Ice Storm!!!

Man, did we get hit! The pictures I posted last are nothing compared to what we got. Total devastation and loss of power and water. We still don't have power at home but we did get water back last night so at least we can flush the commode now. I'm at the office today where it is WARM! We are managing at home even though we are cold. The house temp was 42 when we got up this morning. Thank goodness for all the afghans I've made recently! We had them all piled on the bed on top of our regualr bedding. We stayed toasty enough as long as we could stay in bed. Hopefully it will be back on soon. Utility workers have come in from several states to help and are working 19 hour days for the duration. I will post some more pictures when I get power back on at home where I can.

But while I'm at work, I'm getting a lot of crocheting done! Already have the back, all the right front, and half the left front done on a sweater.

Okay, I took some pictures from our front and back doors. I didn't venture any further out than the doorways! Here they are....

This is icicles hanging from our front porch.



This is looking out toward the street from our front door.


This is looking toward our neighbors house.

This is looking toward the same neighbors back yard.





This is a bush behind our garage.

Icicles on the back roof.

Close up of ice on some trees.

Well, we got the ice! I am home for today and tomorrow. Mike decided to close the office---smart move. Nobody is supposed to be on the roads unless absolutely necessary. And as far as I'm concerned, getting your taxes done in late January is not absolutely necessary. The ice is pretty on the trees and bushes; just hoping we don't have any power outages from the ice on the lines. Maybe I'll open the door later and take some pics. If I do, I'll post them on here.

Today I'm hoping to get a good bit done on the matinee swing jacket--if I stay off the computer long enough!

My yarn finally came today! Yippee!! So tonight I started on the matinee swing jacket from Lion Brand in antique teal. I've done the first 9 rows of the back so far.

I was busier at work today so no time to crochet. I don't go in tomorrow until 12:30 so maybe I'll be able to get some crocheting done in the morning.

Maurice did get his car back today which is good. We would have a hard time working out transportation for work tomorrow if he didn't.

We are supposed to get a major winter storm tonight and tomorrow. One weather guy says ours will be mostly freezing rain and sleet; another one says 4 - 6" of snow. Of the two, I'd rather have the snow; easier to get some traction in snow than ice. I hate driving in either one though. At least with going in later, the road crews have more time to work on the roads. But then I don't get off work until 7 so it will already be dark and the roads will be worse then. Wish I could just stay home and stay safe tomorrow. I certainly don't want to have a wreck or fall and hurt myself. My balance isn't real good anyway, so I really have a hard time on slick surfaces.

Patti, sorry I don't have anything more exciting to write today!

Oops! Almost forgot to post anything today!

We had a great time last night. Went to Outback to eat before going to Mel and Linda's. She had a surprise for me when we got there....her son had bought her a new computer this week. So now she has gone from none to two! Now she can work at her desk or the laptop can go with her wherever.

Today we went to lunch with other friends--Linda and Jerry; yes, I know, too many friends named Linda! Then did the grocery bit. Came home and didn't do much of anything else all afternoon. Meant to make soup but didn't get it done. We also haven't set up the new tv yet. Have to decide where to put the old one first I guess.

Maurice's car is in the shop. Hopefully will get it back tomorrow. So he will be taking me to work tomorrow morning and I will wait for him to come get me tomorrow afternoon. I have to be at work earlier than he does and we get off at the same time so I shouldn't have to wait for him too long. Then we will go get his car and come on home.

They are predicting some pretty bad winter weather late tomorrow night, Tuesday and Wednesday. Yukkkkk! I hate having to get out on the roads in that kind of weather. Would much rather stay in and crochet.

Finally got the patterns in that I ordered but still no yarn! May swatch some of them tomorrow afternoon.

We broke down and bought our HD TV today at Sam's Club. Got to the checkout and said I had an invalid credit card! I couldn't believe they didn't take Visa; only MC and Discover. So much for getting more points on our cruise card! So I used my debit card. Haven't set it up yet but hopefully that won't be a problem.

We are going to Mel and Linda's in a little bit. I've got a computer for her since hers died and will set it up tonight and we'll probably also watch a movie or two.

So not much in the crochet department today. I may just have to go ahead and use the red yarn I had in mind for another project and start one of the sweaters with it. Not sure yet.

Not much going on today. I was busy all morning and still have some more appointments this afternoon.

I have done some swatching and think I have the gauge figured out. But I'm STILL waiting on my yarn and patterns to get here. Hopefully they will be at home this evening when I get there. I really want to get started on another project!

I did get the basket finished yesterday afternoon and as promised, here is a picture (or two). I really liked the way the colors pooled into an arrow design around the outside. I wasn't sure whether I would like the basket or not and almost gave up and frogged it a couple of times while working on it. I am glad now that I kept on with it. I am even thinking about making another one with the same pattern except making it about half the size.

I think I have also decided on the first sweater/jacket pattern I want to make. Am going to try swatching today and see if I can get the proper gauge. The pattern calls for Homespun yarn and I want to use ILTY. If ILTY won't work up right, I may have top break down and try the Homespun again. I love how soft and cuddly this yarn is, but just don't like working with it with how the ends want to fray and I have a hard time hiding the tails and keeping them hidden. But we shall see.



I don't have any advance appointments at work today but you neve know how many might walk in. Or how many may have called this morning for appointments later this afternoon.

Gotta gather some hooks and extra yarn to take with me to swatch and also the cotton yarn if I decide to make another bowl and if I'm not busy at work.

Still didn't get my patterns or yarn that I ordered. Maybe today..........

Well, I started on a basket out of crochet cotton yesterday afternoon but did not finish it. I didn't think I would because it is a bigger basket (about 12" in diameter) plus I had some customers, too. I've been working on it some today and only have about 5 more rounds to go I think. So I will probably finish it this afternoon. I should have a picture of it for tomorrow.

I'm hoping my Annie's Attic patterns come in the mail today. And getting the yarn from Craft's, etc, today would be nice too. But it will probably be a few more days on that order. Still been looking at other patterns and deciding on projects.

All Shawl is finished!

I just finished the last row of the All Shawl about an hour ago. I used the LionBrand Ruffle Scarf pattern for the ruffle and added one more row to it. It took almost 2 skeins of yarn for the ruffle alone so that makes 5 skeins for the total shawl. I didn't realize how much weight the ruffle would add to the whole thing. It feels heavy. Hope the weight of the ruffle doesn't stretch out the rest of the shawl too much. Here is a picture of what it looks like:

I also tried something new to me on this shawl--I used the Russian Join method of adding a new skein of yarn. That is fabulous! If you haven't tried this before, here is one link for how to do it. http://www.geocities.com/mama_bear_007/Russian_Join.html Aside from the fact that one or two stitches are just a little heavier than the others, you can not see it at all. And after you do the next row, it is really hard to find them!

And here is a picture of one of the fingerless mittens I made. Kinda hard to take a picture showing both of them!

Today I think I will work on something small like a basket or shopping bag. My new yarn hasn't come yet and I don't want to start another large project yet. I do have the yarn for a poncho but I don't think I want to start that right now.

I just finished the main body of the All Shawl. It took me 3 skeins of ILTY for this part and there are 40 stitches between the repeats. I used an M hook this time (I tend to crochet tight). I also only used dc instead of the edc so it would be wider. Made it about 24" long. Now on to the border. I'm wanting to do some kind of a ruffle this time. I have a couple of ideas to try so we'll see what I actually come up with.

We had about an inch of snow this morning and the roads had some slick spots on the way to work but I didn't have any problems. It is nice and sunny now.

Off now to play with ruffles.

Well, I knew it wouldn't last.....no post yesterday.

Yesterday was a partial 'catch-up day'---got my nails done, looked at TVs at Walmart (think we have finally decided on which one to get), got some groceries. Came home and made a double batch of potato soup and froze it in serving size containers for work. Stayed home and watched a movie on dvd last night----Hancock; it was very strange.

But I did do a little bit of crocheting. I made a pair of fingerless mittens since I gave the other pair to Linda B. It was a very simple pattern; basically just dc so they didn't take long. Also, I finally decided on what of the ILTY yarn I wanted to order--ordered 6 skeins of periwinkle, 6 skeins of antique teal, 4 skeins of light sage green, and 4 skeins of peach. Of course I still have until Tuesday to order more at the sale price!

Oh, Friday I did do 5 or 6 more rows on my All Shawl. Just a few more rows before starting the border. Guess I need to decide what kind of border I'm going to do on this one!

We are picking up a bit at work now. Was a little busier yesterday and have done more this morning than usual. So people are beginning to get their info.

Didn't add much to the shawl yesterday; maybe 3 or 4 rows. Of course, the rows are getting longer now and take more time to do. But I spent some time surfing for patterns. Crafts, etc, has all their yarn on sale right now and I was looking for projects and approximate amounts of yarn needed so I could order while it was on sale. With my luck, by the time I decide how much I need, the colors I want will be out of stock. Hopefully I'll still be able to get some, though.

Here is a picture of my simple scarf. I just chained the width I wanted and then did double crochets in each space between stitches until it was the size I wanted. Took about 5 ounces of yarn I think.


It was another slow day at work yesterday so I did a bunch on my buttercup yellow All Shawl. I think I'm around 25 stitches between the V increases now and have used a bit over 1 full skein of ILTY. I am doing the modified version where I just do dc instead of edc. I'm using an M hook. I like the way it is turning out so far. I will probably work on it some more today because work should still be slow. Here is a progress pic:

I did get the scarf finished yesterday (and wore it to work today!) but haven't had a chance to take a picture of it yet.

Needless to say, yesterday was another slow day at work; but I did actually do 2 returns. Still early for people to have their info.

Planning to start another All Shawl today.

Second VVS is Finished!

I finished the 2nd VVS just a few minutes ago! Here is a fairly close up picture of the finished product. It is 150 stitches long by 90 rows wide and uses 12 different colors of ILTY. It is just the right size for me.







Today I'm planning to make--or at least start--a scarf out of yarn my 2 year old great nephew picked out for me for Christmas. It is Vanna's Choice Purple Mist Print. Even at his age, he knows my favorite color (his mother took him to the store and showed him what kind of yarn I liked and then let him pick the color)! I plan on just doing something simple because I feel fancy stitches would be lost in this print. I still have some time before I need to leave for work today since I don't have to be there until 12:30 so I think I'll go work on the scarf.

Back at Work

I'm back at work today. I got everything straightened up and now I have some free time. I forgot to bring a book with me to read and I didn't want to bring crochet today. I actually thought it would take longer to get organized this morning than it did. It isn't even 10 o'clock yet so it looks like it will be a long day.

An update on the VVS--I have completed 70 rows now; only 20 more to go. If I had not had to come to work today, I would have finished it at home today (I did 20 rows yesterday). But I'm still hoping to get it done this week.

I guess I'll go surf some more and see what it going on.

We had a good time last night. Finally got to see Mama Mia! and it was as good as I had heard. I also agree that Pierce Brosnan is not a singer but he is such good 'eye candy' that who cares!

I finished through row 50 fo my VVS yesterday before leaving. Then I went to Hobby Lobby and got Buttercup yellow to make another All Shawl.

Today was a usual Sunday for us so far...Went to Barnes & Noble, then to lunch and then to Walmart for groceries. This afternoon I plan to work some more on the VVS. And I do have to get things together for work tomorrow; still haven't done that.

Oh, yes, almost forgot. Linda showed me her crocheting last night when we got there. She is really doing well. Of course there were mistakes and uneven tension in places but for a beginner it was great and I told her so. She is doing great. I took her some extra yarn and a crochet hook for her to practice with. She has arthritis really bad in her hands so I gave her one of the bamboo handled hooks so it would be easier for her to hold.

The VVS is coming right along. I did 22 more rows on it yesterday for a total of 40 rows done at that time. I have already added 7 more rows this morning and will work on it some more later.

This afternoon I am going to Hobby Lobby for more yarn. I want to do another All Shawl. I'm thinking about maybe yellow this time but not sure. Depends on what is in stock today.

We are going to Mel and Linda's tonight. These are our friends that we go to see a lot of Saturday nights. We watch movies, talk, munch, and have a good time all around. She has just learned a little crochet this week and is anxious for me to see it and tell her what she is doing wrong--and right. Looking forward to that...another convert!

Some more photos

First here is a progress pic of my second VVS. This is after 30 rows.



These are 2 pics of my "All Shawl" from a pattern by Doris Chan. I finished this at the end of the year but forgot to take any pictures until today.

And finally here is a pic of my purple round ripple afghan. This was also finished just before the end of the year.

So Easy Potato Soup

I'm going to add some recipes in here so I can find them again when I want to make them! I made this one today for the first time but it will not be the last! It was delicious! Next time I will probably double the recipe though so I'll have more to freeze. It was in my local newspaper.

So Easy Potato Soup
1 bag southern-style hash browns
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of water
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 small can chicken broth

Mix all ingredients together. Cook until tender. It will be thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top each bowl with some shredded cheddar cheese if you like.

As expected, I didn't get nearly all of what I had intended to done yesterday. I "thought" about what I needed to get together for work. I did do a pair of the fingerless gloves/wrist warmers, worked some more on the VVS, cooked a ham and packaged it for lunches for work, and got the new albums on my Ipod. Not bad. Still have laundry to do. And I want to make another pot of soup. I freeze it in serving size containers then I can take it to work and heat it in the microwave. Hot lunch that way and easier than going out for fast food.

I have 23 rows done on the VVS now. I need to take a progress pic of it, too. Haven't taken any so far of it. Maybe I'll do that later today.

I have about 10 rows done on the second VVS now. It is going to be a much more manageable size. I plan to work on it more today. Plus I want to make some fingerless gloves today, too. They shouldn't be hard or take very long either.

Since I start back to work Monday, I need to get organized. Need to gather what I need to take to work, check my clothes, do laundry, make some things to have ahead for lunches, etc. But I still plan on being here some and crocheting, too.

Oh yeah, I got some more CDs yesterday so want to put them on my I-pod later today. Sounds like a busy day. We'll see how much of that I actually get done!

Pic of Complete VVS

Here is a picture of Maurice under his finished VVS. He thought he would be cute and cover his head. Little did he know that I had planned on cropping it out anyway!

And here is a bit of a close up of it.

I did not put any kind of a border on it. I just wove all the ends in and left it as is. That way, I can add more width to it later if we decide it needs it.

VVS is Finished!

Yes, that's right!...I finished the VVS last night. It took me less than a week to make this! I haven't had a chance to take a pic of it yet but I will either later today or tomorrow. Maurice was using it last night and said it was just the right size for him (I made it 76 rows wide).

Now I have picked out a new stripe pattern and colors for one for me. This time I'm only going to make it 150 stitches long instead of the 250 and I'll probably make it 85-90 rows wide. I decided to only go with 12 of the colors I used in the first one. This time I'm using periwinkle, navy, royal, turquoise, peacock, antique teal, forest, yellow, hot rose, pink, dark raspberry, and grape. Will try to take a picture of those later, too.

We are getting snow here today and it is hovering around freezing. So far it is all melting but with the temps dropping, I just hope it doesn't start freezing and the roads get slick. I'm not going anywhere the rest of the day...going to go start my VVS in a few minutes. Have the crockpot of vegetable soup warming for supper.

Some Pics of Finished Projects

I decided to take a break from crocheting and add some pictures of some of my finished projects here. Hope you enjoy looking.

These are some of the dishcloths I made and how I put them in a small bowl/basket.

This is the Irish Chain saltine afghan I made for my niece Lori for Christmas

This is the red, white, and blue saltine afghan I made for my sister Mary Lou for Christmas.

This is the Spiderman Round Ripple I made for my great-nephew Jackson for Christmas.

This is one of the ponchos I made for my great-niece Kaitlyn for Christmas.

And this is the other one I made her.

This is the afghan I made for our friends Jim and Noelle.

This is the Round Ripple I made for Mama for Christmas to use as a table cover for her Christmas tree.

This is the Ripple afghan I made for Maurice with him using it. (He doesn't even know I took this picture!)

These are just 2 of the Angel Wing shawls I made.

This is the yellow and white gingham 'saltine' afghan I made for Mama for her birthday this past July.








This is the very first 'saltine' afghan I made.

It is the Around the World pattern and was made for me.

Thanks for looking!

No pic today

I didn't take another picture of the VVS today. I'll take another one when it is finished. I'm hoping to get it finished later today or tonight if all goes well. Only have about 8 or 10 rows to go I think.

I've been thinking back about what all I crocheted in 2008 and decided to make a list. Here is what I can remember right now:

6 angel wings shawls
2 other shawls that I can't remember the names of
1 All Shawl
4 "saltine" (2-round granny square) afghans
1 ripple afghan
3 round ripples
24 dishcloths (at least)
8 coasters
2 ponchos
1 toboggan
3 small bowls/baskets
1 larger bowl/basket

Whew! That's a bunch and I didn't even start crocheting until summer! And there is probably more that I don't remember. Plus that is not counting the ones that I started and frogged because I decided I didn't like the patterns.

I'll have to see if I can add pics here of some of these later.

I actually got some cleaning done yesterday! It was definitely needed! And I'm feeling it today. If I do much at all, the next day I am hurting; I have lumbar stinosis so I am in pain right often but I'm managing it.

It is cold and rainy here today so I have a big pot of vegetable soup in the crock pot. I love soups!

That's enough for now. Gotta go pay bills. And then work on the VVS.

Monday, Monday

Another update on the VVS....Last night I decided to lay it out to see just how big this thing was. And I found out---way too long for me to be able to easily handle when done! Maurice (DH)helped me to wrap it under my legs. It was long enough to tuck up under me at my feet and wrap down from the top to where the ends came within a couple of inches of meeting in the middle. Waaayyy toooo long for me. I was seriously thinking of frogging and starting over to have a length I could manage. Maurice tried it out and he said it was the perfect length for him and he would love to have it if I would finish it for him. Hmmmm.....I thought at the beginning that it was gonna be too long and he said he thought it would be fine for me. Think he knew all along and just wanted it for himself? Anyway, I will finish it for him. He said it only needed to be about a foot wider to be wide enough to suit him. So I'm adding enough rows for that and let him see if that is wide enough. Then I'll start another one--much shorter, though--for me.

Here is the next picture. I think there are 58 rows on it now. Will go to 70 or 75 and let him see if it 'fits'.

So far, so good

So far, I'm doing a good job of posting every day. I know that won't last, though. I'll get busy or not have anything to say or just plain forget to do it.

Anyway, did get my hair cut yesterday but when I came back home, I decided it was too gloomy to get into anything else (it was cloudy and drizzly with more rain coming later). So, I crocheted most of the rest of the day.

Great progress. I now have 45 rows done on the VVS! I think that was 18 stripes yesterday! No wonder my arms and hands were tired last night!

Here is an updated picture:

I'll have to find another place to put it for the next picture...it will be bigger than my chair then!

Another day on the VVS

I was able to get 15 more rows done on the VVS yesterday. I forgot to take a picture of it this morning until until I had done another row so you see 28 rows instead of 27 in this picture.

It is coming right along. I am enjoying seeing how the colors progress. I'm still amazed at how well some of the colors look next to each other.

I may not have as much time to crochet today. I need to go get a haircut (the shop where I go is strictly a walk-in business so who knows how long I might have to wait) and run some other errands this morning. And I need to do some things around here today, too, but they might not get done.

Update on the VVS

The VVS is going really well. I got 12 rows done yesterday. I debated starting over because it is a LOT longer than I expected....it's about 9 feet long! But we decided that would be good; that way I can tuck it under my feet sort of like in a pocket and keep even warmer.





Here is a picture of it so far. If I hadn't used the random stripe generator, I would never have put some of these colors next to each other. But you know what, I think they work together well!

I can't believe the time it takes to do one stripe (row)....it is only taking about 12 - 15 minutes on each! This is such fun!

New Year and new to blogging

I decided it is time that I joined the blog revolution. What better time to start than at the beginning of a year. So here goes....

I need a place to keep myself organized and a record of my projects. Today I started another crochet afghan. This one is called the Vintage Vertical Stripe. The pattern can be found here: http://belladia.typepad.com/bella_dia/2006/11/vintage_vertica.html

I picked my colors--22 of them from I Love This Yarn, put them into the random stripe generator (http://kissyourshadow.com/stripe_maker.php) and began.

My colors are antique white, toasted almond, black, red, aubergine, soft pink, royal, gray mist, turquoise, peacock, medium blue, forest, grape, sea blue, antique teal, pink, soft blue, hot rose, dark raspberry, periwinkle, yellow, and navy. Here is a pic of the colors:

I am using a K crochet hook (my current favorite size with this yarn). I started out by chaining 250 per the pattern instructions). Since my chain row is tighter, I used a size larger (L) hook for this. This is gonna be one loooonnnng afghan. But that is fine, plenty of room to wrap up in. My first color is navy.

Enough for my first blog post. Going to go do my second row. Which is the grape color, I believe. Progress pics and more to come later.