Hats and definitions

I finished the red hat from the Hook and Needle Club as noted yesterday. I decided I didn't want to do the mitts so I gave the second skein of yarn to daughter to do the knit hat. :-) Here's my crocheted one.

While I was doing that, I noticed another hat sitting around and couldn't remember if I'd posted a photo of it. This is chunky yarn, but not part of a kit.

Both these yarns work up nicely. Of course my preferred color is blue so I like that one better. :-)  I got it at Michael's on a recent trip.

In my e-mail this morning, on one of my crochet lists, this appeared. I thought it was so funny I have to share it. No source was given. If I find it who wrote it, I'll edit this post.

Pattern: A set of written instructions that may
or may not result in creating the object in the
picture. Most patterns include a list of
supplies, but this is for your amusement only.
After all, Amazonian Rhesus yarn in smoky
turquoise does not exist, and cannot be
obtained. Patterns also have fun-to-do math
problems, such as 1 dc in next 7 dc (34 dc
made)?!

Yo: Yarn Over, meaning you need to wrap your
yarn over your hook. Of course, this assumes the
yarn doesn't split, fray or tangle. If this
happens, yo then stands for, Yell Outrageously.

Dtrtrc: Double-treble-treble-crochet. This is a
stitch where you yo four zillion times, insert
hook in stitch and pull through the next two
loops, repeating until all loops are off the
hook, or until the end of time, whichever comes
first.

Reverse sc: This stitch is the lefty's revenge
on all of us righties. For once we have to work
backwards, too!

Catalog: A dangerous device that hypnotizes
crocheters. It lulls them into a catatonic
state, causing them to spend the family's
grocery money on patterns and yarn. It may also
be an evil plot to cause the downfall of the
American economy.

Hook: A device permanently attached to a
crocheter's hand. It is also connected to her
blood supply, and if for some reason it becomes
dislodged from her hand, she breaks into a sweat
and starts to feel faint. If the hook cannot be
immediately replaced, the only valid substitute
is a catalog (see above).

Yarn: The only reason sheep farms still exist!
It's also what crocheters buy when they have
money. If there's any cash left over, they buy
food and clothes.

Doily: This seemingly innocent item looks like a
table protector, but if someone actually tries
to put a wet glass or an ashtray on it, the
creator will instantly turn into a snarling
Doberman. Use doilies at your own peril.

Cat: A non-mechanical device used for unraveling
afghans, unwinding skeins and keeping one's lap
warm. A cat requires daily maintenance in the
form of light stroking.

Dog: Another non-mechanical device that is used
for chasing down balls of yarn and putting
tooth-mark engravings in wooden hooks. It's a
high-maintenance item that does not store easily.

Baby: A valid excuse to crochet something.

Housework: An ancient rite that was performed by
some B.C. women (Before Crochet). Historians
believe it may have had something to do with a
device called a vacuum cleaner, which was kept
in closets now occupied by yarn.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Hook and Needle Club Scarflette

I finished the Hook and Needle Club scarflette crochet kit. I think it came out pretty well.

This was a keyhole scarf, the first I've made, so I really enjoyed trying out that procedure. The pattern was pretty simple to follow though you had to pay attention.

As I said previously, this pattern uses Deborah Norville acrylic yarn. This yarn is a beautiful yarn and quite soft. I did have that same silly problem with bits of another color in the second skein. I thought at first it was just part of the variegation, but looking at the previous skein where I had the solid pink it didn't look the same.

I have had this problem occur with at least three manufacturers. It's unbelievable to me that *I* could have this happen so often. I am only one person. How many others must have this happen and I don't hear about it. If all of those people are reporting this problem, and the company is making it good - which they generally do - how are they making money? The last time I specifically told the company in question that I could still use the yarn for the particular project and didn't need replacements but just wanted them to know about it. They still sent me replacement yarn, which I appreciated.

The explanations I've received just aren't doing it for me. There must be a way to fix this problem or at least catch it before it hits the public. It may not be an easy solution, but it's very discouraging. I can imagine if you are making items to be sold to others, or for designs to be photographed in magazines, this would be a big big problem and cost countless hours if a piece has to be remade.

In this case I actually tried to cut the yarn but then found the extra bits went throughout. These were the only two skeins I had so I went ahead and finished it. I only used a small bit of the new yarn and was on the last few rows. With it being a variegated yarn, I figured it wouldn't be too noticeable. Here's a pic. What do you think?

As to the pattern, it's a nice one. You work the middle section and one end of the ruffle, then turn around and work the other end. Of course, there is also the keyhole.

I have started working with the kit I received before this one. It uses a chunky yarn. I've had two knots in it so far, but no color changes in the wrong places. :-) It's an interesting pattern. I'm finished making the hat but there are mittens to make as well.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

troop hats last call

If you are making troop hats for the unit from Louisiana, please get them to me by end of the week as I need to bag and tag them for delivery on Monday. If any hats come in after that, I can still deliver them later for the unit which will be receiving early next year, but they won't go in the ones we're sending out for Christmas.

Thanks!

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

hook and needle club

I've received another Hook and Needle Club kit. I have already begun this one  though I haven't started the last one yet. It just came in at a great time. I had finished the last troop hat I can do (no more yarn) and had nothing of particular urgency to get to at that time of night. On came the Christmas movies and out came the package. :-)

The yarn is Deborah Norville Everyday soft worsted acrylic. It's a Premier yarn. It also says anti-pilling. That's a nice perk if it works. The label on the Lilac Ridge color says there is a pattern inside and you should purchase enough yarn in the same dye lot for your project. It doesn't tell you, however, how much that is (that I saw anyway). Shhh. I'm going to tell you. The pattern shown is a diagonal stripe. Inside it says you need 4 balls in each of 3 colors.

The pattern in my Hook & Needle kit is a striping scarflette. In other words, the yarn makes the "stripes". I like the yarn very much. It's soft, a bit on the thin side of worsted.

The pattern is a nice one too. It is a thinnish scarf using front and back post stitches so far though I see in the pattern there will be V stitches and shells. I haven't gotten that far yet. You can see my progress in the picture. When I finish it, I'll post the completed scarflette. No problems with the pattern at this time.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Crochet Cabana new look

Crochet Cabana has a new look.

I am pleased to announce that the new, updated Crochet Cabana is now live. I hope you all enjoy it.

My thanks to my wonderful daughter, Kate, who did the bulk of the work on this site. She will be helping me to learn the program so I can make necessary updates as time goes on.

My thanks also to my son-in-law who helped with text editing even though I'm sure reading about crocheting was not at the top of his to-do list. LOL

Finally, my thanks to my husband, who has long been my go-to tech support for Crochet Cabana and was an essential member of the team as we got things ready and uploaded the new site today.

I appreciate all the work each of them have done to get this site up.

It's unbelievable to me that it's been 15 years since Crochet Cabana debuted in October 1997. I hope you all continue to enjoy the site and particularly that you like the new look and the changes that were made. I'll be highlighting various pages on Facebook over the coming weeks if you happen to be a member there.
https://www.facebook.com/crochetcabana

Remember that if you have bookmarked any of the old pages directly, those links will no longer work.

Also, I have brought back some very old patterns which have been updated, some with new photos. I have tried to give them all the same basic format as I went through them. I'd like to remake each item in the future, both to verify instructions and to update photos.

You can use the contact page at the site to let me know how you like/dislike the new site, and any problems you encounter.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie