PART ONE: Which hexagon pattern can I use for this join?
I am using the Tillie Tulip Blog Daisy in this tutorial, but you can choose any pattern you’d like! There are many circle-to-hexagon patterns, as well as plain hexies. You’ll want to keep in mind that with this method, you have to imagine that the “final round” of each hexagon will be the same color. I recommend that you learn the basics of the CJAYG for squares.
To clarify, here are some patterns that can be worked with this method.
And here are some equally beautiful patterns for which this method cannot be used.
The Tillie Tulip Daisy pattern is originally a granny square, and I have used it a couple of times before. What a beautiful square it is! But this time, I have fashioned it into a small hexagon. If you’d like to follow along, go ahead and make up some daisies! I’ll wait 🙂
Hint for making flowers with a center like this one:
If you’d like all of your flowers to have the same color center (i.e., yellow), try using slight variations of the same color instead. When looking at a blanket with identical center circles, the mind can tend to respond to the salient grid of dots, which may distract from the pretty flowers. Slightly varied shades will break this grid and soften your look so that the individual flowers can shine!
Okay now we’re ready for…
PART TWO: The first row of hexagons.
Take a motif and locate a corner. Join your border/joining yarn with a slip stitch, SC, Chain 2, 2 DC all in same space. If you’d like to reference my hand-drawn diagram below, you can note the “beginning” indicated. This is where you will start.
Working around the motif, *3 DC in the next space, (2 DC, Chain 1, 2 DC) in the next space for the corner, repeat around from * until 4 sides are worked. Instead of the final complete corner of the fourth side, work only (2 DC, Chain 1) as seen below.
Pick up your next motif, and in any space, work 2 DC as below.
Slip stitch in between the corresponding stitches on the first motif. 3 DC in the next space, Slip stitch in the corresponding space to join, 2 DC, Slip stitch in the corner space. 2 DC in same space to complete the corner and continue around in the same manner to complete 4 sides.
I have seen this joining method a couple times on the web but could never find a pattern, so I drew a diagram based on CrochetCabana’s CJAYG for squares diagram – link in original CJAYG post.
Stop on your final hexagon of the row, after only 2 rows are completed, instead of the usual 4 sides (in the picture below, I have 4 more hexies to add)…
Unfortunately, the sun is setting! I’ll move on to the next part tomorrow 🙂
Good morning! I am in the perfect crochet situation right now – riding in the passenger seat on a road trip to SeaWorld San Antonio.
In my travel, I decided to bring only prototype work and no custom queue pieces. Scary for me! But I wanted to take a true creative vacation and flesh out some fresh ideas. Please note: Since this pattern is a mobile endeavor, it will be bare bones for right now! I’ll come back and edit with more pics, links, and a view of multiple squares to see the joining method.
Here is the Trampoline Block pattern born from my desire to have a solid granny without corner holes, and a “detached” feeling border to frame that pretty variegated yarn.
Pattern Notes
Variegated yarn: Ice Yarn “Dancing Baby” available online at YarnParadise.com
Solid yarn: Bernat Yarn – the big one pounder whose name is escaping me at the moment… I’ll link when I’m back home 😉
These are both DK weight, so I’m using an I (5.5mm) hook.
General directions: Make a solid granny square, work an eyelet round, an hdc round, and an sc round. Join new motifs as you go on the sc round, using a method that I will discuss.
Okay, here we go!
Rnd1: Magic Loop and work Sc, Ch2, 3Dc, (Tr, 3Dc) 3 times join in top chain of Ch2.
Rnd2: (Sc, Ch2, 2Dc) all in joining St, Dc across all Sts to corner Tr. *(2Dc, Tr, 2Dc) in corner Tr, Dc across all Sts to corner St* 3 times. 2Dc in corner Tr to complete first corner, and join in top chain.
Rnd3 & 4: Repeat Rnd2.
Finish off yarn (cut and weave)… Admire your solid granny with no corner holes 😛
Attach border color in any corner with a Slst.
Rnd5: (Sc, Ch4, Dc) all in joining St. (Ch1, Sk St, Dc) 7 times across side. Ch1, Sk St, *Dc, Ch3, Dc* in corner St to make corner. Repeat around the square and at last corner, Ch1 and join to the chain *right above* the beginning Sc.
Rnd6: (Sc, Ch1, 2Hdc) all in joining St. Hdc in all Sts across to Ch3 corner, working your Hdc *IN* the chains
(Instead of working in the chain space, you will work through the chain stitch, creating a cleaner look.)
(2Hdc, Dc, 2Hdc) in corner. Continue in this manner around the square until you reach the last corner. 2Hdc in the first corner St to complete the first corner. Join in the Ch1 St *right above* the beginning Sc.
Rnd 7: 3Sc in first and all 3 other corner stitches, working Sc in all Sts around the square. Finish off.
Joining the subsequent squares:
For these purposes, since I am mobile and can’t take more pictures, check out the Tight Join by Mary Bucek of “Crafty Goodness Crochet” Hop over to the ScrappyCAL – ScrappyBlanket.com to see Admin Mary’s post on the Tight Join. It’s a beautiful join! 🙂
Bold Stripe is the perfect project for a beginner who is ready to make a gorgeous blanket with an unusual yet very easy stitch. Check out my free pattern here!
Follow this pattern to make a Hello Kitty silhouette hexagon to mix in with your Geometric Lace pattern hexes. (What a creative and fresh way to use this pattern!) Make it in Scheepjes Colour Crafter for a wide variety of colors and a super snuggly blanket.
Since this is a hexagon adaptation of the Hello Kitty Granny Square Chart, you will need to reference that pattern online. You can search “Hello Kitty Crochet Chart” online, and find the chart on several blogs, or for quick reference, I have saved it below..
Here is my cat face 🙂 For the hexagon addition to work, you need to be sure you have 4 “forehead” stitches, and 6 stitches total for each ear – 3 “up the ear” and 3 “across the ear.”
Locate the stitch to the right of the four “forehead” stitches. My hook is through that stitch in the photo below.
Attach yarn and (SC, Chain 2, Treble, Chain 1, DC) all in that stitch.
DC in 4 “forehead” stitches, and all in next stitch: (DC, Chain 1, 2Treble) – cut yarn and finish off.
Attach yarn in the chain 1 space over right cat ear as seen in photo below. All in chain 1 space: (SC, Chain 2, HDC), HDC in following 6 DC, (HDC, Chain 1, DC) in next chain space.
HDC, SC – now you need to look at your cat ear, and see the spot where you have your left most color stitches. skip 2 SC from that spot, and SC in the next stitch. Essentially, you are working SC in the 4th ear stitch from the forehead.
See below that this SC draws the Trebles against the top of the ear. This allows the ear to maintain its pointy shape.
2SC, HDC, (DC, Chain 1, DC) in next stitch.
HDC, SC, 2SC in one stitch, SC, HDC, (DC, Chain 1, DC)
6DC across bottom edge of cat head, (DC, Chain 1, DC) in next stitch, HDC, SC, 2SC in one stitch, SC, HDC, (DC, Chain 1, DC)
HDC, 4SC (again, 3 on ear, 1 on Treble – which is the top chain in this case (see below)), HDC, join with a slip stitch in chain located above first SC of round.
All in chain 1 space: (SC, Chain 2, DC). **DC in all stitches across to next chain 1 space. (DC, Chain 1, DC) in chain 1 space. Repeat from ** 4 more times. Continue on final side to beginning corner, and join with a slip stitch in chain located directly above the beginning SC of the round.
Your hexagon is complete! This can be paired with a Geometric Lace style hexagon, but you’ll need to add an extra round to your plain hexes as seen in these photos.
My blanket is a Disney World parade sitting mat, so it is made thicker than my standard blanket, and it is also narrower. This measures 30×60″ with border. The color palette is cased on the Tremaine family – Cinderella’s step-family – and so the colors are Aqua, Lime, Hot Pink, and Red. The cat featured in the hexagons is Lucifer, Lady Tremaine’s pet cat. 🙂
Join your hexagons following the Geometric Lace pattern, or any way you’d like!
I started out joining my hexagons according to the Geometric Lace pattern, but since I have a grey “background” around the hexagons, I decided to test out a hexagon continuous join.
Where my red crochet hook is pointing, you can see the spot that I converted to the continuous join.
Never fear as I will be documenting this join in great detail in a different post, but I wanted to show my progress photos here to plant the seed of creativity!
Run with it! Have fun with it! Or just wait for the pattern – hehe
Working more solid hexies to fill those gaps! I’ll add finished photos of the blanket when I’m done with that shoot.
This pattern is an adaptation of my tutorial on the beautiful Babouska Rose blanket. It features the gorgeous 3D roses with leaves plus a granny square frame and 3-chain flat braid join.
Before you begin, have all of your roses with leaves ready. Go ahead, I’ll wait! 🙂
This pattern is perfect to use those leftover specialty yarns like neon, chunky, homespun, thick & thin, variegated – anything goes! I can’t wait to see the creative pieces that y’all come up with, and I’m dying to make it again myself – so many ideas!
Instructions to increase blanket size from 28×34″ to any dimensions
I’ve always had a huge love for hexagons, but the Cottage Quilt pattern idea came about when three thought paths crossed each other in my mind.:
1) I started getting obsessed with making half-hexagon motifs.
2) Designing crochet blankets that resemble quilts was a big creative outlet for me.
3) The incredible @sewrayme (sewrayme.co.uk) Instagram feed made me fall in love with floral fabric paired with stripes. <3
So, this design was born! It took me about a year to finally put it all together and it went through a lot of back-to-the-drawing-board phases before I could really write the pattern. Now, all I want to do is add a striped corner on all my hex designs!
This pattern will show you how to add a striped corner to any hexagon blanket if you make the “corner cutout” using half-hexes as the pattern teaches. Have fun with it! The last photo at the bottom of this post shows how you can even make a little “sample” to test hexagon motifs and stripe patterns.
California Dreaming No. 1 – Currently resides in the USA
Fiber art is my passion. I have crocheted every day for years, but before I picked up the hook, I proudly wielded the knitting needles. In my second year of college, I became utterly inspired by Wendy Johnson of wendyknits.net to learn to knit. This was a time when young people still learned from books, so I mixed library visits with internet research to teach myself the craft. Dozens of cardigan sweaters, stripy socks, and several knitted blankets later, and somehow I made it through college to the other side.
California Dreaming No. 2 – Currently resides in the UK
After college, life swept me up in its current, and I started a career, got married, and had a baby on the way within a year after graduation! But somewhere in the middle of all that craziness, I picked up a hook and discovered granny squares, baby booties, and scarves, and it was all over…
California Dreaming No. 3 – Currently resides in Canada
I never, ever looked back to knitting, and that forward momentum left behind a serious amount of unfinished work in its wake. I didn’t have the time to go through it all, in those fast-paced years, so it got boxed up and stored away for another day.
Flash forward about 8 years, 3 kiddoes, and a big decision to become a stay-at-home-mom later, and I finally had the down time to open that box of knitted WIPs, and ..whoa! I was shocked to find myself getting so sentimental remembering which classes I would skip to knit, which coffee shops I would visit to knit in public, and which yarn shops I would spend my hard-earned money in for “stash enhancement.”
One unfinished project in particular that I connected with was the No-Sew Mitered Square Afghan (an alternate construction method for the Psychedelic Square Afghan). I worked it up using the no-sew tips from the Mason-Dixon Knitting site, but I never ended up mattress stitching everything together to finish. The colors and the design reminded me of my former self and I knew I had to create something to bring the pieces back to life.
After a half second of realizing there was no way I would be capable of knitting the remainder of the project, I decided to make it a mixed-method project and crochet the pieces together.
The three resulting blankets are just fabulous. I named them the California Dreaming series because they evoked a beachy, sun-shiney feeling. I stitched the squares together with white yarn and then went around with a light rainbow of single crochet, and a final touch of reverse single crochet for the edging.
Read more about the days that I made this series here.
These pieces are truly special to me. I am constantly creating different variations of the same patterns in my custom work, which allows me the comfort that those pieces can always be re-created and therefore carry a sense of immortality. My California Dreaming blankets are completely finite. Making something that was entirely one-of-a-kind sort of put me in a pensive mood, because I knew the nostalgic feeling of working with that history of my former self would disappear as soon as I weaved the final yarn tails.
But the works live on! Keeping beautiful babies warm in three different countries! 🙂
Thanks to everyone who is supporting my passion by subscribing to Cypress Textiles. You are truly giving me a gift.
Hello, y’all! Recently I have had a few requests to know how I weave in my ends for a project that has so many color changes. Since I handle my yarn ends differently depending on their stitch situation, I’ll give all of my darning advice here in one post. A guide to weaving ends! This is just how I do it… Of course there are many ways, and doing a YouTube search will prove very fruitful.
So let’s get started! I’m using the Textured Circles square for this demonstration because the stitches are so varied that it has all of my end-weaving technique possibilities.
Below is Round 1 completed of my TC pattern. It is basically the first round of any motif, could be a square or a circle; it doesn’t matter.
You have 2 yarn ends to think about at any given color round. That center tail is hanging, and the working yarn end tail is about to be cut a little shorter. When I work with one strand worsted, I make my tails about 6″ long. When I double up the yarn with a size 10mm hook, I make them closer to 8-9 inches long. Also note: I am right-handed, so make any adjustments necessary for left-handed approach.
Trap the center tail up when you join the round. See below how both tails are now together? MANY tail weaving tutorials have you darning two tails at once… the end of one color and the beginning of the next color… I rarely darn two ends together because it creates unnecessary bulk, but in this very first tail situation, I do. Another option is to leave that center tail hanging out and at the end of your motif, just take a smaller hook and guide that tail around and around the center until it’s all used up. I just don’t have the patience for that! 🙂
Okay, here’s where the magic happens. This is how I take care of alllllll of my cut working yarn tail ends. When I cut a tail to end a round, here’s how I weave it in:
Your yarn tail (tails in this case) should be hanging out like in the photo below. Right now, we’re going to 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, my hook is there, and 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, and you have the photo below. Both tails are at the back. Remember, this is the only time I work with two tails at once – at the beginning of a motif.
Now, insert your hook 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 through back loop of each consecutive stitch to the right and pulling through the yarn tail 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.
So that’s how I always weave in my final cut tail of each round. Let’s have a look at how I weave in my beginning tail that is created when we join a new color. This is the yarn tail that I bury differently depending on the stitch situation. Many tutorials have you simply “work over” the tail. I only work over the tail if my next round is pure solid stitches like SC or DC. If I have an SC round, I just hold that tail in place with my regular stitches, and encase that tail with the SC stitches so that it becomes covered within.
BUT, if that round is a lacy chain round, and you try to work over it, you will end up seeing the tail and it will not be held very securely. Here’s how I bury that initial tail in this situation.
In the photo below, I have joined the turquoise color for an *SC, Chain 2, skip 1 stitch* round. If you peeked at this TC free pattern, then this is round 6. I worked all of round 6 and joined to the beginning stitch, ready to work another round of the same color in solid SC/DC/TR stitches.
Here, I show the back of the work where you can see that big ol’ yarn tail just barely held in place.
Okay, so what you want to do is, on the next round, when you make your very first stitch, hook in that yarn tail, too. See in the photo below how my hook is under the yarn tail, ready to lump it in with the stitch.
By the time I’m at the point of the photo below, my yarn tail is well exhausted.
And here’s that backside form before, with no yarn tail in sight this time, because it’s tucked into that next round. Note: let’s say your next round isn’t solid stitches to bury the tail, but more chain lace… in that case I just leave the tail hanging and weave it in more carefully with a smaller hook size. It’s very important to take extra care when darning ends in lace stitching.
Now, I’ll show you again how I take care of that cut tail end. In the next photo, I am ready to cut my yarn, since I’m all joined up.
As before, insert hook through both loops of the stitch to the left of the joining stitch, from the back to the front, as in the photo below.
Pull that tail to the back of the work.
Insert your hook through the back loop only of the stitch to the right of the joining stitch as pictured, and pull the tail through.
Continue inserting the hook through the back loop of each consecutive right side stitch, pulling the tail through until it is used up.
That’s it! I work the final rounds of this motif all at once, joining new yarn in the corner and advancing each row little by little because I find it increases my speed. When a round is approaching the beginning, I join, cut, and weave as normal, then advance the other rounds in the same way.
I hope this was helpful! I know some of you don’t want to start this project because of all the tail ends, but it’s worth it, and as long as you make your tails long enough, you shouldn’t have any issue with them wiggling themselves out 🙂
Either way, allow me to waft some creative luck in your direction! Happy hooking!
Hi, y’all! I enjoyed creating my last Color Palette round-up post so much that I decided to make another one. Last time I focused on Geometric Lace Blanket, and this time I’m going to see how Crochet Blanket Color Combination can look across different blanket designs.
[Side note: Wanting to learn more about color placement and distribution? I made a blog post about that too!]
Crochet Blanket Color Combination
Crochet Blanket Color Combination
As used across different blanket designs
Recommended Materials
Yarn – These palettes can obviously be used with any yarn! I like yarns with tons of shades, like Scheepjes Colour Crafter (affiliate)! It’s economical, soft and sturdy, and perfect for everyday projects. Read more about this yarn on my Crafter site. Enjoy!
Take a look at these schemes and the galleries. Note how cohesive the galleries look, across textures, shapes, styles, and designs. Isn’t it incredible? If you want to be blown away, go through your FO catalogue and make a selection of pieces with a similar aesthetic, like what I have collected here. You will be so surprised. Thanks for taking a peek at my little collection!
One question I get asked a lot is “How to make a color placement layout crochet blanket?” The short answer is that I join each hexagon as I make it, and then the blanket grows in a completely organic manner.
Hello, crafter! Welcome to my color and mood post, inspired by the abundance of emerging crochet mood blankets. Enjoy this article full of color theory and the profound influence it has on our mood.
My interest in how color and mood are related began long ago when I put a quarter in a machine, turned the knob, and out popped the ring that would turn my finger green for weeks to come: the mood ring. So mysterious! So accurate! So… adjustable!
Unfortunately, about the only thing the mood ring is good for is telling you if you’re hot or cold. A mood ring contains liquid crystals that change color depending on the temperature.
Read more about your favorite 70s fad on wikipedia, at retroland.com, or buy a dozen for yourself and all your friends here!
Color and Psychology
Below, you can see my favorite online visual for colors and the moods commonly associated with them. It is from Carey Jolliffe Graphic Arts, and you can read a very detailed related article on the fabulous TheUltraLinx.com here. I love how there are so many colors, which is especially useful for yarn artists or painters!
Moody Colors
Here is another pretty graphic outlining some color moods. If you want to convey one of these moods, you can try using colors in the nearby color family. This will be helpful for marketing, or even designing a new project.
The Emergence of the Crochet Mood Blanket
In the beginning of 2014, a big chunk of the online crochet community paid special attention to the relationship between mood and color, because of a wonderful project started by Instagram user @Mummy_Stacey.
Crochet Mood Blanket Project and More Links
Here are some links related to the “Crochet Mood Blanket 2014” project:
Cover art for this post by Design-Confidential: Mood and Emotion
Dig Deeper
With 7 billion people on the planet, sometimes it feels like there are 7 billion different personalities… As it turns out though, as speculated by Carl Jung, there are just 16 unique personality types, and once you figure out which personality type you are, your life will make a lot more sense.
Have you ever felt… different? I actually believe that every single person has felt different than those around them on some level at some point (introverts and extroverts alike), but knowing your Jung Personality Type unlocks key information about yourself that you were unable to fully understand before.
My Jung journey started when I was shocked to see that my Crochet Mood Blanket had very serious colors – pales and darks – instead of the tropical rainbow bright hues that I generally consider my “soul colors” (or colors with which I feel most comfortable).
It seemed that while I dress in bright colors, and I work with mostly brights, my insides are seriously lacking in saturation… What a total shock to me! What was that about? Four hours and an epiphany later, and I’m a completely changed person.
What’s your personality type?
Step 1 (optional research): Head to the Wikipedia article on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This will tell you about all of the 16 types in general and give you some history behind the theory.
Step 2: Take this short online Jung Typology Test to figure out which 4-letter personality type you are
Step 3: Read the short profile and check out these great links to more information about your type!
16personalities.com (This website has a test also, but it has a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree, and I feel like it is infinitely harder to answer a question like that rather than just saying yes or no… If you want to take both and compare, go ahead!)
personalitypage.com (This site has a ton of information – including some VERY insightful info on children’s personality types that will help you learn more about your child if your personality type is very different from his or hers.
mypersonality.info (A very clear and concise site with a fun section with famous people of your same personality type)
There are a lot more links if you start making the Internet search journey, but the three links above are very comprehensive. Also helpful may be the forums that you can stumble upon, but sometimes they are more entertaining than informative..
Step 4: Now that you feel like you have successfully unlocked your character in the game of life, see how your loved ones and friends relate to you! There is so much out there regarding the pairing of two different personality types. Figure out the type of your kids, your partner, your parents, your best friend – soon you’ll be wanting to type everyone 🙂
The Creative Mind: How does your personality type relate to your creative capacity?
These two articles shed some light on the personality of creatives.
psychology.com:“The Creative Personality” – An article that doesn’t mention any Jung Typology, but is thorough and insightful.
mypersonality.info: The Creators Temperament – Incidentally I am in the “Intellectuals Temperament (I’m INTJ),” yet I create bright and vibrant fiber art that people respond to as if I were a creative type. This is due to the fact that I analyze a creative project just like I would any other task… logically and systematically.
I also have a great relationship with color and have had plenty of practice with the skill of colorwork to be able to “feel it out” when it comes to planning and organizing a piece. Just as my INTJ type outlines for me, I research color and design using every possible resource in order to continuously improve.
All that is to say it is possible to “Create” or “Produce Creations” and not be “A Creator” or “Creative Type” – I would not consider myself a particularly creative person. In fact, as a teenager when it interested me, I possessed great skill in drawing, but could only copy something that was put in front of me.
While I could copy a picture with impeccable detail, I could not “invent” a drawing from my mind. This trait is explained by the fact that when INTJs get interested in something, they research, study, and practice it to great lengths until it no longer matters whether or not it “came naturally.”
I can’t speak for the other 15 types, but please read more about “The Creator” and see where your curiosity leads you! I encourage you to read as much as you can about your personality type and use it to evaluate yourself and your current relationships. Reading about INTJ answered all of my questions about why I have behaved a certain way my whole life. You will feel validated and empowered!
Crochet Mood Blanket Pattern for You!
Layout, square pattern, and joining info:
When I saw that the Crochet Mood Blanket 2014 project was circulating around Instagram, I felt its strong gravitational pull. Now, there are over 700 people who have signed up to make a blanket that reflects their changing moods through the year.
What a wonderful idea this has been! Thank you IG user @mummy_stacey for your work organizing this project. For more information on how color relates to mood (lots of links!), and to join up with the daily mood blanket group, please check out my previous post “Color and Your Mood.”
Essentially, for this project I will be creating a square each day with a yarn color that represents my mood. I’ll be joining them to make a big blanket with 365 squares, and at the end, I’ll marvel at the way that my fluctuating mood is visually represented in my warm and personal piece. All of that sweet emotion of creativity sort of mellowed out when I started to think logistics…
What would my layout look like? How could I make it obvious what this project was about? I knew I wanted to somehow represent a calendar-like display, so that I could easily determine my mood phases and even recall important events over the year and how they made me feel.
After a lot of thought, I decided on the layout below which I created in Excel. I will have 30 days per month (lending January 31 and March 1 to February to complete the 30), which means I’ll have 360 squares – 5 days of “vacation” from the project. Each month, I will join squares as I go, then join the months together with a white border.
Now to choose a square pattern. I initially wanted to go for a traditional granny square patchwork blanket, but my thoughts very quickly started moving toward something closer to a makeup palette box like this one sold on AliExpress.com
So, I got to work on my idea! Below is my first attempt. I used DK weight yarn and a size H 5mm hook. It came out a bit too thick, and I was worried that if I had any DK yarn brand that was a little heavier, I would be in trouble with a super thick square. I ended up going to an I 5.5mm hook – much better!
Here is the pattern that I used. It is based on my free Trampoline Block pattern (BabyLoveBrand.net). I used only the first two rounds of the solid square in my selected mood color.
Solid Granny Square pattern (no holes)
Rnd1: Magic Loop and work 1sc, ch2, 3dc, (1tr, 3dc) 3 times, join with ss in second ch of the round.
Rnd2: (1sc, ch2, 2dc) all in joining st, 1dc in every st to corner tr, * (2dc, 1tr, 2dc) in corner st, 1dc in every st to corner st, repeat from * 3 times, 2dc in corner tr to complete first corner, and join with ss in second ch of round, cut yarn and weave ends.
Switch to your background color and join with a slip stitch in the back loop of any corner tr.
Rnd3: (1sc, ch1, 2hdc) all in corner st, 1hdc in each dc across, working through back loop only, * (2hdc, 1dc, 2hdc) in corner 1tr, 1hdc in each dc across to corner st, repeat from * 3 times, 2dc in beginning corner tr to complete first corner, and join in second ch of the round, cut yarn and weave ends.
I prefer to join the squares as I go, because I feel like they will get out of order or lost if I don’t. I also work in the ends as I go, that way I don’t have the daunting task of weaving hundreds of ends at the end, which would undoubtedly lead to this project becoming an unfinished WIP… I will be using my BabyLove Brand “Mini-Twist Join” I use this variations of this join in my Geometric Lace and Gumball blanket patterns.
Start with your finished square, all ends woven in.
Join your background yarn with a slip stitch to any corner, through back loop only. Below, I show you where to put your hook for the corner stitch, so that the back loop doesn’t get too stretched out (since you will be making 5 stitches in that one loop for the corner).
You can see that the hook is through the back loop, but also through an additional loop that lies just below at the back. Feel free to crochet into both of these loops for all stitches around, but I really feel it’s only necessary to do it in the corners.
Here is what your square will look like with the background yarn joined on with a slip stitch.
(1sc, ch2, 2hdc) all in corner loops, (1hdc in all dc across to corner tr, (2hdc, 1dc, 1hdc) in next corner loops. Release the loop from the hook. In the picture below, I have not yet worked the final hdc in this step.
Insert your hook through both loops of the first hdc of the completed piece.. This stitch is indicated below where the hook is. You can also see that the I have put the loop back on the hook at this point because next you need to pull that loop through the stitch.
Once you pull that loop through, you will make 2hdc and repeat the join by releasing the loop, inserting the hook in the corresponding stitch on the completed motif, placing the loop back on the hook, pulling the loop through, and continuing on.
Please join on every second Hdc across to the Tr corner stitch. Below, you can see where I have joined because there is a little diagonal stitch running across both pieces. This join resembles a little twist.
Weave ends and Ta-da! 🙂
Crochet Mood Blanket, Continued
More photos and the progress on my small blanket.
January 7th:
First week complete! I didn’t join the last four squares at this point because I am switching my joining method to a continuous join-as-you-go. (Why didn’t I think of that sooner?! Facepalm..)
January 14th:
I haven’t updated this post in a little while, although I’ve been making my squares along the way.
Changes that I Made to My Original Idea
1) I am not necessarily adhering to the color chart that I linked in the main project post, because it felt too much like I was trying to pigeon-hole myself into a certain mood color.. as in, I was reading the moods and sort of selecting one from a menu rather than really picking a color from my gut. PS: YES that is a metallic shiny GOLD on my birthday January 13th – haha! Who doesn’t feel like a rock star on her birthday?!
2) I am joining continuously (here is a link to my tutorial page on that). I did stray from my tutorial pattern in that I am using a mini-twist join, which is the one that I demonstrate in my Gumball and Geometric Lace patterns. Also, at the place where four corners meet, I did a little shell design. It’s dinky, but I like it! 🙂
Were You Surprised by Your Mood?
Okay, now I don’t know how the CrochetMoodBlanket2014 has affected you guys, but it kind of shook me up a little bit. I took a step back from my blanket today, and I was a bit surprised, because the colors are so serious. These are not what I would call my “soul colors” at all, and it got me thinking…
Why? Introspection breeds somber moods? Does the very act of evaluating your mood get you down? Would I choose brights if I were in a bright mood? Yes, I think I would. Am I all brights on the outside and dulls on the inside? (No, I don’t think I am necessarily brights on the outside although brights are what I think speaks to my soul the most.) Is it more simple than all that? Is it just the chilly, grey weather? Why is my mood blanket so serious?
Well, so much thought went into this line of internal questioning that I decided to take a version of the Jung Typology Test to read a little more about my personality type and maybe gain some insight. Folks, I strongly recommend that you take this test.
Once you have your four-letter type, you can read a slew of articles via Internet search that will give you insight into how people with your type function in life. Parenting, Careers, Relationships, Marriage, and more – examine some of the largest social constructs through clearer lenses. At least, this was my experience.
The discovery that I am in the INTJ personality type opened my eyes! All of the characteristic descriptions were spot on for me, save a couple here and there. If you find that you are also INTJ, you will see what I mean when I say that it answers a lot of questions and doubts.
Go take the test and then research your type. Then make your partner take the test too, and research information on your type pairing. So cool! You won’t regret it!
Thank you for reading this post, and I hope you learned a lot of creatives, and how our mood and colors influence each other!
How I performed surgery on a piece to fix a mistake. Crochet + Scissors = Faint.
I see crochet and knit artists alike asking amongst themselves if it is better to leave an error be as if it were fate, or to frog back and fix it, for fear of being forever haunted by its presence. Sometimes you don’t have a choice. One time I was in such a hurry to experiment with a new border that I’d been wanting to try that I literally worked all of the perimeter motifs in a blanket just so I could jump ahead. BUT, I erroneously worked in two extra motifs on one of the sides, causing that side to be wider…
I hacked it apart with scissors, natch.
Here are the gruesome details in an excerpt from the original BabyLove Brand blog post in early 2013.
* * * * *
Cruising along – Everything is looking fabulous at this point but I started getting a serious itch to see how my squared edge and lace border would come out…
I began to work the outside hexagons all around like working the edge of a jigsaw puzzle before carrying on with the inside. Boy was I proud! I was going to start the border early! I laid out my blanket and snapped the photo below. Then my smile turned to a frown… Two extra hexagons on the newly made side (check them out – I decided to remove the two consecutive hot pink hexes at the top of the pic). Watch how I armed myself with scissors, held my breath (seriously!) and did it!
In the first pic below I am about to cut, but then I realized I wanted to save those two pink hexies. Why waste them? I carefully unraveled them from their neighbors and set them aside to be attached later. Center photo shows the cut border. I dry heaved, but the cut was empowering. Third pic shows what I planned to do during this major surgery. I unraveled every separate row of the cut lace and trimmed all pieces to six inch tails, then I just frogged back the lace a bit and re-crocheted parts of it for a smoother join, weaving in all loose ends (two ends from each cut side on each row of the border).
The surgery was a success! See the finished object below. The leading edge is the newly operated side.
Through all of the Chevron blankets I have made, I always get questions about the thickness of my work, and if I use two strands of yarn. With adjustments to the original standard-thickness pattern, you can make a plush chevron piece for a drafty nursery or chilly workspace.
