I've got to admit, I was a little nervous about starting a mood blanket. My year began in a relatively dark place, having recently experienced the death of a very dear friend. It was difficult to think of capturing those feelings in a project that would be a constant reminder - potentially negative - of that loss and sadness.
But on Instagram, I kept seeing beautiful pictures - every pattern you can imagine - of mood blankets in progress. I particularly like the pattern on Le monde de Sucrette, which includes nice, small squares, connected using a join-as-you-go method. The results are terrific, and the lure of the mood blanket helped me overcome my concerns and take the plunge.
After much research and thought, I settled on a two round hexagon pattern. It's really simple, and works up in about 10 minutes. Of course, I'm joining as I go, just in the corners of the hexis.
I will continue to write regular blog entries about my progress, but I will link them here so that they can easily be found in the future.
Crochet Mood Blanket 2014 - January 30 First Entry
Moodiness - April, 2014
Mini Hexagon Instructions
The center round is 6 sets of 2 dctog, with 2 chains between each. Start with a magic circle to avoid a big hole in the middle of your hexagon.Magic Circle - Basically this method begins with a slip knot that is not pulled tight right away. Stitches are worked over the loose or open circle, and when completed, the circle is pulled closed. If you use this method, be sure to tie things off once the circle is pulled closed or you may end up very sad later. I've made this mistake myself, thinking things were secure when they were not, and watched finished projects unravel.
For the first 2dctog, chain 2, yarn over (YO), go into your circle and pull up a loop. You now have 3 loops on your hook. YO and pull through 2, YO pull through 2 - dctog complete. Make 2 chains.
Next - 2 dctog, 2 chains, repeat until you have 6 complete sets of 2dctog. Slip stitch into the first set to close the circle.
2 dctog: YO hook, insert hook in the magic circle, pull up a loop, 3 loops on hook. YO hook, pull through 2 loops. YO hook insert in next st, pull up a loop, 4 loops on hook. YO, pull through 2 loops, 3 loops on hook. YO pull through last 3 loops. One dc2tog made.
Second round - work in the 2 chain spaces: 2 hdc, chain 1, 2 hdc. Repeat in each space. Slipstitch into the first hdc to close the circle. The single chains create the corners.
I am joining my hexagons to the blanket as I go. This means connecting at the corners. Make 2 hdc, chain 1, slip stitch into the corner of the hexagon you are connecting, complete the remaining 2 hdc in the chain 2 space of the first row of the new hexagon. Continue until complete.
Pretty easy! You may have noticed that my yarn tail has disappeared. I am a fanatic about working in the ends as I crochet, whenever possible. I'm going to try to give a clear explanation of how to do this. I learned by watching a youtube video, but of course, that was ages ago and I have no idea as to the original source. So here goes!
Weaving in Ends
Weaving in the end as you go is more than just crocheting over it. You want to incorporate it into the stitches to lock it in place. It's hard to do with a single crochet or even hdc. Here are pictures showing how to do it with double crochet. I hope it makes sense! |
| The bottom yarn is the end I'm weaving in. |
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| After making half the dc, pull that loose end up. Make the second half of the dc over it. |
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| I'm at the end of the row, so making 2 chains to go up to the new row. I folded the loose end down, and made the first chain. |
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| Now fold that loose end up and make the second chain. Hopefully, you can see how it is literally weaving in and out of each part of the stitches, locking the loose end into place, and slowly helping it disappear into the work. |
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| Continue weaving it in with each stitch. |
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