more UFOs and WIPs completed

Another UFO done! I started this little afghan a long time ago. So long, I can't even remember when! But it is now done. This is more of the Carolyn Toups yarn that was donated. I'd forgotten about it as I'd kept all the skeins with this partially done ghan.

Finished size is about 24" square.

I got a little sidetracked and did a couple of squares and started a scarf. LOL I want to finish the scarf, but then I have another couple of strips done and I want to do a few more and make that an afghan. We'll see how those intentions pan out.

The squares shown are made using the Circle of Friends square. I was trying to get it to 6". The one on the right is just shy of 6". The one on the left is exactly right. Very pretty square. Note that on some rounds you turn and others it doesn't say turn. The one on the right was worked all on right side. The one on the left was worked to pattern except I skipped round 8.

Still on my Jacob's Ladder kick, I happened across a pattern for a square which I immediately recognized as using this stitch. Isn't that odd? This was in 101 Crochet Squares, a book I haven't picked up in quite a while. It is Square #81 on page 80. I think I used an H hook and the yarn is Impeccable Sage Butter Ombre, a lovely yarn, worsted weight.



In addition to the above, I found two little soy yarn hats I began at some point in time and forgot about. I finished them off and here they are. The yarn is Bernat Soy in celery. Very nice, soft yarn.

I also completed these two green squares. I'm not really too happy with the dragonfly one. It is 6" from side to side in the middle of the square, but if you flatten out the top, the head of the dragonfly, it appears to be slightly more. This might end up in the lily pond with the other frogs.

The circle to square is Norma's Needle Adventures. The pattern is in the post of July 5. It is a nice little pattern. The formatting on the page is a little wonked as the rounds all run together (at least on my iPAD) but still no problem to read and understand. I stopped at 6". This is a keeper.

That's all for now. I'm working on the scarf I started yesterday, and on a scarf-like strip which I am hoping will be part of an afghan .

Happy crocheting!

UFO and WIPs day

Today is finish those UFOs and WiPs day! Here is what I've done thus far.

First, the cowl. I made this large black rectangle, intending it to be a hood to attach to a scarf, but I didn't like the way that came out. Thinking on it, I decided it could be a cowl. And so it is. Laid flat it is about 14" each side, so the rectangle would have been approximately 28", probably slightly more.

I chained 76 and worked use Lisa's Easy Baby Blanket pattern because that is what I used to make the scarf it was intended to go with.

Next is the Jacob's Ladder, which I finally finished. I wove the tails in and finished the black border. Final measurement is 40" x 43 1/2". This is going to the Alzheimer research project.

Here is a white square, about 10". I used daughter's cross-stitch pattern which I love. I think it is my new favorite square pattern. This square is heading to Sandy for the Give a Square project, in association with the Bridge and Beyond project. Squares may be from 7" to 10".

Here is a cocoon I started some time ago and finally sewed the ends in and will send it out to God's Tiny Angels. It is made with #3 Herrschners Baby Yarn. To make this I just made a circle like I was going to make a hat, increasing for 7 rounds, then I worked straight dc for two rounds. Then I worked (2 dc, fpdc) around. As far as I can remember I just made it up as I went along, but it was a while back and my memory is not that great. I didn't have a pattern with it and I usually print them up and put them with the UFO so I can remember hook size etc when I get back to it.

The bottom measures about 9" and from the last dc round to the top it is about 13".

Next up is a scarf made in three colors. Of course I forgot to measure it, though I did measure it a few days ago - of course I can't remember what it was. LOL Anyway, this is made with the Carolyn Toups yarn, donated after she passed away. I believe this is about the last of that yarn. There is a little of the light pink color left, enough for a bit of grannies or yo-yos.

Here is a preemie round ripple. It measures about 21 1/2" from point to point. This was a kit I bought from Herrschner's before our trip to Tennessee, which was in 2009. I began this ghan then. I decided it would never be finished as a full size baby afghan, so I finished it off as a preemie and it will also go to God's Tiny Angels.  I used the remaining blue yarn for the cocoon pictured above.

Also going out this week will be the two Special Olympics scarves finished most recently. You can read about them in previous posts.

That's all for now. I have more UFOs and WIPs to get to!

Happy crocheting!

Crochet Cabana stats

It's that time of year when I take stock of what's been happening at the Cabana. So here's what's been happening. :-)

Firstly, the statistics for 2010
Unique visitors   567195
Number of visits  720748
Pages  1335610
Hits  37121916
Bandwidth  239.99 GB

Let's compare that to 2005, since I have those stats right handy.
Unique Visitors - 356111
Number of Visits – 537077
Pages-  2228478
Hits -  31738443
Bandwidth used -147.19 GB

Yay! Improvement. Not that 2005 was bad. But just to say yay!

The Top 25 countries that visit the Cabana (in order of number of pages visited) are:
United States
Canada
Great Britain
Australia
India
Germany
Italy
France
Finland
Netherlands
Indonesia

Portugal
Mexico
"European Country"
Spain
Romania
Sweden
Egypt
Bulgaria
Hungary

China
Croatia
Israel
Norway
Russian Federation


I should note that some other countries had more hits, but fewer pages like Saudi Arabia, for example. That is just how my host orders them.

The most popular page by far is the granny square tutorial. You all are really interested in the granny square, so I'll have to make that my next video. Diagonal Box Stitch is also very popular as is Tunisian crochet. I don't know that much about Tunisian so I'll leave that to more skilled professionals.

The majority of you use Windows or Macintosh, and run either IE or Firefox.

It always fascinates me how people find the site. Crochet Pattern Central was at the top of the list as well as yahoo and Google search engines.

I won't bore you any more with all the details but I like to have this record to look at in future years. :-)

I want to thank each and every one of you who visits the Cabana and the blog and YouTube and Facebook and everywhere Crochet Cabana appears on the web. It is you who make the site as successful as it is. I appreciate you all.


Happy crocheting!

crochet history / ribbed hat

I was over at answers.com putting my 2 cents in and noticed a question asking who invented crochet. Since crochet is a great part of my life, you know I am interested in its history.

To my knowledge, no one person invented crochet, but the answer given was Eleonore Riego De La Branchardiere. So I am thinking who is that? Well, a google told me she wrote one of the first, if not THE first, book on crochet, namely Irish crochet or Irish lace.
Crochet itself existed long before Ms. De La Branchardiere according to various sources such as the Crochet Guild article.

There are lots of articles on the history of crochet. The one here says:

The earliest written reference to crochet seems to be a mention of something called "shepherd's knitting" in The Memoirs of a Highland Lady by Elizabeth Grant in 1812. The first published patterns appeared in 1824 in the Dutch magazine, Penelope, and in 1842 Mlle. Riego de la Branchardiere began publishing complex patterns and instructions for crochet that resembled bobbin lace and needle lace.

Speaking of crochet, here is the last thing off my hook. It is the Ribbed Round Hat by Sandra Huffines. Very nice looking hat. For those who are new to crochet, "alternate fpdp and bpdc around" might not be sufficient information. To rewrite this with a little more information, you might write:

Rnd 5-18: ch 3, (fpdc in next st, bpdc in next st) around. (You will be working fpdc in fpdc and bpdc in bpdc)

You might be concerned about that ch-3 at the beginning of each round. From the front end, it looks perfectly fine and blends right in with the other stitches. An experienced crocheter can tell where it is, but the casual viewer will not be able to.

On the back inside, you can clearly see the beginning/ending of your round. So this hat has a right and wrong side, if I am doing it correctly.

I actually didn't count my rounds so I don't think I did 18 rounds. I was thinking of the Doctor (Who) as I worked. It sort of looks like a fez, doesn't it? :-)

Two days of 2011 already almost done. I'd better get moving!

Happy crocheting!