Thank you Secret Buddy

Thank you One Skein Secret Buddy. I received your package yesterday, well actually it arrived on Monday but it was at my neighbors apt and since I got home really late I had to wait to yesterday to get it.

I LOVE IT... How did you know I love Frida Kahlo. Schaefer Yarns are great and I now have 400 lovely yards to whatever I want for ME! ..... Im drooling.. the colors are amazing.



Thank you for the lovely note and I hope that all is well with your family. Have you been spoiled by your secret buddy yet?

Once again... thank you so much.

On the day in 1969

Does everyone know what day is it today?

In 1939, the final seen in Gone With the Wind was shot ( did you know it was supposed to be "frankly my dear, I don't care !")

In 1958, Truman ordered troops into Korea

In 1975, Sonny and Cher got divorced.

And for all you Tom Cruise fans, Days of Thunder was release in 1990, but the most important thing was this :

On June 27th of the year 1969 ... Nancy was born.

Nancy and I have been friends ever since Mr. Poloso sat us next to each other in the 6th grade, he had no clue what he was doing - 25 years and counting.

And if I know Nancy ... I know that someday she wouldn't mind having a gala in her honor here.

The Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Or have a private viewing of this amazing exhibit ... her alone with all these Egyptian goodies.

Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh

And if she really really pressed the issue, and if I could fit into that cat suit and sneak into the joint ( yeah right )... she would kill for this sculpture by Rodin.

But instead my friend Nancy will have to be happy with some goodies that I got her, and my undying love and adoration.

She is a beautiful woman

An amazing partner to her husband and an amazing mother.

In the good and the bad times she was a good daughter who grew into good friend to her mother in time of need. A daughter who had an great relationship with her Daddy.

The friend who knows all my secrets and still still lets me into her house.

The only one who understands the importance of chocolate babka, raisin cake, and a great pot of coffee during all those moments of spiritual unrest.

And the one who will be there when the days are long and hard or there to answer the phone when I call asking :

"YO " do you wanna go to a Crue concert next month? Who cares that will be 52 years old at the time.

Happy Birthday Nan! ... Haven't we come a long long way!

Finally ... the bikini is here

This has been the hardest blog entry since I began blogging. It seems that my computer and Blooger are having issues with eachother. Every time I tried to upload some pictures my computer was not happy and it would just stop and freeze up. Let me just say that my computer is a little older and I am looking into getting a new one ( but I have not broken the news to my machine.. but I think it senses something)

I have been working on a bikini for a co-worker for the past month, it was a "let me see if I could do this project" - project. The interesting thing about this bikini was more the fact that it would not be one solid color but six and in even stripes, it was to be the colors of the rainbow to be worn at todays Gay Pride Parade. I used the pattern from the great new book "Greetings from the Knit Cafe" and the yarn was Palette from Knit Picks. The hardest part was finding the true colors of the rainbow ... bright and vibrant. This yarn eventhough it is 100% wool, it matched the gauge and colors. So I told the young lady at work that this bikini is just for show, not to go a pool or beach water. She understood and was happy with the end results. The top did give me some problems when I realize I miscounted a whole 13 stitiches and I had to unravel the left boob, and I was not thrilled with casting on 380 stitiches at six rows each for the ties but I did it ( that was 6840 stitches on number 1's)

I don't think that I would ever make this bikini again with this yarn, the pattern was for a lycra blended yarn, but it was interesting to put together.

Yesterday was great SPIN OUT ! Now it was supposed to be held in Central Park but the pouring rain through a wrench into those plans. After much debating and some last minute luck the event was held at a recreation center on the East Side. Cara the organizer of the event is a great knitter and a spinner.

Here is Nancy taking a spin at the wheel. She wants one badly but she's not sure which is the best to get for a beginner. Ann was letting her play with her wheel for a bit and then Nancy and I tried spinning yarn from a drop spindle. Let me say that using a drop spindle is not for me.
It was amazing to see so many people spinning and knitting ... all ages helping each other and just having a great time.

This week I was on vacation, I did not have any plans except a few movies and the museum, but I ended up being sick most of the week with a horrible head cold and a nasty cough. I had no desire to knit and all I wanted to do was sleep. Guess my body was exhausted from running around my bookstore and it need to crash. Doesn't it was seem that when you have no plans your week always flies by. But I do have a commitment to finish a baby sweater and a hat or two for the Dulaan Project.
These projects didn't take much time and they used up some stash which I have no plans for. I love the fact that my simple items can help some needy kids so far away from me.

So its back to work tomorrow and my knitting group meets on Tuesday evening at my store. Hopefully some of the members of my group have a few knitted objects for me to send out to Arizona for the project.

Guess who I met today ?

Today was one of those days when a knitter goes ...Oh my GOD ! That's Debbie Bliss.

At Seaport Yarns this morning I had the pleasure of meeting two of my favorite knitting gurus....Debbie Bliss and Nicky Epstein. Debbie Bliss was in the US for a few trade shows and then she was going to several stores in NYC and NJ before heading back to London. It seems that she and Andrea - the owner of Seaport Yarns have become friends over the years and she had this morning to come by the shop. Me like the geek that I am got up bright and early eventhough I got home late from my store last night and headed to Fulton Street downtown. I was the first one there, it was only from 9:30 to 1pm.
I must say that she is the loveliest person and so grateful to hear feedback and talk to those people who spend time with her books, yarns and designs. While helping her uppack some of the knitted pieces from her suitcases, Ms. Bliss was hilarious and showing me the new cashmere yarns and the proofs of her new book Simply Baby which was supposed to be at the event but instead was stuck in customs. The book is going to be beautiful and the projects are so adorable. There were so many finished items to try on and this most amazing jacket that starts out with five stitches and is almost like a spider web.

So about half and hour later Nicky Epstein walked in. She and Debbie have been friends for years and they immediately started chatting away. I love her Over the Edge and Knitted Flowers book.
We were treated a discusssion on how she goes by designing her lines and the whole process from stetches to book. She has a unending deadline and there a lot more to come for us who love her books.


After I got one of my books signed, I decided to head down to the Seaport and hang out and do some knitting. Today's weather was lovely and the tourist were out in full force. I didn't realize at first that the bench I chose to sit on and have my lunch was the most popular one there, or at least the area of the Seaport. It hit me a second later... dah .. you are facing this :


The Brooklyn Bridge

So...I have been working an this bikini for over two weeks, and its due next week. Then I realize today that one of the cups of the bra is smaller than the other. Somehow I miscounted and I had to take the who cup apart. I cannot look at it today again, but it will be my buddy for the next couple of days. I will work on adding the elastic to the bottom for a bit tonight and finish that part at least.

I hope that everyone who lives in NYC and is free on 6/24/06 can come the the SPIN OUT in Central Park that day. It should be great day and a lot of fun. I will be tagging along with Nancy that day and I finally get to meet Cara.

The Bronx is up and the Battery's down.

So this past week our friends from Iceland came to visit our fantastic city. They arrived late Saturday night and left way too fast. On Sunday there was a BBQ at Nancy's house. We had a great time, with the great food and the nice weather. It was great seeing Ingileif and Linda again so soon and Asthildur- the cutiest 9 month old in Iceland.
On Monday I made dinner for our travellers. I had promised them a true Puerto Rican dinner. Using Nancy's kitchen and some cooking goodies the we use, I made arroz blanco, pollo guisado con papas, ensalda con aguacate y habicuelas rositas (translation ... white rice, stewed chicken with potatoes, salad with avocado and pink beans). There was a lot of food and it was a big hit. I really don't have the chance to cook big meals like that. I love too cook for friends and make a big presentation when I have the chance.



On Tuesday I met up with the ladies for some more sightseeing around the city. Linda really wanted to see the
Statue of Liberty and I could not let her leave our fair city without at least going by it. So we took the train down to the South Ferry station and there you can catch the Staten Island Ferry ( for free) and it goes right by the Statue of Liberty and then you land on Staten Island. Many tourist do this ever since 9/11 and the ferry runs all times a day. It was great seeing Linda's face when the ferry was going by Lady Liberty.

I was able to get some pictures of the beautiful family together on the ferry and on the Subway. Asthildur had everyone on the train totally in love with her, she made friends everywhere she went. If anyone goes into Toys r Us this week and notices the empty shelves, well that was because Ingileif and Linda bought it out and took it all back to Iceland with them. We had a great dinner at Planet Hollywood and then I left the exhausted ladies to go back to their hotel to pack and get some rest.

They arrived home safely and I think they have finally caught up on their sleep. It was great seeing them again and taking them around.

As for my knitting.... well I have to make some serious progress on the PRIDE bikini this week. The bottom is almost there and the top wont take too long. I just have had no time to work on it at all, and since there are so many colors involved I cannot carry it around in my bag.

Hope everyone is doing better on their projects.

No knitting today

Hello all.

Sorry to say that there has been no knitting today.
"No knitting...but why...what's wrong ? "

Simple... I am so tired !!!

The past week has been hectic at work and it started off with having to work on Memorial Day while everyone else was at the park or at some bbq. Being yelled at by nasty customers who wanted to spend there entire day making a mess in my store. GO OUT TO THE PARK .. SPEND SOME TIME WITH YOUR KIDS OUTSIDE.

Then there was the overflowing sinks in my kitchen for two days and having to bail out the water into a bucket and dumping it into the toilet. Finally the cause was found. My downstairs neighbor had her washing machine on for two damn days, not realizing that the water was backing up into the pipes and onto my kitchen floor.

So I was late for work, on the day of a major book signing of over 150 people and then all this rain. So my head hurts, my arms are sore from hauling buckets of water and to top it off, every screaming kid on the Upper East Side was at my register today at work.

So am I am bitter.. and venting to you all and I am heading straight to bed because I have to get up early tomorrow again.

So no knitting today, it has been in my bag all day... I looked at it and smiled but even the pleasure of the knit and purl couldn't help me today.

Take me out to the ball game

Hello Everyone ! I tried doing this post yesterday but my computer was not having it all, I think its giving me the hint...time for a new one.

Eventhough I have been working on many projects this week, I do not have any pictures yet to show anyone. So I decided to show these wonderful pictures of my outing to Yankee Stadium on Friday night. My nephew Abraham is visiting from Orlando and he wanted to go see a game. He grew up here in NYC but then his dad moved to Florida. So being the great titi I am, I got last minute seats for him, my mami and me.


Its not like I have to travel miles and miles to get to the Stadium, I go by it everyday on the subway. I grew up three blocks from the Stadium and some of my most cherished childhood memeories are playing around the stadium and once in awhile catching a glimpse of a player before they headed in.
I was able to get this shot of Derek Jeter just before he hit his 2000th hit and then his 2001 hit. It was great that he was able to do it at home and of course he got a standing ovation.
I am a diehard Yankees fan ... good or bad

Here is my hunky nephew Abraham. He's 19 now, a hard working college student...ladies you should see his eyes. It gave my mami some time with her grandson...of course as she munched on Cracker Jacks and watched the game.

Eventhough it stayed sunny most of the day, the skies opened up at the bottom of the 8th inning and there was no way we could stay. The umbrellas were no use at all. I was soaked and it was hilarious seeing my mom running in the rain like a young 50 year old (she's 76).

All in all a great time.

Solo in the City

Today was a beautiful day in NYC. One of those Spring days that we yearn for after all the snow and cold weather. Not even having to deal with waiting for buses or slow local train could make it bad.
But the one dangerous thing about being single in the city is not having someone to say
"Back away from the yarn Maribel, put it back ... for Heaven's sake have some self control!"

I decided to go check out the new store KnittyCity on the Upper West Side today. The store has become very popular in a short amount of time, and the word of mouth has been good. It is a lovely place and when I walked in there was a class going on in the back room, and a mother and daughter taking lessons at one of the tables.
What pleased me the most was that they do have a large variety of yarns, they even carry some Lion Brand and a large selection of Cascade 220 in some great colors.
I ended up walking out with some Freedom cotton denim for a messenger tote bag I want to make from the Greetings from the Knitting Cafe book.
And for those of you who have to sneak your yarn into your homes, you might want to bring a bag with you, KnittyCity has clear bags ... so everyone can see your haul.


I finally finished the Baby Cardigan and goodies that I started a few months ago. The baby for who this gift is meant was born almost two months ago, but since I made this set in a 24 months size, it will be some time before she wears it.
The sweater was made from the Special Knits for Baby by Debbie Bliss and the booties are also from Ms. Bliss but from her Quick Baby Knits book. I love some of her patterns and nothing could be better against your hands but her baby cashmerino yarn.

The beret was from the Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns.
I totally fell in love with the beret when I finished it, not a mistake or twisted stitch anywhere.
Damn I'm good!

For my OneSkein secret pal

HEY THERE SECRET BUDDY !

Here are the answers to your questions.

I am required to send you these questions.....however I have one of my own....are you really allergic to wool? the thought of that makes me tear up.....
I am not allergic to wool ( I really don’t think I am ) but I have noticed that some of the chemicals they put on the superwash wools bother me. I really haven't made too much for myself in wool, and the item I did does make me itch a little but I still wear the scarf....heck its Lorna's Laces yarn .. wouldn’t you !

1. Which yarn is most like your personality (you can be specific or general with your answer- brand, type, color, fiber, whatever)?

There are so many yarns I love, how can I answer this question. I prefer soft yarns, the kind that you want to molest in the yarn store. Silky but not shiny( those metallic ones..yuk) One of my favorites for baby stuff is Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino .. I love the feel of it. Karabella yarns are lovely, things like that ... cushy and mushy I call them...LOL

2. What is your favorite color yarn to knit/crochet with?
I try to match the colors with the person I am knitting for. I don’t do too bright day glow colors, but for kids knitting I try to go for brighter colors. For myself I am a major earth tone kind of girl and deep purples and reds.

3. Have you ever used variegated, or magic, yarns?
I have used variegated yarns, magic yarns for socks, and variegated yarns for a few scarves.

4. Do you tend to favor certain fibers when choosing yarns?
I am not against some softer acrylics for machine wash items, there are some better quality blends these days. I use wools, cotton and some alpaca. It all depends on the project, but my mom has learned not to buy me any cheap yarns at flea markets unless I am there.

5. Do you prefer to work with center-pull or traditionally wound balls of yarn?
Doesn’t make a difference to me but if I buy a hank of anything then I like it to be center pull when it gets balled up.

6. Have you ever worked with organic yarns or are you interested in trying them?
I would not mind using them at all.

7. How many and what projects have you made in the last year?
In the past 12 months I have made countless socks ( slipper socks for gifts) scarves, shrugs, a doll, too many hats, and some baby dresses.

8. Will you be knitting any gifts this year?
Of course, I am hoping to get some some guilt off my back and use a lot of the yarn I have spent my money on to make a lot of holiday gifts this year. Also some baby shower and birthday gifts.

9. What is your favorite one skein project?
I like the cable scarf and the felted items.

10. How much yarn do you have in your stash and how do you store it?
I am too scared to count how many pieces I have, but it has too be at least over 200+ skeins, there goes that yarn budget.

11. Do you have a yarn in your stash that you love so much you can never use it or part with it?
Not at the moment. I have to stop being so co-dependant with my stash.

12. Do you knit less or differently in the summer?
No, I do a lot of knitting at work on break or before my shift, in the lovely air conditioned space. I sit in parks after work to relax. I try not too to too much in white outside as to not to get it dirty, I am a walking klutz and I will drop it in the first puddle I come across.

13. Do you belong to any knitting groups (online or offline)?
I do belong to one knitting group that meets monthly but I am not adverse to joining another one but my schedule is tough sometimes.

14. Pal, please confirm for me your mailing address (some East Coast zip codes may have lost the beginning Zero value and appear as four digits).
This I will send in the email

Hopefully these will help you .. if you have any other questions ...ask away.

Hey Abbott......I've been a BAD girl !!!

I have no self control. No will power what so ever and this time is not over a big piece of chocolate cake. Its yarn!

The Lion and the Lamb in NYC has lost their lease and they started a 50 - 70% off sale yesterday. I got there around 5 after work and before my knitting group at my store. The crowd wasn't too bad but it got bad quickly. So many customers were coming in that they had to stop them from entering since the place is too big. Besides the high end yarns and goodies they also carry an amazing collection of needlepoint goodies. Heck I spent nothing compared to the woman who spent $800+ in needlework canvases and yarns. I heard that there was a fight today, women yelling at each other. Okay people .. knitting is a civil hobby.

Here is my haul ...
Just some Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino ( my favorite for baby stuff ), Tahki - Baby, some Dale of Norway Baby Ull and some Regia sock yarn.
Oh and some Addi Turbos at 50% off too. I had only on Addi needle and I won't tell how much that one cost me at full price.

I finally finished the Baby Sweater and now I have to redo the booties. I found another pattern I love. So the gift giving will have to wait for a few days now. The baby is still a newborn, so I have some time.

The exciting news is that I got my ONE SKEIN KNITALONG buddy today. I am so excited to start this exchange. I am not sure if I am supposed to say her name on my blog as of yet. But she lives across the country, in a state that I have not been to yet. This is going to be so much fun.

HELLO THERE SECRET BUDDY !!!

GREETINGS FROM NEW YORK CITY

Finally ... some pics

So..I went to Iceland and it is amazing to see the reactions of people when you tell them that you have gone to this land far far away. Heck it was only 5 hours away. But it was beautiful and amazing. Here are some of the pictures that I took over there, some of my favorites for your viewing pleasure. Nancy was with me of course, since it was her family we went to see. Here we are on our last visit for some last minute shopping of yarn goodies. The Alafoss store is a dangerous place. We were in nirvana !!!



I loved the open road ...

This creator was amazing.. no chance of this old volcano blowing again..anyone want to go for a swim ?

Iceland's most beautiful baby ... Asthilda Emma

And her parents and our amazing hostesses...Ingleif and Linda. They were fantastic and so loving to all of us. ( I am still waiting for a certain recipe ..hint hint)

Even though this is a man made geyser.. I love the picture and the sun shining in the background.

I am still munching on the most amazing chocolate covered raisins that I got over there as I type this blog entry, trying to make them last.

The beauty of this country, the generousity of the people and its peacefulness are overwhelming.

Presents from the Philippines

Today at work I got some presents ... and all girls like getting presents. One of the lovely booksellers at my store, Marvelyn just returned from a month long trip to visit her mom in the Phillippines. Knowing that I am a knitter she bought me a bag full of this lovely yarn. It is called Carmencita and it is distributed by Coats (jp coats) in Manila Bay. It is an acrylic yarn but oh so soft and cushy. There are about 12 small skeins of blue, pink, red and lilac and white variated yarn. Each is only about 35 meters, so I dont think I can make a big project with them but they will make some nice and warm booties for the winter season.

I have been so frustrated lately by a washcloth...a stinking washcloth. It is one of the pretty ones from the new Mason Dixon Knitting book. I have been planning on a set of these dishcloths as a house warming gift for a friend and it is getting the best of me. I am so pissed about it, so I put it down, so I will start the towel for now and then I will get back to them again

Has anyone made them yet ?

I have just learned that the Lion and the Lamb in NYC has lost their lease and is going out of business, this means major sale !!! I believe it starts on 5/9 and last only for days, 50-70% off of everything in their store. HOT DAMN !

Big Girls Rule ...and we Knit too !!!

For those of you who don't know me and many of you do not know me personally, I am a BBW - Big Beautiful Woman or as I like to say, Beautiful Brainey Woman. I have always been a full figured, bbw, plus size or how they say in my neck of the woods..I'm just thick girl!

So being a knitter I have not really made myself anything but the usual socks and scarves. I have yet to find a really nice project that is made for my body, not a over sized tunic or a long badly knit top too tight for my boobs.

UNTIL NOW... OH MY GOSH.. The one book that I have been waiting for was released last week and its perfect. You all know what I am talking about its .. BIG GIRL KNITS by Jillian Moreno and Amy Singer. This book covers the three B's .. butt, belly and boobs and how to knit your items correct according to how you are built. To be honest with yourself by measuring yourself and knowing what yarns are not good to use as a full figured woman. They go through so many things and even how to adjust other patterns.
I am so ready to start making some of the summer tops and then of course the sweaters. They are flattering and not just four huge pieces seamed together.

I highly recommend it for the plus size knitter who wants to finally make something for themselves or if you want to knit for a beautiful plus size woman in your life.

Another cool book which has come to my attention is Greetings from the Knit Cafe by Susan Mischer. a former ad executive so now owns a knitting store...gotta envy her. It has some fun and pretty patterns and some recipes. I have been hired to make the bikini for some of the skinny minnies at my store, of course pictures to follow.

Ciao Ciao

Let me show you my goodies

Before I start sharing all my Icelandic pictures with those of you who read my little blog here, it is only befitting that I share with you all the wool goodies that I got on my little jaunt across the Atlantic.

Ingileif (Nancy's cousin) is a fantastic tour guide, and she lives only about 5 minutes from Alafoss - The factory outlet for Lopi Yarn in Mosfellsbaer. Now we went in there twice during our stay and we did have some issues figuring out how we were going to get all that yarn in our suitcases. But we had some self control ( I did have more than the Nancy - she had two large bags). The place is amazing and they are so nice and helpful.


This is my stash and I like the goodies that I bought myself. There is some Hjerte Sock yarn from Denmark, some Kambgarn Lopi Sock yarn ...in a wine and pumpkin colors and some Lett-Lopi in black and dark blue.

Here is my sock yarn! Boy are my tooties going to be warm this coming winter.

And eventhough you cannot see the colors well( I am sorry about that) this Lopi yarn will make a great hat and scarf for a good friend this winter.

I also bought to skeins of wool for a co-worker and I almost came home with some major chunky yarn, but remember I am on a yarn diet. Of course all the goodies that I ate in Iceland might actually get me to go low carb again....NOT

In the days since I have been back I have been working hard on the Debbie Bliss baby cardigan that should have been finished before I left, while recoveing from a horrible head cold. So in the past two days I have finished all but one sleeve and my hand is hurting because of it. It feels great in my hands though, I just love working with Debbie Bliss' baby cashmerino. Can't wait to finish it and show it off to everyone.

Meet the Boy Rag Doll ----- Ethan

Hello All !!!

Before I start my entries on my amazing trip to Iceland over the Easter week, I have to introduce everyone to the boy rag doll that was a present for a beautiful baby girl.
This is Ethan.

After two months of constant knitting and shaping, my handsome friend here was complete and cute. The hardest part of the whole thing was the hair, almost one whole skein of Dale of Norway Baby Ull was used on this little boy's head.

Baby Ethan here went to Iceland over the past week and was presented as a gift to an absolutely precious and adorable little girl called Asthildur Emma.

Ethan came complete with a wardrobe and he will get new outfits as well for future occasions.
Here is a nudie shot of the boy rag doll, I am not trying to be scandalous or anything, but I just wanted everyone to see how the doll looks without his clothes. If anyone wants to do this doll, I would highly recommend it. It taught me how to turn a heel, seaming and how to seam in elastic and how to actually make a sweater with some instarsia.




Here is Nancy's doll for Asthildur. All dressed up in lilac and purple. And the baby has a matching Anouk dress in the same colors.

Here she is .... the precious daughter of Ingileif and Linda.. Asthildur Emma !!!! This picture cannot in any way due justice to the beauty that is this little girl. So loving and warm, her smiles along can melt you. In the days that we were in Iceland I had the priviledge of playing with Asthildur, and she can keep you smiling for hours.


You will see more pictures of Asthildur and her beautiful country over the next few days. I have to organize the pictures and make that I have all the right names for all the places.

I want to thank Ingileif, Linda, Jolee and Asthildur for an amazing time in Iceland. They opened their homes to me and of course to Nancy and Avery. They spoiled us rotten while we were over there and never hesitated to make our trip even more special.

Voy para Islandia

I am going to Iceland !!! Tomorrow is the big day when Nancy, Avery and myself head to Iceland to visit Nancy's family.

The funniest thing is the reaction that I get from people when I tell them I'm heading to Iceland, and then I have to explain everything. Its hilarious. Today I was able to convert some hot american dollars for cold icelandic kronsas. I was able to get 5000 kronas which equalled about $78 bucks. They had another person come in the day before and by some as well... guess who - Nancy..she beat me to it. But I have some of there currency to enter their country with. I should really finish packing, and I don't like leaving a messy apartment ( because that means I come home to a messy apartment).

I know I have not blogged much this week at all, my work schedule was hectic and I did have to concentrate on some other things. But I promise things will be better when I get back.

Some great news I got was my confirmation for the ONESKEIN pal exchange yesterday, I am so excited.

Talk to you all soon.

Bon Voyage !!!

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS ..MAMI !!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMI !!!!

Today is my mami's 76th birthday and she is still amazing and force to be reckoned with. This picture is from the surprise 75th birthday party I put together last year. My mami loves flowers, so the theme was roses. Today we are meeting for lunch since I have to work late, but Thursday will be our day.
My mami was born in Mayaguez, a small town in the southwest part of Puerto Rico. The oldest of four she had to become the mother for all when her mother died. My mami moved to NYC in 1948 and began a hard and determined life. Having raised four boys and me, my mother worked as a seamstress and took in piecework to make ends meet. My mami has been through so much over the years but she still continues to amaze me everyday. She is a grandmother of 7 and the great-grandomther of 4 and a loving mother, sister and friend.




Te Dios te bendiga siempre ... te adoro.

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS ..MAMI !!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMI !!!!

Today is my mami's 76th birthday and she is still amazing and force to be reckoned with. This picture is from the surprise 75th birthday party I put together last year. My mami loves flowers, so the theme was roses. Today we are meeting for lunch since I have to work late, but Thursday will be our day.
My mami was born in Mayaguez, a small town in the southwest part of Puerto Rico. The oldest of four she had to become the mother for all when her mother died. My mami moved to NYC in 1948 and began a hard and determined life. Having raised four boys and me, my mother worked as a seamstress and took in piecework to make ends meet. My mami has been through so much over the years but she still continues to amaze me everyday. She is a grandmother of 7 and the great-grandomther of 4 and a loving mother, sister and friend.




Te Dios te bendiga siempre ... te adoro.

P is for Proud !!

Okay okay...I have not blogged all week, and I have already been told that that is unacceptable.
It has been a busy week for me. My schedule is not a normal 9 to 5 and there are days when I get home at almost one in the morning and I am ready to pass out.
My brother was admitted to the hospital this week again, he had a major drop in his red blood cells from a combination of medications that he must take daily. He had liver transplant two years ago and other issues since then. I am his health care proxy and his doctors know me well.

Then in between all of that I am finishing up a certain rag doll, I feel like a hair transplant specialist. Hair plugs are my new specialty, and my new vocation if I ever give up on retail.
At the moment he look like a Bay City Roller or Peter Townsend, but still very adorable. I will post a picture of the doll after he is given as a gift... can't totally ruin the surprise.

I have had the opportunity of teaching some co workers how to knit. Recently Gary here asked me to help him get started on the pointy sticks so he could knit something special for his first granddaughter who is due any day now.

He completed a pair of booties and a bib from Bernats Cotton Tots and he started his first hat on dpn's. He is trying to master the dpn's and everyone at work is loving his knitting skill. He and Charlotte, his lovely wife are going to be fantastic grandparents.



Now... I live in the amazing and always misunderstood borough of THE BRONX . Nothing anyone can ever tell me will stop me from loving it and being proud to be a Bronx Girl. Of course we have the Yankees (did I mention the 26 World Championships), the Bronx Zoo and the amazing Botancial Gardens. The Bronx is the birthplace of Edgar Allen Poe, James Baldwin, Ralph Lauren, Rita Moreno, Colin Powell, E.L Doctorow, Stanley Kubrick and Bobby Darin. I has had an amazing resurgence in the past decade and continue to thrive.

I live on a lovely parkway that lead up to the entrance of the Botancial Gardens. During the spring and summer the trees and parks are in bloom and beautiful to walk along. The other day when walking home I noticed the most amazing thing. There were numerous trees planted alone the parkway.

I have had noticed that many of the older trees are dying, they have served us for a long long time. So they neighorhood, along with the parks department have planted more to prepare for the future. They are still young but so beautiful and I am so proud to have them there for the years to come.

So this week I'm working six days straight including the weekend, I have to finish the doll by Monday night and did I mention that I am leaving for Iceland on Friday! .... I have to start packing by Monday and put all my things in order. NO PRESSURE !!!

S is for Spring, Sunday, Skein and STASH !!!

Flash my STASH ! Thank God my mom doesn't read my blog...Me flashing my stash, I am a good Puerto Rican girl !

OH .. my yarn stash .. I can do that. I have spent the last few hours going through my piles of bags in the corner of my living room putting my stash into some sense of order. You can call it Spring cleaning in a minimal sense. I have this Sunday off and eventhough I should be sitiing on my futon working on my doll which has to be finished this week, I realized that I needed to do some major cleaning. Now don't get me wrong, I am in no way a cleaning machine, but things had to be put in order, floors swept and mopped and whoever is using my stove...they should really clean up better.. oh thats me. I guess one of the pluses of living alone is that no one sees the mess unless I let them in.

As eveyone who has read my blog from the beginning knows, I have a great cube which holds all my knitting toys and a lot of chunky yarn. ( the blog is called the knitting cube ..dah ) But it wasn't enough. I recently bought this great holder at the Container Store and I filled it up today .


I emptied all the bags from the various stores and arranged the bag by project (hahahahaha) The Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino on the left hand side is currently being used for a cute cardigan. There is a lot of sock yarn and some great yarn for some kitchen items and some more kiddie stuff.

Now after I emptied some more bags the carrier which did have some space was full to the brim. It is a lot deeper than I thought it would be and I am so proud of myself.

This is the plastic container in my bedroom. It hold more chunky yarns and 3 Suss kits that I got on clearance at my store. Yeah BN carried yarn kits about two years ago. I am not saying that they were too expensive but they were, and they went on clearance after a few months. So I was able to get about four kits for a buck apiece. The cotton yarn is good and it would look nice on my niece. This container holds some goodies from a Smileys hotel sale, and I am not allowed to go there again.
As I moved bags and junk I found these goodies. I had this full cone of Lily Craft( one pound) in blue that I bought on clearance for about $4 dollars. Its perfect for a bunch of dishcloths I want to make a friend who just moved into her first apartment.

And there was a time when I didn't know if I wanted to knit at all. I tried it and I was not sucessful at all, I didn't get it. But then I went to the Knit and Crochet festival in Union Square park with Nancy. I entered a raffle that Michaels was holding at the end of the day. I won the Needle Master and this huge bag of Bernat yarn. It holds 15 skeins of their yarn in blues, greens and cream colors. I have no idea what do to with it...none !
The Needle Master allowed me to learn to knit and purl on circulars and set me on my knitting obsession.


I might use some of the colors for an afghan, the kind that I can use on the those cold NYC winters or maybe some charity knitting.

Now mind you, I do have one more area in my apartment that holds yarn. Its a small basket at the bottom of my wall unit (sorry no pic). Its just a few misc skeins that are just waiting to be used.

So that is my STASH. Not as bad as some I have seen, quite respectable if I say so myself. I have put myself on a yarn spend down, the 3/20 entry and I am determined to work on it. Someone or something in this apartment should be on a diet.

Is anyone going to sign up for either the Secret Pal 8 or Oneskein secret pal exchange?

Have a great week.