Solas Caomh

Some time ago I posted a photo of the afghan my daughter made, the Solas Caomh. It's a beautiful cable baby afghan, very complex. I'm one proud Mom that she finished this. I started one and realized I would never enjoy the work as I would have to concentrate and not be able to do anything else while I worked, so I quit. She enjoys a challenge and persevered with this gorgeous result and was even able to hold a conversation while she worked. Oh to have my young brain again!

Now that pattern is available as part of a kit - three kits actually. You can find them here at Interweave Press (Crochet Me). The entry on that page has a slightly different name - Sojas Caomh rather than Solas Caomh, but if you click on an individual kit the name is correct. Google says that Solas Caomh means "gentle light", whereas Sojas means "soybeans" and caomh is not translated with that word. Guess you can't have gentle soybeans. heh Anyway, I wrote to them but the link should work regardless if you want to purchase the kit, or go to Ravelry and buy the pattern from Jodi Euchner for $5.50 and choose your own yarns. It takes 7 skeins of Brown Sheep cotton fleece according to the entry. The kit uses a different yarn for edging, but I personally like it one color.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

new scarf

Okay, I have to confess. I ordered more yarn! LOL I am terrible! I so enjoyed working with the Stylecraft DK that I ordered more, even if it came from UK. There was free shipping over $50 purchase. My thought is to make a wider afghan... But you never do know ...

In the meantime, while waiting for that yarn, I have in mind to make a SHADA scarf with the other colors I have on hand. I have to get my stash down to make room for incoming and that is a scarf I've wanted to do. It is one of the longer scarves and used only in the one episode. I do not plan to work some backwards as the knitted pattern shows. I'm just going to follow the colors. My tickly thing is that DWS and WLK start and end at different points.

The SHADA is made up of bits of two scarves. Which scarf is first on the actual scarf, I don't know. I guess it depends on which way you look at it? In crochet, your stitches face a certain way so an experienced crocheter can tell where you began working. Not sure how it is in knitting.

Still some thought to go into it.

I've finished the scarf I was working on. It's a simple, straight dc scarf with a sc edging. Nothing fancy about it. :-) Finished size is 6 1/2" x 71".

Also, just as a side note, I decided to leave the Hook and Needle Club. Though I've gotten a few patterns that I would like to work again, overall I just haven't gotten the use out of it that I envisioned. In a few kits I used just the yarn and the cost for one or two skeins of yarn is not worth it. Then there is the time. I have less time now to pursue items that I can't use even if I might enjoy the challenge of it. At first I just changed my settings to receive a kit several months apart, but then I realized that things will likely not change in that amount of time so I gave it up. I still think it's a good club for those who knit and crochet.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

baby whoghan 2

The one piece baby whoghan is now complete as well. It just needed side edgings. I used a (sc, ch 1) on the sides in the burgundy since both ends were worked with burgundy.

Finished size is approximately 24" x 30". I used a G hook, chained 101. I used the same yarn as the other baby whoghan. Most of this yarn comes from UK.

Purple - Stylecraft Special DK Burgundy
Camel - Stylecraft Special DK Camel
Mustard - Stylecraft Special DK Sunshine (a little orangy and bright)
Rust - Stylecraft Special DK Copper
Grey - Stylecraft Special DK Graphite
Greenish brown - Stylecraft Special DK Khaki
Bronze - Knit Picks Brava Sport Umber Heather (this is really too dark but the only one I had in similar weight)

I started off using the counts for the knitted Season 12 inspired baby afghan at Witty Little Knitter, but with thinner yarn, a smaller hook, and had to fudge towards the end as I felt it was getting too long for the width.

I do like this yarn very much. I like the light weight and I haven't had a lot of problems with knots, thick or thin sections and such as I've recently. I went with the Stylecraft Special DK for the yellow color this time even though it was a bit orangy as the Big Value yellow I used for the other one was a bit on the thin side.

When I have gotten my yarn stash down to a manageable level, if that is possible, I might consider ordering more of this yarn for a larger afghan. We'll see what happens.

As always, I think of how I could have done this better. I think I would have been able to work the pattern exactly if I'd chained a larger number. I was thinking maybe 151 which would add about a third of the scarf width. I'll have to see how much yarn I have left. If there's enough I might try it. :-)

Of course, I'm saying exactly, but the pattern is knitted and I'm crocheting so it can't really be EXACT. heh

In the meantime, I'm almost finished a teal scarf.


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who baby afghan 1

 One Doctor Who baby afghan... done!

You will remember that this is a complete scarf pattern using the inches knit pattern at doctorwhoscarf.com . However, it is not worked to the inch scale but rather uses the number of inches noted to work 4 rows to each inch. In other words, if the notation was 3" then I worked 12 rows (3 x 4), for 6 inches I'd work 24 rows (6 x 4) but the respective bits would not measure 3" or 6".

I used a G hook and single crochet for all rows. The strips have a sc edging around and are joined with a whipstitch. The outer edging is (sc, ch 2, 2 dc, sk 2) all around.

Each strip is 174 rows.

Yarn - 1 skein each though I didn't use the full skeins ...
Purple - Stylecraft Special DK Burgundy
Camel -  Stylecraft Special DK Camel
Mustard - Big Value shade 671 (thinner than rest)
Rust - Stylecraft Special DK Copper
Grey - Stylecraft Special DK Graphite
Greenish Brown - Stylecraft Special DK Khaki
Bronze - Knit Picks Brava sport Sienna (too dark, not enough red) 

To give a bit more explanation ....

The pattern starts with a chain of 35 in the burgundy at the lower left in the picture. I worked to the third camel stripe, but didn't finish that stripe. I ended the first strip a few rows in (5, I think). For the second strip, I had to work backwards. So I began with graphite (bottom center in the picture) and ended with the finish of the camel stripe at the top. That way the camel stripes were next to one another and continued the "scarf" pattern. Then for the last strip I began by finishing the graphite section (lower right) which was at the bottom of my 2nd scarf strip.

It needed a bit of thought. I would have preferred not to edge the strips, but in the end I decided to do it. It breaks up the flow of the strips some, but I think it works okay for the overall look.

Here's the picture of the WIP showing the flow.

The finished size of the strip baby afghan is about 26" x 38". I would have liked it a bit wider. One possibility for another ghan would be to work wider strips, say perhaps a ch 50 or 60.

The one piece Who scarf-afghan is almost complete as well. I am also working on a simple dc scarf for something different.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie