Hello, and welcome to the 2022 VVCAL Tips and Tricks – FAQ – post. Along the way, I have already had a few common questions. I plan to address those here for everyone to see. Thank you for stopping in!

Here’s a quick link back to the Main 2022 VVCAL Page.

Getting Gauge

Take a look at the measurement diagram for the version with the yarn type that you are using. Make 1 Plain Hexie A, and ensure that you reach this measurement for this and all other full hexagon motifs.

What if my Plain Hexie A is larger than the given measurements with the recommended hook?

If you are using a 10g skein color pack, you will need to swap out for a smaller hook until gauge is reached. If you are using stash yarn, you can leave it, and just make sure all of your other hexies match the size of Plain Hexie A.

My Cosmos Design hexies are coming out smaller than my Plain Hexie A and/or B. Why? What should I do?

First, make the Plain Hexie A. Then compare all of the other hexies to it. If the hexies are within a quarter to half an inch, you will be fine when you join them all together.

There could be many reasons for the gauge of your Plain Hexie A and/or B to differ from your design squares.

• If your dc (UK tr) sts are generally very tall, then your Plain Hexie A/B may be larger than your design squares since it is made of pure dc. Learn more about the Golden Loop to try and remedy this.
• Since the patterns for the Plain Hexies are likely a familiar process, this design is often worked more loosely than the design squares. Folks tend to tighten up when they work a new and unfamiliar pattern. (Ever notice sometimes your gauge loosens up as you get into a rhythm with a project?)
• Those are the common reasons for gauge discrepancy, but there are many more – even time of day, whether you are relaxed or tense, distracted or focused, etc.

What to do? If it’s a large size difference, consider working the larger motif in a smaller size hook to close the gap. Make sure your gauge is correct as well.

I’m using a 10g skein color pack. Can I go up a hook size to get larger motifs?

Yes, but beware you run the risk of running out of yarn on your 10g ball. Better to go down a hook size to achieve smaller motifs where needed.

Color Tips

How can I keep all of these hexies organized for the color layout?

Here are some ideas that fellow makers are suggested:

• Take a photo of the motif and edit in text over it with the color number.
• Roll up the motif and put it into the yarn ball band. (Love this one.)
• Wrap your excess yarn around the ball band so you can compare it later.

Can I join my squares with a different color from the Colour Pack?

Yes! Here’s how: When your preferred joining color comes up in the CAL, you need to sub in the assigned joining color in the CAL.

Using Stash Yarn

How many colors should I use?

This project looks great with any number of colors. In one color, it looks lovely, but you can also use only a few or many shades. Go for a monochromatic with different shades of the same color, or a completely randomized layout. I have never seen a VVCAL blanket that didn’t look amazing!

I have six examples here of past Geometric Lace blankets I’ve made to demonstrate color options. You can choose 1) different shades of the same color, and/or 2) bold pops of contrast colors for your blanket. You can choose a few or many colors as well. If you want to see all 48 Geometric Lace Blankets for ultimate hexie color inspo, head here to my portfolio site!

Geometric Lace to me is all about the blending. The contrast colors are like when you put salt into a cake – to bring out the sweet taste. Don’t be afraid to go bold. Of course monochrome is great too!

Below, you can see what these six palettes above became. Scroll up and down to compare. I blended using the shades of the same color, and in some cases I added in pops of contrast color for visual effect.

On the center of the second row above, you can see how some colors are only represented by a couple of hexagons. This is because I might have had just a small amount of that color in my stash and I wanted to use it up. In this case, I like to place those color hexies fairly close to one another, this way the eye is guided around the blanket. For example, the royal blue motifs toward bottom center, or the magenta motifs toward the top.

That blanket is a great example of how you can lay out your colors if you have a lot of shades of a couple of colors, and then random odds and ends to use up. I had a lot of yellow and turquoise shades, so I put them at opposing corners, and then just went with the flow for the other two corners.

How should I create my random color layout?

When you lay out your colors, you can completely ignore the pattern of the motif. This is meant to be completely random. Color placement is very subjective, but I do have a certain way that I like to “randomize” a layout, by using a “weighted distribution” of color. I borrowed and condensed the color placement guide from my Geometric Lace Blanket pattern, since I have made it in so many different colors over the years, and it can give you hexie inspiration to use shading or pointillism.

Shading to Blend

My monochrome blankets shown above – the pink and the black – are perfect examples of shading to blend. This method of blending is achieved using different shades of the same color.

I made the illustrations below to show that I start with the darker colors, then add in each lighter shade. It’s important to group the colors together in clusters, and then solo motifs as you go out from the largest cluster. My largest cluster will be 3 hexies, and if I have enough shades of the color, I may not even do a cluster of 3, but for the purposes of this guide, I show how to place the darkest color. Clusters of 3, then 2, then 1.

You may think when you make a piece, you never want to place 2 motifs of the same color side-by-side, but actually it really helps to guide the eye around the piece if you cluster them together as shown below.

Shown: Darkest shade, medium shades, lightest shade to create a “weighted distribution” of color around the blanket.

Pointillism to Blend

Do you remember pointillism from seventh grade art class? Well I use this technique to blend colors together using contrast coloring. So where the shading used several shades of the same color, the pointillism technique will be using motifs of contrast colors to blend.

Below I have an illustration to show you the process. Let me explain it here first.

First: Place darkest colors in each corner, begin sure to use pointillism blending. Put contrast colors in their adjacent corners. You can see below that there is some blue in the red corner, green in the orange corner, and vice versa. This is crucial for blending these contrast colors.

Next: Fill in medium shades mainly sticking to their color corners, but also some placement in contrast color corners.

Finally: Fill in the lightest shades and I added in an aqua to more nicely bridge the gap between green and blue – just because. You can see that I still use clusters of 2 motifs, then dwindle down to gradually further spaced solo motifs at the “end” of each color.

For this demo layout, I only used 10 colors, but it looks like a very colorful blanket because of the blending.

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Sometimes you have some very random colors that don’t seem to fit into the blanket color palette. That’s okay! You can put those colors all in one corner and just play around with them until you’re liking what you see.

Main Takeaways

• Release some of the inner crochet meanie thoughts – you know, the ones that tell you your layout isn’t “perfect enough” whatever that means.
• Remember that while 100% random color placement has its place, it is very eye-pleasing to have a “weighted distribution” of color. This placement creates movement and gently guides the eye around the piece. With completely random color distribution and placement, it can be hard to know where to focus on the blanket.
• It’s important to place a few contrast colors for blending purposes. It may not seem right at the time, but once you step back and look, you have a beautifully blended color layout.

Reading a CypressTextiles Crochet Pattern

How come I don’t “chain up” at the start of each round?

I start my rounds with something called a “beginning stitch” which always starts with a single crochet (UK double crochet), and I do not chain up for an sc. So for each round, you will jump straight into making a single (UK double) unless you are instructed otherwise in the pattern.

What is a “beginning” stitch?

These are the stitches that I use to substitute any stitch taller than a single crochet (UK double crochet). In my patterns, as shown in their Stitch Guides, I use the following method (shown here in US terms).

• beg dc = beginning single crochet = (sc, ch1) – counts as 1 dc
• beg tr = beginning treble crochet = (sc, ch2) – counts as 1 tr
• And so on for taller sts, adding in another chain for each taller stitch.

When you join the round, you join with a slip stitch in the top chain of your beginning stitch. Then, when you start the next round, I have you you work into the NEXT st/sp (unless otherwise instructed), and this is where the magic happens. You can see that when you work the beginning and end of the round in this manner, and then start the next round in the next st/sp that you have a lovely stitch substitution.

For a US double crochet, the single crochet forms the lower portion of the stitch, and the ch1 plus the slip stitch form the upper portion of the stitch.

Of course, you can use any method that you prefer for the first st of the round. Standing stitches, or just the normal chaining up will definitely work. There are other methods out there, but this is my preferred method, and the one that I teach in my patterns.

How do the repeats work?

I have recently updated the way that I use brackets to represent repeats in my patterns. These notes are included at the start of my patterns as usual, but I will add it here as well.

• Square brackets [ ] are used for small repeats: 4dc, [2dc, 3tr, 2dc] 2 times
• Asterisks * are used for repeats that include small repeats: * 5dc, [ch1, 1dc] 3 times in next ch, rep from * 3 times
• Round brackets ( ) are used when a string of stitches are worked into the same spot: (3tr, ch3, 3tr) in next st
• Important note: 3sc means “1sc in each of the next 3 sts”, whereas 3sc in next st means “make 3sc all in the next st”

How do I Join the Round for Decorative Stitches?

• Cluster Stitch: To join the round with a slip stitch, place the hook through all loops of the cluster, and then make your slip stitch. This will create a beautiful and hidden finish.
• Puff Stitch: To join into a puff stitch, make your slip stitch into the chain that is directly after the puff st, as it will result in the most hidden finish.
• Popcorn: Make your slip stitch into the center of the popcorn, aiming for the loop that was used to close it.

More Notes on Puff Stitch

As my Stitch Guide will show, I do not add an automatic additional chain after my puff st, as I believe this to be too confusing for the final stitch count. Some stitch guides will have you ch1 to “close” the puff stitch, but I do not do this as an automatic instruction.

For example, the stitch guide indicates:

puff st: yoh, (insert hook in indicated spot, yoh, pull up loop) 3 times, yoh pull yarn through all loops

There is no mention of working a ch1 to “close the puff stitch.” In the actual pattern, the chains that follow the puff stitch are given. so you will work the puff st as indicated, and then chain the amount of chs instructed in the pattern.

You will notice that the number of chains before and after the puff st differ. This is because creating a puff st leaves somewhat of a chain looking thing before the puff. So, if you (ch3, puff st, ch3), then the ch-sp before the puff st will look larger. In my pattern, I will instead instruct: (ch2, puff st, ch3) for a more even look.

Finishing

How should I weave my ends in?

Weave your ends after each time you cut the yarn to avoid having to do them all at the end. I have copied my example from a different pattern, as this is the most common way that I weave my ends.

You have two yarn ends to think about at any given color round.

Trap the first tail when you join the round.

First, focus on your working yarn end tail. Take your hook and insert it through both loops of the stitch to the left of your joining stitch. In the photo, the working yarn end is wrapped around, ready to be pulled to the back of the work.

Pull that yarn to the back of the work, as shown below. Both tails are now at the back. This is the only time I work with two tails at once – at the beginning round of a multicolor motif. For subsequent rounds, I work over my first tail when I can, weaving it back and forth so it is buried, and then I use this method shown for my second tail.

Note: Be sure to make your joining slip stitch loose enough that it reaches across your beginning stitch. If it is too tight, your stitch will look bunched.

Insert your hook back to front in the back loop only of the stitch to the right of the joining stitch. Below, my hook is there with the two yarn tails wrapped ready to pull through.

Keep inserting your hook back to front through back loop of each consecutive stitch to the right and pulling the yarn tail through until it disappears into the work. On the next round, you will be working over that tail, so it will not only be encased in these back loop stitches, but in your next round stitches as well.

In the photo below, my shorter tail is used up, and I only have the longer tail left, which is why only one tail is showing.

Should I block individual motifs, or block the entire blanket?

I block the entire blanket, if I block at all. This is my preferred method since blocking afterward is good for the lacy join. I find it difficult to keep my gauge while joining when my motifs have been pre-blocked. If your motif sizes are all over the place, you can pre-block to set your mind at ease if you like. Of course do what works best for you!

If you have any other questions about the VVCAL blanket patterns, please ask in the VVCAL Facebook Group, and if enough folks ask the same question, I can address it here in the FAQ post.

Thank you for joining in!

Happy crafting,

Rachele C.