tejedorita dulce

I thought I lost you!

2011-02-14T08:44:00.001-08:00

and...

Sweet William

2008-08-21T19:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary sweetheart! ¡Te quiero mucho!

I love the poem "Autumn" from Garrison Keillor, so in honor of your special place in my heart, I'd like to share it on my blog.

Here on an autumn night in the sweet orchard smell,
Sitting in a pile of leaves under the starry sky,
Oh what stories we could tell
With this starlight to tell them by.

October night, and you, and paradise,
So lovely and so full of grace,
Above your head, the universe has hung its lights,
And I reach out my hand to touch your face.

I believe in impulse, in all that is green,
Believe in the foolish vision that comes true,
Believe that all that is essential is unseen,
And for this lifetime I believe in you.

All of the lovers and the love they made:
Nothing that was between them was a mistake.
All that we did for love's sake,
Is not wasted and will never fade.

All who have loved shall be forever young
And walk in grandeur on a cool fall night
Along the avenue,
They live in every song that is ever sung,
In every painting of pure light,
In every pas de deux.

Oh love that shines in every star
And love reflected in the silver moon.
It is not here, but it's not far.
Not yet, but it will be here soon.

--Garrison Keillor

I need a nosewarmer?

2007-11-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

Of course I do! And all of the group from the Completely Pointless and Arbitrary Group on Ravelry.

I'm going to take some pictures in a few minutes and update them here, but I wanted to post this pic of me.

First Sock on 2 Circs

2007-11-18T12:19:00.000-08:00

I need to pat myself on the back. O man, I can hardly believe I'm all the way down to the grafting of the toe on my first 2 circ sock. I used "Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles" by Cat Bordhi as my guide. The pictures and the directions are clear and were easy to read for a new sock knitter.The yarn is a skein of Lisa Souza sock yarn in the colorway "Lime n Violet" that I won in the "Beth's baby's Birthday Contest". I made it short on purpose because I wanted to get it finished fast and work on all the sections to make sure I understood the directions.

I had only made one pair of socks previously on dpns (update on 11/19: OK I previously made 2 pair. The hideous blue ones and the manicure socks that travelled with me to Arecibo in September. Those actually came out even. I just didn't have enough yarn to meake the toes.), so I wasn't particularly skilled. In fact, even though the first pair are obviously socks and can be worn, the two socks came out very differently and the only reason I didn't frog them is because "They are my first pair of socks, dammit!" I'm proud of this HIDEOUS creation!

I had two problems with the sock. The first was a hilarious "all turned around thingie" going on where the you pick up the stitches off the heel flap and the heel and start to decrease for the gusset. I had stitches everywhere! I used a couple of dpns to rearrange everything. If it happens on the second sock, I'll take pics. The second problem was with the grafting of the toe. The book is DISMAL in explaining the how-to of the grafting part. I'm sure I'll be struck down for saying that. Other than that, the book is AMAZING. A fairly new sockknitter like me can follow the directions and get all the way down to the toe!

I got the instructions for that part here:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-tips
If you watch these videos and they're all choppy and starting and stoppng, just watch them a second time. They're seamless the second time around.

And for the best part, more sock yarn! Blue Moon wool/silk in 2 colors. I'd like suggestions for sock pairs 3 and 4!

Rebuild puppy???

2007-11-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

Will LOLCATS/Dogs ever not be funny?

Feliz Dia de los Muertos

2007-11-02T13:12:00.000-07:00

And Happy Birthday, Torii!

Autumn Arrives in Caguas.....

2007-10-31T12:54:00.000-07:00

.....By way of the Netherlands. Today I received my first ever swap gift. I joined the Fall into Autumn dishcloth swap and Monique from the Netherlands was my super special pal. There's a beautiful woven cloth in autumn colors, a multicolored cloth that's made of soft cotton, a skein of delicate, multi blue colored Schachenmayr cotton, two beautiful candles, juniper soap and a cinnamon sachet. Everything is so pretty and special. I also had so much fun geting my secret pal's things together. I received a note from Pixie today that she received my package. Can't wiat 'til my next swap.

Flaming June is back

2007-10-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

I had deleted her last month because some cowardly anonymous poster left a rambling post on my blog. I was so mad I couldn't even figure out how to delete their post, so I deleted the whole entry.

William and I visited the Museum of Art (El Museo de Arte) in Ponce last week for his birthday. Both of us had visited the museum separately in the past, but were so awed by the Rodin exhibit and of course, by Flaming June, we just walked around with our mouths wide open the whole afternoon.

YAY CAROL!!!!!

2007-10-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

WHOOT! Our girl, Carol is no longer temporarily retired! You go, girl.

Go visit and congratulate her! And now, I'll bet she needs to have a litle SEX (Stash Enrichment Expedition) since she's been on a yarn diet.

It's 12:24 AM, so it's time for the Wednesday surprise!

2007-10-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

Drum roll.....

This week's AH is Hugh Jackman who's preparing for his roll in the next upcoming X-Men Movie as Wolverine. Just amazing.

In knitting news, I've managed to screw up Clapotis #2 big time and didn't realize it until the very end. I worked the straight section until I got the length I wanted and then started the decreases. I was following the pattern that's written out as an MS Excel spreadsheet. What I have is about half of the decrease section(all on the left) that have no dropped stitches.

I'll take a picture and post it here after I get some sleep. Grrr.

Clappy as a sailboat!

2007-10-12T16:56:00.001-07:00

It's so neat and pretty! I love clappy two as much as number one. They're both about the same amount done. While waiting for another skein to finish the first one, I decided to start the second. Also, I have next week's AH all ready. You guys are gonna flip!

I have no idea who this AH is... and a few days early to boot!

2007-10-07T19:44:00.000-07:00

All I can say is "Ravelry leads you to the bestest places ever!" I was minding my own business looking at the bags,bags,bags group. The Betties all know what a fool I am for bags and purses. Someone posed a question about laptop bags and at the Golla site, here he was. Can.not.resist. I'm going to need a free pass... He can carry my laptop and my knitting in that bag!

Clappy visits the beach/Clappy visita a la playa

2007-10-07T04:52:00.000-07:00

Undaunted by a cloudy, windy day, I took Clappy to the beach for some relaxation. Earlier in the day, I knew that I was coming to the end of the 1st skein of yarn and needed to find the 2nd one to continue. I had photographic evidence damnit that there were two skeins! My stash is one of the only organized things about me. Unable to find the hiding skein (here kitty,kitty don't you want to be a part of this extremely pretty Clapotis?), I set out on finding a replacement on the internet. How hard could it be to find Lana Grossa Mulitringel sock yarn in color 2213? I found every other color EXCEPT my color. A very sad e-mail to the betties explained my plight. Within minutes, Carol had come to the rescue! It was on one of my favorite, favorite sites: Kpixie! Whew!

After the beach, I had to celebrate! Clappy and I went to one of my favorite places on the beach! The Holiday Inn where the super bartender, Jose, whipped me up a couple of great cosmopolitans. No knitting while drinking cosmos! Clappy stayed safely in my backpack. I learned my lesson last month after drinking mojitos and trying to start another argosy scarf. Here's the evidence of that:

Buenos dias a todos!

LL Cool DAY (aka AH!, tuesday)

2007-09-25T11:09:00.000-07:00

Thank you Torii for the suggestion for AH of the week. Want.that.bad. I'm going to put the poster up on my bedroom wall. And I don't want to hear any complaints about the lack of ass! This is scrumptious.

AH! It's Tuesday/ Es Martes!

2007-09-18T04:38:00.000-07:00

Since I neglected all of you faithful AH watchers last week, I present double Red Sox goodness today. Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell, two former 2003 World Series Winning Florida Marlins. Now stars on the Boston Red Sox, they are in the playoff hunt! My favorite teams have always been the Marlins and whoever is playing the Yankees, so Boston fits right in! Josh just won his 19th game of the season and is in the hunt for the Cy Young Award. Mike has been the super 3rd baseman for Boston and is eye candy extrodinaire. I'd pay some good money for a seat right on the third base line (and I'd have to in Boston!).

Since I neglected all of you faithful AH watchers last week, I'll be giving you double goodness today!

Happy Birthday to me/Feliz Cumpeanos a mi

2007-09-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

I can't figure out how to get the keys on the computer that make the n with the line in Spanish for the cumpleanos. DOH.

Here's a pic of my birthday flowers.

Thanks to everyone who wished me birthday greetings!

Here's my first solo socks. I didn't have enough yarn to make a complete pair, so I made pedicure socks. They were declared "ridiculous" by Jose at the beach. KMA! Wish you all were here with me. It was a beautiful day.

My first swap ever!

2007-09-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

It's the "Fall into Autumn Dishcloth Exchange"
Thanks,Mimi for the link!

http://dishclothexchange.blogspot.com/
Here's my answers to the questionnaire:
1. Do you knit or crochet? knit , knit and knit some more.
How long have you been doing it? IT? hmmm o, knitting? About 18 months.
2. Have you made dischloths before? It was my first project ever! I've made a bunch since then too.
Do you use them yourself, give them as gifts, or both? BOTH!

3. What's your favorite cotton to make cloths from? For gifts, I like Plymouth Yarn's Fantasy Naturale. The colors are vibrant and the quality of the yarn is very sturdy. I also have a few skeins of 100% cotton from the Sassy Skein that have gorgeous bright colors and very delicate for washcloths.
What cotton would you like to try that you haven't before ? Don't know!
4. If you knit, do you prefer circular or straight needles? I use both equally.For all, do you prefer wooden, metal, or plastic needles? I'm not particular, and in fact am a charter member of the crappy knitting needle club!
5. What are your favorite colors? blues, lavendars, any bright or strong colors.
Any colors you don't like much? browns, pale colors

6. What do you like best about Autumn? ha ha! I don't get autumn here in PR.
7. Pies: Pumpkin? Apple? Pecan? All of em? or No Thanks! All of em!
8. When you were a kid, were you the one who couldn't wait to get started with school , or the one who overslept on the 1st day? I was a school half -liker. Some years were terrifying because of mean nuns.
9. Do you celebrate Halloween? (The real key here guys is especially knowing if you have an aversion to the holiday or little goodies/decorations associated with it, given the timeframe of the swap) I celebrate Halloween. Some years more than others.
10. If you had to choose just 3 edible 'goodies' to eat for a full year, what 3 would you choose? Good Chocolate, gummy bears, and ???
11. Do you have any pets? I have three iguanas that live in my backyard and a little kitty that I share with the rest of my apartment complex. She stops by every day for a litle playing and petting. Kids? Three grown kids, 28,25 and 22.Husbands who seem like kids? What's a husband?
12. If you were to describe a particular yarn that shares traits of your personality, what would it be and why? I dunno!
13. Do you use your cloths mostly for dishcloths, or as facecloths? both
14. Favorite Fall Holiday: Halloween or Thanksgiving and why? (Feel free to share another fall memory if you do not celebrate either of these holidays) Thanksgiving because as many of my family members as possible are together.
15. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should know about? nope!

Cheryl and her daughter and her sock visit Arecibo

2007-09-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

Am I limber or what? Arecibo is pretty cool. If you liked the movie Contact, this is the place where part of it was filmed. They're out here in the middle of nowhere looking for galaxies and hoping to get signals from other worlds. I hadn't tried knitting socks since December in San Diego when Brandi coached my sorry ass through it. I took out her directions again and had to laugh. There's specific instructions just for me! "Cheryl, at this step... " Brandi, you'll be happy to know that I got all the way through the hard part and it looks great. I am just doing the long boring round and round to make the foot. My daughter came from Ann Arbor for the weekend so we're busy running around and having fun. Tonight we'll take the sock to Old San Juan for dinner.

AH tuesday and Quotable Wednesday all rolled into one! HOT DOG!!

2007-08-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a really funny (well to me, anyway) line from my friend. He called me the other afternooon and when I answered, he said "Hi Cheryl, this is Matthew
Mc Caunahay (sp, crap) . So, I reply as any woman would "WOO HOO, HOT DOG!! Come on over!" Knocked him right on his ass! What the heck did he expect? According to him, I'm one loca gringa.

So, are these guys putting us in their book like Becky and I want to do to them?

my AH for the week comes from Lord of the Rings. Viggo Morgenstern.
OMG! All scruffy and messy.
Which I was watching when I f-ed up my second try at the extremely easy fit n flare skirt from Knitting Lingerie Style.

The quote of the week is from Ann Landers:

"The real trick is to stay alive as long as you live."

Quotable Wednesday Plus one

2007-08-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Jeez, being short one computer really slows down the posting.

Here's the quote of the week.

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

Helen Keller

The Open Door (1957) This quotation is often contracted into: Security is mostly a superstition... Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. or paraphrased: Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.

I'm thinking of changing my Latin name from Juanita to Minerva. Here's some cool info about Minerva:

Minerva was the daughter of Jupiter. She was considered to be the virgin goddess of warriors, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, crafts, and the inventor of music. As Minerva Medica, she was the goddess of medicine and doctors.
Adapting Greek myths about Athena, Romans said that Minerva was not born in the usual way, but rather Jupiter had a horrible headache and Vulcan opened up his head and out came Minerva, fully grown, and dressed in armor, a long trailing robe, a helmet, a shield and a spear.

AH! I can't even think!

2007-08-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

Lemme try and think.... nothing coming out yet. I'll type for a few minutes about other stuff and maybe it will come to me.
2. I'm here in an internet cafe in the tourist area looking for a laptop so I can do some job hunting, dammit! Is there a such a job as ass-hat hunter?

3. Still, no AH! o wait! Brandi offered me a choice for this week.

http://a6.vox.com/6a00cdf3a54d98cb8f00d41434fcc63c7f-320pi

Here's her commentary:
This is Nathan Fillion. He played Capt. Malcolm Reynolds in the series Firefly and the movie Serenity as well as recently playing in Waitress with Keri Russell and two other recent flicks I haven't heard of called Slither and another called Driving.I love him. Especially as Capt. Mal. Especially the naked Capt. Mal. Unfortunately it was only one episode. But I can watch it over and over and over again!

Good thing I got a stash

2007-08-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Como se dice "stash" en espanol?

It's a good thing I have one! I'm in the upper left corner. The current track has the eye staying below us, but there's a good bit of weather above the eye. Also, because the forward speed of the storm has increased, the ETA for the eye is late Friday, early Saturday. My friday date is probably in jeopardy. :(

Looks like we'll have a rainy weekend here in Puerto Rico.

AH Wednesday/ FO Wednesday

2007-08-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

OK, Brandi's back from her longest trip ever, so I wanted to come up with an ass-hat of the week in her honor. I already used Mike Rowe, and I'm thinking and thinking and thinking some more. I'm stumped! I really have my mind on Kevin Costner this week. Brandi, I hope you like Kev too. I picked this picture because some people have told me that I look like Susan Sarandon. So, squint already. I do so look like her.

I lent my copy of Bull Durham, which is the best baseball movie ever, to my fellow Costner crazed co-worker Daricel. She tells me that I'm the crazy one and that she's taking lessons from me. Here's a picture of her that disproves that theory from when we went Las Vegas for a wedding last November:

First, here's the crazy girl

And here's another pic to show you how beautiful she really is (still crazy all the same). Crazy bride on the left. That's worth another whole post

No pics of Baby Diego, the first BD baby yet, but here's my FO for today. The heartbreakingly cute baby kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting with the frog knitted into the back.
I'm so proud!
And evidently so easily entertained.

Mean Dean! and quotable Tuesday

2007-08-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

I had to laugh when I saw the name of the storm heading my way. Dean. One of my old bosses used to call a co-worker Mean Dean. He was one of my favorites at the evil empire where I used to work. He was so intense and could actually swear better than me! (comment to the masses: I miss swearing at work! Really, I do. ) Looks like we get it on Sunday. Good thing 1: I live in the mountains in the middle of the island. Good thing 2: I got plenty of yarn to keep me busy!

For the quote for the week.... hmmm

Your job gives you authority. Your behavior earns you respect.
Irwin Federman

How's them freaking apples for ya?

Knittin' Help, por favor!

2007-08-12T06:09:00.001-07:00

This is my first top (that makes me a top virgin?). Here's a pic that I borrowed from the Kpixie website and where I bought the yarn(well, most of the yarn) from.

So far, so good. It's worked from the bottom up which made it kinda boring, but easy. Now, I'm to the part at the top where you use the 2nd color. I got no clue what to do next.

The directions say: On the next RS row you'll start shaping the neckline decoration with Shimmer yarn. This section will be worked in three sections, the first in bamboo, the center with 2 strands of shimmer held together and the third in bamboo. Each WS row should be purled with the same yarn and number of stitches as the previous row.

I'm understanding all that! Cool! But then, I'm looking at the yarn in my hand and I'm wondering how exactly to make the switch. The first row is 42 with bamboo, 1 with shimmer and 42 with bamboo. So I go across the row in the usual way with the bamboo and then need to switch over to the shimmer for one stitch. Where does the bamboo go? And then after one stitch, where does the shimmer go? I can see the way that it turns out and comes to a point. That makes sense to me. I just can't figure out HOW! I was thinking if I typed out the instructions, that it would become clear. HA!

Anyway, the top's going to be really cool. The bamboo is a chocolate brown and the shimmer is green (and shimmery, true to descriptive name of yarn). If you're going to make this top, my recommendation is to get the newer SWTC bamboo. The one I'm using feels soft on the skein, but is scratchy when knitted. I bought the new bamboo for the fitted-flare skirt from Knitting Lingerie Style and it's way way soft.

Yoo hoo Carol, I'm a daisy too!

2007-08-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

I am a
Daisy

What Flower
Are You?

AH Wednesday!!!!

2007-08-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

I don't want to make Barry Bonds the AH of the week, but in honor of his great achievement in baseball, I give you..... drumroll....

Mike Piazza. I have seen his ass pretty close up and it's a good one. I had seats right on the field when the Marlins played the Mets some years back. OMG. The man was waived recently from the Oakland A's so he's available to be traded.

On the knitting front, the kimono for baby Diego is finished just in time! The little guy was born on Monday! No pics yet.
The new bamboo arrived and it's way, way soft. I only tried a little swatch because I decided that I had to get my bamboo circ off another project. I tried the swatch with my metal CRAPPY NEEDLES which I LOVE anyway, but the yarn is too slippery for me to handle.
Later all!
BTW, Brandi is on dry land in the Singapore airport and on the way to spend a few days in Japan. She's eager to get to see HP at the movies and get a copy of the new book that was released while she was at sea. Welcome back!

Quotable Tuesday, take three

2007-08-07T04:50:00.000-07:00

All the lovers and the love they made

nothing between them was a mistake.

All that we did for love's sake

Was not wasted and will never fade.

This is from the poem Autumn by Garrison Keillor.

I repeat it every day.

Tell me what you think.

AH Wednesday! You know what that means?

2007-07-31T17:49:00.000-07:00

YES! Wednesday came fast this week. I decided on my AH of the week. Matthew McConaughey. I chose on Saturday while I was watching the crazy chic flick "How to Lose a Guy in 10 days." I've been watching movies in Spanish to learn, but when I pulled that one out, I needed to see it in English so I could hear his voice. Not one of my favorite movies, but well worth the AH factor. There's also the "Willing suspension of disbelief" factor going strong here. Matthew has got this rich southern accent that sounds fantastic. His family in the movie are all New Yorkers with New York accents. Very loud, typical New Yorker accents. Hmmm.

Quotable Tuesday

2007-07-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

"Everyone thinks I'm a hypochondriac. It makes me sick."--Tony Randall as Felix Unger on The Odd Couple

I read through a pile of inspirational quotes today to find this one that hit the spot.

Leaving work on time tonight. The bamboo hasn't shown up yet, so I'm moving on a top made out of cocoa brown bamboo with green trim. about 25% completed. Pics to follow later today.

I swear, I'm innocent!

2007-07-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

I was reading one of the Bettie blogs a few minutes ago and saw that a visitor had come to the Bean the other night and was knitting a licorice thong! I had seen a pattern for this a couple of years ago before I knew how to knit. I hadn't saved it since I figured that I would never know how to knit well enough to make it. Really, all I did was to google "Knitted licorice thong" Waddya know? Not only do I get the licorice thong, but actual pay dirt! Click here: http://www.knitty.com/issuesummer04/PATTiris.html

Way, way cool stuff here! I thought knitty would never need a shout out. Let's start talking! My fave is ummmm the men's thong. No! the mon petit chou! NO! zaftig! To borrow a word from Sarah, "HOLY HELL!!"

Here's the pic above for what started my Friday afternoon journey!

Off to the mailbox and hope my bamboo is there so I can pick it up at the Post Office. Then to Walgreens for licorice, then who knows! Old San Juan?

AH Wednesday/ FO Wednesday

2007-07-25T06:11:00.000-07:00

Here I am, sitting on my front porch, drinking some way potent Puerto Rican cafe con leche and racking (Wracking?) my brain trying to come up with my ass hat of the week. OMG, David Stein flies in outta nowhere right onto my head. LOOKIE HERE at this guy! To top it off, he's got a great voice. He's the voice on early morning radio for Sporting News Radio. When I was in South Florida, a local AM Sports station was playing his show. I had gotten into the habit of waking up in the middle of the night. Since I've never had insomnia, I was at a loss about how to deal with it. I started to turn on the radio and even though I LOVE baseball and baseball talk, I found that talk radio put me right back to sleep. Even though the show is only played in some markets, you can get it on AOL radio for free. Check out http://radio.sportingnews.com/. The best part of the show is that David talks about a wide variety of topics, not all sports related, but always very interesting. Haven't heard any knitting talk yet, but that's because we haven't hit the airwaves yet! Nothing like a little AH!!! Now that I've found that he's on AOL radio, I can wake up, knit and listen. Great ass hat too.

For the knitting talk, I've decided to make the next few days an extended FO weekend. I finished the heartbreakingly cute baby kimono from Mason-Dixon Knitting for baby Diego, soon to be the first BD Biosciences baby! We're thinking that we should but a playpen, put it in the cubicle area and pass the little guy around. Muchas tias y tios! Many aunts and uncles for el nene. I'll also finish my first shopping bag and my son's bathmat.

Quotable Tuesday?

2007-07-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

I was reading the Yarn Harlot this evening after work http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/ and found this quote by CS Lewis:

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

I love quotes and consider myself a serial collector.

She was blogging about travelling to meet her knitting buddies and recommended cultivating friendships with other knitters so that you could travel to spend time with them. Great idea! I just want to let everyone I know that my door in Puerto Rico is WIDE open and y'all are welcome. I know, I tell you practically every day.

I'm trying to figure out a catchier name for Quotable Tuesday, but until I do, I've got an unlimited supply of quotes to share.

My first Knitting Lingerie Style Project Choice

2007-07-23T16:46:00.000-07:00

Drum roll. please!

The fit-n-flare skirt! Ta Da! Enough with the exclamation points already chica!!!

Go here to the Knitting Lingerie Style Knit A long http://yarncrawl.typepad.com/lingeriestylealong/

Here's an example of the skirt (not mine) :

After a consult with Missa at Kpixie, I decided on the SWTC new bamboo that she promised is softer than the older SWTC bamboo. The book recommends a wool that I thought would be too hot for "you know where" My babies were shipped USPS priority this afternoon. Maybe they will be here in time for a weekend of beach knitting.

Hey Mike Rowe! Lookie here at my girl, Brandi

2007-07-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.joilearning.org/sea90e/

Get yourself over to the Indian Ocean and visit one of your biggest fans, Brandi.

She and her cohorts are doing really dirty work over there and they've been out at sea so long that they've been missing your show. I sent her a DVD of your shows, but she's already got it all memorized.

Happy Birthday Betties!

2007-07-16T16:09:00.001-07:00

It's the Sweet Stitchin' Betties second birthday! What cute toddlers we are!
http://sweetstitchinbetties.blogspot.com/ Here's a toast to all of you ladies who I miss everyday. Order me a Guiness and a Shepherd's Pie. Despite my best efforts, I'm still here at work, so I'll be knitting at home and drinking a few Heineken Dark (the only dark beer I can find here on the island. Woo hoo! Knitting and Drinking, what could be bettier??

Buenas Noches de Borders en San Juan

2007-07-07T18:12:00.000-07:00

Good evening all from Borders in San Juan. This place is ALWAYS hopping! I'm almost out of battery power so I'll probably need to shut down in a few minutes. I got an e-mail from Brandi who's out in the middle of the sea for at least another 5 weeks. She went on her journey prepared with plenty of yarn and patterns to work on and she sent me an e-mail today with a question for my faithful readers:

She's making the Sexy Ribbed Pullover from Big Girl Knits and was wondering if anyone knows of any errata for the pattern? I googled and found a few notes for the book, but nothing about that specific piece. Anyone got any info to share?

There's gotta be some knitters here in PR! Lookie here. Mason-Dixon Knitting right next to Debbie Bliss's Only for babies en espanol. This is great news! I'm knitting in public every chance I get to attract attention.

Happy Fourth to All!

2007-07-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

I took this picture last year at the Marlins game. I had just bought my camera and took about 200 pictures that night, including the one in my post a few weeks ago with my feet framing the game. I heard that here in PR, the only place where there might be fireworks would be in San Juan because that's where most people who want statehood live. In a few weeks another big holiday here we'll probably see fireworks. Puerto Rican Constitution Day.

In knitting news, I started a top called Sweetheart's shimmer. It's a pattern from South West Trading Company. That's the company that makes Karaoke (the soft yarn in beautiful colors that's made from soy). The pattern uses their bamboo and another yarn called shimmer. I ordered the bamboo and was so excited because it was sooooo soft on the skein. When I started to knit, the rows are actually rough to the touch. That's never happened to me. Did that ever happen to you??? I was considering this yarn for the Fit and Flare Trumpet Skirt from Knitting Lingerie Style by Joan Mc Gowan Michael. The book is fantastic! Any ideas for an alternate yarn choice would be appreciated. I don't want to use wool, but would like something swishy and cool! Pics tomorrow! It's too dark already here.

Wiki Waki Meme

2007-07-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Alrighty then! My friends:
Carol,http://www.knit-and-run.blogspot.com/
Mimi, http://www.skullsnbats.blogspot.com/
Torii, http://heyfatlulu.blogspot.com/
and Sarah, http://jupitrpixie.blogspot.com/

have each posted their answers already to this meme. For some reason, when I try to make the links live, they disappear! So, copy and paste the oldfashioned way!
Here's the deal: Go to Wilkipedia. Type in your birthday (no year). Pick three events, 2 births and 1 holiday and post! Send me a link to yours!

3 events

1870 - Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, Wyoming becomes the first woman in the United States to cast a vote legally after 1807. Woo hoo Louisa. Why don't we know more about the history of women talking the right to vote?

1995 - Cal Ripken, Jr. breaks Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played record.
Woo Hoo Cal! One of my favorite baseball players of all time. Beautiful eyes and candidate for ass-hat of the day. I'm finding a pciture NOW!

2000 - The Millennium Summit takes place.

2 births
1766 - John Dalton, British chemist and physicist (d. 1844)
Woo HOO! Fellow Chemist born on my b-day! Probably not a candidate for ass-hat.

1925 - Jimmy Reed, American blues singer (d. 1976)
I LOVE the blues!

1 holiday

Swaziland - Independence Day (from the United Kingdom, 1968).

Hola Carolina y Sandy!

2007-06-30T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hola nenas! Como estan? Aqui esta un foto de Sandy en Puerto Rico.

There is a town here in Puerto Rico called Carolina. I'm trying to figure out a way to get a picture of the entrance of the town for you since it's right on the highway.

YIPES!!!

2007-06-26T16:15:00.001-07:00

http://www.knitty.com/issuefall04/PATThallowig.html

Here's what I'm going to make with this gorgeous green yarn I got from Wal-Mart here in Cayey, PR. I placed the yarn on an actual wall in my apartment. The colors throughout mi casa son muy brillantes!

And here's one of my favorite recent projects! I love the argosy pattern. I'll send the link later. I'm tired and want to leave work!

My neighbors are cows! Mis vecinas son vacas!

2007-06-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

Oops! I mean bulls...

and I have triplet iguanas right outside my backdoor!

How Normal ARE I??

2007-06-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

You are 60% normal

You are kinda normal. You have your quirks, but overall you are quite normal. You do get a kick out of doing random things once in a while though.

Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

Only 40% Abby Normal!

today's spanish word of the day was anormal.

Yes, it's abnormal

Courtesy of Torii

2007-06-02T05:38:00.000-07:00

I was innocently reading Torii's blog this morning and my eyes about popped out of my head!
Here's what she said:
"Can I just say that I would very much like to wear Orlando Bloom's ass as a hat? "
(Torii, I've been trying to put your link here for 20 minutes and all that comes up is a blank space!)

http://heyfatlulu.blogspot.com/
So, copy and paste to hook up with Torii.

Why of course you can say that!

So here's two challenges (albeit, not too challenging):

Who else's ass would we like to use as a hat?
Let's come up with one of those 10 question thingies that are irreverent, insane and makes us think a little.

Here's one of my votes. This is Mike Rowe from Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs.

Here's my other vote. Alex Gonzalez, currently the shortstop fo rthe Cincinnati Reds. He was the shortstop for the Florida Marlins for several years including 2003 when they won the World Series. He's always been my favorite player. You gotta see these guys close up! Baseball players aren't the least bit scrawny. I'm talking jaw dropping muscularity here. Shortstops in general are the best players defensively on the field.

this is me!

2007-05-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Scavenger Hunt Pics

2007-05-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday everyone! I saw this invitation to join a contest/scavenger hunt on Carol's blog
http://www.knit-and-run.blogspot.com/

Here's the rules:

http://www.dorkybestfriend.typepad.com/

I'm really glad I started looking through my pictures. I've had a helluva year. Lots of travel and adventures, good and bad. The bottom line is that I was dumped both personally and professionally last year and not one of these pictures would have been taken if I hadn't been laid off and then broken up with. I can't even name all the people who have literally saved my life this year just by being there.
Off to find a street sign, a library card, to take a pic of a green ball of yarn and an ice cream truck.

Kisses and hugs to all!

A knitter other than me knitting in Public

Here's my friend Brandi from San Diego showing off all of her in progress knitting at Knit Night at Starbucks in San Diego. They're there on Monday nights at the Starbucks on Balboa and Genessee. Visit them at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/infiniteknitters/

Patty, the founder of the infinite knitters nicknamed me the itinerant knitter, but I call myself Vagabond Bettie after my South Florida knitting group, the Sweetstitchingbetties

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sweetstitchinbetties/

An ice cream truck

A sock

This was my first and second socks that I ever knit. I made them when I was in training in San Diego. Brandi and I went to a local LYS and bought Plymouth Tweed to make the socks. Then we went to a great restaurant in LaJolla Cove called The Spot. We drank and ate and wound yarn. I'm not gonna talk about the different sizes of the sox except to say that I can't unravel one to make it look like the other. I was shocked that they came out so different.
A Library Card

A Ball of Green Yarn

A bicyclist

This was a bicyclist in Central Park in NYC that I saw last June. I took my first trip ever to New York City and caught this pic there.

A Street Sign

Street signs where I live in Puerto Rico are meant as "guidelines".

A flower

I found this flower by accident in El Yunque (The Caribbean National Rainforest). My friend Fernando and I were walking along the road and not even on a trail. I think it's a type of Ginger.

APublic Work of Art
All I know that I saw this when I was driving along Fisherman's Wharf when I was in San Francisco last September. I went to San Jose on business and took an extra day to see San Francisco. If you get the chance to travel on business, take some time and go see the sights. You can catch up on your sleep when you get home.

your reflection in an unexpected place

I attended the wedding and subsequent honeymoon of my friends Alexandra and Leo in Las Vegas in November. Alexandra and I were in San Diego for 6 months for training. They were planning a December wedding here in Puerto Rico and were not returning in time to complete the mess of paperwork and "stamp collecting" required to do anything government-wise here. So, the official ceremony was in Vegas and the church wedding was for show! We went on an excursion to Hoover Dam the day after the wedding and I took this pic of a statue's feet and mine. I love this picture.

someone in a catalog pose

Here's my friend, Ramon's best catalog pose. I hope I get extra points for the eye candy element. For anyone who would like an even better pose, post here.

A funny billboard or sign: This picture was taken in an area of Puerto Rico called Pinones. Every beach area has a bunch of different kinds of food booths (none of it healthy) called Kioskos. My daughters and I were trying to find parking when we saw this sign. Pinchos in Puerto Rican Spanish is shish-ke-bob. I love this place!

No-Knit Saturday

2007-05-15T04:55:00.000-07:00

Este dia of hiking was muy bueno!

Mis amigos Kevin and Ramon in El Yunque.

I know it's tuesday, but I've been busy....

Knitting in Puerto Rico

2007-05-13T07:43:00.000-07:00

Doesn't get any better (in bad Spanish: mas mejor) than this. At least I am getting mejor (good spanish) speaking. Sometimes, it's only because I have the script laid down for the grocery store or Wallgreens or the restaurant! My daughter told me that a friend of hers is taking Spanish classes in Michigan. The teacher told them on the first day that the best they could hope for in speaking proficiency is to sound like a precocious two year old. I think I might be a precocious three or four year old (in Spanish)
Remember that market bag from Organic Cotton that we Betties were drooling over about 2 months ago? I had some cool blue cotton in my stash and am in the middle of it now. It's a MARKET BAG, not a PURSE! I can hear the laughing from here (woo hoo! ha ha ha Cheryl's making another purse!) I've even figured out a purse I want to make with Karaoke and the branching out pattern. :)
Buenos dias, y'all from Puerto Rico! I've decreed the island the JUNK FOOD CAPITOL OF THE WORLD!!! Here's the scoop: You may have learned that ice cream in Spanish is helado. Here, we call it mantecado. Manteca is the spanish word for fat (well, lard). Puerto Rican's turn even healthy foods into mantecado. I'm going to find the sign later and post it, but there is a sign outside an icecream store here that lists one of its flavors as zanahoria. THIS IS CARROT! We have all the traditional US junk food like Burger King, Mc Donalds, KFC, you name it, and to top it off we have KIOSKOS. I thought kiosks were only in malls and sell stuff like cell phones and Avon and belts and purses! Today when I'm out, I'll take a pic of this, but right next to many beaches are rows of kiosks that sell lost of fried stuff. Here's one pic that my daughter took last week when we were in Pinones which is a gorgeous beach just north of the airport.
Pincho is shiskebab!