stats for 2011

The end of the year has come and as is my habit I trotted over to Site 5 to see what happened at Crochet Cabana this year. I love statistics. :-)

Here are the general stats which I put at Crochet Cabana (on the bottom of the page) every year.

Here's what happened at the Cabana in 2011
Unique visitors   667,950
Number of visits  831,631
Pages  1,409,540
Hits  40,270,747
Bandwidth  295.13 GB

The top 25 countries to visit (in order of how many page visits) were
U.S.
Canada
Great Britain
Australia
India
Netherlands
Germany
Spain
Romania
France

European country
Philippines
Norway
Italy
Israel
Bulgaria
South Africa
Egypt
Malaysia
China

Sweden
Russian Federation
Turkey
New Zealand
Indonesia


I always wonder when I look at the stats - who were those people in Zimbabwe who looked at 2 pages. There were 61 hits on those 2 pages. Was it the same person visiting 61 times or 61 people visiting once? What pages did they find interesting? Curious.


The smallest number of hits was 14 and it was in Mauritania.

I was crawled thousands of times by spiders. Doesn't that just make your skin crawl. :-)

426 people spent more than an hour on the site at a time. I am blessed by each visit, no matter the duration, but wow. 

For the curious here's how it laid out.
0s-30s    72,003    82.9 %
30s-2mn    4,589    5.2 %
2mn-5mn    3,300    3.8 %
5mn-15mn    3,415    3.9 %
15mn-30mn    1,723    1.9 %
30mn-1h    1,357    1.5 %
1h+    426    0.4 %



Most people accessed the site through various versions of Windows, Mac or Linus operating systems, but there were a few people who use the Wii, Sony Playstation (didn't even know that was possible!), WebTV or their Blackberry. There were others that I am not familiar with too.


The top browsers used to access the site were
MS Internet Explorer   
    Firefox   
    Safari
    Google Chrome   
    Android browser
    Opera   
    Mozilla
    IPhone
    BlackBerry


I personally use Firefox.


Those using a search engine most often used Google, Yahoo, or Bing with the granny square topping the list of what you were looking for.


The  top pages visited were
http://crochetcabana.com/tutorials/granny_square.htm
http://crochetcabana.com/    (home page)
http://crochetcabana.com/specialty/tunisian.htm  
http://crochetcabana.com/tutorials/join-new-yarn.htm
http://crochetcabana.com/stitches/stitches-fpdc-bpdc.htm
http://crochetcabana.com/crochet.htm  
http://crochetcabana.com/tutorials/ripple.htm
http://crochetcabana.com/stitches/diag-box-st.htm
http://crochetcabana.com/stitches/index.htm  
http://crochetcabana.com/tutorials/index.htm  
http://crochetcabana.com/tutorials/joining_squares.htm


I clicked on a few of the links that had only one visit and some of them were pages I didn't even know existed - like a listing of all the images on the site. Who knew? LOL Someone obviously did since they accessed it.

There were a number of errors (the 404 thing you get when you hit a page that doesn't work). That makes me sad. I would love it if you receive that kind of error you would let me know so I can fix it.

Well, that's probably a lot more information than you wanted to know unless you're a statistics fanatic like me. LOL


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Happy New Year

I just sent out a bunch of things yesterday, but did I remember to take photos? You guessed it. Nope. My house was rearranged to make room for the Christmas tree, then when I took the tree down everything was in a mess while furniture was returned to its original place. It never fails but that I miss a few ornaments and I end up finding them on the floor after everything has been packed away. LOL

In any case, I digress with all my excuses. I sent out some hats and a scarf and the fingerless gloves. I am also working on a pink and white afghan but not quite finished it. Then I have blue and white squares that need to be joined. I will have photos of those soon as they're done.

While waiting on my slow fingers and photos, I thought I'd share a few links with you.

Firstly, this morning I saw a video from Red Heart on sewing in tails which I thought was quite good. If this is something you struggle with, you might enjoy it. I know even though I've been crocheting for many, many years, I still worry that my tails will come out and the recipient will have a problem.

I also wanted to remind you that there are still states needing scarves over at Special Olympics. Louisiana needs quite a number and the deadline is not until March so plenty of time to work up a few for them if this cause touches you.

Yesterday I ran across this page of patterns which I thought you might enjoy. I particularly liked the way she did the ribbon. I must try that.

A visitor to my YouTube channel asked about making a slouchy hat. There are lots of ways to make such a hat. If you google you will see many pages as well as YT videos on the process, using different methods. I found this one at Crochet spot which seems pretty straight forward and simple. It follows the basic hat pattern I use in my video for the first rows. Then she works a few decrease rows to get the fit around the forehead. Nice pattern.

I think I already shared this, but I decided to buy it so I'm mentioning it again. It is a program to make crochet chart symbols. I haven't done much with it yet, but intend to attempt to add symbols to my patterns in future. The program is called Stitch Works and it is a download that you purchase.

I also ran across just this morning a video on the flat braid join. I don't know if this is the same join that Priscilla Hewitt originated, but it is called flat braid as hers is. I learn better with videos so I was happy to see it.


Lion Brand recently visited Vanna White (at her home I think) and did a series of brief video clips. I enjoyed "talking" with Vanna. Perhaps you would too. 

Isn't this a beautiful afghan? It is on my want-to-do list. :-)

If you are one of those who, like me, is always looking for coordinating yarns, you might like to have a look at Red Heart's list. Go to this page and click on Multicolor Coordinate list. It's a pdf file you can save to your computer or print out.

That's all for now. May you and your family have a safe and happy New Year!

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

making a hat video

I'm still working on the new project. What is taking so long is not the pattern design, but I am making a video to go along with the pattern. I hope it will be worth the wait.

Besides the new pattern, I have also been working on squares and hats.

I've made more of the pink 9-round squares and some blue ones as well. I am using my grey Inox  H hook to make these. The finished size is around 10 1/4 to 10 1/2".

I also made two hats while reworking the video on making a simple double crochet hat. One of the first videos I made was on working in the round, making a hat. The complaint is that I went too fast and in watching it now I agree. The problem was not in the making but in the editing. I am much better at making videos now, though I think I still have a long way to go. I hope this new video is better.

In any case, I made two hats. :-)

The first is the one I made while making the video. The second I made afterward to show a different way of completing the hat. The first uses front post double crochet and the second uses popcorn stitches. I can write up that pattern if there's a need for it.

And here is Part 1 of the video on making a simple hat. Enjoy!



Happy crocheting!
Sandie

hats and squares and scarves

Busy fingers and busy hooks. This week I made a few hats. I know these two look the same but they are not. One is a dark blue and the other is purple. :-) I have a small head as does my sweet model here. I think they would easily fit children or a small woman's head.

I also made a smaller variegated green hat.

I think that one would fit a younger child.

Besides the hats, I've been making squares. I started out envisioning 12" but after 9 rounds I couldn't envision it anymore and decided that was a great size! I have 3 finished and another begun. I also have a second partial skein in the same color to work more up. It's funny how as time goes I get impatient and want to be done with it even though I love this pattern, one of my favorites.

I am also still working on the pattern for the shop. I have completed a sample scarf using one of the edgings. The pattern will have many options and additional information. I always try to include as much as I can in a pattern that someone is kind enough to purchase.

I think that is all that's been completed this week. I've emptied out a bin to put my finished projects in until they're sent out. That will save me multiple trips to the post office.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

fingerless mitts and pattern preview

I apologize for not updating in so long. I have not been idle, but the projects I've been working on did not produce anything I could post about yet.

However, I have now finished - tada! - a set of fingerless mittens. My very first. Yes, they did come out looking like mittens and even more or less like the pattern. I did not use the reverse sc edging.

The pattern is at Red Heart and is called Crochet Lace Fingerless Mitts. Very easy pattern if you know front post and back post hdc.

Of course you have to pay attention to what you're doing. I was working on this while watching the Saints game which, to my consternation, kept being interesting! LOL Great game. I was having trouble with this one round. FINALLY, I actually READ the round carefully. You know, the part where it says TURN or DO NOT TURN. LOL That was crucial in that step and I was distracted and didn't catch it.

I completed the mittens though it probably took me longer than it should have. The second one went much quicker. Here is my  proof - a picture.

The pattern called for a superfine (#1)  sock yarn (Heart & Sole Mellow Stripe) and a D hook. The yarn looks like a very nice yarn - it has aloe and everything! But I did not have any. So I went with #3 Moda Dea Sassy Stripes Crayon. I used a G hook.

Since that is a thicker yarn, supposedly the mitts came out larger than they would have. They are a little large on me but might fit a person with larger (wider) hands. I think I could use them though. They don't fall off or anything. At the wrist it fits fine.

In other news, I am compiling a page for the web site on problems and solutions that folks have while trying to make granny squares. If you have a problem that you have found a solution to, do holler out and I will add it. If you are the first to send that particular problem and solution (or a new solution to the same problem), I will give credit. If you send me something I will assume you are giving me permission to post the info on the web site.

In even more other news I am working on a pattern that I've had for a while, but have not done much with. This is a pattern that is close to my heart as I designed it to go with an unpublished story I wrote. The original was meant to be an afghan made by the hero's daughter as a Christmas gift to him. I shared the pattern as a lapghan during the Crochet Cabana anniversary. I plan to make it available with info on how to make it everything from a scarf to a full size afghan in my Etsy shop. (If the story is ever published it will be included free in the book - but don't hold your breath! I haven't submitted it anywhere.)

Here's a sneak preview, in scarf form. The scarf is not finished ... I will tell you that it is a sampler. Each portion is a different pattern. It will probably be nine or ten inches in width.

I thought I'd also share a few links that I ran across this week. Some I've been to before and some are new (to me). Hope you enjoy them.

Symbol Crochet program
https://stitchworkssoftware.com/

http://crafty-anna.blogspot.com/

http://iamtotallyobsessedwithyarn.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_archive.html (rectangle granny)

Puff Stitch square
http://crochet-mania-grannysquare.blogspot.com/2009/01/puff-stitch-crochet-square-5-rounds.html

Jacob's Ladder hat and scarf
http://crochetncrafts.com/crochet/jacobsladderpopcornhat.html
http://crochetncrafts.com/crochet/jacobsladderpopcornscarf.html

Crocodile Stitch http://www.crochetme.com/blogs/crochet_me/archive/2011/11/17/creating-the-crocodile-stitch.aspx

WOOL project (Warm out of Love). Even though the page says October 2010, the Facebook page is active.
http://www.warmoutoflove.com/

The Granny Ripple
http://thelazyhobbyhopper.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-crochet-granny-ripple.html

Loom Knitting, some good videos
http://isela.typepad.com/loomknitting/videos.html

That's all for now.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

6 hook scarf

Another six-hook scarf. I started again with the F hook and worked 6 rows with each hook - F, G, H, I, J, and K. Then went backwards K, J, I, H, G, F. I put white between each scrap color I could find. I used my Susan Bates hooks for this scarf as I had a full set all together and it was easy to see which one I'd just used so I wouldn't get confused. That was the plan anyway. LOL

Finished size is about 66" long. Narrowest section is about 5" and widest is about 7".

Now my problem is that in trying to use different yarns I had available I used a couple of pastels, which are not good for the male segment of our population. With that in mind, I'm not sure where to send this scarf. If you have an idea, do holler out.

While this was fun and interesting to make, if you look at it and don't realize the different widths are on purpose, you might think what a lousy crocheter! LOL Another note is that yarns used should be of same weight or you won't get equal distribution from your different hooks. I don't mean all #4 yarns, but look at them and feel them. Will they work up the same? I didn't have a lot of choice since I am using leftovers, but did try to do this.

I also wanted to mention Share a Square here one last time. This is the organization that provided afghans for children at cancer camps, one of which was in Louisiana, my home state. 150 afghans were made using 80 squares from 80 different people. That is a HUGE undertaking. Shelly is making ghans again this year, for a different camp. How many ghans depends on how many people participate. Right now in order to make 100 ghans she is still in need of 400 squares from 40 different people. In other words, people who have not yet sent anything in. I believe there are 80 afghan kits complete (either assembled or waiting to be assembled). If you are on Facebook, you can read the November update yourself. I might also mention that the rules allow for a person to donate the yarn and cards with their name on it, then you can make the squares and donate in their name. This is nice for someone who wants to participate but doesn't crochet.

The absolute deadline for squares to be received by Shelly is December 15. I suggest mailing by Friday, the 9th to be sure they arrive on time.



Happy crocheting!
Sandie

squares and a scarf

I have been bad about taking photos and posting, but I'm going to catch up now.

First I have been making 7" x-stitch squares. There is actually one more to go with these (in the rose color).

Of course, there are always saltines and yo-yos.













Then I found a video at YouTube demonstrating how to make a log cabin afghan. I have long wanted to do this, so I started off making a small square along with the video. It wasn't very difficult. I just grabbed colors out of my never ending leftovers. The video is very well done.


Lastly, I remembered a while back reading about a scarf made using a bunch of different hooks. I had this in the back of my mind and was intrigued with the notion so I decided to do something with that idea. Here is my first result. I'm going to work another soon because this one came out very narrow.

Finished length is 62 1/2". Width is 4" at widest point.

Each row has 10 stitches. I started off with an F hook.

Here's what I worked:
with green, 1 row each hook - F, G, H, I, J, and K
with cream, 1 row each hook - K, J, I, H, G, and F.
with green, 2 rows F
with cream, 2 rows G
with green, 2 rows H
with cream, 2 rowsI
with green, 2 rows J
with cream, 2 rows K

Then repeat the pattern with the next section always beginning with the last hook used. For the two-row pattern I did not cut yarn, but rather carried the yarn up.

For my next scarf using this method, I am thinking to use one hook for several rows, then the next hook for several rows etc, using the same color yarn if I have enough of any color in my stash.

I think that is all I've worked up thus far.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

on my hook

Here is the baby afghan I finished. I ran out of the green yarn with a round and a half to go on the last square so I had to drop one column. Even so, I think it came out a nice size. I did measure it, but I didn't write the measurements down and the ghan is packed away so ... you'll just have to trust me on that. LOL The squares are assembled using the continuous join.

I've also been making 7" squares with larger leftover balls. Yes, I am determined to use all this yarn up - at least a good portion of it. It gets harder as the quantities go down. I know some folks do mix different types of yarn - like a boucle or a brushed acrylic with a regular yarn. I may give that a try. I'll have to have a sit down and think on it. ;-) Maybe pull out a book of stitches and see what I can come up with. That is both the fun part and the excruciating part, making the decision.

I also want what I make to be useful so we'll see what happens next. I still have a cold so that is hampering my thinkin' a bit.

Before I sign off I want to thank all our veterans for this service. Our great country would not be what it is without the many sacrifices of our servicemen. A round of applause for them all, past, present, and future.

Happy Crocheting!

Sandie

Hi! I've switched back to the old template as I couldn't figure out how to get to my links and my Twitter updates, my google search and all the things I myself use on my blog. LOL

I'm working on a baby blanket and will post photos soon.

Did you all remember to set your clocks back? That first day felt like it lasted forever. heh Maybe that is because I have a cold. I didn't sleep well and was up early, but it sure seemed to drag.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

new blog design

Well, this new design thing already confused me. You have to click on the little "blogger" icon to get to the dashboard. Not likey. But I guess I'll get used to it.

I received something which suggested I try the new blogger interface. I had seen it before and they will eventually use it for everyone so I figured I'd try it out and get used to it. I particularly wanted to see how it would work with the monetizing feature since monies received from that help to keep my web site running and pay my charity mailing costs. Today's charity mailing was just under $6. I go to post office at least twice a week. How much it cost depends on what I'm mailing. Lately it's been saltines, yo-yos, squares, and scarves, fairly small packages. Packages run anywhere from $2 to $10. Afghans can run more but I rarely send out completed afghans these days. I try to donate those locally. I saved quite a bit by hand delivering those Special Olympic scarves. Anyway, I digress... heh

My understanding is that you, as the viewer, can choose which design you want to see for the blog. Just click on the different views - classic, flipcard, mosaic, magazine, sidebar, snapshot, timeline. I think I have the default as classic. There are advantages to each one. I like to look at photos so I'd probably use one of the designs that show most of the photos if I were viewing it myself, but everyone is different. Anyway, we'll see how that all pans out.

For today, I've completed more saltines and yoyos, some 6" squares, and a pet pad made of leftover yarns. Here are the photos.

The pet pad will go to one of the dogs, probably Lexi as she is the girl and there is pink. :-) It is about 18" x 34" and I used leftover homespun type yarn with a strand of fine yarn. It is all leftover from long ago projects. The dogs don't care about looks. I noticed it was quite warm as it lay on my lap. I was almost sorry to finish it, but I didn't have enough of the white to do much more with it. I have a fairly large ball of the light blue left but that yarn is too thin for most efforts that collect squares unless I double it - which I could do is I rolled it into two balls. Might could make one square if I did that.

Always interesting to see what one can do with all these odds and ends, eh? I'm still working on the first bin, but most of the small balls were in this one.

That's all for now. Let me know what you think of this new blogger thing. Remember it's not MY design though I think you can customize it. I haven't gotten that far with it.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

more saltines, yo yos ...

If you can believe this I am still making saltines, yoyos and granny's daughters. :-) These are made with an H hook and whatever yarn was in the bag of leftovers. Some of them came out smaller than others because of the type of yarn. From what I understand, these small pieces are forgiving and size is not as critical. However, I've sent a lot of them so I think there will be enough of any size to handle a multi-colored project. I know many others have sent some also.

As you may recall, I work from largest to smallest. I start with traditional granny squares, but most of these balls were too small for a full granny. Although there are a number of the same color, these are from different balls.

Then I go to saltines (2 round grannies), then yoyos (1 round of 16 dc in ring), and finally granny's daughters (first round of a granny). The granny's daughters use just slightly less yarn than a yoyo.

Of course I always leave a nice tail at the beginning and end which takes up yarn. Anything under 7 loops around my ruler is tied onto the magic ball which is getting to be a nice size. :-) My plan for that is to make a pet pad. We have three dogs in the family at this time so I'm sure one of them will love a nice pad.

Unbelievably, I am still not finished with the leftover balls, but I'm coming close to the end. :-) Then I have a lot of one ups. One ball of yarn in this or that color. I do also have a few colors where I have a good number of balls and can make an actual project, like a scarf or something. I look forward to deciding what these will be used for. Part of the fun for me is choosing a project when I have the opportunity.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

scarves

Remember that single crochet, back loops only scarf I started a while back? I finally finished it. I had actually forgotten about it and couldn't remember if I'd used an H or an I so I just finished off the row I was on and called it done.

The finished size is 5 1/4" x 54". It's heading to Knit Your Bit for a veteran. Working in back loop only gives it a nice bit of stretch. I was pleased with the finished product.

I also finished the wool scarf I'd begun. I used Lion Brand Fisherman 100% pure virgin Wool. I had an 8 ounce skein and was able to make the scarf and hat with a small ball leftover. I began and ended the scarf with a row of dc. The rest of the scarf is straight sc through both loops. It should be quite warm.

The hat is adult size. Finished size is 5" x 65". It's part of the Crafting for a Cause effort and will be going to Native Americans in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

Both of the above scarves were very easy on the mind and fingers. I have a number of patterns that I'm itching to try though so I'll be finding something a little more challenging for my next project I think.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

on my hook

Here are 31 five-round granny squares. I used up the rest of the RH Soft navy for these plus a couple of others in a lighter color. Not sure which yarn that was. Anyway, these are for Crafting for a Cause for the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota.

These are the last saltines and yo-yos I made, but I do still have some small balls left so I will probably make more when I'm finished the scarf I'm presently working on.

I did finish another scarf - a double strand - to use up the leftover Wool Ease yarn I had. I had quite a bit of cream color but I knew that would not be a good color for the homeless so I decided to join it with the other leftover colors of which I didn't have as much. This is what I came up with. It is 7" x 58". I'd really like it to be longer but I ran out of the cream and have only a small ball of the green left. It's not my best looking scarf color-wise, but it is warm.


That's about it for now. Have to make a post office run today. I like to send things out soon as I can.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Kim Jiries scarves

You may remember that I have a few patterns at Crochet Cabana that were designed by other very talented designers. (You can find them at http://www.crochetcabana.com/patterns-other-designers.htm ) One of these designers is Kim Jiries. Her Mama Bess squares are wonderful.

Anyway, I just discovered her blog and I had to share. She started Global Warming with Crochet back in March so I have some catching up to do. She has posted nearly 100 photos of scarves she has made and the information on pattern used. You know I love scarves. What a find! This will be of great help when the Special Olympics starts for the next season.

These are not all scarves designed by Kim, but links are included where appropriate and details on what she did when there is no link. For those that she designed, she includes her pattern instructions. I look forward to giving these a whirl myself.

I have only gone through about a third of them, but fully intend to visit each one. I've used some of the patterns before and at least one is my own pattern and one my daughter's so I know those. :-)

I don't know how I missed this blog, but I'm sure glad I found it now.

Very cool. If you love scarves like I do, well worth a look see.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

even more squares

More saltines and yo-yos. 'nuff said on that. :-)

And here are all the 6" squares in one photo. I think there is only one NEW square. The rest have already had their blog day.

I continue to work on saltines and yo-yos until I 1) get tired of making them or 2) use up all my small balls.

I don't know why I'm taking pictures of them except it's just what I do. LOL I sort of got used to doing it for my other projects for Bev's. This year we don't count saltines and yo-yos as part of that project unless we do a special project day.

Short and sweet. Have a great day! We're having some cool temps here. Nice change. I'm sure we'll soon be whining about how cold it is. heh

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

more squares and yo yos

Three more 6" squares completed.

I am using the same pattern for all the squares, daughter's cross-stitch design .

I also made more saltines and yo-yos. These go so quickly even though I do measure the small balls before I start to know which I have enough to do.

24 saltines, 10 yo yos

I have many more bags of yarn scraps. The saltines and yo yos are great for these since even though my bag might have many balls of red, they are not all from the same skein so not the same dye lot. I hesitate to mix them. These small squares and circles are perfect.

In my mailbox this morning was a notice about a new book called Seamless Crochet. Amazon has a look see for this book so you can actually see pages from it. I have not seen the book "in person" but it looks like it's a good one. Who doesn't like having fewer tails to weave in? :-)

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

squares, yoyos, saltines, magic ball

I'm still working on the ziploc bags filled with small balls. Some of these balls are actually not that small and I've had enough to make a few 6" squares. I think I can get a few more of those.

If I can't make a 6" square, then I make saltines. If there is not enough for a saltine, I make a yo yo. If there is not enough for a yo yo, I try for a granny's daughter. If there is not enough for a granny's daughter, then I add the strand to my magic ball of scraps. Here is the ball right now. It is 15 1/2" around.

How do I know if there is enough for any of those projects? Well, a while back I made each of these and then ripped them back and measured around a 12" ruler. I discovered that worked with an H hook and worsted yarn, for MY tension, I could make a saltine with 16 lengths of the ruler. (You can find this info in my page on making the saltine/yo-yo etc.) In brief, here are the rules I use:

yo yo - wind at least 8 times (8 feet), 16 dc
double yo yo - wind at least 20 times (20 feet), 16 dc first round, 2 in ea for 32 dc last round
granny's daughter - wind at least 7 times (7 feet), 4 3dc shells separated by chains
saltine - wind at least 16 times (16 feet), first 2 rounds basic granny square


To be clear, when I say wind, that means one length of the ruler (12"). So there would be 2 lengths in one back/front wind. I also hold an inch or two at the top so it doesn't slip out of my fingers. You will be able to judge if this works for you pretty quickly. The number of chains between shells on your granny is up to you. I sometimes use 2, sometimes 3 depending on to whom it is going.

Using this method, here is what I accomplished yesterday.

49 saltines, 11 yo yos

And here are the 6" squares I was able to make. I don't know how many winds those are as I can't bring myself to rip one back. LOL

I didn't make any double yo-yos this time. Primarily this is because I didn't think of it. heh

Other than this I've been keeping busy with regular things. My mom is progressing with her physical therapy. My son has moved back home temporarily and he is getting settled in. Jack got out once and I had to call daughter to help me corral him. There have been the usual gecko ack incidents. All in all, life continues to move on. Hope you and yours are doing well.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

wips and fo

What's been on my hook? Here's a look ...

64 saltines (2 rounds of a basic granny)

31 yo yos (16 dc in ring)

This will be a cowl when I've sewn the ends together

sc scarf worked in back loop only

Where are they going? Well, the yoyos and saltines are going to Dawn. She puts these together into gorgeous afghans.

The blue cowl is staying at home. It was made because I saw a pattern I just had to try. It is double triple crochet rows alternated with a single crochet row though I think the pattern called for three rows of sc between. The pattern is Patons Lace Sequin Cowl. I had a large ball of thin yarn and thought it would be enough but it was not. I used every bit of it and ended up with 7 rows of the dtr, about 7 1/2". I was hoping for 12". Still I think it will be useful. I have a small neck and it's very lightweight for our mostly mild temperatures here. I haven't had a chance to look through my stash to see if I can find a close match for joining even though I don't think the join will show.

The red is in progress and just a back loop only single crochet. I think I did 200 chains. I was inspired by the Mistake Stitch Knit scarf at Knit Your Bit and this scarf will be headed there when it's done.

That's all for now.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

thick warm scarf

I finished a scarf with this lovely Deborah Norville Premier chunky yarn.
So very soft. I think the color is Fudge.

The pattern is straight double crochet. Finished size is 7" x 65". I was trying to get the hat man size but was afraid I'd run out of the yarn so it ended up being suitable for a small man or a woman. I hope that will work for someone. It is a bit stretchy and it's definitely warm.

I'm thinking to send this to the Bridge project since it is so warm.

The next scarves I make will be for the Knit Your Bit project if I can find enough man yarn in my stash. I am hoping to save some postage and deliver them at the next gathering at the museum, which will be in November. We'll see if that works out.

I also have a lot of small balls with which I will probably make some saltines. Those are fun and easy to do and I am happy to have every bit of yarn used. Dawn does such a good job of assembling these into beautiful, useful ghans.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

DW scarf #3

Remember before I left on vacation in September, I was working on a Doctor Who scarf, my third one. I finished it before I left except for taking care of the tails. A few days ago I completed  that little chore.

Finished size is 9' 3" long x 6" wide. I used an I hook and chained 21 to start.

I used the row counts from Chris Brimelow's pattern (#4) with the Vanna's Choice colors of Tara Wheeler's season 14 pattern.

This will be a much more useful scarf for me than the wide one, though that one is closer to the original which I believe was said to be 11" wide.

This is my third DW scarf. I do enjoy making them though it takes a lot of yarn and a good spot of time.

With that done, I decided to work on loom potholders just for something different to do. I am thinking of doing another loom hat or trying for a scarf perhaps with the long loom, if I can remember how I did the other little hat. :-)

That's all for now.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

surface crochet

I've been keeping busy. I made squares for Share a Square - sent those off but forgot to take a picture. I made some rectangles for injured soldier ghans but also forgot to take a photo of those before sending off. :-(

A few people have asked me about surface crochet. I haven't done a video on it yet, but Kim Guzman has a nice one you might want to have a look at. There are also a number of text and photo tutorials. I found this one that I thought was clear. If that doesn't do it for you, just Google surface crochet.

Just briefly, what you do is make a slip knot, but don't put it on your hook, just hold it underneath your piece. Insert your hook from the top, through the material you've made, and put the knot on your hook. Draw it through. (Now don't draw the tail and everything through. Stop at the slip knot.) Insert your hook at the next spot where you want your design to go. Yarn over (from the back). Your yarn is always held underneath the work. Pull through the work, and through the loop on your hook, which makes a slip stitch. You might want to pull on your slip knot tail just to make sure the knot doesn't poke through.You will be able to see the outline of the design on the back as well but it won't look the same.

When you are finished with your design, weave the tails in carefully. It will probably not be the same color yarn but should not show through too much if you are careful.

You also have to be careful that you are not pulling in your piece as you choose where you want to insert your hook.

Although this method uses the slip stitch, I don't see any reason why you couldn't get a more 3-D look by using a single crochet or some other stitch. I haven't tried it, but perhaps I will do so soon.

I can envision many fun uses for this. I guess the only down side, if you want to call it that, is that it is worked over single crochet, which takes a bit more time and yarn to work since it is a short, closed stitch.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

SOL finale

Lookit! I had a scarf about a third done in straight sc. I didn't think I'd have time to finish it before heading to deliver them, but I did. After it was finished, I decided to add a little surface crochet to it. I have been wanting to try that and I was pleased with how it turned out. It's not a fancy pattern, not planned. Just went where it went.

You can see both front and back in the photo.

Finished size is 6" x 58".

All of the remaining scarves will be delivered to Special Olympics Louisiana. Then I will be moving on to other projects.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

new scarf / copyright infringement

Tada! #30 scarf is complete. Whew!

Finished size is 6" x 59".

The pattern I used is in the leaflet Ruthie's Easy Crocheted Scarves by Ruthie Marks. It is called Lace and Spirals. I didn't do the spirals part. :-)

It uses V stitch and a 3 dc bobble for the center section. The pattern does not call for edging, but I used an edging of one round sc in blue, a round of dc in red, then a round of faux picot (sc, ch 2, sc, sk 1) in blue. I really like the finished product. Oh, and I didn't count rows, but the pattern says 58" long so I must be close.

It was very simple to do once you got into the rhythm of it.

In other news, I discovered that some of my photos were taken from Crochet Cabana without my permission and used on another site. The site owner placed their "name" on the photos. Since these were from one of my earliest tutorials, I did not have my copyright notice directly on the photos. They are definitely my photos as my notations were kept.

The site is in Arabic but translation is available, though it is difficult to understand. My video is also embedded on site.

I have written a polite note using their contact form asking them to remove the photos. I have not had any reply as of yet. It is possible the person did not realize they were doing something wrong. I know it doesn't seem like it could be, but many are not educated about copyright laws and just don't think of intellectual property as something owned.

Truthfully, this is so discouraging and once again makes me wonder if I should just give up and shut down the site. This is not the first time I've had my materials taken and used without permission. I am not alone in this. I know other designers and charity sites have had similar experiences.


Oh well, I guess they are the ones who have to live with their conscience.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie