Yarnjeannie's Crochet Cache

I got off to a questionable start this morning, driving to work on autopilot! After stopping for breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, my DS asked me why I was turning into the driveway at the Wawa minimart. I did it just out of habit. My mind was racing with other thoughts today and I hate it when I realize that I’m driving like a robot. I thank God that I dropped my son off at the station and got to work safely. My thoughts are on Brutus this morning. When he’s gone, I will miss his barking, his bad breath and his “ear-cleaning service”. If you want to make this dog happy, you just let him lick your ears! He’s a sweet thing and I hope he’s not in pain right now. He has been disinterested in his dry dog food for the last couple of days, so I bought a few of those little Beneful meals and gave him some of that. I had to divvy it up with the other two rapscallions to prevent hard feelings though. Brutus is still getting his antibiotic, but I don’t notice any difference in the swellin...

Another nice day - I got a lot of crocheting done today. I made two 10" squares for someone on Crochetville. She's making two comfortghans. It's my first time sending squares, so I hope they are okay. The blue and white one was easy to make, but I had to add extra rows, as the pattern was designed to make an 8 inch square. The yellow and black square is based on another pattern, which I can't locate right now, but I improvised and worked it differently throughout. I'm thinking there shouldn't be any copyright issues. I'm not posting my version of the square, and it's for charity, not for sale. Both squares need to be blocked - the black and yellow one especially. It's made with front post double crochets, so it seems to be wavy. I've never blocked a square before, so I need to rustle up some straight pins to pin it to shape. I also finished (well, almost) the doll blanket my neice's daughter asked for. It is black, just like she ...

The weather is beautiful today! It's bright, sunny and warm - very warm. It's supposed to hit the high 80s today and tomorrow. I have all of my doors and windows open, not wanting to turn the air conditioner on yet. It's only April! It's not too warm in here yet so I think we'll stick it out. I want to make a trip to the grocery store this weekend, and maybe pick up some vegetable plants to put in the garden this spring. DH Wayne has already prepared a little garden plot on top of the hill. I'm thinking I should invest in some low fencing to keep the rabbits out of it. We have more rabbits here in our neighborhood than you would expect. They're cute as a button but they can decimate a garden in no time. I've been occupying my mind with plans for a garden this summer. I want to put in tomatoes, cabbage, swiss chard, onions, cauliflower or broccoli, and potatoes. I don't know where to buy seed potatoes, though. They say you can start them ...

We took Brutus to another vet today. Our previous vet recommended amputating his toe. An x-ray revealed bone loss in one of the toes on his sore foot. The vet was unsure whether or not it was a bone infection or cancer, but said that amputation was the easiest way to deal with it. My "old man" Brutus will be 12 in July, and I was not eager to put him through surgery at his age. The new vet took a look at him today. Brutus' toe has really gotten much bigger and during the intial exam today, the new vet discovered an enlarged lymph node higher up on his leg. He is going to treat with a two-week course of a very strong antibiotic in the off-chance that this is an infection in the bone. However, this vet feels very sure that this is cancer, and that it's not confined to the toe and has already spread. This is very sad news, but at least I know now that amputation is not an option and we'll choose to treat him with painkillers once his antibiotic course is fini...

Below is a photo of my current project - I'm undoing the "angry crochet" piece and changing the stitch. As I work on one, I'm unraveling the old and crocheting the new. I do like the new pattern much better, and I've decided on a baby blanket as the final form. I plan to put a yellow border on it - a nice soft yellow might be pretty. I found a pretty shrug pattern on Crochetville - I definitely have to get back to Joann's or AC Moore for some of that Vanna yarn. I think this would look really nice in some of the great colors I saw in the store. Not much else new tonight. There are heavy winds and some rain heading this way tonight. Only two more work days this week - I'm off from work Friday, to get new "spectacles" made. I think my eyes have changed in the last two years. After crocheting a while, everything else looks blurry for a bit afterwards. Back to NCIS...

It's been a great weekend so far. Yesterday morning, I woke early and took some of my accumulated "treasures" outside and set up a yard sale. My brother Mike joined me with a few of his things. Sales were slow, but I did make a little money by selling 2 bikes we had here. Several years ago, after my weight loss surgery, I decided to try bike-riding to help keep in shape. I remember telling my husband that I was buying a cheap bike, just in case "it ends up at a yard sale". Bike riding was never my thing. Well, my bike and my son's bike went to a gentleman who was fixing up bikes for a youth group. I'm glad it went to a good cause. The remainder of my unsold goods will be donated to a thrift store. Yesterday was the Harry Kalas memorial service at the ball park in Philadelphia. I arrived home from running errands in time to view the service on TV, and it was so touching that I was moved to tears. Okay - I cried like a baby when past and presen...

Big things I'm thankful for: That it's a beautiful day and I'm here to enjoy it! That my son's dear GF is out of the hospital today That I have a wonderful little grandson in my life That my younger son will be graduating from college in May That I have a dear husband whom I love That I have friends and family to support me Little things I'm thankful for: That I don't have to work on weekends Crochet hooks and yarn! That there are giraffes in the world Deviled eggs The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Black Cherry soda Wawa coffee the internet my dogs and cats music and art

Another rainy day - with sleet! I couldn't believe my eyes! I think that at this point, cold weather should be gone, and I definitely should not be sitting in my car, waiting for Tom's train to arrive, watching sleet bounce off the windshield and hood. Ugh! Give me a nice gentle rain on a warm spring day, or even thunderstorms that darken the skies and then flash with lightning. Anything but sleet! The photo above was taken from inside my car when the train arrived at the station. I liked the way the rain ran down the windshield and distorted everything. Dan's girlfriend Nicole is still in the hospital and may be there until this weekend. I hope she can hold out until she's released - I think she is going stir-crazy and misses her baby terribly! God, please grant her good health and return her to her loving family - Amen. DH Wayne won't be doing his swim with the sharks at the aquarium this weekend. Apparently they can't locate the paperwork I faxed ov...

DS's GF is still in the hospital, and will probably be in at least another week. She is still on medication to help dissolve the blood clots in her lungs, and needs to stay in the hospital longer than she had thought. She is feeling a little better than when she was admitted so I hope that she is on the road to recovery. Yesterday was a sad day. The voice of the Phillies, Harry Kalas, passed away yesterday. I was sorry to hear about it - the games won't be the same without his commentary. Rest in peace, Harry. You and Richie Ashburn will again be calling play-by-play from heaven! We'll miss you. Just an ordinary day at work today. Tomorrow is Wednesday - Hump Day! We'll be over the hump and on the downhill slide in just a few hours! I finished a dishcloth, from a pattern found on crochetville. I used a cotton yarn in a variegated color and I love the way it turned out!

DS Dan's girlfriend Nicole is in the hospital. She is the mother of my dear grandson Justin. She has some blood clots in her lungs. Currently, she is in the CCU in the hospital. I pray that she recovers completely. She is awake and can have visitors, she is on oxygen and some blood thinners. They think her condition may be related to the C-section she had 3 months ago. Dear Lord, please grant Nicole peace of mind and a speedy recovery, and return her to good health, Amen.

It's a rainy weekend, but I don't mind. Nothing better than watching the rain come down on a spring day, knowing that it will bring buds to the trees and color to the parched grass. It's not a downpour - just a nice gentle rainfall. The 3 dogs are so funny in the morning! I fed them their breakfast. They have a little ritual. All three are so competitive. The little min pin gets fed first, as he is a greedy little thing. The senior citizen gets fed next, then the beagle. After eating a few bites, the old man must go bark at the beagle, who is engrossed in his own breakfast. This leaves the old man's dish unguarded, and the young min pin heads over to have a couple of bites of the old man's breakfast - I have to raise my voice at him - "GO EAT!". His little feet skidded to a stop on the kitchen floor and he made a quick u-turn back to his own dish. Once I had everyone at their own station, they made quick work of their breakfast. This happens ev...

My niece's daughter received her Barbie clothes this evening. She seemed very happy with them. I gave her the items pictured previously in my blog (with the exception of the lilac evening gown), a pink fluffy wrap made with fun fur, a two-piece bathing suit, a beach bag, and a poncho. I hope she has many hours of fun as she recovers from her illness. She's been home with pneumonia. What a sweet little girl she is! She said she was feeling better tonight when I stopped in. She also requested a black blanket with a red heart on it, for her Barbie. I think I can do that. Not sure why she chose black and red, but if that's what the girl wants, that's what she'll get! Not much else to say tonight. I'm tired and think I'll turn in early.

The Phillies lost the opener! LOL! My dad used to say that all the time. They lost again tonight too. Sure hope things get better soon or there won't be a prayer of repeating the World Series! Gotta love those Phils! Poor Brutus is limping again. I will have to call the vet and ask for pain medication for him. Poor guy! Barbie has another new outfit! I can't wait until I see my grand-niece! I'll have 5 different outfits for her. This one is a two-tone dress, paired up with the sweater/jacket I made earlier. And she has a handbag to go with it. This one was worked from the bottom up, and I think that will be the next pattern I write out. It was easier than the evening gown. I made it using Elann Esprit yarn. What a great yarn to work with - perfect for Barbie clothes, as it stretches. You can make the outfits with enough give to go on and off easily. It's a sport-weight yarn and I use an F hook with it. I've put a couple of other projects on hold to...

I've been having some fun making Barbie outfits. I put together an evening gown, in the same glittery yarn as the previous one - light lavender this time. It's not perfect - the dress is a little big in the bust. I'm going to see if there is anything I can do to fix it. But it turned out just fine, I think. This pattern will take some time to write out, as I'll probably be making a few little adjustments to it. It's been a rainy Monday and I'm actually glad it was. The drive to work was a downpour one minute and a light drizzle the next. Lots of lightning flashes too. This winter has been very dry and I'm hoping that April really will bring showers - enough to bring us to normal rainfall levels. The grass is getting nice and green. I got to babysit for Justin on Saturday, while his mom and dad went to a movie! What a darling baby! He's getting so big and strong. With his beautiful blue eyes and sweet smile, he just melts your heart! Can yo...

Well, I got some yarn together and wrote down this pattern, as I promised myself I would. It's the Easter version of the black and white number I made a few weeks ago. I had some Beadies yarn in a color called Chick, and used some light lavender worsted weight yarn for the top. For hat, skirt and top, I used an "F" hook. To begin: Skirt - Row 1 - Chain 17, sc in the second chain from hook and next 15 chains (16 sc), ch 1 and working in opposite side of starting chain, sc in next 3 st, inc in next st, sc in 3 st, inc in next, sc in 3 st, inc in next st, sc in 3 st - leave remaining ch unworked. Ch 1 and turn Row 2 - (Sc in 3 st, inc in next st)across, sl to join in first sc (24 st). Do not turn. You will begin working in rounds. Round 3 - ch 1, (sc in same st and next 4 st, inc in next st) around, join in first sc. (28 st) Round 4 - Round 8 - Ch 1, sc in each st, join with first sc (28 st) Round 9 - ch 1, sc in same st, skip next st, 5 dc in next st, skip next st,*(...

Okay - I've got some Vanna's Choice Baby Yarn (feels like worsted weight, nothing at all like a baby yarn). It's that Goldfish color I mentioned the other day. I'm very anxious to use the yarn, but haven't been able to find just the right project for it. I've been waiting for my daffodils out front to bloom, but they aren't doing anything at all. I used to have tulips too, but the squirrels developed a taste for those. I would walk along the sidewalk to see freshly dug holes - little ones that I know I didn't make! And I'd catch a glimpse of a fat little squirrely butt high-tailing it behind the house! I only have a few daffodils now, and the leaves are poking above ground about 6 inches or so, but no flowers. Maybe my daffodils need to be removed and replanted? My neighbor's daffodils are fully bloomed and look beautiful. It finally dawned on me today why I have no flowers. Last fall, my DH and DS "cleaned up" my flower bed ...

Almost halfway through the week. Hump day! Yesterday was a good day. I made a good dinner on Monday. I made shepherd’s pie – with the hamburger, green beans and tomato soup mixed together, a layer of cheese on top of that, and then a layer of mashed potatoes and baked in the oven. It was very good, and we had the leftovers yesterday. Wayne and I went to the dive shop at 6:30 on Tuesday. There was a presentation by two guys from Australia about their scuba diving expeditions on the Great Barrier Reef. The dive shop owner was considering putting together a trip with his group, so she invited these gentlemen to show a slide presentation to pique interest. Lyn had refreshments there (beer, soda, water, pretzels, crackers, popcorn and cookies), and there was a picture slide show going on when we arrived. One of the instructors at the dive shop recently traveled to Thailand on business and took some time out to go scuba diving there. What fantastic photos he took! The presentation...