Osgood scarf

The Osgood scarf is done. Much too late I noticed that when I began I was working more loosely and the first stripe is a little wider than the rest. I will have to live with it. heh 

The scarf is about 8" wide x  14' 4" long. (I am still recuperating from surgery and can't get down on the floor to measure so this is approximate.) There are 47 stripes. It's longer than the original Season 13, or stunt duplicate. However, we don't actually know how long the Osgood scarf itself is because, to my knowledge, nobody in the scarf-making universe has seen it or measured it. Knitting rows were counted out as much as possible from screen shots but of course crochet rows are a guess.

I'm told the scarf is K1P1 ribbing while the original scarf is all knit stitch. I'm also told that the K1P1 creates a larger stitch than straight knit stitch. This means the usual half number of knit stitch rows for crochet rows doesn't really apply. That caused me a bit of a problem. Originally I was going to go with 3/4 of the row number, but as I looked at screen shots I saw that some sections just didn't look long enough worked that way. I ended up doing a mishmash of the two Osgood patterns (Sonya and Chris at Ravelry) and the Season 13/stunt dupe. The basic difference in the Osgood is the 3 yellow stripes, which was a pattern error on the old Witty Little Knitter site. In a way it's good because it makes the Osgood recognizable.

While I think the Osgood is probably made with worsted, or whatever comparable yarn is available in the UK, my personal tendency for such a long scarf is to go lighter weight. In sport or DK weight a one-to-one on the rows would, I think, work perfectly and give a less unwieldy scarf. I did use worsted, though it is the light worsted Knit Picks Brava. I don't plan to make a second scarf right now, but should I do one I would use Knit Picks Brava sport I think.

As with my previously made season scarves, the first one is always the experiment. LOL  

I had hoped to finish this scarf before my surgery but that didn't happen. I did finally finish the crocheting of it Sunday (10-9-2016) but still have tails to weave in. 

update: Here is a picture of the completed scarf with tails woven in.

Here are the yarns I used in this scarf. Most are Knit Picks Brava Worsted (which is a light worsted IMHO) - Red, Cream, Cobblestone Heather, Almond, Canary and Fig. The purple is I Love This Yarn Mixed Berry. The Bernat Satin Sable would also work in place of the Knit Picks Brava Almond. It was my second choice.

I chained 31 and used a single crochet stitch. I used an I hook for most of the KPBW colors and an H for the ILTY because it appeared a little thicker than the rest but it's a perfect color, in my view. The Cobblestone Heather is also a tiny bit thicker and you could use the H for it as well or adjust tension.

I think that is it for this scarf. I originally thought I'd work a second scarf with the other yarns purchased to find the right colors but instead I think I will just do plain scarves or something for charity.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Osgood scarf wip

I have long wanted to work a scarf based on the Doctor Who scarf worn by the character of Osgood during the episode The Day of the Doctor. As anyone who has been reading this blog for a while knows, I'm a Who fan and particularly a fan of the 4th Doctor's well known scarf. That scarf was brought back, so to speak, by Osgood in that episode. The character has worn other Doctor costume replicas - such as the 11th Doctor's bow tie - in other episodes.

Well, I'm finally doing it. With the help of a wonderful Who friend, I've got my colors down. It's very hard to come up with colors for this scarf since the only option is to look at multiple screen shots in different lighting to come up with the best yarns. I'm not sure I've got the best, but we made our best effort anyway. In fact, I've accumulated enough yarn to possibly make two scarves. :-)

Here is a picture of the scarf in progress.

Here are the yarn choices I made for this scarf. Most are Knit Picks Brava Worsted (which is a light worsted IMHO) - Red, Cream, Cobblestone Heather, Almond, Canary and Fig. The purple is I Love This Yarn Mixed Berry. The Bernat Satin Sable would also work in place of the Knit Picks Brava Almond. It was my second choice.

At this point, the scarf is about 38" long and 8" wide. I'm guessing I'm about a quarter of the way through. I began it last night (Aug 30). It is not known how long the scarf worn in the episode is. 

I chained 31 and am using a single crochet stitch. I'm using an I hook for the KPBW colors and an H for the ILTY because that yarn is a little thicker than the rest but it's a perfect color, in my view. I did buy KPBW Mulberry but it was a little too blue. I could have used it but figured I had the Mixed Berry and it was such a nice color. :-) If you prefer to work in sport yarns, you can probably get all the Knit Picks colors in that yarn and you could use the Mulberry then. I believe the Mixed Berry would be too thick to go with sport.

There is also no pattern so I've sort of devised my own pattern by looking at the two knitted patterns done by Sonya and Chris at Ravelry. I know that Chris counted out all the rows that were visible. I don't know how Sonya devised her pattern. Many color sections were not fully visible and guesses had to be made. Since this pattern was not made using the same technique I have found the usual two-knit-rows-for-one-crochet row did not work. That being the case, I chose to go between the two or choosing one or the other based on the pictures I could find.

Anyway, that's what I'm up to crochetwise. I also have a plain scarf in progress with yarn that didn't make the cut for the Osgood. I haveyarn for a second scarf in regular worsted / aran yarns. Those colors would be
Purple -  I Love This Yarn Mixed Berry (so perfect that I'm using it for both scarves)
Tan - Loops and Thread Impeccable Soft Taupe
Yellow - Vanna's Choice Mustard 
Red - I Love This Yarn Fire Red
Grey - Red Heart with Love Pewter
Cream  - I Love This Yarn Ivory
Green - Vanna's Choice Dusty Green or Loops and Thread Impeccable Fern 

When Osgood is done, I'll have made the Seasons 12, 12.5, 13, 14, 16/17 and 18 scarves. I haven't made a Season 15 yet. I also haven't done a Romana or stunt dupe scarf and am not planning to in the near future anyway. Some folks have made Peter Capaldi's 12th Doctor scarf and of course there are many other thins out there that I have no interest in attempting - vests and such. 

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Mandalas for Marinke and Osgood scarf

Just over a year ago, Kathryn Vercillo began the project #mandalasformarinke in honor of sweet Marinke (also called Wink) who lost her battle with depression the end of June 2015. Kathryn has been sharing the mandalas collected throughout the past year. I missed the post that featured my own mandalas and happened across it today so I thought I'd share the link. You can find it on the June 12th posting. She did a lovely job combining the pictures of the mandalas along with important facts to help those suffering from depression.

I've really fallen down on my crocheting lately. I started a hat weeks ago and this is as far as I've gotten. LOL  The yarn is made in Italy and is fingering weight Knit Picks Felici in the colorway Time Traveler. I wonder why I chose it? :-)  This yarn is a limited time offering. The wrapper says "special reserve". It's a very nice yarn and I do recommend it if you have fingering weight yarn needs.

The hat pattern I'm using is Big Button Beret. It's not a difficult pattern. I've just been spending too much time away from my hooks and at my coloring desk.

I do have big plans to make another Doctor Who scarf. This time it will be the Osgood which I've not done before. I've been collecting yarn trying to match the pictures I've been able to find online. There is no "official" pattern that I'm aware of but there are a couple out there that have been posted on Ravelry. They are not crocheted, of course.

You can find Chris Starfire's pattern here. (You have to sign in to see it.)

You can find Sonya Shelton's pattern here. It's set to public so you can see it without signing in.

From all accounts, the Osgood is based on the second half of the former Witty Little Knitter's Season 16 scarf. (Witty Little Knitter domain was let go by Tara Carstensen and has been taken over by Gene Fender of doctorwhoscarf.com . There's nothing there right now but there will be at some point.) The reason we think this is the pattern is because that particular scarf pattern had a one stripe color error in it which is shown in the Osgood - yellow, red, yellow, green, yellow instead of yellow, red, purple, green, yellow. Many, many hours of looking went into figuring that out. LOL

I've accumulated a number of skeins to try and find good colors for the Osgood. At this time, Vanna's Choice Mustard is the lead contender for the yellow. Red Heart with Love Pewter is the lead contender for the grey and the I Love This Yarn Mixed Berry for the purple and Fire Red for the red. I have Vanna's Choice Dusty Green currently for the green but will have a look at the Loops and Thread Fern to see if it fits better as I've not seen it in person yet. The tan is giving me fits. I've found a few light tans but none have that pink tinge it looks like in the photo. I may have to settle for one that comes close. We'll see which yarns win. Since there are two online patterns, maybe I'll do two of them. :-) I've still never worked a Season 15 though, nor a Romana S16 scarf.

All that said, it will not be perfect because lighting and other factors affect how the colors look on TV and online. Not having seen the scarf in person, it's all guesswork. And of course the original is not crocheted.

If you're interested in more details about Doctor Who scarves, you know where to go ... my own Gallifreyan Crochetin'.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who inspired dc wool baby afghan

I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. I just haven't been at the computer as much lately nor crocheting as much as I used to. Thanks for stopping by and not giving up on me.

Note I updated this post after finishing the afghan so all the info would be in one place.

My current project is a Doctor Who baby afghan worked in double crochet and made from a scarf wool kit I bought years ago from Little Red Mitten. Yes, I was taking a chance on the yarn as far as quantity but it worked out pretty well. I was only short one row in the chocolate kisses.

Here is a picture of the yarn that came in the kit. It is Nature Spun Sport 100% wool yarn (mothproof). Each skein is 1 3/4 oz (50 gram). There are two of the Red Fox, Wood Moss, Spiced Plum, Saddle Tan and Charcoal. There is one skein of Chocolate Kisses and Goldenrod.

Here is what I have left (before edging). As noted above, I ran out of the chocolate kisses and could only do two rows where I had planned 3 so I suggest getting 2 skeins of that if you want to do the full three rows. Those pictured are partial skeins except for the spiced plum which is a whole skein. I used the small bit of leftover spiced plum for the simple one round of single crochet edging and still had a little left.

I am writing up the pattern but it's really simple as far as stitching. Just chain 152 (or use the chainless foundation of 150) and double crochet each row, changing colors as is noted in the pattern. It measures about 36" x 44". I took my double crochet pattern for the scarf and halved the numbers. If it was an odd number I went down. For example, if it was 5, I chose 2. Since there were no baby afghans in Doctor Who, I felt like I could make my own choices without worrying too much about screen accuracy. I think it worked out nicely as far as size.

If you are interested in more information on the Doctor Who scarves, you might like to visit my Gallifreyan Crochetin' site and also doctorwhoscarf.com .

I'll post again when I've completed the afghan. It shouldn't be too long though there are a lot of tails to weave in.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Who scarves

I was asked how many Doctor Who scarves I have made. Well, I didn't have an answer  unless you count "a lot". LOL So I decided to try and get a count. 

I have a Weebly site called Gallifreyan Crochetin' which concentrates on Doctor Who stuff, particularly the scarves. I counted off what I had on there and this is what I came up with. I know that there are some I've made for family and some sold, but I think there should be pics of them there too.

5 Season 12 scarves, 2 Season 13 scarves, 6 Season 14 scarves (though one was super reduced), 1 Season 16/17, 2 Season 18 (though one was reduced), and 1 SHADA for a total of 17 scarves.

S12 DK (fringed) approx 11' 6 1/2" 138 1/2" (11.5')
S12 DK (fringed) approx 11' 6 1/2" 138 1/2" (11.5')
S12 DC DK (fringed) 10" x 146" (12' 2")
S12 DK (fringed) 8" x 156" (13')
S12 (without fringe) worsted 7" x 134" (11' 2")
S13 (fringed) worsted 6" x 98" (8' 2")
S13 (without fringe) worsted 7 1/2" x 95" (7' 11")
S14 DC DK (fringed) 8 1/2" x 114" (9.5')
S14 (without fringe) worsted 10 1/2" x 106" (8' 10")
S14 (without fringe) worsted 10 1/2" x 83" (6' 11")
S14 (without fringe) worsted 6" x 111" (9' 3")
S14 (without fringe) worsted 6" x 109" (9' 1")
super reduced DK S14 (without fringe) 3" x 52" (4' 4")
S16-17 DK (without fringe) 8" x 216" (18')
S18 (without fringe) worsted (Red Heart Soft) 7" x 169" (14' 1")
S18 shortened Lion Brand Suede 10" x 72" (6')
SHADA (without fringe) worsted 9" x  228" (19') 

You will notice that scarves from the same season are not the same size except for the 2 I made at the same time. Part of this is because of my own tension when I work. Part is the yarn and hook used. Part is the pattern I used at the time. Part might even be the length of the fringe on the scarf.

Why make more scarves once I've got one? Well, mostly because I am a crazy person, and in good company with bunches of other crazy people doing the same thing! LOL Also, as time goes, more screen accurate colors are found and, of course, I have to make another one. sometimes yarn manufacturers discontinue yarns. On occasion someone is able to view the actual scarf and comes back with additional info.

Of course, MY scarves can never be screen accurate because they are crocheted and the original was knitted. But they are as close in color as I can get. I also make mine thinner than the originals because this is Louisiana and I wear them sometimes.

I used to never put fringe on my scarves because I don't personally like fringe and if you wash it, they get all funny looking. But you know, everyone else adds it so I jumped on the bandwagon and joined the crowd and have started adding it. I have not gone back and added any to the first ones I made because the yarn wouldn't match.

With all the experience of making multiple scarves, I now have my favorite colors (which will probably change over time as some are discontinued by manufacturers or new colors come to light). I also have my own crochet patterns, based on patterns at doctorwhoscarf.com and adapted for crochet with permission.

I know you are itching to know what those are. I have to first say that the yarns I most like is purchased overseas from a UK company called Deramores. There are some pretty good alternate matches slowly coming to light, most notably Knit Picks Brava Sport yarns. I find the Knit Picks just slightly thicker than the Stylecraft so I try to use mostly one or the other if I have those yarns in a good color.

Here are the yarns listed at doctorwhoscarf.com that I like with an alternate listed for if the first isn't available.

Purple - Knit Picks Brava Sport Currant, alternate Stylecraft Special DK BurgundyCamel -  Knit Picks Brava Sport Almond, alternate Stylecraft Special DK CamelMustard - Stylecraft Special DK Gold, Sirdar Hayfield Bonus DK PumpkinRust - Knit Picks Brava Sport Paprika, alternate Stylecraft Special DK CopperGrey - Stylecraft Special DK Graphite,
        (I have used Knit Picks Brave Sport Cobblestone Heather when I didn't have the graphite but it's a little thicker and just slightly lighter because of the heathering)Greenish Brown - Sirdar Hayfield Bonus DK Moss Green, alternate Stylecraft Special DK KhakiBronze -  Knit Picks Brava Sport Brindle, alternate King Cole Big Value DK Taupe.

The color I struggle with most is purple. Some use the burgundy reddish purple and others use the blue or violet purple. I find the reddish purple goes best with the other colors. If you look at pictures from the show the color changes depending on lighting, something looking more blue and sometimes more red. Hardest to find has been a good mustard.

I have still not made a Season 15 of the original scarves. I also haven't made an Osgood scarf nor any of the other character scarves, like the Rose Tyler one, the Romana scarf (when both the Doctor and Romana wore scarves), and the Hartnell scarf and whatever other ones have come up in the Stitches group at Facebook. :-)

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Mini TARDIS

I guess this cannot really be considered a TARDIS since it has 4 windows instead of 6 and 6 boxes instead of 8 and the words did not fit on the smaller version. But I am putting it with my Doctor Who stuff. :-)

Finished size is about 26" x 31". My Walmart did not have the Red Heart Super Saver Royal Blue which is what I wanted to use. They did have the blue, so I used that. The picture actually shows it up well but in person I find it a little light for a TARDIS. It took less than 2 skeins of yarn, probably about 10 ounces.

I will put the pattern with chart at the web site eventually. [update: I am having problems getting the pattern on the web site, but it is up at Ravelry]

The pattern is worked in 3dc mesh. The chart has blue x squares and solid white squares. I used the blue squares as open mesh and the white squares as solid squares. I know this is probably opposite of what most patterns do, but you can work it whatever way you prefer. I like a more solid piece myself.

I used an I hook. It took me only two days to make it. I could have finished it in one if I'd had the yarn on hand already. It's very simple. You only have to know chain, double crochet and single crochet and how to follow a chart. The pattern is symmetrical so it doesn't matter if you read from left to right or right to left. The center is wider than the sides to allow for a keyhole/handle though I didn't put one on there.

You could conceivably make a separate piece with letters. I actually considered making the top section in single crochet and try to do some kind of stitching of the words, but decided it didn't matter to me enough to do that.

For what it is, I think it came out pretty well. Perhaps a Whovian parent would appreciate it although they might then ask for the larger version. LOL That one is also not difficult to do but would take a bit longer. 

The pattern is not as visible with filet as with a worked in color version but IMHO it's easier to do than the worked in one.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who S12 scarf

Here is the finished Doctor Who season 12 DK weight scarf. As noted in the previous entry, I think these colors will be the closest yet. They were suggested by doctorwhoscarf.com's Gene Fender at the Stitches Facebook group and I'm sure will be on the web site soon. 

Here are the DK/sport weight colors suggested by Gene (graphic used with permission) in different yarns. I added the text at the bottom of the graphic which was given in the original FB post.

In text:
BBC = new colors
Purple = Knit Picks Brava Sport Currant (F), alternate Stylecraft Special DK Burgundy (L)
Camel = Knit Picks Brava Sport Almond (D), alternate Stylecraft Special DK Camel (J)
Mustard = Sirdar Hayfield Bonus DK Pumpkin (A)
Rust = Knit Picks Brava Sport Paprika (C), alternate Stylecraft Special DK Copper (I)
Grey = Stylecraft Special DK Graphite (G), my alternate would be Knit Picks Brave Sport Cobblestone Heather (not in pic)
Greenish Brown = Sirdar Hayfield Bonus DK Moss Green (B), alternate Stylecraft Special DK Khaki (H)
Bronze = Knit Picks Brava Sport Brindle (E), alternate King Cole Big Value DK Taupe (K)

A Pumpkin
B Moss Green
C Paprika
D Almond
E Brindle
F Currant
G Graphite
H Khaki
I Copper
J Camel
K Taupe
L Burgundy

I have used all but the King Cole and agree with Gene that they are right on. The Cobblestone Heather was not in Gene's picks, but it is pretty close to the Graphite in my opinion, but heathered. The heathered doesn't bother me. I hardly see it, but then my eyes are not that great. LOL If you're unable to get the Stylecraft, it will work okay I think.

For this scarf, I used
Purple = Knit Picks Brava Sport Currant
Camel = Knit Picks Brava Sport Almond
Mustard = Sirdar Hayfield Bonus DK Pumpkin
Rust = Knit Picks Brava Sport Paprika
Grey = Stylecraft Special DK Graphite
Greenish Brown = Sirdar Hayfield Bonus DK Moss Green
Bronze = Knit Picks Brava Sport Brindle

In my opinion, the hardest color to get right is the mustard which is a goldish color. Most of the yellows are too yellow or too light or too orange. I have used those in the past, but am happy to have found a DK acrylic that is close to the correct gold color thanks to Gene. Because the scarves are so long, the DK weight helps with the heaviness of the scarf. 

I might note that if working with worsted yarn, the Bernat Waverly Gypsy Gold is to me a perfect color for the mustard.

In previous DK scarves and baby afghans I've used the Stylecraft Special DK Sunshine which is way bright and has a bit of an orange tint to it. I used it because it was all that I knew at the time but this Pumpkin beats it hands down for a more accurate Who scarf. For the baby afghans I think the Sunshine brightens it up a bit and for a baby, I think that is okay.

Stylecraft has a new color called gold but I haven't actually seen that one. I am in the U.S. and the Stylecraft yarn is ordered from the UK so I wait until I need a nice amount of yarn before placing an order. I'm pretty well stocked up right now. Deramores, where I order it from, is very quick and has free shipping with a certain amount purchase. I recommend them.

I like all the colors in this scarf. If I were to do another, I would use the same yarns with the possible exception of using the copper instead of the paprika because it is slightly more orange which says rust to me. The difference is miniscule, however. Both work quite fine and I am mightily pleased with this one.

For this scarf, I used the DK/sport weight yarn, a foundation chain of 36, and a G hook, making my scarf about 8" wide. 

For the detailed oriented, there are 53 stripes of colors and 658 rows. The number of rows of each color as follows: almond 145 , moss green 105 , paprika 94 , graphite 99 , brindle 81, pumpkin 57 , currant 77  = 658

Remember that although the number of stripes is the same regardless of what yarn you're using, the number of rows will change depending on what yarn (and what stitch) you are using. 

35 stitches x 658 rows = 23030 plus the foundation chain of 36 so 23066 single crochet and chain stitches in this scarf. That is not an insignificant number! LOL

I began working on May 15 and finished on the 22nd with the fringe.

My Who patterns are up at the Crochet Cabana web site and also over at Ravelry (free). 

Doctor Who scarf

I apologize for not being around more lately. Since my mom passed away there have been things to do and I've just not felt in the mood to start a large project. I've kept my hooks busy making small things. 

Last week, however, I began another Who scarf. I think these colors will be the closest yet. The yarn I'm using is acrylic DK weight. I'm working in single crochet with a G hook. I will give full details of the scarf when I'm done.

Work began 5-15-2014. I finished the body of the scarf today, but still have tails to sew in and I think I am going to do fringe as well on this one.

Here's a pic to wet your appetite.

Season 12

For those interested in making things with t-shirt yarn, a crocheter sent me the link to this pattern for a doggie rug. I have not made the pattern nor purchased anything from this business myself. It doesn't show how to make the yarn but you can find that online easily enough. It's a fairly simple, straight forward hdc circle.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Link share

Today is link day. I'm still making shawls, but will wait until I have two completed before posting them. They are the same pattern as before so nothing new there. 

Here is a hat pattern I saw that looked intriguing. I haven't made it but thought I'd share. If anyone has made it and has tips holler out. It is the Fold Down Hat. It probably appealed to me because it's been unusually cold here.

Since I've been making shawls, I looked for some shawl pins. I discovered an entire store full of shawl pins! It is the Shawl Pin Store. Imaginative name. LOL I have not ordered anything from them as of yet but they do have some nice things. These are my favorites. I think it is because the sticks look like Brittany knitting needles. :-)

This is not crochet but for Doctor who fans. It is quilt patterns featuring Doctor Who themes. The site is called Fandom in Stitches (designed by fans for fans). 

I realized I didn't put the link to the slouchy hat yesterday. I will go back and add it, but for those who have already visited the page, here it is. The site is Jenn Dimaria's Jenn Likes Yarn. The hat is the Really Easy Slouchy Beanie and it really is quite easy if you can work in the round.

The only change I made was in the first ch-2 for the first dc. I have gotten ito the habit of working my first stitch on a hat as (ch 1, dc - for my first dc of the round) so that is what I did, but the ch-2 works perfectly fine and I've made many hats that way as well. I learned that method when I did the Button beret  from the Adventures of the Gingerbread Lady. I have found this a very useful beginning as you are making your join right into a dc instead of a chain.

I also happened across this scarf/shawl/sweater book by Jenny King. I saw it over at Maggie's Crochet.  What I love about Maggie's Crochet is that she always shows a lot of pictures from the books she features so you really have a good idea of what you're getting.

Lastly, I may have already posted this site. Not everyone is into head wraps as opposed to full hats, but if you are, here ya go. There are some other free patterns and Jonna has patterns for sale at Etsy and Ravelry. The blog site is Frayed Knot. Her Sophia Slouch hat is one that intrigues me also. 

I think that's it. I'll have pics of the wheelchair shawls in the next few days.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Tardis mittens

I finished the second fingerless glove for the set that went to my daughter. Here they are.

This evening I finished the second of two additional gloves made for myself. As I said yesterday, I adjusted the pattern slightly because my hands are small. I decided to try making the white windows in hdc instead of dc since that section is what is above the thumb. Here is the result. (Thanks to my hubby who took the pictures and please ignore my ugly fingers.)

I love them! Still a little long for my fingers but I think they will be fine. I didn't want to change the hook size because the blue section fit my arm well. 

The color is sort of in between the pictures. It's not as light as the first pic but not quite as dark as the second and third pics. The yarn is I Love This Yarn royal. The pattern calls for 110 yards and there are 355 yards in my skein so I'm thinking you could get three pairs from one 7 oz skein of this particular yarn. Of course you need the white too. I used Vanna's Choice just because it is what I had on hand. It doesn't take that much white.

As I said yesterday, the pattern can be purchased from Carrissa Knox at either her Ravelry or Etsy shops.

Now my tips on working the pattern. First of all, chain 28, not 27 (unless she's corrected that this week). The pattern is written pretty clearly so really no need to expand on that very much. When you are working the windows, I suggest dropping the unused color to the back and bringing the working color to the front. That way any loose bits or things that show will be on the inside. I preferred to cut the white between the first and second sections for no particular reason.

The thumb area, as you can see, is quite sufficiently large and comfy. 

It is important that you do follow the instructions clearly and do those post stitches as that is what makes the divisions stand out. It's actually quite clever. Besides that, it makes the gloves nice and warm.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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