before this post gets super long)... I want to share a scarf with you...

Now... isn't that pretty???? but I didn't make it!!!!! you may recognize it from the web, because it was purchased in a big store. I don't know which one... the owner of the shop bought it and it was so popular with the customers and so many people asked for the pattern that I was asked to write the pattern for it. Or at least my version of it...

So I did.... and last week I had a class with 4 students to show this motives...

Here's what I did that day!

I need tons of hexagons!!!

See you soon!

Quick trip, Halloween and Home coming weekend...

2011-11-01T11:06:00.001-04:00

Hello guys!!!
I'm back and I hope to seriously be back to blog and catch up with you....

How you've been? I've missed you!!!

I had a quick trip back home last week... One of my friends was getting married. It was a very special wedding and I was so glad I was able to make it and be there with them. My parents went with me and all my friends were there so I had a great time!!

I came back on Thursday for a weekend full of events!!! MG didn't go with me to Mex and the wedding so he was playing crying because "he missed me sooo much and I left like for a year"... so we had an excellent loving weekend with lots of hugs and kisses because he was so happy I'm back! :o) that is perfection and happiness.

The weekend was Home coming weekend... and while we didn't got tickets for the football game, we enjoyed the night parade on Friday night... it was long and happy and I deffinetly love Bands!!!! I have a thing for them! every time I see and hear a band I get all happy and excited and jumping and more...
I don't have pictures because I forgot my camera that day... MG joined me there and he took pictures, I have to make sure to take them out of his camera and onto my computer.

Friday was a perfect autumn day. I had a nice walk in the main street downtown from the yarn shop to where the parade was going to pass... It was cold and chilly but not freezing and I bought a hot chocolate to make the walk. It was like a half mile walk and the hot chocolate was sooooo good! it was the first of the season and that made me happy!

On Saturday we went to our respective worlds: MG to his lab and me to the Yarn Shop.... :o)
Later we went to a store to pick up costumes for a Halloween party....
We dressed up as Pirates!!!

That's me... (oviously, huh?) the dress was a little tiny bit big but very comfortable, with cheap velvet and lace... I liked it... the skirt had pointy stripes in both fabrics and I wore fishnet stockings and tall boots.
Marco had boot covers, black pants and this set of hat and jacket:::

And here we are together::: (You can see that MG is making a "Pirate" face)

We had a great time and the party was crowd packed with people in all kind of costumes...

What did you do for Halloween???

See you soon!
S.

I'm still here...

2011-10-19T13:33:00.000-04:00

I don't know what's happening... I'm still here and I have a lot of things to share and write, but I just don't feel like writing... my camera keeps filling with pictures that I take to post and keep the memories and when I get to the computer I just can't bring myself to do it...

I'll be back, hopefully soon!

S.

Happiness and frustation...

2011-10-03T19:41:00.000-04:00

I can't tell you how excited I am with my cardigan porject...

It had grown nicely, steady and pretty... VEEERY pretty!!!

You can clearly see all the stitches and the patterns are defined. I have 7 stitch patterns going on at the same time, so it's a major challenge for me that I'm not really a knitter. Although after this one I might consider myself one!!

I go to the sleeve and worked succesfully on it... (the growing part to the right)

And since the body is worked in short rows respect to the neckline, it actually makes the neckline to be a LOT smaller and have considerable few rows than the body, which makes it to curve which in consequence make the cardigan to shape itself without really shapeing...

I've been working on it for 3 weeks and I'm very happy with it... right now I'm more than half way to the back...

But today... I realized that I've made a HUGE mistake!!!!
I can't understad how or why but I increased in 3 different rows in ths same place, resulting in 3 extra stitches along one of the patterns, and an extra stitch marker on my needle that I ab-so-lu-te-ly cannot remember puting....

And I've knitted 16 rows when I realized it!!!!!!!! can you imagine!!!!!!!!!!!?????????

I'm so in shock!

I was at the Yarn shop, so we took those stitches out in an attempt of seeing if we could hide the extra yarn behind somehow, but I think there's no good choice...

I will have to rip off those 16 rows!!! I'm scared.
I don't want to take it back one stitch at a time but ripping off 16 rows of different stitch patterns is just painful!!!
I don't know how to explain it, but I'm sure you understand...

I'm off now... MG just got home, plus we are getting down with a cold, he's worse than me but I'm afraid I'll get there too... headache.
I'll rest with a movie...

See you soon!
S.

And the winner is....

2011-09-29T14:11:00.001-04:00

Today is the happy announcement for the winner of Speckled Frog Crochet Pattern Giveaway
I received a total of 6 comments for the giveaway, and since the last person had the 2 last posts, I used a random number generator and stablished the limits 1-5. Hope that makes sense. What I mean is that the last person only got one entry for the giveaway with her first comment.

Soooooooooo, the Lucky Winner is:::::

¡¡¡Yarner!!!

Congratulations!!!
I'm off to send your email address to Speckled Frog, along with the pattern you picked so she can email it to you!

Thank you to everyone that participated in this giveaway!! it was fun!

:o)
S.

***************
In my previous post, where I was confused that so many people had read the giveaway post but so few commented to enter, I had some comments telling me that the steps that needed to be completed to enter the giveaway where long and confusing. And I'm pretty sure that a lot more people felt that way, even when they didn't leave a comment.
I'm really sorry that was the case and I wanted to make a note on that. The only step I put for the giveaway was the first one, in which I asked you to friend my blog (which I regret because it really conflicts me as I think a person should friend and follow your blog because they want to and they find what you share in it interesting, and not because you ask them to follow you as a condition for something you are going to giveaway... after all, a giveaway is something from the heart, isn't it?)

The rest of the steps came to me as they where by the owner of the giveaway... since this time I was only a host for it, I wasn't able to change the rules.

I'm sorry that those of you that regularly follow my blog felt this was tedious and not fun... that was never my goal!!!

Until next time!!
S.

Speckled Frog Crochet Giveaway!

2011-09-26T19:25:00.000-04:00

I found myself a little bit confused.

Blogger has a function that lets you know how many people had seen your posts and when, from which country they are and all kind of fun things...
Well, it says that 85 people have seen my last post for the Crochet Pattern Giveaway from Speckled Frog... And I am just seeing 4 comments...

I don't think that every person of those 85 left a comment, but I would've thought that this giveaway would get more than 4 comments. It's not like I'm having a giveaway in rocket science... it's crochet! which I talk about all the time... and blog comunity likes giveaways, or at least that is my impresion.

I'm also confused because I stoped by SF facebook page a while ago, and she had comments from several people saying that I had sent them, which was the second step to enter the giveaway, but then I don't have their comments on my blog... and there's also some people that left a comment without leaving an e-mail address... there's even an annonymus comment!!

I think Speckled Frog patterns are really cute... I feel bad and sad of being offered to host a giveaway for her that is not being very succesful...

Good luck to all of you that entered!!! 2 more days!!!

See you soon!
S.

Speckled Frog Crochet Pattern Giveaway!!!

2011-09-22T12:26:00.000-04:00

Hellooooo!!!!!

I'm happy and excited to anounce that I've been chosen to host a Crochet Pattern Giveaway from Speckled Frog Crochet.

If you don't know her, you'll be delighted to see her amazing designs... If you do know her you'll be very happy to have the chance to get one of her patterns for free!

She has a lot of really cute designs of crocheted hats, baby cocoons, diper covers and more! using fun shapes, textures and colors! all ilustrated with super cute pictures!!!

So don't wait any longer and enter this fabulous Giveaway!!!!

Here are the rules:::

1) Join me in my blogland adventure and friend my blog!

2)”Like”SpeckledFrog Crochet on Facebook and tell her I sent you!

3)Visit SpeckledFrog Crochet’s Etsy Shop and pick your favorite pattern.

4)Come back here and leave a comment telling me which pattern you like best and confirmyou have done all the steps! don't forget to leave a valid e-mail address!

You won't be held to the selection!! so if you are the winner after I do the draw, you still can change your mind...

This will give you one entry to the Giveaway... and you have a week to enter. The Giveaway ends on Wednesday, September 28th, at midnight EST. And I'll contact the winner by e-mail on the 29th!

See you soon!
S.

More knitting adventures -- A new exciting project!!!

2011-09-19T13:55:00.000-04:00

Helloooo!!!!!
In my previous post I wanted to talk about this, but then the post became so long with all the other things I wanted to share that I have to save this for a new post.

Here it is:

Last month, when I was visiting Mexico, I took time to visit some of the local yarn shops. I went to 6, and I know of about other 8 or 10... but Mexico city is so big, that I'm pretty sure I don't know even half of the exsisting yarn shops there!!!
Now that I'm "living" the daily life of a yarn shop and that I saw (with the moving of my LYS that I helped) what it takes to put a yarn shop... I'm dreaming about opening my own yarn shop whenever we get back to Mexico City!!! wouldn't that be wonderful???
But that's another story, that hopefully will happen some day...

For now, what I have in my hands is a new project. I saw a sample of it in one of the yarn shops I visited in Mexico and I LOVED it...

I can't really show you what it is because I didn't take a picture, and I don't have a pattern for it.
But I can try to explain it... it is a cardigan for myself that pretty much has this shape:

But instead of being worked top-down or bottom-up, what I would call vertical direction beacuse it grows vertically.... it's worked from the opening on one side to the opening on the other, so the rows are worked from bottom to top to bottom again, and the knitting grows in a horizontal direction... (hope it makes sense...)

I think I have figured it out, but I don't know if I can explain it yet... here's the drawing that the lady at the yarn shop made for me as an explanation of the pattern::

She said, using worsted weight yarn (I got 100% mercerized cotton, Fontana yarn by Omega) and 6mm&10US size needles, you cast on 80 stitches and knit 1.5in of 2x2 ribbing... leave the last 12 stitches to work a 1x1 special ribbing that will be worked in short rows respect to the body to form the neckline. For the rest of the stitches choose whatever stitches you want and work your numbers to have them divided in the total amount of stitches that you have... work until you've reached the side and put 40 stitches on hold and keep working with the top 40st to make the sleeve... when you've finished the sleeve, pick up the stitches you had on hold and work the back of the cardigan until you get to the other side, then put your stitches on hold and make the second sleeve as the first one, pick up the stitches and get to the end (the opening) and finish with 1.5in of ribbing.

Simple huh??

Well, so with that I came, hoping not to forget what she had said and explained... I spent an afternoon on Ravelry looking for stitch patterns to use in my project and found a lot that I liked... discarded, reasses, discard again...
When I've decided, I spent more time reading each pattern carefully, working math and numbers to have the right amount of stitches for a repear of two of the pattern... how many stitch patterns do I need? how many total stitches can I use? how will this work???????

Finally, adding some stitches to be worked in garter stitch in between each stitch pattern I decided I was ready to start...
I took my yarn, my 10 US size needles and casted on...

90 stitches to start (because I'm bigger than the lady at the yarn shop), 2in of ribbing... start with the pattern......... Oh no!!!! the numbers match but the fabric is TOO open and you can barely distinguish the stitch patterns wich is the whole point of this vest.

So I took some pictures:::

Rip it all and started all over again... in 8 US size needles...

I added 10 more stitches to compensate the needle size reduction. So I'm working with 100 stitches now. I have 6 stitch patterns going at once. I changed some of the first patterns for cables and for that I changed some of the garter stitches division for stockinet and reverse stockinet, so the patterns and the cables show better.

I've finished the first front and I'm about to put on hold the bottom stitches (60) to work the top 40 for the sleeve... I don't have photos of it at this moment... hopw to take them in a while... when I'm working on it...

I'm SOOOO truly excited by this project... I'm happy that the numbers are working, I'm delighted on how it looks!!! and I'm SOOO proud of myself of being able to figuring it out and actually make it work. It's a big thing for a No-Knitter like me!!!!
I guess I've learned something from watching my friends knit all the time!!!

I'll be back soon with photos of the project... now I'm off to the shop to keep working on it!!!

See you soon!
S.

Knitting Adventures

2011-09-19T13:06:00.000-04:00

Back in May, when we had our trip to Rochester, I bought some Vintage Chunky yarn to make a top...
It has been seating in the closet since then and is hoping to see the light sometime this fall to go from this

To this...

you might remember that last year I made a little dress using this free pattern on Ravelry
Well, now I want to make the same one, but for my size!!!!! it'll be interesting for sure...

It looks like my fall will be full of knitting, to have a change from crochet... not really. Is just that I've came along several knitting projects that I've postponed till the fall.

I'm taking a sweater class at the Yarn shop, that will be knitted.

I just finished this nice shawl

It's made with one of those self texturing yarns, something similar to ChaCha but from a French company. I got it in Mexico, and 2 balls were enough to make this estole (is that the word?)... Here's a close up of the texture:::

It was very fun to knit... I felt like I was knitting with a cloud!!!

Also in Mexico, I worked on a cable hat... which was my first succesful cable project and I am very happy with it and proud that I was able to make it!

It has a long ribbing for the brim, so you can fold it:

Look how pretty they are!!! I'm still excited about them!!

I used a free pattern that my LYS gave me... and again Vintage yarn (by Berroco), this time in Worsted weight. I sooo love that yarn!

Last, I leave you with a photo of myself in the Annie's Attic top that I told you about here...

I finished it in June I think, but it wasn't until a week ago that MG took me a picture wearing it...

See you soon! more knitting adventures to come!
S.

I'm back!!

2011-09-14T10:42:00.000-04:00

Oh my!!! it has been a month since my last post!!!
I knew it had been a while, but it didn't feel like that much.

I was away in a lovely trip back home, and (very luckily) this time with MG.
He hadn't been home since our wedding in March 2009, so it was important that he made the trip, see family and friends and enjoy the food and good company that Mexico offers us.

I, as always that I'm there, was very happy... very pleased with the trip in general and just happy to be there.
We had my Grandma's 91st birthday, I loved how her hat turned out! she didn't notice a lot but we put it on her and she wore it the whole afternoon, so I guess it was fine.

LOL!!! I can't stop laughing at Grandma's face... she loves to make faces....
She had a great time at her party, we had a "piñata" and by the time it broke grandma was tired, but she played with the points of the piñata star and wore them as a hat...

My niece also enjoyed the piñata, and used a star point too.... to pick up and gather her candies!!!!

I did another hat, from the same Eco Duo yarn (Baby alpaca + Merino) for my mom, and another one with lines of 2 colors of the same yarn that came out really small so I gave it to a friend.
Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of those, so no showing this time...
I made another hat while I was in Mex... I'll take a pic soon and tell you about it.

I went to a bunch of yarn shops in Mex... all different yarns of whan I'm used to now here!!!! but still a few good things... I have to put them in order and wait for a sunny day to take photos.

I went with my mom to a party... I always have a great time with her!!!!

And we had my Dad's Birthday party too.... I don't have photos of that because they still are in MG's camera... but I do have this one I took from that day!!

Is a crochet carpet made by my Grand Mother (the other one), I don't know if you notice from the photo, but it's made with thread!!! soooooo tiny!!!!
Here's another one where I put my ring next to it so you can see the final size of the carpet...

It was very pretty............ there are some days where I wish so much my Grand Mother was still here so I could talk crochet with her...

And last of all.... my enchanting handsom Husband before a job interview...

He was so handsome that day that if I wasn't his wife yet, I would have fallen for him on that moment... (does that makes sense??)

See you soon my friends!
S.

I got an Award!!!!

2011-08-15T10:09:00.000-04:00

Hello guys!!!

I'm excited and honored to share with you that Deirdra at A Storybook World has given Wires and Yarns a Creative Blog Award!!!

Thanks Deirdra!!!!

See you soon!
S.

Knitting a hat...

2011-08-04T19:23:00.000-04:00

Hello guys!!!

I hope you all are having a great day!!! My day here is beautiful and not so hot, it is very hot, but not extremly hot... And I totally love to have the sun out!

Yesterday I started a knitted hat... I haven't done any knitting since May, when I finished my Rosa's Sleeveles Tunic... There has been a lot of crochetting in this time thou. And I'm in the middle of some crochet projects, but I decided to knit a hat because in 3 weeks MG and I will be traveling to Mexico!!!! I'm so so so so so SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!!! it will be our first time together there in 3 years, he hasn't been there since our wedding and I think is absolutely great that he'll go with me this time...

Anyway..... on the 22th (of August) my grandma will have her 91st Birthday!!! so I'll make her a nice and comfy hat for the rainy and cold days...
I am using Cascade Eco Duo yarn... and let me tell you::: is a dream!
It is 70% Baby Alpaca and 30% Merino Wool... it is undyed, so it comes in about 4 or 5 natural colors and it's super pretty, warm and SOFT!!!!

Here's what I've done so far...

The colors are a little bit darker in real life...

I'm so very happy so far!

See you soon!
S.

A new yarn shop...

2011-08-03T18:40:00.000-04:00

The opening came... it has been a very busy week at the shop... I've learned tons about yarns and several different manufacturers and such.

I'm really happy!

As a picture worth more than a thousand words... (is that the way to say it?)

See you soon!
S.

...

2011-08-02T16:05:00.002-04:00

I'm still here...

The yarn shop is on and runing... its amazing!!!

I have a cold and not feeling very good, I'm off to the couch and I'll tell you about it another time...

:o)

Hope to see you soon,
S.

Putting together a Yarn Shop... 3...

2011-07-27T17:58:00.000-04:00

Actually I can't stay and chat today...

Just wanted to let you know that the moving is happening... we are in good shape and the past couple of weeks have been totally crazy... but we are getting there and it's looking great!!!

I'll let you know more soon! and have pics to share!

See you soon!
S.

Putting together a Yarn Shop... 2...

2011-07-21T14:00:00.000-04:00

Hello Guys!!!

Here I am again with more stories from the yarn shop!

After the painting was done, we continued to look for things, the lights for the outside sign were easy to find but it took forever to get them because they were supossed to be shipped in 3 days and it took around 3 weeks...
The sign was about to come, the lights weren't ready, so the awning couldn't go up!
The awning was in the back room, so we couldn't clean that room or have anything else going on there because the awning was taking a lot of the space... it was really stressful!

Eventually the lights came in, the sign went up, the lights were installed and the awning too... so we could move the looms to the back room.
We made some curtains for the back room, to divide the weaving area from the "private" area of the shop, and some more curtains for under the kitchenette sink.

And last week, Mary Ann and her sister worked in the wall decoration for the back room... I think those are the only big walls that are not covered in slat walls... We've found a forest bamboo vinyl to put back there...

Doesn't it looks great?

We also put one on the oposite side wall, and it's wraping around the corner...

While they were dealing with the bamboos, I was balancing on top of a ladder, hanging paper lanterns to cover the ugly ceiling in the back room...

Some fun color...

You can see some of the looms in the bottom part.

Here's the curtain that devides the weaving area from the kitchenette, office and bathroom... that rod in the middle with a green curtain...

The cubes are finally in what it seems to be their official place... This ones in the front with hooks to waiting for the yarn...

So when you enter you see this in front:

and this to the left:

The window is displaying right now some looms and spinning wheels

This is the middle room

And the sign that needs to be placed...

Do you remember the dark office and the clinical bathroom???

Look at them now! The office is still a work in progress but the bathroom is ready!

So I will leave you my dears.... I'm going for my daily yanry time!
I'll leave you with the delicious 3 leches cake I made for one of the ladies Birthday last Saturday...
If you want to see the recipe, click here.

Stay cool!!! I don't know how it is where you are, but here the weather is increible hot and we have Excesive Heat Warnings!!!!

See you soon!
S.

Putting together a Yarn Shop...

2011-07-19T20:56:00.001-04:00

Doesn't that sounds exciting?????

Let me tell you, it is!

But it is also something stressfull, full of details and things to do... it's something big... that one, as a customer, doesn't realize when enter that paradise of textures and colors that is a yarn shop.
As I've told you in previous post I'm getting more and more involved with my LYS. I've become "part of the staff", I give crochet classes and this days I've been working in crochet samples of sweaters and hats for the shop. And for the past couple of months I've been helping to put together a yarn shop, as the shop is moving to a new location...

It was around May when the owner of the shop, Mary Ann, told me that she was considering to rent a bigger space that faces the street (the shop now is in the inside of a Mall) and move the shop over there... after a couple of weeks of working with the lease and its terms, she signed the contract and the adventure began....

She got the key for the new space at the begging of June... the place had been a guitars store before, so it had little practice rooms on the side, all the walls cover with slat boards...

... and a wall in the middle that she decided to take out.

All the walls free of slat board were painted in white, the bathroom was all white,

the rooms all white, all but the office, which was a dark teal.

It had a beautiful front facing the street with a nice wood space to display things...

So the shopping and planing began while the construction continued... and we had uncountless trips to hardware stores, Target, Menards, Good Will and practically every thrifth store in town looking for the right tables, shelves, accesories, paint, clocks, mirrors, etc...
We took out some of the doors of the practice rooms...

I helped her to look all around for all kind of things, decide the final look of the sign, the lights, the cabinets...

She ordered 30 wood cabinets, of 9x9 cubes of those "assemble your self" kind from Lowes...

You can see the pile of boxes to the right!!! can you imagine assemble 30 of those??

We had a painting day with the regular knitting group... a group of 8 wonderful ladies that helped with the painting, while Mary Ann and I assembled and assembled cubes...

So, as you can see, the chosen colors were orange and green... we did the bathroom, the outside of the rooms, primed the office.... uff, more and more... maybe you can see at the back of the last picture with the orange rooms, there's a "kitchen" at the end??? that wasn't there either!!!

We found the counter with the sink and had it installed and the white cabinets mounted in the wall...

I really wish I had tell you day to day all about this adventure, I'm not sure why I didn't... but I'll tell you more another day... I'm sure you're tired of reading by now, and I have to run...

Hope you had enjoy it so far!!!

See you soon!

Bits of this and that...

2011-06-29T14:03:00.002-04:00

I've been a little all over the place lately... I am still just living, trying to make the most out of my days and just enjoying them and being happy... but my so free life, leisure life, it has become busy and full of things lately!!! which is great and I don't regreat any of it, but it gives me less time to spend in blogland... either reading or writing...

I've been more and more involved with the LYS, and I LOVE it!!!! I'm not "working" there and I'm not official staff, but I spend a lot of time there, helping with different things, giving classes, knitting, crocheting and chatting...
This yarn shop will be moving to another location at the end of July, is just a block away but there's a lot of work to do in the new space and a whole lot to prepare for the actual moving... and I've been helping with that too... it gives me something to do, it allows me to know more about more things and I can be useful to someone.
I love to spend my days there, learning about fibers, different tecniques and medias, diferent yarns and their caracteristics... and all that happens in a store in daily basis...

I've been enjoying this books and magazines...

I just got the Learn Slip Stitch Crochet from Annie's Attic, I have worked with slip stitch before but I've found several interesting things in there, it was on sale when I bought it so a great discovery for $4!. The Interweave Crochet magazine (spring 2011) has several lovely patterns that I am dying to try!
And the Happy Hooker is a book that I've seen for years but just recently picked it up... I think is a must for any crocheter!

This is my reading book on turn... I'm LoVinG it!!!!!!!!!!!

On the Yarny side...... I fixed a crochet blanket for a customer at the yarn store... It was like this and I felt so bad for it!!!!

It took me a little while because the old yarn was difficult to take out, but I did it and I felt so proud of myself!

I made a shawl/poncho kind of thing for myself.... I used a picture of a shawl from Ravelry for the base, but then I added the mesh ribbon (Swing by Rebecca Pick), that is one of those yarns that you use for a curly scarf.

Anyway, it was fun to make and I can wear it on the side and it looks fun and it's super comfy!

And last, I started to make a top, pattern from Annie's Attic...

I have the back finished and I'm working on the front now... I'm using Cascade Sierra yarn that it's a heavier weight than what the pattern asks for, so I did my numbers and I'm wroking with the small size instructions of the pattern, but it's not really coming out small as it has to be for my side and I'm more Large than small, hehe... but it fits and I'm very pleased with the work so far!

And my last sharing for today is some jewelry... I've been playing with Viking knit.

Don't you love them????

See you soon!!!!
S.

An Awsome Class!!!

2011-06-22T10:19:00.000-04:00

Hello my friends! here I am again... very quickly that I must go... I'm heading to the Yarn Shop for the afternoon!!! Yei!

I just want to share with you my awsome story of last week.

Last week I had my first "official" crochet class at the Yarn Store, I gave a nice class on Monday, and then on Wednesday another... different people, different classes...

The first one was with 3 middle age ladies, friends, one of them had crocheted before and wanted to improve tecnique... the other 2 had never picked a hook before... the class was good and they learned to make a chain and a single crochet stitch in one hour. The one that had crocheted before, learned the crocodile stitch.

My class on Wednesday was special and made me really happy...
It was a private class for a woman named Jackie, who was 83 years old, was in a wheelchair and had some kind of illness that erased her crochet memories. She had some limited and slow movements in her hands and couldn't speak. It was a challenge and a great thing to do.
I stood up behind her, place yarn and hook in her hands in the way I'm used to hold them and grabbed her hands in mine... and started to crochet.... I moved her hands to make chains and after a few she started to move her hands and do it on her own!!!
I stayed by her side, just to hold my yarn and hook in position of each step to form a chain so she could see it if needed and by imitation she could do it again and again...
I could see in her eyes that little by little she was remembering, as she moved her hands and put them in her own position, and grabed the yarn and chain with that movement that every crocheter owns to hold its yarn and move their hands... I don't know how to explain it... is just that she moved her hands in a right way with out me telling her how to do it...

It took a long time and she didn't pass the chain, but she did great!!!!
her daughter told her that she could do the whole skein just in chains and she would say no...
When her daughter went to leave the things in the car so she could come back to take Jackie, I started talking to fill the space... I told her that she had to practice a lot to make great chains, she would say no again and looked around the samples in the store.
I asked her if she had grandsons, and slowly she put down her hook and raised one finger... so I asked her if she wanted us to work in her crochet skills so she can make a hat for his grandson, and then she lighted up, her eyes sparkled and she noded very happy.
I asked if she wanted it to be red or blue, and she looked again to the samples on the store and pointed to a knitted hat in green and yellow, so that's the yarn we would use.
The daughter came back then, and Jackie pointed to the hat... her daughter didn't understand and I explained it all to her.
They both left the store very happy.... and I was happier than them!

I loved to be able to comunicate with her, to see those sparkles of knowledge in her eyes, and loved to feel that I was able to give her some hope that she can do it again... and I have no doubt on that!!!!

I hope they come back for another class...

See you soon!
S.

Z is for... Zumba!

2011-06-15T22:59:00.000-04:00

I love Zumba, I love what it had brought to my life, I love to be able to work out in an intense hour full of fun dance... I love to see that my body is not so out of shape and that it really works... I love to feel like I'm having a REAL workout during the class, even when I finish drenched in sweat each class.

Very unfortunately, my Zumba place will be closing in about 2 weeks... which makes me sad and leaves me with the necessity of finding a new place to go to Zumba or a gym to work out.

:o(

Z is also for ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.............

Off to bed now!!!
See you soon!
S.

Y is for Yarn!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-06-13T20:47:00.001-04:00

As it is almost impossible to go into a yarn store and not get nothing....

AND I've decided that yarn is an excellent souvenir whenever you go to a new place, guess what I got in Rochester????

I'll make a top with that one, is Vintage Chunky, by Berroco.

This one will be a hat or a scarf.

This one was made while being in Rochester with cotton, it has a nice brim to cover the sun.

My Vintage Vertical Stripe is coming out great!!!

I am LOVING IT!!!!!!!!

And I'm making a shawl! this is just the first "row" but I have 5 more done already... I'll show you soon!

See you soon!
Off to dinner!
S.

X is for X-Ray

2011-06-13T20:30:00.003-04:00

I think I need one for my left ankle...

My left ankle is the weak one, the one that every once in a while gets hurt and bad for a couple of days... it has been bad, on and off, for almost 2 weeks... I can't go to Zumba and it hurts to walk sometimes... I think I had a sprain somewhere in the past...

See you soon!
S.

W is for... Wire Jewelry

2011-06-13T20:13:00.001-04:00

It has been about a month since I was last here...
I've missed it but somehow, I feel like I hadn't have time for blog land... no, scratch that. I for sure, hadn't have any time for blogland... not for reading, not for writing...

I'm back and hope to be right on track again... this A-Z blogging was a lot harder than I thought and made me lose my writing track.

W is for Wire Jewelry, which I've been doing a lot in the past month... you see, last weekend I had my first show!!
I had a booth at the Luna Festival. Which is an event organized by Women Inspire, and organization that supports and empower women on business and arts.

I don't have pictures of my booth right now... they are on MG camera and I have to unload them to my laptop... but here some of the earrings I had that day!

I displayed some of the jewelry in a manequin... can you tell I was at the yarn shop???

Have to go!
See you soon!
S.

U is for......... Ultimate news and stuff.

2011-05-17T18:14:00.000-04:00

Hello guys!!!
I've been neglecting blogland! and then, on the day I was inspired to write a post, the blogger down occured and I just couldn't sign in or leave messages on your blogs... shame!

But I'm back with several things to share with you...


Red Velvet Whoopie Pies and Milk!

They were delicious!!! Some friends said that they were "to die for" :o)

Mini veggie frittatas for evening snack!! yum!


Farpoint topper finished!!!

Close up of the texture and design.

This top it's made with Incredible yarn, by LionBrand, designed by Doris Chan in the book Amazing Crochet Lace. Ravelry project page here.

Me, happy, wearing the Farpoint topper.

I have a new knitting bag!!! for all my crochet! LOL

I finished my Rosa's Sleeveles Tunic!!

Took forever after I had to take it all off and start again... but it's finished and I love it!


At the lake!

MG took me a pic while I slept on the couch!

We'll be taking a trip to Rochester this week... I'm excited to see old friends and spend a good time there, and MG not working in the lab!!!
So I'll see you when we're back...
S.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
V is for.......... Vibrant Colors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't you looooove it!????????

I mean, seriously!
I just have to look at it to smile!!!!

It is my Vintage Stripe Blanket in progress... I'm making it with my Sinfonía yarn that I brought back from Mexico. Do you remember it?
I haven't worked a lot on it... first I wanted to finish my tunic and then I got into the lace-y top.
But I'm really happy with it... I found out today that I made a mistake color wise, when following the color pattern I made with the random stripe generator... I have used some colors instead of others but still looks good.

So far, it measures 51x16 in! not bad huh?

And my last thing to share!
I just got a new camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My last camera stoped working and maybe you remember that I didn't have a very good start of the year with it, loosing the memory card inside the computer and all that... so I haven't been taking as much pics as I would liked. And I've been kind of sharing MG's camera, but it's not the best.
So about 2 weeks ago, I was talking in the phone with my Mother in law and she told me that her camera had died too and she wanted me to buy a new one for her here, because is cheaper than in Mexico, and another one for me!!!! we chose different cameras... she got a Nikon Coolpix P7000 and I got a Canon S95 that just arrived today!!!!

So I hope that with it, I'll be able to take more pics of nice things and be back to blog duty!
Have a wonderful week!!!!!!!!!!
See you soon... well, more like in a week or so, when we get back from our trip!
S.

T is for.... TOTALLY in love!!!!!

2011-05-11T14:51:00.000-04:00

Really!

I mean, I know is good to be in love, I think that if you are in a marriage the best thing is to be in love with your spouse!!! but I also think that there are levels and sometimes you can be more in love than other times.

And lately I am in those times where you're just super, totally, deeply and absolutely madly in love!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE MG.

He completes my life and my days in a very undescriptible way... he fills my moments, even when we are not together, he touches the deepest inside of me when he looks at me and smiles and I just melt.
Usually, he wakes up before me, and when I get out of bed (still half sleep) and go to meet him... he leaves whatever he is doing to come and hug me, cuddle me and fill me with love.

It's so easy to be in love with him just because the way he is, but it also helps, and a lot, that he feels exactly the same huge love for me!!!!

Ever since we met, I have loved every time he looks at me with eyes full of adoration for me...

I could go on and on telling you about all the wonderful being he is... but I guess it could become a little cheesy and corny!!! so instead, I'll tell you that we had the most amazing weekend together...

We went to a Pub on Saturday afternoon, where he had a stew with beer and I had a vanilla milkshake with coffee cream and crocheted for a while!!! then we went to a close by lake and rented a boat and rowed for an hour... it was quiet, without a lot of people around, and romantic...

Sunday was spent in a lovely way too... Morning in a vineyard and winery with a nice picnic enjoying the warm weather... and the afternoon in a lovely and folckloric (spelling?) town... walking, taking pics at all the little stores, eating ice cream... etc!

No (nice) scrap pages for that yet, sorry!!! I haven't made my pages for that day and I have a lot of pics!!! so some singles here...

Wine barrels


At the winery yards...


Our Picnic lunch... Salami, baguette, brie cheese and spreadable sun dried tomatos

The stores...

Ice cream!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok guys, very in-love... I'll say good bye and leave you...
I'm going to the mall! hehe...

See you soon!
S.

S is for.... Simply Me!

2011-05-06T10:28:00.000-04:00

"S" is for Shanti...

I have no idea if you would like to know more things about me but a blog is pretty much about ourselves and our point of view on life isn't it??? So today post it's totally about me.

I'm the oldest of 2 kids, I have a brother who's a year and a half younger than me.
I am so lucky that both my parents are alive and are happily married and raised me in a loving family enviroment.
I went to a catholic school from knidergarden to highschool... all 15 years in the same school.
I took ballet, piano and dance classes at some point while growing up.
I used to hike with the hiking group in the school.
I love kids and I used to attend various summer camps as councelor and I even "directed" a couple of summer courses and activities.
I learned to crochet when I was 5 or 6, and since then I have always had a project going on.
I started to make jewelry 13 years ago because I got bored in highschool clases.
I learned to knit 3 years ago.
My best friends are a set of male twins that were with me all those 15 years of school!
I LOVE my mom and she's my best friend also...
MG is the only guy I seriously dated and my only boyfriend.

I can sit a whole afternoon just chatting and I don't need a lot to be happy but I'm always working on something with my hands!
I love to read fantasy books and of course romance! and I like girly books and movies too!
I love comedy, romance movies where there's a cute storie and a happy ending.
I believe in fairies and princess(es) and I had several princess dresses to play with while growing up.
I am super fan of Peter Pan! I love the story and all about it.
I get emotional very easy and I cry about anything sweet and happy... a TV comercial, a movie, a program, a detail from a friend, etc...
I love to give presents and make the people around me feel nice and "at home".
I can't wait to have kids!!!!!!!!!!!
I love to take pictures...
I love icecream.
I NEVER baked or used the oven until a year after we got married... now I've discovered that I love cooking and baking and trying new recipes.
I'm not very fan of music... I can be 12 hours alone without playing music. But curiosly I'm almost all the time singing.
I LOOOOVE musical plays in the theatre and that is the music I like best.
I LOOOOVE to dance!
I love bright colors.
I love being happy.
I love, love, love they way MG loves me.

I think that's a good amount of stuff!

See you soon!
S.

R is for Royal Wedding...

2011-05-03T20:10:00.001-04:00

And I know we've had several things going on in the world and several days have passed since the Royal Wedding was.... but as I thought and thought about a good post with "R" anything came to mind nor seemed more acurate than the Royal Wedding... so:::

R is for ROYAL WEDDING!!!!!

I was one of the 2.5 billion people that saw the Royal Wedding on TV and I have to say that I enjoyed it enormously!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've always been a dreamer... a princess and fairy tale believer... an avid reader of romantic stories with happy endings.... and I must confess that I didn't knew a lot about the wedding until a week ago or so. I've seen pictures of them on the magazines but never bought one to read about it... until last week when TLC channel started a whole week of wedding specials with stories of the Royal Family, their weddings, their lifes, the preparings for this wedding, the wedding and story of Prince Charles and Lady Di, the story of Kate and William, interviews, set ups and more....

And I saw most of them and recorded all of those that I couldn't watch... I got excited in most of them, I got goose pumps all over my body all the time and more than once I had tears in my eyes and sometimes down my face.

I wasn't even born when Prince Charles and Lady Di got married and I must have missed all the Royal weddings between then and now (although I think they had never done one like this one)...
So I was absolutely thrilled with this fairy tale...

It amazed my completely all the effort and detail that they put in all of it... the great protocol and formalities that they have through their lifes... the political life and manners that they have to observe and attend... and the down to earth, in-love, happy and nervous couple that looked eager to be with and for each other and make a life together...
I think she looked absolutely gorgeous and amazing and I think she'll make a great Princess...

And after all, she got what every girl dreams of...

See you soon!
S.

All the images are borrowed from the Brithish Monarchy's Flickr...

Q is for Questions.....

2011-04-29T19:13:00.000-04:00

Haven't been here in a while... I have so many thing in my head...
I've been making and selling jewelry, I'm enjoying the weather and our town... taking zumba classes, spending wonderful afternoons at the LYS...

And I have all this questions and uncertanties about what will happen with us next year. Next scholar year.
We heard this week that MG didn't got a job on the west coast that he had applied for. He was actually kind of happy because what he really wants (and I do too) is to stay here where we are now, for another year.
We are waiting to hear if he gets a renovation of the grant he's in and, therefore, of his contract. And we should know sometime in May.

I'm questioning and wondering what will it be... where we'll be, what we will do????

We are so so so much happy here... with the place, with the people, with our activities and our life... we are so happy that we are in our best moment with ourselfs... our relationship is absolutely amazing and great and fantastic and couldn't be better and somehow, everyday gets better and better. We have never (thank God) had a bad relationship... we have had some crisis moments, little things here and there, but never been bad, apart, away from each other or not liking each other...
And right now everything is so perfect!!!!!

He is SOOOO happy in his work... I'm so happy in this place, with my friends, with the people at the LYS and the store itself... it promises so many good and great things for me if we stay!!! and he's work also promise so much development for him!!!!

I know life will do it's thing and will take us wherever we need to be.... but please, send good thoughts toward us, so life chooses to leave us here for one more year!!!!

See you soon!
S.

Crocodile Stitch Bag ---- P is for Pattern!!!!!

2011-04-25T18:16:00.002-04:00

I'm very happy to anounce and share with you that today I can finally release the pattern I wrote for the Crocodile Bag.

I had several lovely and enthusiastic ladies from We love Lucy group at Ravelry that helped me test the pattern and made some amazing versions of the bag...

Jody's version

Dansnanna's version

Lia's version

Sorlanna's version

Sarah's version

You can see all the details of this ladies versions at Ravelry.

And you can also check the pattern page there at Ravelry. Here's the link to it:: Crocodile Stitch Bag.
And there's a button there to download the pattern as a PDF. I did it this way because the pattern was too long to post it directly here on the blog.

I hope you like it! and if you decide to give it a go, I'd LOVE to see a picture of it!!!!

I checked and checked the pattern and I hope that it doesn't has mistakes, but if you find some or get stuck because it's not very clear and need help or anything... please don't hessitate and contact me e-mail here

All excited, that's all for today!!!!

See you soon!
S.

O is for Oh Sweet Heaven!!!

2011-04-21T20:56:00.001-04:00

Hellooooo guys!!!!

How are you doing today????
I'm fine, I'm happy and I have a headache!

Today I baked... a sweet, rich, heavy, moist and heavenly Chocolate Buttermilk Cake (if you follow the link it'll take you to the recipe I used).

I started early, not really... I started righ after MG left for work, at 9:30. I mixed all my ingredients and it was a huge amount of batter so actually I got 2 cakes and 6 cupcakes!!

They were out of the oven just before I had to run to my Zumba class... so they stayed cooling.
I took a cupcake just like that for my Zumba instructor, we are very good friends.

When I came back I made the Chocolate Ganache to ice the cake.

I did the cupcakes first when it was still warm and runny!!!

I added some sprinkles to the edges, and they look really cute and I think, professional!!!

I don't know if it has been the deep and rich smell and flavour in the air... the chocolaty air... but my head is pounding, and I didn't even tried the chocolate!!! (chocolate can give awful migraines)...

The cake was iced at the end of the evening, when the ganache had cooled and thickened enough!

The cake is going to MG's lab group meeting tomorrow morning... I told one of his labmates to bring some milk and cups with her because they sure will need it!!!
The cupcakes are going with me to the Yarn Store for the ladies!

And I'm off now to watch a new (I hope) episode of Grey's Anatomy! Do you like that show?? I love it!
I'll leave you with a last pic of my headachy precious treats!!!

See you soon!
S.

N is for a I NEVER imagined...

2011-04-20T22:00:00.000-04:00

I Never imagined that following the Alphabet for the name of my posts would be so challenging... maybe that is the reason to call it a challenge, I don't know, but it has been difficult and I thought in things with the letter that have no reason to be on my blog...

Anyway... I haven't been here for some days... I've kept up to the day with my readings in blogland, but couldn't bring myself to write.

During the weekend, I was a poor version of myself. I had an awful migraine... I've had migraines since first grade and, although of course I don't like them nor enjoy them, I've learned to live with them and eventually to get used to a soft to mild headache all day, every day... That's my life... I've seen all kind of doctors and followed all sort of treatments, some more successfull than others, but in the end, the headaches come back. At least until today.

I woke up in the middle of the Friday to Saturday night with a REALLY bad headache, turned my head in the pillow and went back to sleep. I got out of bed with a mild headache, so I took a tylenol, just to help it... and nothing happened... it just got stronger and stronger with the day... very strong, very localized in the left part of my head, with a stinging and burning pain... with a lot of dizzyness and drowsyness... I took my "powerful" pill that usually works, and nothing... and then suddenly it was gone!!! I went to the movies with MG at night, and in the last 5 minutes the pain of horror started again and by the time we got home I was crying... I put some ice in a towel and applied it to my head, somehow it worked and I felt asleep...
As you can imagine, awful night!
Sunday was no different... The pain came again and MG took me to a Pharmacy clinic... after hours of waiting (because we got there just in their lunch time), a Doctor saw me and told me that she couldn't do anything else than taking my temperature and my blod pressure, and suggested that I might have an ear infection.

Monday, mild headache... I spent 3 hours at the University clinic surrounded by college students full of colds and flu...
Finally I had a consult with the nices doctor that asked me the right questions and made me feel as her only patient, as if there was no one else waiting.

Conclusion::: nothing, I'm perfectly healthy!!!! I might have allergies for all the pollen and the enviroment change from Mex to here... a couple of allergies pills for a week and that's it...
And I don't have the headache any more...

I've been making jewelry this week... I'll show it to you soon! right now we are off to have dinner and in the middle of the laundry process...

See you soon!
S.

M is for MG!!!!!!

2011-04-15T12:09:00.002-04:00

MG is my loved Husband... I call him MG when I'm writing blogs or emails because it's shorter than his whole name, as I like to used both his first and middle name to call him. I also call him Cielito, same as he calls me, that is a "cute name" in Spanish... it's like Honey or Sweety or something like that, but the literal translation means Little Sky.

MG is 5 years older than me, and I met him 4.5 years ago. We both did our college degree in the same school and when I was studying my degree he was already in his PhD. I studied Chemical Engenieering and he is a Chemist. But curiously, we didn't met at school.

My mom has a good friend since before I was born and she and her family had existed through my whole life. I remember parties of her kids and days where we went to play at her house. And this friend happens to be MG's Aunt... Aunt C.

So around 5 years ago, Aunt C started to tell me to go to MG's lab to meet him, and I thought it was crazy to knock on the door of a lab where you don't know anyone, and ask for a guy and say "hey, I'm Shanti and your Aunt C told me to come to meet you"... it was absolutley crazy!!!! and she didn't tell him anything about me, so it was crazier! and I never did it...
Finally, in November of 2006, the son of Aunt C (MG's cousin) was getting married so she called me to invite me to the wedding and so I went, with my parents and some other friends of them that had been invited by the cousin-groom.

MG didn't want to go to the wedding, he wasn't very in-to-the-family at the moment and prefered to stay working in the lab, but somehow someone convinced him to went to the wedding...

So in the middle of the dinner, Aunt C went to my table and took me to MG's table and introduced us.

Later, MG asked me to dance... and I'll never forget what he said while we were dancing:
MG-- How old are you?
S-- I'm 24
MG-- good, I'm 29... Do you have a boyfriend?
S-- Noup
MG-- Are you seeing someone?
S-- Noup
MG-- Do you want to go out with me??
S-- uuhm... yeah, I guess...

And that was it!!! he was quick and knew what he wanted... next Monday when he got to his work at the lab again and those who knew that he didn't wanted to go to the wedding asked him how it was, he answered: I met the woman whom I'm gonna marry with.
Just like that... we started dating, pretty much that day... Our relationship was half together and half apart... after 2 month of seeing each other, he went to England for a 6 months study, and I went to visit him in the middle with my parents and my brother!!!!!!!

When he came back we were together for 7-8 months and I left to Spain for 3 months...
I came back, we were together for 3 months, got married by the Civil way (a judge), and he left!!! to the US for his first year and was there for 7 months before going back to Mexico for our Church wedding and after that I came to the US with him!!!

And here I am... 2 years ago we got married, we are in our 3rd house, in our 3rd city and have no idea of what will happen next (school) year...
But I love him, so, so, sooooo much!!!!! and I know and feel ALL the time how much he loves me...So I don't care where we end up... I hope it's Mexico though.

Now, when I was in Spain, one of Aunt's C sons, sent me this picture...

See that boy in the light blue sweater, in the front left corner....???
See that little girl in the front right corner???

Have you guessed already???

Yeap, those little kids are MG and myself!!!!! when we were 6 and 1 years old, in the Birthday party of one of Aunt's C sons.

Isn't it great???? I love that picture!!!
After that, we didn't had any contact with each other for 23 years...

See you soon!
S.

L is for.... LOTS of things...

2011-04-14T17:32:00.000-04:00

I've reassured that I'm not very good at following a blog challenge... I've tried in the past without success and this time is the same... I'm still following the idea of a post with each alphabet letter, but I'm not good at the "everyday" part, and not because I don't have time, but so far it has become a little difficult for me to find the right word or subject to talk about with the designated letter...
I'm already behind and that just makes me feel pressure... and this is supossed to make me happy instead of suffer, so I'll continue with the letters but at my own peace...

L is for LOTS of things, because as I was thinking and thinking in a good word with L and couldn't find one that seemed right, I thought that:::

L is for Language... which is the first thing that had make difficult for me to think in the right word with a letter... I can talk and write in English, and I know it's not perfect, but I can manage to have a conversation and even to write a blog! but when I "have" to think in a word with a specific letter......... ¿¿¿¿¿?????? I get blocked and I just come up with words in Spanish!!!

L is for Lonely... as I just spent 3 wonderful weeks back home, surrounded by friends and family, doing all kinds of stuff; being back in our "little" town it's being just a bit difficult (Our town it's not a town, it's really a city, but after my big city everything looks small), I love being back with MG but he's at work all day so I need to get used again to be by myself and to not have people around all day. So yesterday I felt a bit lonely and went to the university campus to see people, and after a while I joined MG and went to his lab.

L is for Laboratory, MG's lab, where I spent the evening yesterday trying to catch up in blogland! and it was great to be there, just for being with him even when he was working and working... I sat there, crocheting on my new project and reading blogs... I could have had a hot drink to make it perfect!

L is for Love.... I love MG sooooo much!!!! it's really great to be back with him. I really missed him and it's good to notice that. And it's amazing to note and know that he missed me and that he is really really happy to have me back. All the time when we are together, he looks at me and smile, he kisses me and hugs me and I can see how happy he is for me to be here.
On Monday when I got here, he gave me a card where he wrote how much he missed me... and when we got home he had a pot of tulips and another card with a chocolate for our aniversary (that was just before I left).

It was so, so sweet!!! and extra special for me because it's the first time he has cards for me, and I've been wanting flowers for a long time...

and Last but not Least... L is for Love again... because I'm love, love, loving my new project!!!!
I'm still not sure that I love the yarn, talking about it's thickness and feeling... it is 100% cotton and it feels fresh like cotton, but it's not very soft and drapey... and I'm using a 4mm hook which it's a little small for my like... but I'm LOOOOOving the design (really simple), and I'm Totally and Completelly IN LOVE with the colors!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not very good at color combination, although I think it could be hard to have a bad combo with the colors I got because it appears like all of them work together... but anyway, I used the Stripe Generator to work the pattern... I'm in the 7th row and L O V I N G it!!!!

The colors are rich and bright and they make me feel rested and happy... it will be some sort of blanket, I think a picnic blanket or a play blanket or something like that... I'll use all the colors I bought (here's a pic so you remember)

except the light pink, black and white and the turquoise blue...
The turquoise blue is the fourth from left to right in the blues row that is kind of hide under the others. I intend to use that ball for a nice border!
The stripes will be random in color and width. It'll have stripes of 1, 2 and 3 rows... but the random thing put the first 4 colors in 2 rows stripes...
I'll go to work on it some more infront of the TV!!!

See you soon!
S.

K is for Knitting...

2011-04-13T16:32:00.002-04:00

That I should be doing... I should be working on my red sleeveless tunic... but I'm about to start playing with my new delicious yarn in a crochet vintage stripe blanket...

I have to run, but See you soon!
S.

***** I got an Award!!!!

2011-04-12T11:31:00.000-04:00

Deidra, from A Storybook World has been so kind to give me and Wires and Yarns this lovely award!!!

Thank you so much Deidra!

S.

J is for JOY!!!!!

2011-04-11T19:52:00.000-04:00

I'm back home, safe and happy... blessed and LOVED in MG's arms!

I'm back with him and it's great!

See you soon!
S.

H is for Happy!

2011-04-09T19:51:00.000-04:00

I like to be happy, I like to enjoy things just because and feel filled up with all the little details... I like to not to put my happyness in someone else, I don't like my happy state depending on someone or something, even though it can be a factor sometimes!

Some things that make me happy are:::
Being with my lovely MG, hanging out with my Mom, laugh with Grandma and have nice afternoons with my Dad or my uncle A.
Playing with my friends...
Getting a present for someone...
Dance!!!
Read a good book!
Eat ice cream...

Crochet, movies, a knitting/crochet club.... friends in blogland...
Bright colors and nice weather to use a skirt!
And being able to take the bus or public transportation to get wherever I want to go without depending on someone else!

And as "The Sound of Music" says... these are a few of my favorite things!!!

See you soon!
S.

G is for Grandma and Girls...

2011-04-09T19:42:00.001-04:00

Grandma is 90 years old... She has dementia so she doesn't remember anything (almost) so you can have the same conversation during the whole afternoon.
Sometimes she has bad days and she's not nice then, but when she's in a good day she's really nice, happy and you get to laugh a lot with her.
My brother says that she is great as a therapist, because the rational part works perfect and she can have a whole conversation and then won't remember so she won't tell.
Something that I love is that, although she doesn't remember most things, she knows exactly that I'm married, who I'm married with and that I'm living in the US. :o)
This is Grandma!

G is for Girls because I had a really good time with the girls the other day... We had such a great time that we met at 6pm and were together till 10pm! we talk a lot, about anything and everything... and it felt great to have girl friends around...

:o) :o)
:o) :o) :o)
:o) :o) :o) :o)

See you soon!
S.

G is for...... ?

2011-04-08T20:23:00.000-04:00

I can't think of a right word with G for my today post.

I had a wonderful morning with Mom, some shopping and a movie... then lunch with her and Grandma...

Maybe Grandma could be the word!
But I'll leave you know and I'll post about her another time... I don't feel good, I eat something (and I think it was the popcorns at the movies) that made my stomach funky... I'll go to lay down for a while...

See you soon!
Enjoy your weekend!
S.

F is for Friends and Flowers...

2011-04-07T18:05:00.001-04:00

All my tween and teen years I had a lot of boy friends, not romantically, I mean male friends... and usually I didn't had a lot of girl friends and it wasn't odd to see me with 10 boys around and no other girl.
I wasn't a tomb-boy but I enjoyed enormously "my boys" or "the boys" as I liked to called them.
I, of course, had a crush with one of them that never got to anything because he wasn't into it... but until today we are best friends and we've known each other for 25 years... all our life if you think we are 28!!
We had several trips, speciall days, traditions, adventures, camping, hicking and more... even back packing to Europe with some of us.

A few years ago, some of the boys started to have girl friends (romantically) and I had my "empty nest crisis" fearing that they would leave the group forever for them... then I got married and to my surprise, I was the one that left to live in the USA with MG (who wasn't part of the group since we were little).

All this time that I've been away, they have continue our special days and now it's a group of boys and girls.
While we were in high school we started to have "Tuesdays" among other days, and on Tuesday we used to go to one of us house, to had lunch and spent the afternoon playing and enjoying... something we continued through college.
This days, as most of "us" work until late, they meet at night, to have dinner together and play board games...

And you can remember that I went to this week Tuesday 2 days ago...

Well, I would have never thought about it... but that day I spent a whole more time hunging out with the girls than with the boys!! and, as the boys wanted to leave because it was late and they were tired, we got our conversation interrupted, so we are having coffee together today in a little while to enjoy a girls afternoon...

I have new Friends... and I'm excited!!

See you soon!
S.

Oh! the flowers are still blooming... they don't smell but are pretty gorgeous!!!
and we counted the steams and they are only 10!!!!!!!!!!!

E is for Exquisite Excitement!!!

2011-04-07T17:53:00.001-04:00

Do I need to say more?????????????

Yesterday I went downtown to some yarn stores I discovered in my last trip to Mexico, last October. That time, was Saturday and all the stores where packed with people, so crowded that you could barely see the yarns...
The big disadvantage of those stores is that you can't touch and feel the yarns. They are all behind a counter and there are several people there to help you, so if you don't know what you want is a bit difficult. But yesterday, there was no crowd so I could get easily to the counter and ask the vendors for yarns to touch and so.
I was immedialty attracted to this yarn with a lot of lovely and bright colors, so I asked a for skein...
It is 100% mercerized cotton, in a 100g ball. Made in Mexico. The brand is called Sinfonía.
I didn't love that it is sport weight, not even DK... and I've been using worsted for the past 2 years (at least) because of my hands pain... but this colors where so rich and vibrant and they were so many that I have to give in.

I counted 60 colors, and I asked several combinations until I was happy with this one... and I got 18 balls, all in different colors!!! and I paid $2.50 usd per ball!

I'll write the colors in Spanish and I'll try to translate to English... from left to right, and top to bottom:
First row:::
Granate / Maroon
Rosa Mexicano / Hot Pink
Coral / Coral
Mandarina / Tangerine

Second Row:::
Mango/ Mango
Verde Cítrico / Citrus Green
Olivo Intenso / Deep Olive
Verde Hoja / Leaf Green
Amarillo intenso / Deep Yellow
Third Row:::
Agua Fuerte /Aqua
Azul Nórdico / Nordic Blue
Azul Cienzo / Cienzo Blue
Turquesa / Turquoise
Azul Rey / Royal Blue
Fourth Row:::
Morado Intenso / Deep Purple
Rosa / Pink
Negro / Black
Hueso / Bone

And I also got a set of Rainbow Crochet Hooks!

My mom asked for a set of 6 coasters in different colors, I've made one...

I still don't know what I'll make with them... so many posibilities!!!

Yaaayyyy!!!!!
See you soon!
S.

D is for Doctors...

2011-04-07T01:08:00.000-04:00

I was out yesterday all day and it was late by the time I got home so I didn't want to post then.

D is for Doctors because yesterday I went with my mom to her doctor appointment. She is practically discharged (¿? is that the word?)... I mean she's oficially out of rest... she can walk, drive, and go out and do her life. I'm so happy and relieved.
She was 60 days out of the world. Her foot was REALLY swollen and a bit blue-green-yellow... big and red, and for that the doctor prescribed a pair of elastic socks, so we went to this fantastic store full of therapeutic and orthopedic things... but there was a cat there and mom gone crazy on fear, paralized...
Do you remember she has a cat fobia??? well, she get's really scared, scared to death, she gets in shock and it paralizes her, it's something she can't control at all... so I got a bit worried because I was afraid that if the cat came she would jump or try to run or something and hurt her ankle again!!!!!!!!!

Luckily, none of that happened...

Then I have a doctor appointment in the evening just for a check up and everything is ok.... :o)
To close the day I had a wonderful night with my friends...

By the time Mom went to bed, her foot had reduced the swolleness to half of it... the elastic sock is fantastic!!! her foot looked almost "normal" this morning...

And now I'm off to bed, so tomorrow will come the E and hopefully the F.

Good night world!!!!!!

See you soon,
S.

C is for Birthday!!!

2011-04-04T14:19:00.000-04:00

Well... C is for Cumpleaños, that is the Spanish word for Birthday...

Today is my Mom's Birthday... she's 56 today.
The double of my age!! 28!

I'm really happy that I get to be with her... We'll have lunch at one of her friends house, whom is an aunt of MG's and she's the one who introduced us 4.5 years ago!!!

Yesterday we celebrated her at my aunt house.
I'll try to post pics later!

See you soon!
S.

Award...

2011-04-03T20:43:00.000-04:00

I'm really excited an honored that Nicole, at Must Be Destiny has awarded we with an Stylish Blogger Award!!!

It's a really great feeling that there's people reading what I have to say, and that they like it!!!
And it amaze me that someone thinks that what I say worths an award.

I know there's TONS of fabulous blogs out there, that deserve an award... but I will direct you to a previous of my posts where I got this award and passed it to other bloggers... here!

Should I pass it again?

Here are other 7 things...

1. I am amazed of how MG is totally perfect for me in so many ways...
2. I am more neat and organized when I'm with MG because he's REALLY organized!!!
3. I love, love, LOVE being with family... I love our meals together, and how we can talk all at the same time and follow each conversation.
4. I'm really happy living in the US, but I dream about the day when we can come back to Mexico to grow our family surrounded by familly.
5. I have suffered from migraines since I was 6.
6. I prefer a warm weather than a cold one... and I LOVE to use skirts and dresses.
7. I love, love being with my mom... we are really close and really good friends!

See you soon!
S.

B is for Book!!! a new book!

2011-04-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

I like to read... I always have, I have several books that I like so much that I've read hundreds of times and I could keep reading and reading... a lot of them are children books, that I used to read when I was little and still today I take them out of the shelf sometimes to enjoy the stories again...

When I was in Junior High, High School and even on the University and some years later, each year during the "Semana Santa" Vacation (Holly week and Easter week) I used to go with my friends in a 2 week road trip, usually to Merida, Yucatán, in the south east part of Mexico.
They were great trips with friends of all ages, in a van full of happiness and adventures.

In one of those trips, several year ago, like 13 or 14, I've finished the book I took that time with me for the road... and one of my friends handed me a book that he had to read as "homework" for the Boy Scouts.

The book was called "The Clan of the Cave Bear", by J. M. Auel, and since I started it in that trip I couldn't let it go... I read the whole book during our trip, and I was totally hooked in the story, with the characters and the writing style of the author.
Later, I learned that the book as the first of a serie called Earth's Children and therefore, I looked for the following books, 4 by that time.

The serie is a pre-historical novel that has a girl as center character. It tells her story in Europe, in the period of co-existence between Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals.

I simply LOVE the story, the books, all of them...
I read the first 4 and waited for the 5th that came out on 2003...

And finally, last Thursday I got the final book of the saga (sadly because it's the las one) that just came out... I knew it would come out in the US and Spain, and I was hoping, praying for it to come out in Mexico too, and it did!!!! so now I have my new favorite, last book!!!

During the writing of the books, the author has made a lot of research and it's an expert in all those aspects... I love her writing style, and it took her 34 years to complet the saga!!!!!

I'm already in chapter 4 and loving it!

See you soon!
S.

A is for Amarillo!!!!

2011-04-03T11:30:00.001-04:00

I'm sure you'll forgive me for using a word in spanish... Amarillo means Yellow... but it's the perfect name for what I want to share with you...

Two days ago, my mom had a friend came over to visit her and he brougth her flowers, I'm not sure if I can call it a bouquet, because as I understand it, a bouquet is smaller, like a wedding bouquet, but this flowers are huge, and their steams are long!!!

The flowers were all closed buttons, and within a day they all open in the most wonderful yellow shade.

This pictures are from yesterday... I think today the yellow on them is more rich, more orange-y and lovely...
They are making us really happy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A is also for Artisans... I went to an arts and crafts show, full of nice artisan works...

I just took 2 pictures, of a couple of stands... but it was really nice... I think I'll go again with my parents and I'll try to take more pictures...

See you soon!
S.

Blogging from A to Z...

2011-04-03T11:10:00.000-04:00

This month I'll try to follow the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, hosted by Tossing it out blog.

I read about this at Sarah's blog, and I liked the idea... The challenge is to write a post each day with the exception of Sundays during April and these posts have to start with the correspondent letter of the Alphabet.

As I found out about it a little late, I'm posting today, Sunday, my posts for the 1st and 2nd, that is A and B...

S.

A Doctor's appointment... and a bunch of friends!

2011-03-30T20:09:00.000-04:00

Hellooooo!!! How're you doing today, my space friends???

I've been trying to stay up to date with blogland, but it's not always succesful in a different rutine... specially with the wedding, was hard to follow! but yesterday I spent a good amount of time in the afternoon while my mom had a work meeting at home, and I catched up with the last posts of your lovely blogs...

We went to her doctor's appointment in the morning (yesterday)... and he said that everything was great and looked perfect!! he gave her green light to start walking a little here and there and even drive an automatic car!!! so finally, after 57 days of being at home and in a wheelchair, my mom is back on her feet and ready to get back to her normal life! I'm relieved and grateful that everything is ok!!! thank you so much for your good thoughts!!!

At night I had my friends come over... they usually gather on Tuesdays night to play board games, and yesterday was my house turn. So they came, 3 boys and 3 girls... Oh boy! I miss them so much when I'm not here!!!! but It's GREAT to know and feel that long time can pass and it will still be as if we have seen each other the day before...
We didn't play anything, just a good dinner, lots of chat and catch up and laugh! a great night!!!

Today I've been working in the wedding album...
My Sister-in-law and Husband will be away at their Honeymoon for a month, and I am making them an album that I want to get ready and printed before they are back so they'll see it when they get to their new home. I won't be here anymore by then, but I bet it'll be a great thing!!! it won't be a surprise, I think I told them that I wanted to make an album, but still it will be great!!! and the best part of making it digital is that I can order several copies, so they can have one and my in-laws and MG and I another.

Here some pics of what I've done so far...

Weekend at the beach... and a wedding.

2011-03-29T01:13:00.000-04:00

The main reason for my trip this time, was that my Sister-in-law was getting married... MG's sister, that's it. He couldn't come for several work issues and we all were sad because of that.

I flew on Friday to Acapulco, a beach in the south-west of Mexico, where I met all MG's family... his parents and aunts, uncles and cousins.
We hung out at the hotel where the extended family was staying and went to mid-afternoon lunch to a very famous place of fresh fish and seafood. All of them are really nice to me and I like that I feel part of the family... not a stranger.
My Sister-in-law was not there because she was with the future husband in a photo sesion at the beach, where they wanted to go into the sea and lay on the sand, so she used her Mom's wedding dress for the sesion!!!! (my Mom's dress would have never fit me!!)

At night, we (my Parents in Law and me) went to join them at the house where the wedding was held on Saturday... So I spent the night there with them and shared a room with my Sister in law. I felt as we were having a sleep over and sharing secrets and stories.

On Saturday, there was a crew there in the morning to set up all that was needed for the event... I enjoyed a lot being there to see how excited she was and I took TONS of pictures to have every little piece documented to show MG so he could feel a bit the excitement of being there.
A stylist did her hair and make up, and he even did my hair.

I helped her to get dressed and put her veil on... she was glowing and looked gorgeous... we did more pictures and then the guests started to arrived.
They had a ceremony and a blessing at the beach, near the sea, during the sunset. It was beautiful and in perfect timing... Then the civil wedding and off to dinner (8 pm) and the dance (9 pm)... the dancing was full and alive until 2.30am.

I was designated by her as the link in between the wedding coordinator, the cheif waiter, the musicians and DJ, and her... so they all would go with me when they had problems or doubts and I solved what I could or went to ask the bride about it...Also, in the middle of the night I went up with her to help her change her dress into her mom's dress again, because her dress was really heavy and she wanted to be more comfortable to dance.

She didn't have any brides maids, but I think that I covered the duties of the maid of honor or so.
Overall it was a really nice and beautiful experience for me... I enjoyed it a lot...

The only down was that I had a big knot in my throat and had to fight back the tears that threaten to come out, every time I thought about MG alone at our house, missing all this special moments and not seeing (looking at?) his sister in her wedding day.

The pictures are of the house where the wedding was held and the set up for the party... I'll come back with some wedding pictures other day.

See you soon!
S.

And I went away!!!!

2011-03-23T11:44:00.000-04:00

Hello guys!!!
Nice to see you here today!!!

I'm reporting today from the big, one and only, beautiful, Mexico City... I came yesterday in an awfully long trip and arrive safely at my mum arms!!! It feels so good to be with her!

I'm missing dear MG terribly but I'm really happy to be here and totally eager to enjoy each second of it! 3 weeks!!!!

On the creative side I have to report that:
--I finished my pink scarf... it took a week to decipher the pattern and make it work... I'm still making some adjustments to it and haven't got pictures of it yet... (I took some but I forgot to take them out MG's camera before coming here)
It's very comfortable and looks great! it required a bit of blocking but it worth it...
I decided to call it Seashells scarf...

I'm working on a teal (color) one now.

-- the Ferragamo dress is coming out great! we figure out a way to work the top and after a few times of trial and error we got a pretty nice shape for the sleeves.... She'll be working on it in all the mesh pattern while I'm here and we'll work with the shells/scallops at the skirt part when I'm back.

I'm pretty happy and everything seems perfect in my life right now!

I really hope you're really happy too!
See you soon!
S.

A perfect day...

2011-03-17T20:44:00.000-04:00

Hello my friends!!! how're you???? Hope you are really really good!

Today and yesterday I've had pretty perfect days... I think is the spring that is coming that has me so happy... the weather have been gorgeous, simply perfect... today we were at 75F (around 22°C) with soft breeze... was heaven... the skies were blue and everything was fresh and light... and Oh! it feels sooo good to go out and walk!!!

I've spend all my afternoons this week at the LYS... it has been pretty quiet there because there's not a lot of people going in because of the spring break... but that I like (maybe them not so much because they're not having a lot of sales) because we can just sit and talk and knit/crochet and it's marvellous.
One of the ladies asked me to help her to create a version of this Salvatore Ferragamo dress... (sorry for the nudity in the picture!! I really think the dress should be lined or at least she should be wearing something under!!!!)

It won't be exactly the same, as this one has an uncovered back and she'll make the back the same as the front... so we have been working on that this week... trying to decipher the dress from printings and magaziners pictures...

I've been working with my new Tonic yarn... It's a great yarn that the LYS just started carrying... it comes in 60 colors...

though the yarn store just carry 15.... the colors are super bright and rich... perfect!! the fiber is acrylic 85% and wool 15% and it's machine washable... the people at the store tells me that it's a worsted yarn, but the website has it as DK and I see it and feel it thiner than worsted, so I'll go for DK...

I just bought one ball of a dark rich pink to try and make a super pretty scarf I discovered on Flickr (I'm not sure I can post the picture here because it has a copyright sign... but I think I can post a link to it and you can go and take a peek).

So here are my first tries...

I think it doesn't look bad... and I'm enjoying the making of it. The color looks close on the picture but in real life is more shiny, just a bit.

I'm leaving for now... it's getting late and I have things to do... hope to be back tomorrow!

See you soon!
S.

It's a new day...

2011-03-15T00:31:00.000-04:00

It's so late!!! or early, as you'd like to see it...
I'm here writing at midnight, 12:18 am here! I'm here with MG, we haven't gone to bed yet... and I'm so tired that I think my English is not coming out :o)!

My dear Hubby is writing a report of his job of the past 7 months... I was helping him to correct the style, because the report needs to be in Spanish and since he's all day thinking and talking English related work things, when he writes it down, he uses words in Spanish, but with English grammar structure!!!!
So it's a bit of a mess!!!!

Luckily, we are finished so we can go to bed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good!!! I think I'll sleep in tomorrow while he gets ready to go... and prepares breakfast! After all, I already cooked a nice fish in parsley and rice for tomorrow's (later today) lunch!

Hope you could read my sleepy English!!

See you soon!
S.

Thank you!!!!! and Muffis the cat!

2011-03-08T16:05:00.000-05:00

I am so so so lucky to have you all there to read my blog, to support me, to encourage me in my projects, to read my show offs of my finished projects and to cheer me up when I'm down.

Thank you, for all your nice and sweet comments about my down feelings from yesterday!!! THANK YOU!!!

I'm feeling much better today and I'm happy and cheerful again!
I had my Zumba class today and I won't be able to move tomorrow but I'm great.
I'll be going to the LYS in a little while to re-learn to knit, and we'll have delicious lamb curry for dinner...

Now... Muffis The Cat...

Last week MG said that he would like to have a cat... a puff white cat called Muffis that will sit there and looked at him with a "don't mess with me" look... he dreamed about playing with him and about trying to train him to bark and shake hands (like a dog)... so he was really happy thinking about his fantasy cat.

Now, I don't like cats, I'm not a pet person... I'm not fond at all of animals that could be in touch with me (I don't like to touch animals or be touched by them). Plus, I grew up in the middle of a family where several members where scared to death of cats! so I really don't like them... and there's no way we will get a cat.

So MG kept saying he wanted a cat... so I went and bought him a cat!

hehehe....

...and guess what! he was the most happiest man!!!!!
He's happy, happy, happy with his new Muffis Cat!!! he played with him, and talked, and tried to teach him to bark!!! so, that is my dear MG!! he is like a kid, he plays and he likes to enjoy those little things!

So now, hes' happy with his cat and me too! and I don't care to have that cat!

See you soon!
S.

Down...

2011-03-07T20:44:00.000-05:00

Hello dear space and dear friends where ever you are...

I'm sorry but this will not be a happy posting... Some times, and I think most of the times, a lot of us in blogland block ourselves for those down days and not write about them... is not that our life is perfect and happy all the time, is just that we chose to focus on the bright and happy and not tell about the not so happy days...
(by the way, I must be tired and I can't think in English very good right now, hope what I write today makes sense... because I kind of feel it doesn't, like is not well written)

I feel like crying... I don't know why, I've just been down all day.
I had an amazing weekend:: I spend my evening on Friday at the LYS and the same on Saturday afternoon, almost 5 or 6 hours of knitty time with nice ladies... then I had a Saturday date night with my dear MG and he took me out to have sushi for dinner!! Yesterday was a perfect and happy day spent in my pj's with MG around... working on my scrapbook albums, and knitting...

And today.... I don't know, I'm simply not happy... and it's not exactly that if that makes sense...
I'm happy and utterly thankful for all the things in my life... I can't ask for more and my life is pretty much perfect... but I'm also sad.
I don't know if what have is that I'm homesick... I am going to Mexico in 3 weeks (yei!) and I'm really excited about going and spending 2 great weeks with my family... and all the time I'm thinking in how great it'll be and all I want to do in that time... and I'm enjoying so much my life here right now!
I'm finally (luckily) getting to that point where I have things to do, places to go, and people to see... I finally have some friends to hang out with and have lunch or do things together. I've come to know the city and places and I really love this place.

Besides all that, I'm in my best self moment in my relation with MG... I'm totally and completely inlove with him, more deep and stronger than ever!!! and that is absolutely great and makes me really really happy! I love him so so much!

And still, today I just want to cry...
Maybe I'm tired, maybe I'll get sick and my body and mind are down, I don't know... but I feel sad...

I went to the yarn store today because I'd made a mistake in my sleeveless tunic and I needed help... and it was all wrong!!!! I knit continental and I knew that I twist my stitches, but when they analized how I knit, I do 3 things wrong on each stitch... I was making a really (even) dense fabric, with twisted stiches and using a whole more yarn than I was supposed to... and on top of everything, my knitting was not straight (I forgot the way they told me that is called) but my rows of knitting were going to one side instead of going straight down... and I needed them straight down to this project, because otherwise the triangle points on each side of the "skirt" wouldn't be at the sides....

So very sadly we unraveled the whole thing... They said they would teach me the rigth way to do it next time I go to the store.... I came home and looked for continental knitting on youtube, and tried a practice swatch.... it feels like I've never knitted and I'm learning all over again... and as every new student, I put a lot of tension and pressure and now I have pain again in my hands... I had to stop because of it and I just feel so frustrated right now...

So that frustration, added to the crying feeling from before during the day, are not a very good combination....
I have to go, MG is here and we have to go groseries shopping... hope I'll get distracted!

Thanks for reading if you got all the way trought it!

See you soon!
S.

Giveaway winner!!!!

2011-03-07T11:59:00.000-05:00

Hello all!!!!
I'm happy to be here today to anounce my giveaway winner...

I'm must confess that I was somehow waiting for more people to enter to it... I just had 5 participants, but that doesn't get me down, because I think that means that those 5 lovely ladies, like to read my blog and were excited about my giveaway....

I'm really, truly grateful with you for making this blog adventure fun and magic... and without further words... the winner of this gorgeous earrings (if I may say so myself):::

........is........... our lovely Teresa!!!!

Congratulations Teresa!!!! I'll be very happy to send them your way to their new home!
Thank you to the rest of you!
I'll plan another giveaway in the future sometime, I hope you'll be here for that one too!

See you soon!
S.

Sleeveless Cardi Jumper

2011-03-04T13:39:00.000-05:00

Hello!!!

Thanks for being here today!

Remember I told you that my Crocodile Stitch Shawl was hibernating because I got caught up in a knitting project???
Well, some of the ladies at my LYS have been making this Sleeveless Cardi by Emma Fassio.
And I got caught by the idea of making it... and I didn't want to because I had several projects going on, you know how this is...
At some point I decided that it would be my project to work on at the end of this month, because I'm going to Mexico (YEI!!!!! happy dance!!!) for 2 weeks, and I planned to do it there...
As knitting is not my strong point I wanted to start and get past the straps, the increases and the binding off of the armholes. And then just knit, knit, knit in the round on my trip.
Well, one day I just HAD TO start!!! so took a trip to the yarn store, bought 4 skeins of lovely Vintage Chunky yarn, and casted on my stitches.

I must have done something wrong in one of the increases because my count was all off... so I ripped it and started all over again...

I'm glad I did it, and know I have an amazing project going on... I couldn't stop so now I'm hopping I'll finish it before my trip!

And I'm even loving the little holes made by the increases!

I'm a bit further now than when I took this pictures, and I think I've get to the point for the bottom increases! so another trip to the LYS today for help and afternoon with the ladies!
And I better hurry up because I think it'll rain!!!

See you soon!
S.

**Today is the last day to enter my Giveaway!!! so hurry up because I'm making the draw tomorrow!

Crocodile Stitch Shawl

2011-03-02T13:10:00.000-05:00

I think this will be my last catch up post for today! I have to go back to life choruses... make the bed, clean up a little bit, maybe some hooky time, set up my Etsy store, and I want to make mint meringues and maybe go to Hobby Lobby!

But before leaving I want to show you my new Shawl in progress...

After I finished my bag I was still too excited with the crocodile stitch and wanted to make something else... I have seen some shawls in Ravelry, so I went to Hobby Lobby and got a skein of Patons Lace... and put my hands to it!

It knid of started as a triangular shawl but at some point I decided it would be better a rectangular one, so I started to increase just on one side of the shawl and as a result I got this:

I LOVE how the self striping yarn looks... here's a close up:

You stil can see the stitch and have also the color stripes effect... I love it...

For my bag I used dc through the project, but for this shawl I'm using trebles... it makes it more open and I like the look of it... I must say that this is a yarn eater stitch!!!! and I think it will be a very warm shawl and maybe a little bit heavy!

I'll share with you my progress of it, but right now is hibernating a bit because I got caught with a knitting project in the middle! no less!

I'll tell you about it next time!

I have to go, but I'll be back soon! it feels great to be back on track!
Don't forget my giveaway!

and... See you soon!
S.

Green and purple hat...

2011-03-02T12:28:00.000-05:00

This is another hat for B-Town Caps for Cancer... a local group that makes hats for cancer patients in the area... I've been attending to their meetings since November as I like the idea of helping and having a group to do so.

I'm pretty much the only crocheter there, some of them can crochet but prefer knitting for their hats... and then they ohh and ahh when I finish a hat in a 2 hour meeting! LOL!

This is my latest hat...

It's teenager size... made with a cotton wool blend.
I still have to add some flowers, I think I'd like 3 so I have to make 2 more.

I made up the hat as I went and I want to write down the pattern to have it for the future because I like the way it came out... but the flower came from here.
I'll take more pics when is finished and ready to go with the flowers in place.

See you soon!
S.

Crocodile Stitch Bag -- Finished!!!

2011-03-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

Hellooo!!!!!

Happy to anounce that my Croco-bag is finished!!!!

Ok, ok, it was finished almost a month ago, but then the camera black out happened!

Maybe you remember when I discovered the Crocodile Stitch, when I started my bag, and when it was almost finished...

Today we have a "Here it is" post!

My bag was made using Cascade 220 superwash... with a 5mm hook.
It measures 10x10in (25x25 cm) and has a 43in (109 cm) long strap so it can be used on the side, next to the hip.

I am very pleased with the result... and the people at my LYS must be too, because they've asked me to give a class for this project!!!!! how cool is that?
I'm excited and happy and I'm honored that I've been asked and thankful to have the opportunity.

I haven't lined the bag yet... I plan to do it in the future, but right now, I want to be able to show the back of the crocodile stitch in the class, which I think is beautiful too!

I've written down the pattern for this bag and right now it's being tested by some of the lovely ladies at We Love Lucy group at Ravelry... Thank you so much guys!!! your input has been very valuable!

So I hope to have it complete and available really soon!

See you soon!
S.

Birthday Cake...

2011-03-02T11:49:00.000-05:00

I got MG's camera yesterday but he forgot to give me the cable to pass the photos to the computer, so it had to wait until today.

But here we are!!! back on track with color!!!! yei!!!!
This is will be my first post of this catch up serie... So lets start, shall we?
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Hello!!! I hope you all are having a wonderful day!
Here the sky is blue and shiny and that makes me feel happy and cheerful... I'm done with dark muted days and I can't wait for the spring!!!

Yesterday was MG's Birthday... he's 34!
On Monday I made a cake for him... I've asked him what kind of cake he would like and he chose a Tres Leches Cake (you can see my recipe in the link) that is a Mexican cake type in which you make a mix of 3 different types of milk and add them to the cake until is soaky and all milky and moist... it's delicious!!!

The cake was a dissaster........ and a total success!!!
It was a dissaster because I had made 2 cakes, top and bottom, because I wanted to add a whip cream and strawberries filling... So I was adding the milks mixture to the cakes, equally to the top and bottom part, and the top part started to crack! so I finished the milks addition and rush to prepare the whipped cream and cut the strawberries... I put the filling in place, looked great, and went on to flip the top cake to put it on top of the filling.... well, that didn't come out very good.....

The cake fall apart in my hands!!!! there were wet crumbles all over the place, most of it on top of the bottom part of the cake that had the filling, but some of it over the counter and a little bit got all the way to the floor!!!!!
I almost cried!!!
I didn't had time (or willing power) to make another one and I didn't wanted to put that one in the trash! so I decided to pack all the crumbles with my hands in my best of doing it cake shaped...
And immediatly I proceed to cover it with the rest of the whipped cream...
Then I took out of the fridge a pipping bag with icing from a previous cake and wrote "Feliz Cumpleaños Cielito" on top of it (that's Happy Birthday in spanish... and Cielito is how I call my dear MG), and put the cake in a box and in the fridge so it didn't melt or anything....

Here's the failure cake...

I think that looking it in that picture doesn't look THAT bad... and I must say that it was DELICIOUS!!!!!

And the absolute BEST part was that that night, when MG came home from work and opened the fridge he was surprised and happy with the cake... but after dinner when he took it out to cut a piece and opened the box and saw that it had writing on it, specially for him....

WOOOOOOW!!!!!!!!!!! he was speachless, super SUPER happy and overwhelmed and it totally worth all the dissaster!!!

Plus, he didn't really noticed anything, even when I told him about it and has been really happy enjoying his cake, and today he took 2 pieces to share with his friends at work!

So after all... my failure cake was a success!!!!

See you soon!

Don't forget to enter to my Giveaway!

Giveaway!!!

2011-03-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

Hello guys!!!

I hope this post will bring me back to blogland... I'm still without a camera... I wanted to buy a new memory card on the weekend, but the thing was that my camera is a bit old, and we couldn't find a card that fits it... so still no memory card.
Today, however, I got MG to lent me his camera, so I'll take all the necesary pictures in a while...

For now I just want to tell you that I've decided what will be my giveaway!!!
I'm just setting up my new Etsy shop, which I'll share with you all the minute it's ready!
So what a better thing to give away than something that could be perfectly in my new store!!!

Here it is:

A beautiful pair of earrings, handmade by me... :o)
It's all made with Sterling Silver, and the beads are red quartz.

So if you like to enter, you have to be a follower of the blog, because this giveaway is a gift to you, to all the lovely friends I have found here and have made my experience blogging so amazing... because I enjoy so much each time I read a comment and I feel so happy knowing that somewhere, someone is willing to happily read whatever I have to say... thanks, a million thanks for be on the other side on your computer, and for joining me in this adventure.

Leave a comment before Friday March 5th to enter... and I'll draw a name during the weekend!!

Hope to see you really soon!
S.

Hello!!! I'm still here!

2011-02-27T11:13:00.000-05:00

I'm still without my camera... I hope to buy a new memory card today, or at least take some pics with MG's camera so I can share with you...

I find really difficult to write my blog without pics... this blog it's about sharing and showing, and although I talk about my life and all... I feel it's not the same just talking and now showing...

Anyways... I've had a GREAT weekend with MG at home! he has been working but it's amazing to have him here all the time!

See you soon!
I have a lot to show you!

S.

Valentine's without my camera...

2011-02-14T15:14:00.000-05:00

Still no camera... I've realized that I've been refraining myself of writting posts because I can't add pictures to them... I guess I think that just what I write is not very interesting and that the main purpouse of my blog is to share what I do and make and that has to be ilustrated by pics... am I wrong???

I had a GREAT weekend with MG... he didn't go to work!!! wich was a very pleasent thing! we had a painter guy come into our house to fix some cracks that we had in the celling-wall joints in one of the bedrooms... we took care of a lot of things that needed to be done:: oil change for the truck, filing taxes, groceries, laundry, etc...
And we had some good relaxing things too!! we watched TV, we went twice to the movies, and a little shopping... most of all was great having him with me the whole weekend...

Today he woke me up with a heart shaped box of chocolates for Valentine's Day!!! was really cute!

In a while I'll go to the LYS for a crochet evening... I'm making a shawl with the Crocodile Stitch and I'm loving the way is coming out!!!
And I'll be starting this tunic soon!

Also... I've just noticed that at this moment I have 60 followers!!!! 60 lovely people that thinks that my talking is not so nonsense and that have decided to follow me... I think it is because they like what I share and write and I can't thank you enough!!!!
It makes my day each time I see I have a new friend, each and every time I read a comment and follow it to your blogs.... Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
I think we'll have to celebrate with a givaway!!!! stay tunned for more!
See you soon!
S.

Cheese treat!

2011-02-10T20:57:00.000-05:00

Hello!!!

I'm off to enjoy some delicious Cheese scones thanks to Inthesky that published a great recipe here...
I'm sure MG will love them!!!!

I can't show them to you... my camera memory card is still inside the laptop... I went to a pc doctor today and they wanted to keep my laptop, take it apart and charge my with no less than 160 bucks!!! I'm not up to it for now... and since they told me it won't mess up with the system, I'll leave it there while I save up for that!

I have to by a new memory card though...

See you soon!
S.

No pictures for a while!!!!!

2011-02-09T19:29:00.000-05:00

I am so sad!!!!
Today I took pictures of my scales bag that I finally got back from the yarn store yesterday... I was so excited to show you!!!
And I was trying to insert the memory card of my camera in the laptop, and I was doing it without seeing or paying atention, and I put it in the wrong place ::: where the CD's go!!!! so when I realized I had did that I panicked a little and tried to pull it out with tweezers and pliers with no success but to get it further into the space...
I'm hoping for a good weather tomorrow so I can take it to the PC doctor... Oh my poor laptop!

And that also means that I'll be a couple of days (and hopefully no more than that...) with out my camera and pictures!!!!

Oh my!!

In other themes... I've had headaches during the last week... I have always suffered of migraines and I'm "used" to, but that doesn't makes them any easier or fun... the new thing this time was a lot of dizzyness, and I was tired and without energy... today I couldn't go to my zumba class because everything was spinning around me!!!!

So I looked for the sympthoms over the internet and my conclusion is that I'm dehydrated... I'm not taking for granted that I have nothing else and if it continues I'll go to see a doctor... but I thought about it and I'm doing a lot more excersice of what I'm use to and I know that I've never been a good water drinker... I have to focus every day to drink as much water as I can, because even when I try to drink and drink and I feel like I've been drinking ALL day, the truth is that when I do good I get 6 cups of water and I almost NEVER get to the recommended 8... so if I'm doing a lot of excersice with the zumba and I'm sweating A LOT in each class and not geting my water back... it makes sense to think that I'm dehydrated isn't it???

So I spent the afternoon drinking water... I still have 2 cups to go to get to the recommended 8... wish me luck!

See you soon! I hope!

S.

Pumpkin scarf and vest, Cowls... knitreat!

2011-02-07T14:55:00.000-05:00

Hello guys!!
How are you??? hope you are keeping warm and happy. How was your weekend????
Mine was GREAT!!!!

Friday and Saturday were spent at the LYS in happy knit (hook) and chat time... I met some lovely ladies full of inspiration with nice projects... and I made some jewelry sales! I think I've told you about all that already...

Yesterday, Sunday, I spent the morning in a Lazy mood at home with my dear MG... we had a great breakfast and watched a movie... and then by 1pm, he droped me at the LYS (again! 3rd day in a row!) for the Winter Knitreat!!!!!
That is a meeting with 15-18 women that knit/crochet and there's games and refreshments and all kind of intresting patterns going on... They also had 2 ladies giving a short and marvellous masage for knitters, in the shoulders, back and specially in the hands!!! was heavenly!

I finished my crocodile stitch bag while being there!!!!!!!!!! it's awsome! I loved it completely!!!! and I'm so sorry to say that I can't show it to you right now because I forgot it at the store... the thing is that when I finished it, the owner tried it on and showed it to the other ladies and told them that it'll be a class of it (taught by me!!!!)... and she hung it to take pictures and I forgot it...

I bought the most delicious Malabrigo Yarn....

It's a bulky yarn in bright oranges, purples, yellow, pinks... mmmm amazing!
I used a big hook (15mm) and Tunisian Stitches and made a super quick, fun, warm and lovely cowl:::

It's a circle... Well, I think I should say a ring? a loop? a donut?

And to use it you fold it and add a pin or something like that... I used an aluminum stick I had that I used to hold my hair up when it was long...
Sorry for my close up picture! there was no one close to take my pic...

I LOVE it !!!! I'm in love...........

So! I'm wearing my pumpkin vest... it is knitted, it took about 2-3 months to complete it, working on and off... I followed the pattern by measures and it ended up being too big for me!!!
but its cozy and I use it to be around the house, it keeps me really warm...

With the left overs of the yarn I made this scarf (linked to Ravelry)

I sent it to a friend as a gift and I folded it like this::

I think is fun!!!

I finished the slippers for my friend and I advanced some on the lattice cowl... I think I'll show that later or tomorrow because this post is too long already!

Thank you for reading!!!

See you soon!

W.O.W ! ! !

2011-02-05T11:20:00.000-05:00

I'm Happy and excited!!!

Yesterday was my first "official day of work"...
The owner at the LYS had been asking me for months to show her my jewelry and I hadn't because I couldn't sell it with out the work authorization that just arrived...

So finally I could do it yesterday! and I took all the jewelry I had made over this years in US. I haven't been working constantly and I haven't worked on that in over a year, but I had a good stock to show...

SOOOOO I showed it to her and other ladies and I sold 5 pairs of earrings!!!! I'm excited!
It feels good and right to be able to sell again and make money for something I did.

I'm happy, happy, happy!!! Here are the sold pairs:::

Sterling Silver and chalcedony...

Sterling Silver and red coral...

Sterling Silver

Sterling Silver and ??? I'm not sure about the bead, I think is chalcedony too... but I'll change it for a coral as the customer wanted something more vibrant...

Sterling Silver and onix...

That's all for today!!!! I'm going to the LYS again to have a hooky day!

Enjoy your weekend!!!
See you soon!
S.

Google reader

2011-02-04T11:34:00.000-05:00

I've read about it in several blogs and I've never tried it before. I think I had looked at it, or look for it, and haven't found it...
Well, today I have.
It was amazing!!!

I've been having troubles to read the blogs I follow and keep updated on them... I was using the feature that shows on your personal blog, on the lateral bar, the blogs you follow and their recent postings... but then I went to one of them and discovered that I had missed several days!!! and there were others that didn't appear there for days and I was looking them through other blogs or googled them to catch up... I'm not sure if I'm explaining myself...
The point is that I felt like I was losing the updates of my favorite blogs, and somehow today I got to google reader and WOW!!!!

I got all the blogs, all the posts that I had missed, all the updates and when they happened... and I could see them organized by the date and time they were posted, or by blog, or alphabeticar order and more... and I could see them on a list or displayed with all the content......

I think I'm the last person on knowing about this... and I still have to learn a couple of things to use it... and I'm wondering::: I think it only shows blogs from blogger... am I right??? so typepad and wordpress won't show there I guess... good thing is that I only follow like 5 of those and I have them in my favorites or I get the updates in my email...

I hope I'll be able to keep updated now...

I'm off to the yarn store!!!
See you soon!
S.

Seasonal Jewelry...

2011-02-03T20:15:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking and thinking about writing this post almost since we had the first snow!!!
I hadn't had opportunity to photograph my jewelry until now... today we had a bright sunny day and I took advantage and took pictures of all the pieces that I had without picture.

I have some good news!!!! last Monday I received my Work Authorization Card!!! I'm so excited because now I'll be able to give classes (crochet classes at the LYS), or take a job somewhere, and sell my jewelry... and that feels really good.... I haven't done it in soooo long!!!!

So today I spent all afternoon taking pictures and polishing my jewelry to shiny-shine! and adding clasps and hooks wherever needed... and I'll be ready to sell really soon!!!
And with all the picture taking I took some of the pieces that I have kept for myself and took some pictures too... and thus the seasonal jewelry theme....

May I present you::: My Autumn Necklaces:::

This one is made with copper wire coated in colors... it's all made by hand... all the coils and the unions and the chain at the end... and I like it but farther than that, I decided to keep it because it was more of a trial for the design and being copper is really simple to stretch it and it can loose its form really easy and I didn't want to sell something that could go bad easily. As I know that that can happen and I know how to fix it if it does, I can wear it without problems!
Here a close-up of the work... I love the colors, it remainds me of autumn...

The next necklace its also for the fall... I made this one specially for me because I wanted an autumn something... I feel that the shape I gave the wire seems to leaves falling, and then the colors of the cristals are very fall-ish. The wire I used is sterling silver, I think it is 22gauge (not the same gauge used in knitting and crochet though!) The crystals are swarovsky...
And once again, everything is handmade.

Next and last for today, we have the Winter Set... I made and designed this one also for me... not just something I kept. Back in 2007, when I was doing my degree thesis, I was working with a Chemistry Professor. I was assistant in one of his classes about crystalography and solid structure and I was making my thesis work about synthetic rubys... I was mad about crystals and minerals back there... and this professor went on a vacation and I asked him to bring me a present... and he brought me this incredible and amazing rutilated quartz (the big crystal on the necklace).
It remainded me of ice, so I made an icy, sparkling and wintery piece...

Quartz beads with sterling silver wire and handmade"snowflakes"...

I LOOOOVE them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was my seasonal jewelry so far... I hope you liked it... I hadn't talked about jewelry here in a long time... I hope you didn't get bored with all the explanations of what I used and why!!!

I have to go for now!
See you soon!
S.

Just something to say...

2011-02-02T19:11:00.000-05:00

Today I crocheted almost all day! was wonderful...
I was working on my Crochet Club project which uses fingering yarn and 3mm hook... my hands and wrists are sore even when I was doing my hand therapy and ice diping while crocheting...

It has been snowing the whole day...
I hope to take some pictures tomorrow to show them to you...

I've been in a relaxing computer time catching up in blogland... how can one keep up with so many delightful blogs!!!! I want to see them all and comment in all of them because leaving some love is always good... but it takes a huge amount of time and even when I have it sometimes it feels like there's too much to see and read and learn and not enough time... do you feel the same?

My head is pounding...

Good night!
See you soon!
S.

Inside day...

2011-02-01T18:29:00.000-05:00

Hello!
How are you all! I hope you are fine, safe and warm...

Thank you so much for all your good thoughts for my mom, she's already at home and getting used to this broken and casted foot. She has to be 2 weeks in the house without a lot of movement before she can go out and do other things... She'll be 6 weeks in a wheelchair, she can't use crutches because a year ago she had a shoulder surgery and she doesn't have the strenght yet to support herself.

Today we are in the middle of an ice storm... it's the first time in my life we've seen something like it, it has been raining since yesterday in a very VERY fine and thin rain that you can't practically see, but that after a while would have all wet... the temperature is so close to the freezing point that as soon as the little drop of water touches a surface it freezes making a layer of ice around everything... The trees look gourgeous and a bit sparkly, they'd probably bling more if we had sun... it has been grey and dark all day.

I tried to go to my Zumba class and I practically ice-skated there!!!! I was wearing rubber boots and it was VERY super slippery!!!!
A lot of things, schools, stores, restaurants where closed, and a lot more closing early...

MG came at 3pm!!!! that is soooo cool to me as he never gets here before 8 and usually before 9!!!
so now we are here, cozy and comfy... he's working but we are together....

Not enough light to crochet... (the next picture is the floor covered with ice)

Staw warm!!!

See you soon!
S.

My Bag is almost Finished!!!

2011-01-31T19:32:00.000-05:00

At least the crochet part of it....
I'm of the last round of the front and now I just have to sew together the front and back...
Here's the front, you can see my yarn coming out in the middle of the row... sooooo beautiful scales!! the fabric is thick and dense, but not stiff, it just have body and feels great and I definetly LOVE the way it looks... it measures like 10x9in or so.

Here's the back... sorry, it's such a bad picture, and it looks smaller than the front, but that is because the front will have half scale extra on each side... I don't know how to explain it, it'll be clearer when I finish it.

But don't worry about that bad and crapy picture!!! here's a great one with the close-up of the stitch for the back!!!!

Don't you love that texture???? I think it's called scallop stitch and I found it in the stitches resources at LionBrand page.
And here you can see front and back together....

So I still have to do the sewing, find the right lining and handle!!! I went to Hobby Lobby and I saw several fabrics that I could like for this, but not one handle! today a friend told me that I can find handles at JoAnn Fabrics... I think I'll have to go there... it's on the other side of town, so it'll have to wait till the weekend when MG can go with me...

We are supposed to get a snow storm soon today that will last 2 days...

That's my bag progress... and just really quick before I head to my couch and TV for a bit of hooking before MG comes from work:::

That's the slipper I'm making for one of my best friends... mmm I can't remember if I told you or not... two weeks ago this friend called me and asked me for a pair of slippers because "the kitchen floor is too cold"... so this is the first one... made in Vanna's Choice... and I have to make the pair for it AND another pair!!! my best friends are twins!!! so I'll make 2 pairs and send them with some treats...

Stay warm!
See you soon!
S.

The Phone Call...

2011-01-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was one of those days where MG and myself were both very tired, so we went to bed early.
MG was a bit frustrated of ending up in bed at 10pm on Saturday (we usually don't get there before 12), but there we went and fell asleep pretty soon...

4:30 in the morning and our phone rang... I got up quickly to answer it, not knowing the hour, and my heart was pounding hard and quick as happens when you are waked up suddenly from a deep sleep and also because the phone was ringing in the middle of the night and usually that means something is not right!

So... it was my brother, which was also strange, to tell me that they (mom, dad and him) were in the hospital because my mom had fallen and broken her foot and she needed surgery and they wanted to let me know.
I talked to my mom too and what happened was that they were getting home from a party and she was unloading the car, so she had her hands full when entered the house and she stumbled with something and rotated almost 360° on her foot so it cracked.

She went into surgery and we eventually went back to sleep.

At 8:30am my dad called again to let me know that she was out of surgery, still in the recovery room as she had general anesthesia, and he had talked to the doctor and he said that she had also broken her ligaments and they had to put some screws and metal rings on her! she'll be fine but she can't put weight in her foot for at least 6 weeks and she'll need therapy and rehab...

I'm so glad that we have this phone! It has a local number from Mexico so they can call anytime and just pay for a local call and we can call anytime and it's included in what we pay, so I can talk to them through this... and that makes me feel a bit better, though I feel awful of not being there and with her...

Thanks for reading...

See you soon!
S.