More on DW scarves :-)

I know you are tired of Doctor Who scarves. Unfortunately for you, I am not. LOL So here is what I'm doing. If you're tired of hearing about them, you might want to skip this one. I need to write down the colors and information so I don't lose it all. This is my place for that.

As I noted last time, the original scarf colors from the BBC were listed as Purple, Camel, Mustard, Rust, Grey, Greenish brown, and Bronze.

Now the Doctor Who Scarf site uses different terminology - red, green, gold, tan, brown, purple, and grey.

First thing to do is to translate this into the same terms so I am looking for the same general color and because I am ... shall we say a fanatic, perfectionist or whatever word comes to mind lol Watch it now! LOL I want them in the same order so ...

DWS = BBC
Purple = Purple
Tan = Camel
Gold = Mustard
Red = Rust 
Grey = Grey
Green = Greenish brown
Brown = Bronze

Or one could go the opposite way.
BBC = DWS
Purple = Purple
Camel = Tan
Mustard = Gold
Rust = Red
Grey = Grey
Greenish Brown = Green
Bronze = Brown
Since I am interested right now in acrylics only, there are two options given at that site, one for worsted and one for aran.


If you look at Wikipedia it would seem that these two categories mean the same thing. U.S. calls it worsted and UK calls it aran. Lion Brand seems to concur as its description says "CATEGORY 4 MEDIUM: WORSTED-WEIGHT, AFGHAN, ARAN YARN". The Craft Yarn Council also categorizes aran with worsted. However, wisegeek disagrees. That site says aran is slightly thicker than worsted and may also be called heavy worsted. (category 3 yarn is sometimes called light worsted, just fyi). Perhaps the problem is that there is no category 4 1/2. Heh

In any case, Gene has the two weights separate. I agree since in his worsted he includes Red Heart Soft and Bernat Satin which are thinner yarns than I Love This Yarn and Vanna's Choice.

I think we need to back the truck up and either create a 4.5 category or make heavy worsted category 5 and change chunky and super bulky. Who agrees? Like anyone cares what I think. LOL

With all the above in mind, I took a look at what I purchased and what I would need to purchase. The Aran seems to hold more yarns that I have and/or like.

Purple - Vanna's Choice Burgundy. Need it.
Camel - I love This Yarn light taupe. Have it.
Mustard - I Love This Yarn sungold. Have it.
Rust - I have both I Love This Yarn Terra Cotta and Vanna's Choice Brick.
Grey - Vanna's Choice Taupe. Need it.
Greenish brown - Bernat Waverly Bark. Need it.
Bronze - Vanna's Choice Toffee. Need it.

With all the yarn I just bought, can you believe I still need 4 skeins out of 7!!

Now, don't pass out on me but I'm going to look at The Witty Little Knitter's Colors as well.

Again we have to translate. This site is not worked the same way. She gives specific yarn colors for each type of yarn for each scarf. So looking at Vanna's Choice (which I used for my first three scarves and I think makes a lovely scarf)

WLK = BBC
Burgundy = Purple
Beige = Camel
Mustard = Mustard
Brick = Rust
Charcoal = Grey
Olive = Greenish Brown

Toffee = Bronze

or the other way
BBC = WLK
Purple =Burgundy
Camel = Beige
Mustard =Mustard
Rust = Brick
Grey = Charcoal
Greenish Brown = Olive
Bronze = Toffee

The problem WLK has is that Vanna's Choice does not make all the yarn colors that closely match the colors needed so she was forced to choose the closest match. The colors work well together, even if they are not an exact match to the original. Of these colors, the Beige is a little light I think and the Olive is too green. But they still work. I think by substituting Annie's Choice that I used for the last scarf for the beige, this could be very close to perfect.


As noted yesterday, the purple in some pictures looks like the blue purple and in others it looks more like burgundy. Since she has seen the scarves in person I'm confident in her color choices more than my TV.

If we look at the Season 18 scarf, it is simpler as there are only three colors. BBC lists these as Terra Cotta, Deep Purple, and Claret.

DWS translation
BBC = DWS
Terra Cotta =rust
Deep Purple = purple
Claret = wine


One possible yarn suggestion is Lion Brand Jiffy
Terra Cotta = paprika
Deep Purple = grape
Claret = chili


another is Red Heart Soft
Terra Cotta = paprika
Deep Purple = grape
Claret = wine

WLK
Terra Cotta = spice
Deep Purple = eggplant
Claret = garnet


So here's my CURRENT plan. I will make at least one more Doctor Who Season 14 scarf using the colors above. Then I will make two Season 18 scarves with the colors above. S18 scarves are about 26' long so that will be a job! Then I'm done. Maybe. :-) Of course, I might consider making one for someone else if they pay for it.

What think you? What? You think I'm nuts? Never mind. I'm going to attempt it anyway unless I get bored with it before then. ROFL


Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Doctor Who scarf

I am still working on Doctor Who scarves. Yes, I am obsessed. LOL

I made a thin one before I went on vacation and sewed in the tails while away. This past week I also  purchased some I Love This Yarn, hoping to find a match for all the colors in that yarn, which I do love. :-) More on that in another post.

The original scarf colors from the BBC were listed as Purple, Camel, Mustard, Rust, Grey, Greenish brown, Bronze (my monitor colors are very approximate and I do not attempt to match the original colors)

As I said, I worked on this scarf before I left for vacation, so if I am remembering correctly, the colors which were used in this scarf are:
Red Heart Soft Grape Color 3729 (purple)
Annie's Choice Linen (camel)
Caron One Pound Sunflower Color 0549 (mustard)
Impeccable Rouge Color 01531 (Rust)
Impeccable True Grey 01044 (Grey)
Vanna's Choice Rust Color 135 (bronze)
Annie's Choice Tapestry Green

The Impeccable Heather I bought at Michael's I found too light but the Annie's Choice worked well. The Sunflower is a tinge bright, but I think the right shade even though a pound is certainly too much for one scarf.  Annie's Choice has a goldenrod that I think would also work. This purple may or may not be right. In some photos of the show the purple looks more blue purple and in others more a burgundy, depending on lighting. Hard to know which is right so I think both work okay. The green could probably be a bit browner but if you look at closeups of some episodes it does appear a dark olive greenish leaning towards brown. That's exact, right? LOL

Here is one shot of the purple.

Here is one of the previous scarves I made using the Vanna's Choice only colors, just for comparison. I really think except for the beige being a little light, these colors work well. If one is trying to use the same yarn, however, sacrifices must be made. :-)

Lighting makes a huge difference in how the colors appear. Here is the scarf just finished (like photos 1 and 2), but photographed in different lighting. The colors look lighter plus the grey even looks blue.

That said, the lighting in which I chose the colors from the paint chips certainly could have made a difference.

So what do I think of these colors? Except for the rouge being too pink, I think the other colors work okay.

Here are two shots from the episode Pyramid of Mars. This is a Season 13 scarf but the colors would be the same as Season 14. One appears outdoors and one in the TARDIS. (The scarf is not being worn the same so the colors are not in the same order.) You can see how the change in lighting changes the colors slightly.

Optimally one would find the "right" colors with the same yarn thickness so they work well together. Of course, you can always go to Tara or Gene/Chris' sites and use the recommended yarns. I prefer not to work with wool, which is why I went with Vanna's Choice recommended by Tara. Now I'm checking out the other acrylic yarns recommended at the Doctor Who Scarf site.

I'm not really trying to get the perfect colors because unless one has seen the scarf in the 80s that is impossible. However, those who have seen the original scarves now will have the best idea of color, even if the colors have changed over time. I'm just trying to get what I think might be a pleasing, reasonable  facsimile.

Wish me luck! :-)

Oh and wait until I tackle Season 18! It is totally different.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

right hand/left hand and Who yarn

Well, I did it. I have been crocheting with my non-dominant (left) hand. I even made a video. (Yeah, yeah, that is so that I don't forget how to do it.) You can see it at my YouTube channel here. It is actually quite fun and gives an interesting texture to the work.

Here is what I did over the past couple of days. It was going to be a Nook carrier but I ran out of yarn. I don't know if you can really see the stitch definition well in these pictures, but here they are.

Front

Back

Today, hubby took me to Michael's to use the gift certificate I received from son for Mother's Day. I used the certificate and a coupon and saved a good bit on the whole thing! I still managed to spend quite a lot, but to make excuse much of it was not for me but for my students. :-) I do think I got my money's worth on this trip! Plus daughter, hubby, and I went to eat at Texas Roadhouse afterwards so good shopping and good food. Can't beat that!

I was disapointed in the selection of products at Michaels today. They didn't have several of the things I wanted for the beginner kit I was trying to pull together. 

I also had my paint chips for the Doctor Who scarf with me so daughter and I looked at the yarn they had and tried to match.

Here's what we came up with for a possible Doctor Who scarf.

Remember the original colors from the BBC were simply put:
Purple, Camel, Mustard, Rust, Grey, Greenish brown, Bronze

The paint chips we used were:
Behr S-G-690 Delicious Berry for purple
Behr 260F-4 Sunset Beige for camel
Behr 300B-6 Glorious Gold for mustard
Behr S-G-170 Licorice Stick for rust
Behr 770F-5 Dark Ash for grey
Behr 320F-7 Fig for greenish brown
Glidden GLO31 Spiced Gingerbread for bronze

What I used for the Vanna's Choice scarves. Remember that it is difficult to get true matches in the same yarn.
Burgundy, Beige, Mustard, Brick, Charcoal, Olive, Toffee       

What I bought today was:
Red Heart Soft Grape Color 3729 (purple, may not have enough red in it. Impeccable Burgundy is more red but not very purple)

Impeccable Heather  Color 01010 (not really the right color, but closest we could get) (camel)

Caron One Pound Sunflower Color 0549 (mustard, pretty close)

Impeccable Rouge Color 01531 (Rust)[update: I am finding this a little too much on the pink side]

Impeccable True Grey 01044 (Grey)

Vanna's Choice Rust Color 135 (bronze)

We couldn't find a green that was brown enough and came close to the Fig.

I found it funny that the yarn named "rust" actually fit bronze and the color Rouge fit Rust.

These colors are just what was available and the closest match in the store in which we were shopping. They are by no means any better than what Tara or Gene and Chris have. I will continue to look at different places as I have opportunity.

I might also mention that I did order some of the Annie's Choice yarn. The yarn is fine though there was a big old knot in the first skein I pulled out. I'm not thrilled with the way it's wound. No center pull. But I've just got it so I don't want to be too quick to judge it. I'll post more on it later.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

hooks and yarn and hooks and yarn

What a nice day I had. First off, hubby gave the a-ok for me to order more of the delightful egg hooks from Jimbo (for Christmas). I know it's only May but you get where I'm going with this, eh? ;-) I love these hooks. The one I have (an *I*) fits right in my hand and is so smooth. I used it for my last video.

Speaking of video, I have not given up on recording video. I just haven't had a chance to do any lately. I have several topics I want to cover and hope to get to those soon.

Oh and did you know Jimbo made one of the biggest hooks ever? Have a look-see here. That is one big hook. 25# I think was said? Too heavy for me to hold and actually use, but how neat!

Dee over at Crochet with Dee has a few links to other big/long/thick hooks. You can find it on this page, down at the bottom.

Later, I went out to get the mail and what should I find but three skeins of pink Red Heart Soft yarn. Remember I told you about the green in my pink and I was through with Red Heart? I didn't ask for yarn when I wrote to let them know about this problem. In fact, I specifically said not to worry about sending me any and didn't leave my address. But those folks at Red Heart - well, you can't complain about their customer service! They found me somehow, possibly from the previous times, and sent me yarn. What can I say? I can't refuse yarn. I'll make more squares. *grin* I have to say it IS soft and the pink is delightful. It's also a different dye lot. Shall I forgive and forget? Thank you to Mr. Karwowski for the yarn.

Going back to video, I am learning to crochet left handed. Originally this was so I could teach some folks who want to learn to crochet and happen to be left handed. As I was struggling with the process, I remembered somewhere in the back of my  mind a blog post that mentioned working one row right to left and the next row left to right with the opposite hand. I thought, wouldn't that be great? I could teach both right and left handed. I can't remember where that post was. I think it might be on Pinterest. If I find it, I'll come back and add the link. At the time, I didn't take time to read through it to the point of understanding. [update: here is the link http://www.freshstitches.com/crochet-rows-backwards-left-handed-right-side/ ]

I like this idea because I was worried that learning left handed would mess me up on my right handed crochet. If I'm doing every other row in each method, however, that shouldn't be a problem.

The more I do it, the better I seem to be getting at it. Whether I am doing it CORRECTLY I am not 100% sure. LOL I know Teresa Richardson has videos of both right and left hand so I might have a look at those. I also have a leaflet that teaches left and right hand.

That's all for now.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie

Pink 12 square ribbonghan

Another cancer ribbon pink afghan but this one is a little different.

This one is all ribbons and includes 12 squares.

Finished size is about 42" x 55" after washing.

I am really getting to like this Caron Natura yarn. :-) I haven't had any problems with it at all.

I used 12 skeins, one skein for each square.  I left a really long tail (about 3x the width of the square) which I used to assembled each square. That still left a good bit of the tail. I did NOT cut that. After I finished assembling the squares into a column, I used one of the leftover balls to work a sc edging around the column. One leftover ball for each column. Then I used what remained of the tails to assemble the strips together after bringing them to the proper point.

For the edging around the entire afghan, I pulled out a bit of Vanna's Choice white and worked a sc, ch 2, sk 2 pattern around. Then I picked up a leftover pink ball and worked (2 dc around each ch-2 loop, ch 1, sk 1 sc). In corners I worked 3 dc with a ch-1 on either side. You might need more stitches in the corner, depending on your tension. I was wishing I'd put 4 actually.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy this yarn again. I was pleased with the way the all ribbon afghan turned out. It doesn't make a large difference in how much yarn you need though the filet ribbon squares use a little less than the solid ones.

I used a J hook for the foundation chain, an I hook for the squares, and for the side edging on each square I used an H hook. For the final edging I used an H hook also.

Happy crocheting!
Sandie