rocketghan

I can't believe it's been a month since I posted here. I really haven't been doing much crocheting lately. I'm sure that will change eventually, but right now I've been enjoying the Christmas season, watching Christmas movies, buying Christmas gifts. I've also jumped aboard the coloring craze and one cannot color and crochet at the same time. LOL

Anyway, I'm still working slowly on the rocket afghan. Here is where I am on it currently. The rest will be the colored yo-yos and more black squares surrounding the completed area. Yes, there are a ton of tails that will need to be woven in. I have tried to do all the center tails on each square to at least reduce them somewhat. 

I'm pleased with how it's coming along. The yo-yos will make quite a difference I think, but still many black squares to make before it's ready for that.

As to any other crochet news, if I find anything of interest I generally post it to the Facebook page. The last thing I posted there was the video I added to my YouTube channel regarding filet crochet. It's not a new video but one I made some time ago and which was requested by a visitor. A Fleur de lis chart filet pattern has been added to Crochet Cabana as well (under Kate Smith).

I have also started using the old Crafty Corral to post about my coloring adventures. If you are interested in that, the link is http://craftycorral.blogspot.com/ 

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate during this time. Be safe if you travel the roads - don't drink and drive. Set your patience level to high and enjoy the wonderful companionship of family and friends.  It's a stressful time of year for many, so do remember those who are alone or infirm if you are able.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

hiding join on a hat

Some time ago I posted about hats I made using hdc which had that slanted join. I did not like this and rarely ever use hdc in anything much less in a hat that would give me this sort of look. Here are pics of a hat I worked that shows this diagonal join. When I mentioned this, several others contacted me that they had the same problem.  If I recall correctly, it was called a traveling curve.

Today I ran across a tutorial which is supposed to reduce that diagonal join and give a straight join. I found the link in a Happily Hooked magazine blog post. I know of the magazine but I do not subscribe. It is just shy of $40/year.They have a great blog which provides interesting and helpful information. 

You can find the tutorial to eliminate the diagonal join (with hdc) at Charmed by Ewe. Kudos to her for coming up with this as I know this has been a problem others have fought with too.

I also found another blog through the same post. It is about crocheting in the round with single crochet and getting an invisible seam. In the first part of the video she shows how others might work single crochet joins incorrectly - she tells you this is the incorrect way to do it. If you follow your patterns correctly, you should already not be doing this.Most patterns will explicitly say to work the first sc in the same stitch. It's good to see how one could make this error, however, if you're not paying close attention. 

She then demonstrates the correct way to join single crochet in the round. This is, as she says, part one to getting a good seam. The important part of the tutorial is how to get the seam invisible. The post is at Crochet Ever After.

Those tutorials are for working sc and hdc. I might also add that when I work a hat in the round using double crochet, I like to join with a slip stitch, ch 1, and work my first dc in same stitch. If you working an increase here, you would work ch 1, 2 dc in same stitch. By using a chain 1 instead of the usual ch 3, on my next round I can join right into an actual stitch, rather than a chain. I've been doing this for years now. It is a tip I read when working a pattern for a hat over at The Gingerbread Lady. I have made her Big Button Beret twice. I love the look and the pattern. 

Here are pictures of my dc join.

And just for fun pictures of one of the Big Button Berets I made. I did not add the button. Of all the hats I've made, this is one of my favorites even though I used thin yarn and it took a while to complete. You can read the blog post I did when making it here. 

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

nameghans

I thought I had posted this, but apparently I started it and didn't finish it. So here is a two-in-one post.

The narrow nameghan was completed a couple weeks ago. The finished size is about 25"  x 54". Long and skinny. :-) The picture shows the afghan folded over so it is about a third wider than it looks.

The yarn used is
Knit Picks Brava Sport Paprika (rust)
Knit Picks Brava Sport Walnut (brown)
Knit Picks Brava Sport Sienna (brown)
Knit Picks Brava Sport Brindle (brown)
Stylecraft Special DK Lipstick (red)
Stylecraft Special DK Khaki (green)
Stylecraft Special DK Plum (purple)
Hayfield shade 0792 Moss Green
Knit Picks Brava Sport Almond (cream) for edging

Each strip is edged in one round of single crochet in the same color as the strip, then edged again in almond, also in single crochet. I left a very long tail in the almond which was used for whipstitch assembly in back loops. The border around the entire afghan is (sc, ch 2, 2 dc, sk 2).

Though I wish it would be wider, I'm please with the resulting look. It actually works quite nicely as a shawl.

I also just finished a second one-piece where I made the individual strips a bit wider. My foundation chain was 137 (67 columns). After edging it ended up 36" x 38 1/2", a nice lapghan size. 

Yarn used was all DK or sport that I had on hand. I am not sure about the maroonish color but the others are

Knit Picks Brava Sport Walnut (brown at the top)
Knit Picks Brava Sport Persimmon (peachish second stripe)
Hayfield shade 0792 Moss Green (after the maroon)
Stylecraft Special DK Lipstick (red)
Knit Picks Brava Sport Sienna (brown FAMILY stripe)

Each stripe has a name in filet. I colored them out in the photo.

Just as in the one above afghan, each strip of this one was edged in the same color with a round of single crochet and then an additional round of single crochet in almond, leaving a long tail for assembly. When all strips were assembled, I edged with a round of (sc, ch 2, 2 dc, sk 2) round.

I ordered additional almond skeins and also skeins of a different neutral color - Camel Heather - to see which I like best, with the thought of adding a name to the original lapghan.

I also will start back to work on the picture afghan I was working on. I had started making black squares when I got sidetracked with names. Truthfully, filet is my thing at the moment so I enjoyed the distraction. I will be making more dishcloths in filet soon. 

I am also sorely tempted by Knit Pick's Learn to Knit Club. I have tried knitting a number of times but it hasn't taken yet. :-) At the least I can get three dishcloths out of the kit if I decide to do it. If I can't pick up the knitting, I can always make them in crochet. ;-)

That's all for now.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Ghans ghans and more ghans

Earlier in the year I made a name afghan for my daughter. As it happens, she is now expecting our second grandson. I was thinking I needed to add our new grandson's name to the afghan or create another afghan including him.

I started out deciding to make a new afghan, but rather than using individual letters as in the first one, I would make them one piece. Well, this was poorly thought out as the one piece names are much narrower than the individual lettered names. :-( I forgot to take into account that there would be twice the space between each letter than in the one piece. I don't know where my brain was that day. I could easily have added those stitches in. In any case I did two of each name as one piece. Then I borrowed the original afghan and noticed the difference in width.

What to do oh what to do. Well, those one piece names are made so I will probably assemble them and make an afghan out of them. I have some almond yarn to edge each name and put a border around the entire thing. I haven't started to do that yet. I could conceivably rip those back as I have enough of the same yarns to increase the width between letters I think. But you know, who would do that? LOL They are made. I really enjoy working filet pieces so it was not a hardship to do. It wouldn't even be a hardship to redo them really.

Now for the afghan that is already finished I am staring at it and wondering if I am able to take it apart without damaging it. I think it is possible. My concern is where the tails are sewn in on the border. I am crazy with sewing in tails and they could be anywhere. heh

I completed enough letters to make two names. BUT - you know there is always a but - I forgot to take into account that the names are not the same length. The longest name has 8 letters. The new name has 6 so while I had enough yarn to make 12 letters and three blanks. I need another blank. I THOUGHT I had another skein of Knit Picks Brindle, but alas I do not. So what to do, what to do. Ordering one skein with shipping and handling added seems impractical. Of course, I could always put those letters aside and make new letters with a different color and I may well do that.

I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do, but I will sew together the letters I do have because ... well, why not? LOL

I am also thinking if I completely started over I could order more yarn in different colors for each name. And well, who doesn't like to get new yarn to play with? LOL

I share this with you so you can see that although I have been crocheting for many, many years I still screw up more often than I might like to admit. LOL

I also am not finished the other afghan though I have completed most of the picture part. Can you guess?

Also I made a couple of dish/wash cloths and forgot to put up pics of them. These are still from the When Granny Meets Filet book which I totally love.

I also wanted to mention a cowl pattern that I found today. I like the idea of buttons and she has a full tutorial demonstrating how to make the cowl, add the buttons and her method of sewing in the tails. It is the Earth Fairy Button Cowl. You can find the text pattern with a link to the video tutorial here. It is also available on Ravelry but the Ravelry link sends you to this page anyway. :-)

That's all for now. I'll keep you guessing as to what I will eventually decide to do. *heading to Knit Picks to look at yarn* :-)

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

hat and next project

A while back I tried to start a hat, but my hand wasn't completely healed then and I had to put it aside. I finished it recently. Yes, that is me taking a selfie in my red Star Trek robe. No fancy photos for me. LOL  I can't remember what the yarn is, but it is chunky. I used my Sonic Screwdriver L hook to make it.

I have begun my next project.  Here's a little sneak peek. Can you guess what it is?

I am waiting for yarn to do the main portions. As you can see I have the Sunshine, red and dark grey done. The dark grey is Knit Picks sport Cobblestone Heather. Although it is sport yarn like the rest, I find it a little thicker and stiffer than the others. Possibly because of the "heathering"? Hopefully it will not cause a problem as I assemble the rest.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Robotghan complete

I actually worked on this blog a few days ago but was waiting to get the pattern up at the web site and then forgot to come back and post the blog. LOL

So... The robotghan is done! 

Daughter and I collaborated on this project. Of course, she designed the pattern so that was the first and most important part. Then she sewed on the "extras" - the eyes, mouth etc. 

I made and assembled the squares and did the edging.

The details posted earlier are slightly altered as I actually did measurement and countings and such.

Of course, I didn't follow the original chart (do I EVER work a pattern as it's designed? LOL), so daughter revised the chart for me and it looks really cool. The pattern is available at Crochet Cabana (under Kate Smith) and will be at Ravelry later on. The details here are included in the pattern.

I used a G hook throughout.

The squares are 3 rounds and came out about 3" (7.62 cm according to Google). They will appear slightly smaller after assembly. Leave a very long tail, about 15", for assembly. You will still have to sew in the remainder but you won't have to join additional yarn for assembly. Believe me, you will have plenty enough tails to sew in! 

I suggest sewing the center tails in as you go as you will appreciate it at the end. It's hard to go round and round with a full afghan in your lap. With regard to using the adjustable ring, make sure you go around that area a few times when sewing in tails and perhaps even up a round, to make sure it doesn't come undone in the wash. It ends up a very small area after you close up the hole and you want enough tail woven there to keep it from unraveling.

You can, of course, use larger squares if you want a larger afghan. Grandson is going to be 2 so I didn't want it TOO large. Remember it will be rectangular and the wider you make it, the longer it will also be unless you decide you want a short, stocky robot. 

Materials:
G hook
Knit Picks Brava Sport Silver (light grey)
Knit Picks Brava Sport Celestial (blue)
Stylecraft Special DK Graphite (dark grey)
Stylecraft Special DK Sunshine (yellow, almost orange)

The robot uses
38 light grey squares
23 dark grey squares
60 yellow squares
110 blue squares
18 yo-yos

I began each yo-yo with an adjustable ring and there are 16 dc in center. You can find info on yo-yos at Crochet Cabana with a video.

Because the squares are whipstitched together, it adds virtually no width or length to the squares. In fact, I found it made the squares slightly smaller so that even after assembly and the edging was added, the size was about 39" x 69". (13 squares x 23 squares)

The robot itself was 50" tall and about 20 1/2" across at the feet.

There were, as I have said before, a lot of tails to weave in. This was not too difficult, just time consuming. It took me three days to get them all done. Bits of caution on that point ... Not to make too much bulk under any one spot, you may want to weave some tails vertically and some horizontally and some even diagonally or in multiple directions. Try not to go back over the same area such that you pull out what you've already done. 

Here is a picture of the back of the ghan. If you look closely you can see tiny bits where the yo yos were sewn on and the tails woven in. This is unavoidable unless you use blues and greys for the yo-yos. I liked the bits of color. If you work carefully you can reduce the show-through. We used some worsted yo-yos that were already made which were a little thicker than the DK of the main afghan, for convenience.

I'm thinking if you make the yo-yos in thin yarn there will be smaller threads to sew in and you could maybe hide them better. Just a thought. Overall, however, there is very little showing.

The finishing touch was the edging. I worked all rounds in single crochet, using (sc, hdc, sc) in corners. The first round is blue and the second yellow, with the final round also in blue. I have more details in the actual pattern.

I think it looks great! Grandson saw it briefly and loved it! I had to sneak it out again to finish the edging and hold for his birthday in a couple of weeks.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Robot Afghan almost done

I am repeating this info to have everything all together. Last I blogged, I had planned not to put additional squares but rather work around with dc. I changed my mind after I looked at it. I had almost enough yellow squares to go all the way around which would mean I didn't have to make as many blue ones so I decided to go that way. (I had started making yellow squares while waiting for the blue and grey yarn to come in and had made way more than I needed for the original pattern.)

The squares are 3 rounds of daughter's cross-stitch square and come out about 3" square. The pattern can be found at Crochet Cabana under Kate Smith. I left a very long tail, about 15", for assembly. You still have to sew in the remainder but you won't have to join additional yarn for assembly.

You can, of course, you use larger squares if you want a larger afghan. Grandson is going to be 2 so I didn't want it TOO large. Remember to consider that it will be rectangular and the wider you make it, the longer it will also be. 

The yarn is Knit Picks Brava Sport Silver (light grey) and Celestial (blue) and Stylecraft Special DK graphite (dark grey) and Sunshine (yellow, almost orange).

The robot uses 38 light grey squares, 23 dark grey squares, 60 yellow squares and 110 blue squares.

After I sew the tails in, if I have time, I plan to do a round of single crochet to even out all the edges. I hope to have enough blue yarn to do this.

Because the squares are whipstitched together, it adds virtually no width or length to the squares. The size before any additional edging is approximately 39" x 69". (13 squares x 23 squares)

Daughter and I are considering whether to add eyes and mouth to the face.

Next time you should see a finished robot! I have about 3 more weeks to work on it.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

robotghan update

Thought I'd post an update on the robot afghan. After some trial and error I decided I wanted to continue with the squares even though it means making several dozen more squares and sewing in all those tails. It will be worth it.

Here's how it looks at present. All the squares currently made have been assembled. You can get a better idea of the robot now that there are squares on either side of it. I'm pretty pleased with the way he's looking. As I said before, my daughter came up with the design chart for me.

When I was able to crochet on a limited basis I already had the yellow yarn and the dark grey so I just made squares until the blue and light grey yarn came in. Since I had so many yellow squares I decided to use them in a continual line rather than alternating them with the blue. I only had to make a few more.

The goal is to put another bit of blue all around, then maybe one round of sc to straighten the edges. Fingers crosses that I estimated the amount of yarn needed well.

I'll give a rundown on yarns and number of squares etc when it's done.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

robot afghan wip

As you may recall, I was unable to crochet at all for about a month and then limited use of hand for a couple weeks after that. I am now almost fully able to crochet without pain so I've been slowly working on an afghan for my grandson. His birthday is coming up and he loves robots. His mom made up a chart for me.

 I was able to make a few squares a day for a while. I started putting them together and I've now got the robot portion of it done. It will pop out better once the edging is completed I think.

Because there are literally hundreds of tails to sew in for these small squares, I have decided to try a "regular" edging around the robot itself even though I have all the yellow squares already done and a few more of the blue completed. LOL You know how I hate sewing in those tails! I may add the other squares later if I have time. Not being able to crochet for a while messed up my timing.

Because of the nature of the robot it would naturally turn out longer than wide. I'm thinking I may add more rows to the sides first and then go around the entire thing. Still in the thinking stage at this point.

The squares are 3 rounds of daughter's cross-stitch square. At first I left a long tail 3x the width of the square but found that was not enough as it left only a short strand after assembling the squares. (If Lily Chin can leave small tails I can make do with these, eh?), so for the rest I left a very long tail, about 4x the size of the square. That is what I recommend using for assembly. You still have to sew in the remainder but it stops you from having to join additional yarn for assembly.

The squares are approximately 3". (If you want a larger afghan you can use larger squares but measure carefully. Remember I still have sides to do on this one.) Grandson is going to be 2 so I didn't want it TOO large. 

The yarn is Knit Picks Brava Sport Silver (light grey) and Celestial (blue) and Stylecraft Special DK graphite (dark grey). The yellow, if I end up using it, is Stylecraft Special DK Sunshine, very bright, almost orange.

The robot itself is now about 21" x 51". I didn't actually measure but given each square is 3" that should be about right. The robot uses 38 light grey squares, 23 dark grey squares and 57 blue squares if I counted correctly.

If you are brave enough to work all the squares on the chart as it is, you will need 32 yellow squares and a bunch more blue. I'll count it out for you on the post showing the completed afghan - don't expect that any time soon but I am hoping by mid October.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

even more cloths

I continue to make dish/wash cloths from When Granny Meets Filet by Bendy Carter. The patterns are in the back of the book as noted previously. I count the "x" as open, so I chain 37 rather than 38 and go into the 4th chain from hook to make my first row solid.




In this first picture the top two cloths are made with the same Knit Picks Comfy Sport cotton yarn as the previous ones.

The pink is Flamingo. The yellow is Creme Brulee.

The cream colored one below those is made with worsted I Love This Cotton Ivory. That one is about 9".






The next two were made with leftover yarns. I ran out before I could add the edging. I don't know what the top variegated cream is. The bottom one is the last of the Knit Picks Comfy Sport Cotton in Lady Slipper.

I also made myself a koozie. I have been drinking cold water more lately and this does a nice job of keeping my hands dry and warm. These don't take much yarn and are quick to make. For a standard water bottle I just work two rounds (12, 24). Then work even to heught. I worked an additional 9 rounds for this one for a total of 11. I used Red Heart With Love Berry Red worsted yarn and an H or I hook. I can't remember which.

That's all for today. I sprained my wrist AGAIN and will have to forego crocheting for a bit while it heals. 

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

more cloths

More wash/dish cloths from When Granny Meets Filet by Bendy Carter. The patterns are in the back of the book. I sort of work them opposite as I count the "x" as open, so I chain 37 rather than 38 and go into the 4th chain from hook to make my first row solid.

I had enough of the Lilac Mist (purple) Knit Picks Comfy Sport to make another. The Honeydew (green), and the Ivory are also Knit Picks Comfy Sport, leftover from the mandalas I made previously. Those three are 7 1/2" x 8". 

This is a really nice cotton yarn. I wouldn't mind having more of it. I bought these colors in a set that was on sale a while back.

The cloth in the upper right hand corner is a worsted cotton yarn, but I don't know which it is. It is just slightly larger than the other three at 8" x 8 1/2". 

I love filet! 

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

pretty cloths

I have been wanting to use the filet patterns in the back of the book When Granny Meets Filet by Bendy Carter. I was looking at the Knit Picks Comfy Sport cottons I still have from the mandalas and decided those would make wonderful soft wash cloths, so I set to work.

As I said, these are all made with Knit Picks Comfy Sport cotton yarn. The yellow is Creme Brulee, pink is Flamingo, reddish purple is I think Lady Slipper, and the blue purple is Lilac Mist.

I have actually made one more since I took this picture, but I'll show that one in the next round.

These are worked with a G hook. They come out to be about 7 1/2" x 8". I hope to make one in each pattern though probably won't have enough of this yarn for that. I have other cotton I can use.

I really enjoy working filet though the pattern is not as evident without a solid background on which to display it. It's just enough of a challenge yet I am still able to work it while watching TV.

Hope you all are enjoying your crochet creations.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

more mandalas

I finished the two one-color mandalas. I think they came out okay. I rather like them.

I had only one skein of sport weight cotton and I would have needed two skeins to work all the rounds of the pattern. The original pattern was for t-shirt bulky yarn which makes a huge difference in size. Thankfully, this is a pattern that works for any number of rounds.

Each skein of Knit Picks Comfy Sport is 136 yards. I had used a small amount on the other mandalas so they weren't completely full skeins to begin with.

Knit Picks Comfy Sport Sea Foam 13"

Knit Picks Comfy Sport Carrot 12"

I worked 13 rounds of the carrot and 15 of the sea foam. I really like the pattern. If I'd have been smart, I'd have worked the same number of rounds on both and created a set of different colors. ;-)

The pattern is Marinke's Mandala Floor Rug. I think this would make a great rug. Might have to do one later in a bulky yarn.

If you want to participate in the project (ending in August) go to http://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/mandalasformarinke/  . #mandalasformarinke

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

mandalas

I finished another mandala. The project is #MandalasforMarinke  created in memory of Marinke Slump. You can keep up with things on this project and others at the Facebook page for Crochet Concupiscence.

I actually like this one better than the first one but it curls some (which she does say it might on the pattern). I'm making an effort to block it now. Heh I don't block many things so ... we'll see. I just wet it and pinned it down. 

The pattern is Marinke's Summer Hearts except I couldn't bear to add two more tails to sew in so I didn't do the surface crochet round.

I'm on the mandala roll now. LOL I don't like sewing in all those tails so I am now making a one color project. I think it would make a nice doily. Actually many of the mandalas would make pretty doilies. 

I got sidetracked while working on this blog. That happens to me a lot. LOL I added a few pics to my picasa album so I had to then find what pattern I used etc. That took a while so here I am back to finish this up and I have nothing more to say. Crazy. heh

Addition: I forgot to talk about the yarn. This is Knit Picks Comfy Sport. The creme color is Ivory. The green is honeydew. The pink is flamingo. I think the purple is Lady Slipper but I lost the wrapper for it so not positive.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Mandala for Marinke

Today I completed a mandala designed by Marinke, who recently passed away - you can read her story online, links in a past post. You can read about the Mandalas for Marinke project here.

I decided to start with the 12 round standard mandala. It is actually almost done. I still have tails to sew in. This particular one makes a lot of tails as every round is a different color. The pattern is the standard working in the round, increasing each round by 12 for 12 rounds, then a pretty added edging. 

I'm not sure my own project is art show worthy, but I enjoyed making it.

Update: I forgot to mention the colors. This is Knit Picks Comfy Sport.
Yellow is Creme Brulee, Green is Honeydew, Pink is Flamingo, Cream is Ivory, The reddish purple is I think Lady Slipper (lost the wrapper), blue purple is Lilac Mist, Orange is Carrot. Blue is Sea Foam

I also had some leftover Red Heart Super Saver (some kind of pink), bought some white to go with it, and completed another ribbon afghan. I have no specific destination in mind for this but something always comes up so I'm sure it will get used.

Finished size is about 40" square. The edging is Red Heart with Love Berry Red. I used a round of single crochet followed by a round of (sc, ch 2, 2 dc, sk 2). 

I will probably make another mandala but I haven't decided on the pattern yet. I have several free and purchased ones saved.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

small ghan

 I finished putting together this small ghan I started a week or so ago. I had some leftover green yarn and bought a couple skeins of the white to finish it. The finished size is 26" x 34".

The pattern used is the cross-stitch square designed by my daughter which can be found on this page. It is one of my favorite patterns and I've made many, many of them.

I think the green is Red Heart, one of the sages. The white is Red Heart with Love white. I used two full skeins to make the 6 squares.

The squares are about 8". I assembled them with a whipstitch.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Sad news Marinke Wink

Many of you have probably already heard about the passing of Marinke Slump, known as Wink to the crochet world. She suffered from depression and ultimately was unable to combat it. Her sister posted a notice on Wink's blog A Creative Being with the news a few days ago (June 29).

Katherine of Crochet Concupiscence had corresponded with her in the past and posted a nice memorial to Wink which is how I learned the news. Katherine has begun a project in Wink's honor called Mandalas for Marinke, to bring awareness to the issue of depression. 

You do not have to work one of Wink's designs to participate but if you want to, you can find them on her Ravelry page. Many of the patterns are free designs. It looks like you can still purchase the ones that are for sale also though I would suggest if you want them you should do that soon as I do not know what her family is going to do with the shop.

You can also find Marinke's designs on her blog pattern page. In addition to that, she began a CAL called Scheepsjes in 2014 and the patterns for that can be found here. 

I'm sad to say that I did not know Marinke personally but am getting to know her through her work.  If you want to get to know the person who was Marinke, there is a Facebook page still up as of today and of course her creativity shines in her patterns.

My deepest sympathies go out to her family and friends and all of us in the crochet community who will miss her.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Jacob's Ladder nameghan

I just finished a Jacob's Ladder ghan. Finished size is about 42" x 48". It is a bit stretchy though. :-)

I've made quite a few Jacob's Ladder afghans and quite a few name afghans, I even combined those two in a ghan for my mom some time ago. 

When I began this ghan I had no one in mind for it but by happy coincidence I used leftover yarns from a previous Who ghan, which are mostly fall colors. 

This particular ghan is going to my sis who has been ill recently. My sis enjoys fall colors so that worked out perfectly. 

I can't even tell you all the colors that are used though I think the rust color is paprika. There is some maroon, purple, grey, tan, colonial blue, gold, navy blue, white and one variegated woody color. Some were almost entire skeins and others were just a ball that gave me a few rows. The name section at the top is Red Heart Super Saver Cafe Latte. I used almost a full 7 oz. skein to work the name itself, an edging around it, a round of sc around the entire thing and then a round of (sc, ch 2, 2 dc, sk 2).

To make the Jacob's Ladder section, I chained 212 and worked a 10 dc, 10 chain, 10 dc pattern. On the last row I worked 8 chains. there are 10 ladder (cable) and 11 dc sections. When I worked the edging I worked 2 sc in the top loops of the ladder.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

ribbon lapghan

Off my hook this week is a pink ribbon lapghan.

The picture does not show the color off well but the yarn is Red Heart baby pink. It's a pastel pink. 

The finished size is about 39 1/2" square. Each square is a bit over 12". I used an I hook for the body of the square and an H for the single crochet edging around each square. I left a very long tail, about 3 lengths of the square, to use for sewing the squares together. This worked out well. I sewed three across and then I used the leftover tail to sew the strips together.

The edging around the entire afghan is (sc, ch 2, 2 dc, sk 2) all the way around.

The pattern is my cancer ribbon afghan which can be found at Crochet Cabana and on Ravelry.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Mothers_Day

My daughter is always making things for other people for Christmas and birthdays. I thought that this year for Mother's Day I would make her something. I'm not as clever as she is, but this is what I came  up with.

This name lapghan is about 38" x 39 1/2", not quite square. Each letter was made individually and then sewn together. I did it that way since the names are not of equal length and I thought it would be easier to make them come out even. I ended each piece with a long strand which I used to sew them together.

The colors I used were Hayfield Bonus DK Extra Value shade 0792 Moss Green and Shade 0766 Pumpkin, Stylecraft Special DK Copper, Currant, Plum and Mocha (edging), Knit Picks Brava Sport Paprika. 1 skein each color.

The edging is one round of single crochet in Mocha around each strip, and then one round single crochet around entire ghan. The last round is (sc, ch 2, 2 dc, sk 2) around. I finagled with the skip to get my corner stitch in the right place. :-)

Now case in point, daughter gave to ME for Mother's Day these beautiful bookmarkers. I could never do such delicate work myself. I've already used the little angel one.

The patterns are at Ravelry.
Suzie's Little Angel Bookmark by Suzetta Williams
Butterfly Bookmarks by Anna Pakura
Cross bookmarks by Rainbow Junkie

Her family also made a donation in my honor to supply expectant mothers in Rwanda, Malawi, Haiti and Lesotho with new, sterile medical equipment and childbirth kits.What a wonderful thing to do. Making a difference in a very special way.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

more hats

I picked up some Bernat Baby Blanket yarn the other day and decided to make hats out of it. I know it's not the normal yarn for hats, particularly this colorway (Pitter Patter), but it is very soft and I thought it might be a nice, comfy covering for the head. The yarn comes in several nice colors, but the store I was at did not have any solid colors, only a few of the variegated ones.

One hat is quite small, fitting me snugly. The other is just slightly larger and fit me perfectly. Both are for small heads. There is not a lot of give once it's made up.

For the larger hat I used an L hook and the rounds are 12, 24, 36, 48, then work even. It's a little funny because the yarn label suggested a K hook. That is what I used for the first hat. It is not the yarn nor hook's fault that it was snug. I could have done an additional round. But I found it worked up too tightly with the K and went larger for the second one. I had a few yards (maybe 7 or 8) left from the skein.

For the yarn I used the other day, I found the hook suggested was too large and went down several hook sizes. I think it was from a J to a G.

So when you crochet, the hook you choose to use does not have to be the suggested hook. It depends on many things - your tension, what you want your finished work to look like, how tight a weave you want, how stiff your project needs to be for its purpose... and so on. Play with it.

The other day, hubby picked up some Bernat Softee Baby yarn in pink and I was able to make 3 hats from the skein with a little leftover. I just played with the patterns with no particular design in mind when I started out.

The first hat is 12 stitches, then 24, 36, 48, 48, 60, 60, (72 x 6), round of (dc, dc, fpdc), round of (sc, sc, fphdc), dc, dc, sc  (18 total rounds). This one fit me best.

The next one is 12, 24, 36, 48, 48. 60. 60. 72, 72, 84 x 5,5 rounds of sc, one round of (sc, ch 2, 2 dc, sk 2). This one fit me, but loosely.

The next one is 12, 24, 36, 48, 48. 60. 60. 72, 72, 84 x 6, round of (dc, dc, fpdc), round of (sc, sc, fphdc), round of sc. This one also fit me, but loosely.

I used a G hook to make all the hats.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Who scarves

I was asked how many Doctor Who scarves I have made. Well, I didn't have an answer  unless you count "a lot". LOL So I decided to try and get a count. 

I have a Weebly site called Gallifreyan Crochetin' which concentrates on Doctor Who stuff, particularly the scarves. I counted off what I had on there and this is what I came up with. I know that there are some I've made for family and some sold, but I think there should be pics of them there too.

5 Season 12 scarves, 2 Season 13 scarves, 6 Season 14 scarves (though one was super reduced), 1 Season 16/17, 2 Season 18 (though one was reduced), and 1 SHADA for a total of 17 scarves.

S12 DK (fringed) approx 11' 6 1/2" 138 1/2" (11.5')
S12 DK (fringed) approx 11' 6 1/2" 138 1/2" (11.5')
S12 DC DK (fringed) 10" x 146" (12' 2")
S12 DK (fringed) 8" x 156" (13')
S12 (without fringe) worsted 7" x 134" (11' 2")
S13 (fringed) worsted 6" x 98" (8' 2")
S13 (without fringe) worsted 7 1/2" x 95" (7' 11")
S14 DC DK (fringed) 8 1/2" x 114" (9.5')
S14 (without fringe) worsted 10 1/2" x 106" (8' 10")
S14 (without fringe) worsted 10 1/2" x 83" (6' 11")
S14 (without fringe) worsted 6" x 111" (9' 3")
S14 (without fringe) worsted 6" x 109" (9' 1")
super reduced DK S14 (without fringe) 3" x 52" (4' 4")
S16-17 DK (without fringe) 8" x 216" (18')
S18 (without fringe) worsted (Red Heart Soft) 7" x 169" (14' 1")
S18 shortened Lion Brand Suede 10" x 72" (6')
SHADA (without fringe) worsted 9" x  228" (19') 

You will notice that scarves from the same season are not the same size except for the 2 I made at the same time. Part of this is because of my own tension when I work. Part is the yarn and hook used. Part is the pattern I used at the time. Part might even be the length of the fringe on the scarf.

Why make more scarves once I've got one? Well, mostly because I am a crazy person, and in good company with bunches of other crazy people doing the same thing! LOL Also, as time goes, more screen accurate colors are found and, of course, I have to make another one. sometimes yarn manufacturers discontinue yarns. On occasion someone is able to view the actual scarf and comes back with additional info.

Of course, MY scarves can never be screen accurate because they are crocheted and the original was knitted. But they are as close in color as I can get. I also make mine thinner than the originals because this is Louisiana and I wear them sometimes.

I used to never put fringe on my scarves because I don't personally like fringe and if you wash it, they get all funny looking. But you know, everyone else adds it so I jumped on the bandwagon and joined the crowd and have started adding it. I have not gone back and added any to the first ones I made because the yarn wouldn't match.

With all the experience of making multiple scarves, I now have my favorite colors (which will probably change over time as some are discontinued by manufacturers or new colors come to light). I also have my own crochet patterns, based on patterns at doctorwhoscarf.com and adapted for crochet with permission.

I know you are itching to know what those are. I have to first say that the yarns I most like is purchased overseas from a UK company called Deramores. There are some pretty good alternate matches slowly coming to light, most notably Knit Picks Brava Sport yarns. I find the Knit Picks just slightly thicker than the Stylecraft so I try to use mostly one or the other if I have those yarns in a good color.

Here are the yarns listed at doctorwhoscarf.com that I like with an alternate listed for if the first isn't available.

Purple - Knit Picks Brava Sport Currant, alternate Stylecraft Special DK BurgundyCamel -  Knit Picks Brava Sport Almond, alternate Stylecraft Special DK CamelMustard - Stylecraft Special DK Gold, Sirdar Hayfield Bonus DK PumpkinRust - Knit Picks Brava Sport Paprika, alternate Stylecraft Special DK CopperGrey - Stylecraft Special DK Graphite,
        (I have used Knit Picks Brave Sport Cobblestone Heather when I didn't have the graphite but it's a little thicker and just slightly lighter because of the heathering)Greenish Brown - Sirdar Hayfield Bonus DK Moss Green, alternate Stylecraft Special DK KhakiBronze -  Knit Picks Brava Sport Brindle, alternate King Cole Big Value DK Taupe.

The color I struggle with most is purple. Some use the burgundy reddish purple and others use the blue or violet purple. I find the reddish purple goes best with the other colors. If you look at pictures from the show the color changes depending on lighting, something looking more blue and sometimes more red. Hardest to find has been a good mustard.

I have still not made a Season 15 of the original scarves. I also haven't made an Osgood scarf nor any of the other character scarves, like the Rose Tyler one, the Romana scarf (when both the Doctor and Romana wore scarves), and the Hartnell scarf and whatever other ones have come up in the Stitches group at Facebook. :-)

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

chemo hats

I was asked to make a few chemo hats for a local lady and of course happily agreed. 

Here are two I've made so far. 

The first pattern is from The Gingerbread Lady. It is her big button beret without a button. Though it is not a difficult pattern, the result using the variegated yarn is just beautiful. Of course, that's just my opinion. Here is a hat I made years ago using this same pattern. It is one of my favorites and it was hard to give up.

Here is the hat I made over the past couple days. My model took the day off. LOL 

The bottom brim is folded up in the picture. The yarn is the lovely Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable. The wrapper says this is worsted yarn and to use a J hook. IMHO that is just totally ridiculous. This is at the most a sport yarn and I would even go down to a #2. 

I used a G hook but could easily have used an F. I've been having this skein a while and it was also waiting for a special project. This was it. I think it is the Parrot colorway. I can't lay my hands on the wrapper right now. 

I worked the rounds of the pattern until there were 11 dc between the decreases. This made it close to 12" . Then I worked the decreases until it fit my head snugly. Now I have a small head. If it is too small for the recipient, I think I can undo the work even rows and last decrease to make it wider though I might have to work fewer rounds as there is only a tiny ball of yarn left. The skein is 270 yards (3.5 ozs, 100g). 

The other one is made with another skein I picked up at Michael's one day and had put aside for something special. It is Isaac Mizrahi Carlyle (super bulky) in colorway Algonquin. A flower may be added to it. I'm not sure what color would bring this out best. 

The yarn is pretty soft but the design of it is different. There are what I would call clumps every now and then. These are hard to get through the stitch when you're trying to sew the tails in. This is not an error in the yarn. It is throughout. I didn't realize it when I started out so hopefully the bumps won't cause a problem when worn on a head with no hair.

I used a K hook which seems to work fine. The recommended hook is M. I worked the rounds in double crochet as follows: 12, 24, 36, 48, 54, then work even. I worked even for 7 rounds, then added 3 rounds in single crochet. So it's a total of 12 rounds dc and 3 rounds sc.

I hope to get more soft yarn and make a few more so there is some variety and also figuring at least one would fit the head comfortably.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie