baby hats

Since I've been sick, I haven't done a lot in the way of crocheting.

I did make a hat for the grandson when it turned cold. Here he is wearing it.

Daughter made another hat for him that is much cuteness. The pattern for the newborn size owl hat which fits grandson (9 weeks old) is http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/04/crochet-owl-hat-pattern.html . Other sizes up to adult can be found at http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/09/crochet-owl-hat-pattern-in-newborn.html .

If you have never made a hat, go ahead and give it a try. I had been crocheting a lot of years before I made my first hat and now I can't imagine why I waited so long.

If you knit or want to learn to knit, I saw this little hat at Bev's Country Cottage that looks simple. I don't knit but I have tried several times and I know basics. I haven't tried this hat but I am thinking on it.

I have a scarf started but just haven't been able to get up the energy to work on it.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

hat patterns

The dollghan is finished. Actually I finished it just a couple of hours after I completed the last post. Even though I'd have probably worked a better color scheme if I'd planned from the first to make a doll afghan rather than a swatch, I think it came out okay. I'm not sure of the yarn but I think it might be Giggles and perhaps Red Heart Soft. They are both shiny yarns and were leftover balls.

As noted yesterday, the pattern is http://www.projectlinus.org/patterns/ssba.html . Project Linus is a great charity and this would be a great afghan to make for them.

Also, I finished working up the pattern for the hats. It is available at Crochet Cabana. I put up a temporary picture because someone needed the pattern straight away.

I also ran across this baby hat. I thought the method of covering the ears was creative. I might have to try that.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

gifts for men

Yes, another post! And so quickly too. :-)

I had to come back and give you this link which has other links to great gifts for guys. Mellie over at http://www.mellieblossom.com/ has done a wonderful job of gathering these projects.

I love the book pillow and thought about making one myself. However I found one on Amazon for $20 so by the time I buy materials and take the time to make it, I figured I'd do as well to just buy one. So that is what I did. Now if you go to Amazon, be alerted that the different colors are different prices. The taupe was the cheapest one when I looked. There is also an eggplant (purple) one listed in a different spot. There are also other types at higher prices. I would not spend more than this on one unless I really really really liked it and found it useful. I WILL, however, let the guy in my house use it.

I'd have never thought of this if I hadn't seen it on the blog so thanks to Mellie for that.

In other crochet news, in my Stitches group a member was trying to figure out the stitches in a little afghan her daughter has that is now falling apart. With some searching and querying of my wonderful members at Crochet Cabana, we found what may be a similar pattern. It is a Project Linus pattern called Sideways Shell Baby Afghan by Donna Laing. I've seen it before and have even worked that stitch in other projects many times, but my mind had blanked on it. Thanks to my friend EllenH for reminding me about it. It's similar to the box stitch but not exactly.

I started to work a swatch to see how the pattern worked up and how it looked next to the original blanket. Then I decided why not make it useful? So I decided to make it into a small afghan the little girl can use for her dolls. I'd already started the swatch with a leftover ball so I just continued that with a second ball in white.

The pattern is simple, just (sc, ch 2, 2 dc). It's a multiple of 3. I got sidetracked - that happens so often lately LOL - and I haven't finished it yet, but I am sure it will done soon.

I'm also writing down the patterns for the hats as someone asked. I've been working on that much of today, taking pictures, measuring, counting ...

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving last week. My hubby was sick (and still is) so we stayed at home. Son came over so that was nice and we had leftovers for a few days which was also nice since we couldn't go anywhere. :-)

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

hats and DW scarf

I finally finished sewing in those tails. What a job! But it's done and I'm very pleased with the finished scarf. Again, I haven't measured it but I'm guessing between 18 and 19' without fringe. I don't normally add fringe though I guess I should if I want to be authentic. :-)

Here are a couple pics. See previous post for details on this Season 16-17 scarf. Now I need to make a Season 15 and I will have one from each season. That still won't be ALL the scarves as there is a duplicate that was used sometimes and Romana wore a scarf similar to the Doctor's in one episode.

The pattern is up at the Cabana and at Ravelry and at the Stitches Facebook group. The Cabana page has issues but you should be able to download the patterns okay. If you have a problem holler out to me using the form here.

I also made several hats recently. These are various sizes and colors. I made up the patterns using the basic hat increases. I used fpdc and fphdc on one and cross-stitch on another. Finished a couple with single crochet rounds and one is made long enough to double up. I also used DK weight yarn for some and worsted for some. So the word is variety!

That's about it.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Baby Doctor Who Scarf

The Doctor Who S14 Baby scarf is finished. I was aiming for 48" but it turned out slightly longer at about 52". It is about 3 1/4" wide. The baby is not walking so there is no issue with tripping. :-)

I chained 16 with a G hook. I used leftover Deramores Stylecraft Special DK  from the S16-17 scarf for my yarn colors

BBC - my color
Purple - Stylecraft Special DK Burgundy
Camel -  Stylecraft Special DK Camel
Mustard - Stylecraft Special DK Sunshine
Rust - Stylecraft Special DK Copper
Grey - Stylecraft Special DK Graphite
Greenish Brown - Stylecraft Special DK Khaki
Bronze - Stylecraft Special DK Walnut

I will put the pattern up at Crochet Cabana and probably at Ravelry as well.

Now I need to sew the tails in on the S16-17 as well!

Have you ever found a pattern you liked but it was written using a different terminology than you are used to - in my case a British pattern perhaps? I have a conversion chart at Crochet Cabana but I ran across this video by Mikey at the Crochet Crowd and I liked his presentation and thought I would share it here.

I also ran across this video demonstrating how to make yarn out of paper! Who doesn't have paper? 

I also mustn't forget to mention Red Heart's yearly 12 weeks of Christmas. A new pattern appears each week in both crochet and knit.

Another great idea is shown in this video demonstrating how to make a double crochet as the first stitch of your row without using the chain-3 method. She calls it the chainless starting double crochet.

I have seen this numerous times and have yet to actually wind my yarn this way. I really need to do it. It's a center pull method.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

baby sweater and Who scarves

I know I have been very lax in keeping up with the blog lately. The last project was such a long one that there wasn't much new to report. I've also been occupied with my new grandson and my mom under hospice care.

Here is what I've been up to.

I began a little baby sweater. The pattern is at Bev's Country Cottage.  It is the hexagon sweater. As you can see, it is not finished. I used a G hook and Hayfield Bonus DK Extra Value yarn from the UK, shade 0891. It's a sort of deep red, light burgundy perhaps.

The pattern is fairly straightforward. You make 2 hexagons and put them together in an L shape. Then you add the extra bits at the collar and sleeves and the spot for the buttons. I will probably not add buttons. Buttons, babies. I'm overly cautious.

I worked 8 rounds with a G hook which I think would fit a large preemie or small newborn. It fit the grandbaby who is just over 9# and 20.5". He is in newborn clothing, but most of it is still large on him. He'll probably have outgrown the sweater before I finish it. LOL

I also finished the main part of the Season 16-17 Doctor Who scarf. I still have all those tails to sew in. I haven't measured it but the sofa seating area is 6' so I'm guessing between 18' long when stretched out.

For the scarf I used my own pattern based on 5 rows to the inch (using the inches pattern at doctorwhoscarf.com which is for the knitted S 12-14 scarves). I used Stylecraft Special DK yarn (from the UK) and a G hook.

The colors used were:
Purple - Stylecraft Special DK Burgundy
Camel -  Stylecraft Special DK Camel
Mustard - Stylecraft Special DK Sunshine
Rust - Stylecraft Special DK Copper
Grey - Stylecraft Special DK Graphite
Greenish Brown - Stylecraft Special DK Khaki
Bronze - Stylecraft Special DK Walnut

I am fairly pleased with the colors except for the yellow which is really too bright and too orangy but the best available in that yarn I think. The brown (walnut) could have a bit more red to it, but I think it works fine with the other colors.

I chained 36. If making this scarf - just as I have it in the pattern with 8" wide - I would suggest buying 2 skeins of all colors but the sunshine and burgundy. You may not need it all but better safe than sorry.

The scarf has all 88 stripes of color and 1054 rows of single crochet. So if you don't like single crochet this is not the project for you! LOL

Row numbers will vary with hook and yarn but that's how many I did. The breakdown is camel 241, khaki 198, copper 159, graphite 142, walnut 123, sunshine 96, burgundy 95 = 1054

Pattern I used will eventually be available at Ravelry and the web site. I'll post when it's there.

I also began a baby size scarf. I took the full size Season 14 and reduced it proportionately. I chained 16 with a G hook and the DK yarn in colors as above. More on this one as it gets further along.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

on my hook

The most exciting thing to happen in the past weeks was the birth of my sweet grandson, two weeks early. He was born October 9, 5# 14 ozs. 19 1/4" long.

Here he is meeting his great-grandmother.

The past weeks have also been busy due to my mom's failing health. She is now on hospice care.

I've had some health issues of my own to deal with as well. It's been busy around here.

My hooks have perhaps not been as busy as normal but they haven't been idle either.

Here's what I've been working on.

Firstly, still working on the Season 16-17 scarf. I'm more than halfway done with this super long scarf.

I also was asked to make a baby afghan for another first time grandma. I decided to make a nameghan for this special guy. I deleted the last name to protect his privacy but it came out really well I thought.

I also worked on a pet snuggle with a new hook that my husband made for me. I'll have pictures of it soon.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who season 16-17 scarf

I apologize for my long absence. So many things have happened the past few weeks with which I won't bore you.

My fingers have not been idle, however. I have begun a season 16/17 scarf. This is my 11th Doctor Who scarf. I know this because someone asked at Stitches and I had to go count. heh

I have figured out the crochet rows for this scarf based on Gene Fender's inches pattern at doctorwhoscarf.com . My gauge was 5 rows per inch but it didn't always work out exactly to that in the working of it.

I'm still making the scarf so I haven't uploaded the pattern to Ravelry. It is, however, available at the Stitches group on Facebook. It is single crochet every row. It is just the number of rows and colors that you need and that might vary with your personal tension so feel free to mix it up.

I chained 36 which gave me an 8" wide scarf. The original knitted scarf was much wider, at least 10" and possibly to 12".  If you want a wider scarf just make a longer foundation chain.

I am using Stylecraft Special DK yarn from Deramores in the UK and I have to tell you I love this yarn. I also love shopping at Deramores. I ordered this yarn on October 1 and it arrived October 4 - FROM THE UK! That is better service than I get here in the U.S. As I recall they are always quick in delivery. Plus I had a coupon and free delivery with orders of $50 or more. I used Paypal for payment.

Here is my progress thus far. I made it "sit up" so you could see the colors better which makes it look uneven but it is not. The rows are straight. :-)

As I've noted in the past, these colors are not perfect, but they're good enough for me. The yellow is a bit bright and orangy. The brown does not have any red in it as the bronze should. Still, the camel is right on and the copper is nice. The grey is true grey which is fine. The green is pretty good. My main trouble is with the yellow. If Stylecraft would come up with a gold, I would be one happy camper.

When I finish with this scarf, I will have all the 4th Doctor season scarves but season 15. I have not made a duplicate scarf either but that's not a "season". I've made a few Season 14s. I have kept one of each season and given or sold others. Plus I have the knitted season 12.5 that daughter made.

I have been a little disappointed in Doctor Who (read: a LOT). They decided to put out the full Doctor Who season 7 with many extra features that the parts one and two did not have. This actually made me very angry. Besides the parts one and two, I purchased the two specials separately so I ended up paying much more than if I'd waited and bought the full season. Lest you think I am an idiot, I did look at the current listing for the full season 7 before purchasing and it was exactly the same as the parts. Then lnot long ago they changed it. I wrote to BBCA as the discs say "as seen on BBCA". Had I purchased the parts from them they would have exchanged them, but I bought them at Amazon. I haven't approached Amazon since it's been so long since I purchased them. I doubt they'd do anything about it now. I might bring it to their attention though. I also wanted to know if the episodes were cut since BBCA shows cut versions. They assured me they are not cut, so at least I did gain some info.

So that is what I'm doing now. I have a grey scarf partially done also but haven't gotten back to it. I am not good about having two projects going at one time. I feel the need to finish one before going to the other.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

recipes and stitch markers

I will be pulling down my Sandra's Backyard site. This was my very first place on the web created March 15, 1997 by my husband. I recently had to move the entire site because my Internet provider discontinued their hosting option and have since been looking it over for relevance today.

I was keeping it up mainly for the homeschool info and the recipes (for my own use). It's been a good many years now since my kids graduated so the homeschool information is no longer up to date. Also, it uses the same program I used to use for Crochet Cabana. That program is no longer supported.

With that in mind, I have moved over the recipes to Crochet Cabana, even though they are not crochet related. :-) I still have some work to do on it. This is the first page I have created from scratch. You might remember my daughter did all the work on the new site. I have been slowly learning how to do things.

In any case you will find the recipe page on the resource section under non-crochet. If nothing else, I will have a ready reference to help with my poor memory.

Yesterday I was removing stitch markers from an afghan where I had marked every so many rows. I had used those clear colored stitch markers. Every single one of them broke as I took them off. I threw the remaining ones away. My warning: don't use these. I am not certain what brand they are as I had them in a clear bag with no label but I THINK they are Crystalites.

There are many kinds of stitch markers. My personal favorite are the Clover stitch markers. I have both the Jumbo and the regular ones, each suitable on certain projects. Amazon has both Jumbo and regular size. I could only find the Jumbo at the Hobby Lobby site. I'm sure they are available elsewhere too.

Of course, as I said, there are many other kinds of stitch markers and everyone has their favorites. After trying several different kinds the Clover has become my favorites but you might like a different kind. If you knit you will need markers designed for knitting, which slip onto your needle.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

jealous doggy

When I took a picture of this snuggle, my dog Jack was nearby. I thought he looked a little jealous that I was making blankies for other animals.

Don't worry. Jack has plenty of ghans for himself. He also quite often takes over mine!

As I mentioned last time, I have been making squares. These have come out about 8 1/2". I'm not certain yet what I'll do with the 10 squares.

They were made with Caron One Pound worsted yarn in the color Sunflower. I used an I hook and the cross-stitch square my daughter designed. I left a long tail which could be used to put them together but it would be a pretty small afghan with just these squares. I'm getting an idea though ... We'll see.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

pet snuggle

I finished another pet snuggle. This one uses the seed stitch (sc, ch 1, sk 1) basically following the scarf pattern I have here.  I chained 56 with an I hook. I used Caron One Pound Sunflower. The finished snuggle is about 14" square.

Different hooks and different yarns will produce a different size project even when using the same foundation chain so I don't want to say if you chain this many you will get this size. There is also the matter of your personal tension. Thankfully in snuggles there is some play. They don't have to be an exact size.

I am also working on some cross-stitch squares. I was watching Sesame Street - yes, I know it's a kid show but my grandchild is expecting within the month so I'm preparing. :-) Anyway, I actually like Sesame Street and today's number was 7 so I decided to make 7 round squares. I'll take pictures for you tomorrow.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

new hook and pet snuggle

A big surprise in my mail today. My friend Fran sent me a beautiful new crochet hook. My camera didn't catch the color very well but it's beautiful. It's an H hook which is the size I use most often. Thank you, Fran, for your thoughtfulness.

In other news I completed another pet snuggle.

For this snuggle, I chained 61 with an I hook. It's about 16 x 17 1/2". The yarn is Red Heart Super Saver Wedgewood which was donated to me for charity purposes. I think I have enough yarn for another one too.

[update] I forgot to say that the stitch is single crochet across. Ch 1 and turn at the end of each row. I generally use single crochet for pet snuggles so it can be closed, nothing to catch claws on.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Jacob's Ladder

The Jacob's Ladder is finished.

Finished size is about 42" x 47".

Details: Foundation chain 212 with an I hook. I used a 10, 10, 10 pattern. 10 double crochets, 10 chains, 10 double crochets. The last two rows were 10, 8, 10.

Yarn used (some more than once):
Vanna's Choice Purple
Vanna's Choice Beige
Vanna's Choice Pink
Vanna's Choice White
I Love This Yarn Antique Teal
Red - not sure which yarn
Vanna's Choice Mustard,
I Love This Yarn Terra Cotta
I Love This Yarn Greybeard
I Love This Yarn Royal
Pink (might be Giggles)
I Love This Yarn Light Taupe
Knit Picks Cream

I would estimate that each 5 row stripe takes about two and a half ounces. That is VERY much an estimate. Most of the skeins were full skeins and I had some left over.

I used stitch markers to hold the ladder cables in place until I worked the edging.

The edging is I Love This Yarn Terra Cotta. It is one round of double crochet except for sc at the top ladder cable (where it goes up) and triple crochet at the bottom ladder section (where it dips down - you're working upside down remember).

If you don't know how to work the Jacob's Ladder pattern, I have videos at my YouTube Channel working an afghan and a scarf.

Beth Ham also has a wonderful video demonstrating this stitch (which I learned from her web site). There are 3 parts to Beth's video series. Beth uses dc for her edging as I do here. I think in my video I used hdc for the edging. Either works. It really depends on your tension which determines what you need to make your edging straight. I always enjoy Beth's videos and highly recommend them.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who inspired baby afghans

I totally forgot to add the Doctor Who baby afghan pattern to the web site. It's now been done. This free pattern is also at Ravelry.

The yarn I used is Stylecraft Special DK which I purchased from Deramores in the UK. For the brown, on one of the afghans pictured I used Knit Picks Sienna and the other I used the SSDK Walnut. The Sienna is dark. The Walnut doesn't have enough red to make it bronze but both work well enough for my purposes.

You can find the pattern on the above Ravelry page and also at Crochet Cabana on the afghan pattern page.

More details on the making of these ghans can be found on a previous blog post here. You can also find them at my Gallilfreyan Crochetin' site.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

cancer ribbon scarf

In my Picasa album I have a photo of a cancer ribbon scarf I made a few years ago. Someone inquired about the pattern and I went hunting it down. I remembered writing it up, but I knew I had not published it because it is the exact same ribbon as in the cancer ribbon afghan but just fewer double crochets on each side of the ribbon. Each "ribbon" is 12" long and you can make as many as you want.

If you remember the scarf - and gee why wouldn't you remember one picture of a scarf several years back?? - I worked ribbons in one direction and then reversed for the opposite side as I normally do when working a patterned scarf so that when it hangs you get the same visual. However, in this particular scarf, the point where I changed from the original to the reverse ribbons caused a bulging at that point in the scarf.

I never made another one but if I should do so, there are options to get around this. I could make all the ribbons face the same direction, of course. I could use a smaller hook at that section. I could purposely use a tighter tension at the wider parts of the ribbon. Any other thoughts?

I put up the pattern since I had the inquiry. It is just a quick reference not a written out pattern and can be found on the pattern section of Crochet Cabana, on the scarf page. If you should happen to work the pattern and find an error, please holler out and let me know.

Enjoy!

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

yahoogroup and jacobs ladder

Biggest news of the day is that I've decided to drop my yahoogroup. I haven't had anything significant to post about there in ages, probably since the redo of the web site last November. In any case, Crochet Cabana can be found at Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Ravelry, this blog of course, and various other places so if there is any news to be imparted there are ways to do it. (I know there are some Doctor Who fans here too, so don't forget my Gallifreyan Crochetin')

I do not plan to move the email list anywhere else at this time. Of course, things could change in the future but right now I don't think it is serving as great a purpose as it once did. There were 659 members bouncing, leaving 2296 members. There are 1753 on the Facebook page though of course those may not be the same group of people. I know many don't want to mess with Facebook which I totally understand. For those folks, there is the blog here. Any news fit to print will be posted here with a link posted on the Facebook page, which in turn posts it to Twitter.

Of course one can always holler out to me directly through e-mail or the form here or at the web site.

In other news, I'm still working on the Jacob's Ladder. I move slower these days. Here is my progress.

I don't really have a color plan. I'm just grabbing whatever and throwing in a stripe of white or cream now and then.

I think the yellow is Vanna's Choice Mustard. Then there is I Love This Yarn Terra Cotta, Greybeard and Royal. The pink is a very light pink and I think it might be Giggles but I'm not positive. Right now I am working with I Love This Yarn Light Taupe. Each 5 row stripe takes I would estimate about two and a half ounces. That is VERY much an estimate. I know I have leftover in a 3 1/2 ounce skein but not enough for another stripe.

Reminder that the foundation chain used here is 212 and I'm using an I. (5.5mm) hook.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Jacob's Ladder

The Jacob's Ladder throw is going well. Foundation chain was 212. I am working a 10 dc, 10 ch, 10 dc pattern.

The yarns I've used thus far as Vanna's Choice Purple, Vanna's Choice Beige, Vanna's Choice pink, Vanna's Choice White, I Love This Yarn Antique Teal ...

Here's a picture of a small portion as it stands now. As you know Jacob's Ladder is very wide before the ladders are worked. I did a wide first stripe, then am doing five rows of the mid-section colors since I don't know how much I will have of different colors. Then I plan to do a last wide section. We'll see how that works out. :-)

As I was pulling out different colors to use in this ghan I ran across a full skein of red yarn with no label. I started a row with it and was about a third of the way when I had to stop and cut out a section. Something told me I needed to take care with this skein. I decided to roll it up into balls first. This is the result. Each ball represents where I had to cut out either a knot or a thick section of yarn. Wild, huh?

It's almost getting too frustrating to crochet these days.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who S18 Scarf

I finished the much shortened version of the Season 18 Doctor Who scarf worked in Lion Brand Suede I collected from a friend and Ebay.

I used a J hook. The foundation chain was 31.

The yarn used was Lion Brand Suede - garnet, eggplant, and spice. Just as in the original, I used spice for the edging. The edging I chose was just as I did it on my other S18 - (sc, ch 1, sk 1) all around with (sc, hdc, sc) in corners.

I worked the S18 pattern exactly (well, exactly as I did the other one LOL) up to almost 6' - 238 rows, 99 color stripes with many of those being single rows. Then I added 5 rows of spice to finish it off so there would be spice at the beginning and spice at the end because I am silly that way. So total if I counted it right is 243 rows and 100 color stripes. (The full length scarf has 282 color changes so this is about a third of the original.) Rows would vary depending on your pattern and if you are crocheting or knitting.

Finished size is 10" x 72". That is a much more manageable size for actual wearing, in Louisiana anyway. The Lion Brand suede is a very soft, warm yarn too.

Next up is a Jacob's Ladder afghan.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

pet snuggle

I have finished another pet snuggle as I work through my leftover balls of yarn. This one uses the pinks.

At least one of these is Caron Natura soft pink.I'm not sure what the other two are.

The finished size of this one is 14 1/2" square. I chained 50 with an H hook and used single crochet across. Pretty simple. :-)

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

pet snuggle

One pet snuggle finished. This is leftover Red Heart Soft I think. That's a bit thinner yarn which I should have kept in mind when starting off.

The foundation chain is 50. It's a little smaller than the others I did. Finished size without an edging is about 13" x 14". I would prefer a couple inches more so I may add an edging around it.

I'm slowly sewing in the tails on the shortened S18 scarf. The suede leaves little pieces all over the place when you cut it. I think I may add a few more rows in perhaps the spice, then put an edging around it and call it done.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who Season 18 scarf and free ebooks

I was reminded recently about this free ebook available at Crochet Me/Interweave. It is an Advanced Crochet Stitches guide.

There is also another free ebook available This one is Crochet Lace Patterns.

Hopefully both those links still work. I first posted about them a few months ago on Facebook.

With the Who babyghans done, I decided to tackle the Season 18 with Lion Brand Suede I'd begun some time ago. I discovered why I stopped working on it. Those single color rows one after the other with the suede is a pain but sewing in the suede is even worse. I think I will stop when I get to an appropriate length for a scarf rather than going to the 20+ feet. It's close to 6' now. The scarf uses 3 colors - Lion Brand Suede - garnet, eggplant, and spice. These are discontinued yarns. I found some at Ebay and got some from a friend.

I did enjoy the Season 18 I did previously with the Red Heart Soft yarn though. Here's a reminder pic. It is the one I use over at Gallifreyan Crochetin'.

In between working on the suede scarf, I started another pet snuggle for our local animal shelter.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who babyghans

I have finished the two baby Whoghans. :-)

My measuring tape fell apart while I was trying to measure these. Overwork I'm thinking. LOL The two ghans are slightly different in size but generally about 38 x 40.

Both are made with the same yarns with the exception of the brown. One uses Knit Picks Sienna (right) and the other uses Stylecraft Special DK walnut (left).

Both use the same pattern (my adaptation of the original knitting numbers from Chris Brimelow at doctorwhoscarf.com; used with permission of the new owner).


I will have the pattern written up in a few days.

The foundation chain is 151. I used a G hook and worked single crochet rows. The ghan pictured on the left is edged in khaki. The one of the right is edged with Sienna. The edging is (sc, ch 1, sk 1) using (sc, ch 2, sc) in corners.

There are 195 rows and 44 color stripes.

The yarn (original BBC colors - my colors):
Burgundy - Stylecraft Special DK Burgundy
Camel -  Stylecraft Special DK Camel
Sunshine - Stylecraft Special DK Sunshine
Rust - Stylecraft Special DK Copper
Grey - Stylecraft Special DK Graphite
Greenish Brown - Stylecraft Special DK Khaki
Bronze -Stylecraft Special DK walnut for the last one (on the left) and Knit Picks Brava Sport Sienna for the first one (on the right)

I have been very pleased with this yarn. Only a few knots to cut out, though one of these I missed because it was only 1 strand knotted and I have to rip back a row which did not make me happy. I can't complain too much though because mostly it was smooth sailing.

I've gotten used the orangy yellow yarn now but if I found a deeper gold tone DK yarn I'd probably switch to it. The other gold I had was too thin. This one was perfect.

Now I'm going to work on finishing that Season 18 I started way long time ago with the Lion Brand Suede. I have several feet done but there are many more to go if I do the whole thing. I'm not enamored with the suede yarn. It's not that there is anything wrong with it really. Perhaps I'm just thinking off all those tails to sew in later! LOL

Besides that UFO to finish, I have in mind to make some scarves for Knitting for Good (they also take crochet) and the Bridge Project. It is starting to get cold in the north and they really could use help in that regard.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

soft yarns

I am happily crocheting again and have finished the body of the second Who babyghan. I'm sewing in tails and then will edge both ghans.

I also wanted to let you all know that I've closed up the Crafty Corral blog since I haven't been posting to it. If you go to it the site should say it's private. As I went through the posts I saw that many of the links were outdated and no longer worked, charity information was also outdated and it just didn't seem logical to keep it up with bad information. Should I decide to use it again publicly I will likely delete all the old posts and start fresh, but for now it's closed. If there is anything you used to go there to use, holler out at me and I'll do what I can to help.

As I went through the posts, I ran across one that specified some yarns that were soft enough to be used for babies. It's not a comprehensive list, of course, as there are so many new yarns constantly being introduced. The list can be found at the Preemie Project. I posted it then with permission, so I guess I can repost it here.

* Red Heart Baby (No pompadour, supersaver or sport)
* TLC Baby
* Bernat Softee Baby
* Bernat Baby Coordinates
* Bernat Cottontots
* Bernat Baby Lash
* Bernat Baby
* Bernat Lu LU
* Lion Brand Baby Soft
* Lion Brand Microspun
* Lion Brand CottonEase
* Lion Brand Jamie Baby
* Lion Brand Homespun Baby
* Lion Brand Pound of Love
* Lion Brand Polarspun
* Lion Brand Jiffy
* Caron Simply Soft
* Plymouth Dreambaby
* Wendy Peter Pan
* Knit Picks Shine
* Patons Fairytale
* Sirdar Snuggly

I will have pics soon of the Who babyghans. The pattern will be posted at Crochet Cabana once it's finished.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Who scarves

I am able to crochet though not for a lengthy period of time at one go. It's much better though and I am hopeful to finish the Who babyghan soon.

Everyone knows I've made a number of Doctor Who scarves. A member of the Stitches group at Facebook posted a link to a blog post at Kaleidoscope yarns which relates to the yarn used for these scarves. I know some of you have expressed interest in the scarves so I thought I'd pass it on. You can find the blog post here at KY Yarns.

Also, there was a wool kit available at Little Red Mitten in Canada but I can't find the listing on their web site so maybe they've discontinued it. If you're wanting a kit, holler out to them and maybe they can help you. I have a kit here but I haven't used it yet. The kit is based on a knitting pattern and crochet uses more yarn than knitting. That said, I generally make my scarves less wide than the original so it will likely work. I also could work a Season 14 which is shorter than the Season 12.

If you know someone who wants to learn crochet, you might like to recommend Kim Guzman's Learn to Crochet videos. Kim goes very slowly which many new crocheters find helpful. If you're interested in Tunisian crochet, Kim's the gal to go to as well. Check out her channel for more videos.

I have videos featuring the basics of crochet but my playlist is not as nicely organized as Kim's. You can find my beginner videos here.

I will hopefully have pics for you next post. Remember a few years ago I challenged myself to use every hook in my collection for a project? I am thinking of doing that again. Last time I was interrupted by a hurricane and got the hooks mixed up. Hopefully that wouldn't happen this time. I'll let you know when I start the project.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

blog visiting

When I woke up this morning I had comments to approve on the blog and one was from Valerie at Crocheting Conversations. I hopped over to her blog to check it out and really enjoyed looking around, particularly at the post about working with t-shirt yarn. This is something I haven't done yet. It looks to me like most of the pictures come from other sites and she provides the link to the patterns so if you are intrigued by something you can go over and visit the original site to find out more.

One of the items she posted a picture of was featured at this great tutorial on CraftTuts for a floor rug made with t-shirt yarn. Of course, you can use any yarn for it. Just know the size will be different depending on the yarn you use.

Another site I popped in to this morning was Dishcloth Diaries (the Left Side of Crochet). Her post was talking about de-stashing and I so can relate to that.

Becky at Fantastico did a tutorial on the join-as-you-go method, almost identical to the method I use. I have a video tutorial up now at Crochet Cabana but you might like to see this method in photos as well.

Craftybegonia has a wonderful free scarf pattern called Lellia that is definitely going on my to-do list as soon as I'm able to crochet again. (Note I did have some problems with clicking on links there and ended up at some Web Ring, so if you like this pattern, I'd copy and paste it for your own use before going further.)

Suzie always has some great patterns available. The last few featured have been bookmarkers then there are a couple of very nice hooded scarves. I like hooded scarves and that is also going on my to-do list when it gets cooler.

Of course, I visited many other blogs this morning but these happened to stick out to me today.

As I go through the blogs I follow, I sometimes run across one that has been deleted or not updated in a long time. This always makes me sad and I wonder what happened to the person. In this Internet world names become familiar to us as we travel in our circles (crochet, in this case). It's comforting to know they'll be there when we want a visit.

As those who follow this blog know, I'm a big Doctor Who fan. I learned recently that Lalla Ward, the actress who portrayed Romana II on the classic Who, knits and published two knitting books during the 80s. You can find them on Amazon (and possibly other places too). One was found at .58 and the other at 1.90 (used, plus shipping)
Fowl Knits
Beastly Knits 


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

no crocheting

I'm still unable to crochet due to the problem with my hand/wrist/arm. I don't have a diagnosis yet, but the steroids seem to be helping the swelling. I can actually bend my fingers now and use my left hand for light things. Just wanted to touch base with everyone.

I thought I'd take the opportunity to share some links with you since I have new of my own to post.

How about this beautiful afghan pattern by Karen Buhr? http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/around-the-world-crochet-quilt. The pattern is a free Ravelry download.

I get a lot of questions about the diagonal box stitch and I do have a tutorial and pattern using this stitch.  However, this morning I ran across a video by Mikey and Red Heart on the Corner to Corner afghan. It was quite well done and I thought I'd share the link. Even though I know how to do this stitch, I watched the entire thing. It kept my interest. Mikey does some things in a different way than I do but that's perfectly fine. For example, he uses a fold over instead of a flip up as I do in my video, but truthfully I like his method! He also demonstrates how to change color in his video, which I do not do in mine. I like Mikey's conversational style and his videos are very professional looking.

If you want to have a look at my video also, you can find it here. Funny enough both our videos are between 18 and 19 minutes long.

I also wanted to add this tutorial for a mitered granny square at Crochet Again which was well done. 

Well, my finger is tired poking keys, so I'll sign off. Looking forward to getting back into crocheting when I can. I probably won't work on the Doctor Whoghan until I'm sure I can maintain the same tension I had before as my work will probably be a bit different until my hand/wrist is fully healed.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

baby whoghan 2

I haven't been able to crochet the past few days so I thought I'd show you the progress on the second baby whoghan. No, I have not edged the first one yet, but I will when I can crochet again. (I'm also typing with one hand so if I miss an error, please overlook it.)

For this second one I am using Stylecraft Special DK Walnut instead of the Knit Picks Sienna I used for the first one, but am using the same row and color sequence.

I have completed about 13 1/2". 17 color sections finished. 27 to go.

If you want to travel with me, the foundation chain is 151. I use a G hook for the body. Single crochet  in each chain.  You can choose to skip the foundation chain and work a foundation single crochet of 150. The exact number is really not critical so do not rework if you have 149 or 152. It’s fine. The body is all single crochet. 

Here are the rows I've worked so far.
1 Camel
4 Walnut
2 Sunshine
5 Copper
2 Burgundy
5 Khaki
2 Sunshine
7 Camel
4 Copper
2 Walnut
3 Burgundy
11 Khaki
2 Sunshine
4 Graphite
2 Copper
13 Camel
2 Burgundy

If I could find a DK yellow that would be more gold than orange I would be thrilled. The walnut is not a bad color. For this purpose it could use a bit more red in it for the bronze look. Overall I'm pleased with the colors.

The original colors were listed as Purple, Camel, Mustard, Rust, Grey, Greenish brown, and Bronze. 

If you want to know more about Doctor Who, I have another web site with scarf details and other info. It's called Gallifreyan Crochetin'.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Baby Whoghan almost done

The baby whoghan is almost done. The body is finished and most of the tails woven in. It just needs an edging which I will do soon. I am not a fan of working edging on sc as it's sooo hard to get it to lie flat (for me) but I do like the edging I put on the S18 I did a while back so I may use the same technique here. We'll see how it goes when I attack it. I also need to decide which color to use for the edging.

The size came out great. It appears to be approximately 36" x 37". Once it's edged and really laid out well it should be close to that anyway, which is perfect for a baby afghan.

I do have a pattern for this though I did not keep exact track of how much yarn was used. I had some partially used skeins with which I began so ... Once I've decided on edging, the pattern will be posted at the Cabana. The pattern for the strip baby whoghan is already up there on the pattern afghans page. (I referenced the patterns at doctorwhoscarf.com and have permission from Gene for the adaptations.)

I still have a good bit of the Stylecraft Special DK yarn in my bin so I may be making a second one. I'll have to see how much there is of each color.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Who babyghan

Progress is being made on the Who babyghan. I've completed 70% of it - 135 rows of 195. 

You can see the tail in the picture where I finished a skein and started a new one in the middle of a row. I generally try to join at the end of a row but in this case I did not. 

It's coming along nicely though. I am hoping to finish by the weekend, but not sure if that will actually happen. We'll see. I have a few ideas on my next project as well. I want to do another hat like this one that I made back in January 2011. I have the yarn, just need the time.

I am also thinking about making another filet TARDIS. Dare I? LOL Also still thinking about the LEGO afghan. I might keep that one for later when Jonah is older as I don't have a lot of bright yarns on hand. We'll just have to see how it goes. 

I'm making headway on my stash though it's slow going.

There has been more talk about copyright issues lately among the designer groups as work is stolen left and right. It's a shame there are people who do this and damage the industry.

So what are you working on these days?

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Dalek dishcloths

Took a brief break from the baby afghan to make two Dalek dishcloths.

The first one is made with I Love This Cotton woods print worsted yarn. In this filet Dalek the open mesh make up the Dalek. The finished size is about 9 1/2" x 11 3/4".

In this second filet Dalek the solid blocks make up the Dalek. This is the first one I've done in this manner. This yarn is a light DK (#3) grey yarn from Annie's Hook & Needle Club. I don't remember what the actual project was supposed to be for this cotton yarn, but I had two skeins of it and thought it would work well for a filet project, which it did.

Finished size is about 8 3/4" x 11".

 
Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who baby afghan

More progress on the Doctor Who baby afghan.

This is about 14 1/2" done, which is a bit more than a third of the way. I've worked 18 stripes out of 44. In my version there are 195 rows total in those 44 stripes. I've worked 76 of those.

I'm working with Deramores Stylecraft Special DK (from the UK) and a G hook. The foundation chain is 151.

This yarn is wonderful to work with. It's quite soft and I can't recall having to cut out any bad spots thus far which means no extra tails to sew in. There will be quite enough of those!

I make no claims that this is an accurate representation of the original scarf in any manner since this is to be a baby afghan. To follow a scarf pattern would be many feet long and way too long for a baby or toddler afghan. We'll see how long this one ends up being. I see at least one more in my future as I fiddle with the numbers to get it as I want it.

There ARE 44 stripes as in the original and they are in the same colors as the original scarf, but the stripes are naturally of different number of rows to get the same effect in a smaller package. This is a personal decision. You may want to do yours differently. In my previous one piece baby afghan I had to change things up as it was getting too long. This one is more "accurate" let us say as a percentage of the original numbers. Truthfully, only mega fans will care if you use the same percentages. If you have the general color scheme it will be recognized as a Who production.

As noted in many other posts, the original Doctor Who scarves were knitted and I am crocheting so if you want absolutely accuracy well, you wouldn't be making a baby blanket firstly as there wasn't one in the original. LOL But for the scarves true to life would be knitted. 

I'm quite happy with my crocheted projects but I do love my scarf knitted for me by my daughter. She also made me a blue Who inspired filet scarf . It goes well with most of my outfits so I wear that one quite often when weather permits. We don't have that many cold days in Louisiana so I'm always trying to decide which to wear. Right now we're talking degrees in the 90s so no scarves!

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who baby afghan

I have begun my third Doctor Who baby afghan made with colors of the Doctor Who 4th Doctor scarf.

For this one I'm using the same yarn (as listed below), but a different chain (151) and different numbers for the individual stripes of color. 

The yarn I am using is 
Burgundy - Stylecraft Special DK Burgundy
Camel -  Stylecraft Special DK Camel
Sunshine - Stylecraft Special DK Sunshine (a bit too orange)
Rust - Stylecraft Special DK Copper
Grey - Stylecraft Special DK Graphite
Greenish Brown - Stylecraft Special DK Khaki
Bronze - Knit Picks sport Sienna (too dark, not enough red)

I've worked about 7 1/2" so far with a G hook.

I'm also working on a second daisy square. My first one went off to Krystal this morning.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

daisy square

I am all kinds of pleased to post a picture of my latest project. A little background... Some time ago - I want to say years but I don't know really, suffice to say it's been a while - I saw this cute daisy square at Krochet Krystal's blog and decided to try it. At that time, the deal was that one square had to be sent to her for her charity work which was not a problem for me. I love participating in worthwhile charity efforts. 

I got the pattern and got so frustrated with it that I gave up. I'm sure it wasn't the pattern as a lot of people had already completed it successfully. It just wasn't the time for me to "get" it then. She is now on version 9. As I do myself, she occasionally updates and revises. This is common to designers and to her credit. As I remember it, at that time if you did not send a square to her the rules were you had to get rid of the pattern - delete it, tear it up or whatever. I did all that and that was the end of it. 

However, that square stuck in my mind - the one that got away LOL - and I happened across it again. Now there is a yahoogroup you join and the pattern is sent to you as a pdf file along with a link to a password protected video series demonstrating how to do it. I decided I would join the group and give this sucker another try. Read *not be so wimpy and give up*.

I am VERY happy to report that I have completed a square, correctly, in the required size (8").

Is that not the most beautiful square in the world?? :-) The last picture is the back of the square.

Yesterday, when I began working I got to round 5 and one particular part didn't look right to me. I decided to sleep on it and start fresh today. That did the trick. I had no problem with it today. 

Yesterday I followed along with the videos but today, having done it once, I followed the written instructions. The videos were made using a previous version so the final rounds are not exactly the same as the printed copy. I also used an I hook to get to the required size rather than the H hook listed.

Once you've worked the square successfully, you see how simple it really is. 

The most important thing in working this square is to remember to keep your stitches and ball of yarn to the front. If you don't do this, you will have to rip it back.

The second most important thing is to work the rounds in the order they appear on the pattern. That might be a duh moment, but really the temptation is to work 5A, then 5B, but really you work 5A then 6A is worked before 5B. That is important or you will end up with the confusion I had yesterday. She does say this. I am just thick.

Each round is gone over twice, once with the petal color and once with the background color. (If you are sending a square to Krystal, the background color needs to be white or black.) The A rounds are petals and the B rounds are backgrounds. I used four colors, navy in the center, turquoise for the petals,  white for the background, and a darker turquoise or aqua or something for the final round. It might be teal. Not sure on that one.

If you watch the videos, note that one is done twice - I think it is 4a. Don't watch the first one, watch the one that says "closeup". The first one has a mistake where she rips back - I was following along so I had to rip back also. LOL Not a happy camper, but on the other hand it did give me more practice on the square. :-)

There is a blog with a FAQ answering some questions about the square and of course you can use the help file and query the group if you have other questions not answered there.

On the pattern itself are Krystal's rules for pattern use. 

This pattern is not to be sold. You can sell items made with the daisy pattern, but only for the purpose of charity. This means at fundraising fairs, donated to raffles, etc. If you sell outright on your own, please specify what charity the money will go towards. You may NOT sell the pattern. You may donate items made with the pattern (in fact, I encourage this!).

If you are not interested in following her rules, then don't join the group. I believe in respecting the wishes of the designer.

This is a wonderful project to get rid of those leftover balls. It takes very little of each color to make an 8" square. It is a tricky square, but once you've done it, the next ones will be a breeze.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie