WIP
Published on February 22, 2022

Joy Garden Blanket: A Work in Progress

written by

Hello, beautiful crafter! Hope you’ve managed to find some moments of peace as the months seem to fly by. February is almost over! At this point in the year, I look back to see what I have accomplished so far, and I can say I’m proud of my motivation so far to complete projects and share them with you.

If you have followed me for a while, you’ll know I always say it, but during even-numbered years, I am quite manic when it comes to designing and sharing. (Odd-numbered years see me spiral down in an undertow of imposter syndrome and creative paralysis, but that’s a story for another day.)

During the past few weeks, I have been utterly obsessed with this current work in progress. I am using a Scheepjes Metropolis Colour Pack (affiliate link) to make a half-hexie braided blanket that I’ve named “Joy Garden.” You can look at the yarny love post to see all the details, and check out a few more projects that you can make with the Metropolis Colour Pack.

Half-Hexie Lace

These lacy half hexagons have my heart, and I simply cannot stop making them, which is unfortunate, because I have to put this WIP away tomorrow to throw myself into launching the 2022 VVCAL on March 4th.

Here’s a show of how these motifs work together to make a “braided” look. You could definitely only choose 3 colors to make a realistic braid, but I am head-over-heels with making it work to use 1 x 10g ball of Metropolis per shape for this piece.

With 80 shades of Metropolis, the visual interest of “Joy Garden” is irresistible. The yarn’s color range does all the talking!

Scheepjes Metropolis Colour Pack

I have said it over and over, but this yarn has the most beautiful and thoughtful color range. There isn’t a single color in this range that doesn’t belong. Look how gorgeous:

I have used the 10g Colour Pack of this yarn for my Gloria Blanket released in the Fall of 2019, and I used 4 full-size colors for my Downtown Scarf, released in Summer that same year. Both the Gloria Blanket and the Downtown Scarf are free patterns; just click the links to find the patterns!

Head to WoolWarehouse to shop Metropolis through my affiliate link – this helps support my work at no extra cost to you! Or head to a Scheepjes Retailer near you.

Progress Photo Share

I took a few photos along the way, but if I am completely honest, it was hard to take any breaks from creating motifs and joining them onto the blanket body.

Flat Braid Join as you go is very forgiving and allows the motifs to be joined with great ease. You can see a few wrinkles in the blanket, but Metropolis blocks beautifully due to its wool content, so once blocked, this lace will bloom.

Frankly I just can’t stop looking at this one. Sometimes a design gets away from me in that it becomes something larger than I had originally imagined. This is one of those cases. Joy Garden takes my breath away every time I look at her, and I definitely feel like the design has blossomed with a life of its own.

This wide shot showcases the five panels, three half-hexagon braids, and two square motif towers.

Randomized Color Layout

Now I want to share my plan for using the remainder of the Metropolis colors in the blanket layout. I have to confess, I am using full balls of Metropolis as I do have one of every color. The test motif prototypes were made using 10g balls though, so I know that the motifs can be made with under 10g of each color.

I quite literally laid the yarn out randomly, and the result is lovely, which is a testament to how great the colors of the range work together.

When I created the half-hexagon motif, I knew that I wanted to make the largest possible motif with the constraints of the 10g ball. Luckily, the yardage on these Metropolis minis is epic at a stunning 40 meters. To create the largest possible half-hexagon, I decided not to use any bobbles or 3D stitches, and no yarn-eating stitches either.

What I did include was a lot of lace. As many holes as possible while keeping the structure of the motif. Sometimes when combining motifs in an off-kilter way like in the braid, you need to make sure you maintain structure in the motifs, or else the integrity can be compromised if everything kind of falls apart.

In fact, that’s what I keep reminding myself every time I want to add in a flourish or a new stitch on this portion of the piece. I remind myself that I am trying to stretch the yarn quantity as far as it will go. Every motif and space was designed with this in mind.

Above is an ill-lit shot of the color spread that is to come. Truth be told, I know that when I randomize a color layout and it comes out fabulous, I know I can just randomize it again and it will be equally gorgeous. So, I will likely be tossing these skeins in a tub and pulling out a random color for the next motifs, until I use them all up.

One last beauty shot because my WIP just keeps posing for me!

See you soon for the start of the 2022 VVCAL, and then the finish of Joy Garden, followed by the release of the free pattern! Yay!

Happy Crafting,

Rachele C.

You may also enjoy: