Thursday 24 October 2013

Bloomin’ CAL: How do you hook?

Hello hello hello to the newest members of the Bloomin’ Crochet-A-Long! Ladybird Diaries and I are so happy to have you with us, whether you are following along quietly or are posting and linking up with our endeavours.

This week I’m curious to know how you go about projects involving numerous hexies, flowers, granny squares, etc. Do you crochet one at a time, changing colours as necessary, or do you crochet a bunch of centres, then proceed to do a wave of second colours on each one, like a hooky assembly line?


I’ve been following a few bloggers who do different methods, and I’m curious why you choose to work the way you do!

So far, I’ve been content to work one hexie blossom at a time. I like watching the little sweeties build up the petals and the lovely cream edge. I like snipping the yarn of each finished one and laying it down flat and admiring it. A teeny project complete.


However, I have a sneaking suspicion that this is because it is still very early days with this blanket. I am in the honeymoon period, where I am still enchanted by the candy colours. I find every round a joy. Ask me how I’m feeling at hexie 47 of 114...

Which prompts me to ask if you ever change your method partway through a project? Or perhaps shove the lot in a basket and leave it for a bit? I find I’m constantly seduced by new patterns. Hence this CAL, to keep my focus! Are you a fickle hooker?

And speaking of fickle, the little snowflake in the latest Simply Crochet magazine caught my eye...


I spotted this very pretty sparkly thread at a haberdashery earlier this week, and I knew straight away that I wanted it for snowflakes. The shimmer in it is from a clear, plastic-like thin thread woven into the shiny cotton strand, so it sparkles without having an actual metallic thread that is obvious to the eye. I used a size 2 hook, it is quite delicate going, but I’m pleased with the result. I’ve blocked it, but I might play around with starching or something to make it a bit stiffer. Garland is the obvious use, but I am considering making more and sticking them to plain brown gift tags as Christmas labels. This one is smaller and more fragile than the snowflake in the magazine, which was worked in proper yarn.

And I just couldn’t end a crochet post without showing you the progress with the snood:

mmmmm...
Welcome to my new followers, and a huge thank you to everyone joining in the CAL, I am so happy to have so many enthusiastic, lovely people happily hooking up with us! Link up below...

Chrissie x


21 comments:

  1. We're posting at the same time today ! Your snood looks lovely, such a pretty colour. I'm much the same as you when it comes to hexies, grannies etc. I like to finish each one and then smooth them out and admire them too. Although, if it came to making 114 of them, I may just get a production line going ;-)
    Have a happy day, hope the sun is shining where you are too.
    Hugs xx

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  2. I love how your hexagons are looking, such beautiful colours. Great minds think alike, with how we like doing our hexies, as you've seen, I like to do a few centres then add the border. The cowl is gorgeous, it looks fab the way the yarn stripes. Enjoy the rest of the week. Deb x

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  3. Your hexagons are beautiful Chrissie! I prefer to do the centres and then do the borders, so that I am not switching colours too often. But maybe that is due to our individual patterns. The snowflake is pretty, I have still got mine to crochet from the magazine...its a lovely pattern, maybe I will make some and spray them with starch to make them harder.
    Your cowl is looking awesome, I love the colours you have got...my favourite colour :)

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  4. Your little Hexis are looking great, I tend to make each square or flower at a time. As for your little snow flakes it's so sweet, I've been using the same yarn in silver for Stars and leaves on my wintertime wreath and have found it quite tricky to use, but your snowflake looks great. I made some last years as tree decorations, suspended on invisable three with beads at the top of each flake, this year I have plans for a garland. I'm so fickle with my crochet hoping from one thing to the next and back again.
    Clare x

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  5. Hexies = Beautiful, lovely colours, lovely arrangement, just lovely.
    Snood = stunning, love the colours, will be gorgeous.
    Snowflake = divine!! A little string of them, an individual one on a christmas package, a whole load sprinkled on your tree, whatever you decide, DIVINE!
    xx

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  6. Your work is so beautiful, Chrissie. I do some of each with granny squares (I haven't yet tried hexies). I think I like the make-a-bunch-of-centers approach better, though. I have several projects queued up (in my mind, haha) and I think I'll be tackling them that way when I eventually get to them.

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  7. Everything is looking wonderful. I seem to be very disorganised with my crochet....I just try to do everything at once hehe. Lovely little snow flake I mad one this week from a free kit with my simply crochet magazine. Hope you have a lovely end to the week xx

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  8. I always do them one at a time because I am always flying by the seat of my pants with yarn quantities! Then I arrange them on the floor at the end because Join as you go doesn't work when you don't even know where the next abll of wool is coming from!! (that reminds me I will go and have a poke under the spare room bed and find some more blues and greens for mine) Jo x

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  9. I am feeling guilty my African Flower baby blanket is still in time out. I am no expert but I do a bunch of centers, then all of the next round on each of the hexi's working my way out. It helps me to know where I am in the pattern this way.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  10. Personally it depends on the project, sometimes I prefer doing all the centres and then others the entire square as it feels like I accomplish more that way. I try and stick with the same way throughout though. I have also attempted a crochet snowflake and star this week and some parts were rather frustrating, but they are very sweet. Love your sparkly thread! Your snood is looking lovely too. Hope you are ok?? xoxo

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  11. Hi Chrissie, the hexies are lovely! I haven't tried this pattern yet, I will definitely do at some point. I imagine it would be easy to bail and make a cushion with these, but it would make a beautiful blanket. I did try and join your linky thing but didn't manage it for some reason, I may try again! Heather x

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  12. Your hexies are looking so good, I really love all the colours. Sometimes I finish an entire hexie, square or whatever at once, at other times I do the centres for a few of them and then the next round go reach and so on. I have no method really, it just entirely depends on what I fancy doing at the time! Love your snood too...that yarn is gorgeous.
    Marianne x

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  13. It all looks so scrummy, your work is beautiful.
    I tend to do one at a time, then I lay them out and look at them, maybe juggle them about and decide what other colours maybe needed.
    Sally xxx

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  14. Love the hexies, such beautiful colours you have chosen.

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  15. Hi Chrissie how gorgeous, adore the snood and would love to learn how to make one of these - would make wonderful gifts for someone. A fab post as always, big hugs to you
    Dorothy
    :-)xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  16. Beautiful work once again Chrissie - your hexies are coming on a treat (I just go with the flow depending on the colour ways and style at the time AND my mood) and your little snowflake is gorgeous, but for me that snood is out of this world - go girl go!!! Joy xo

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  17. Your hexies are lovely and your snowflake so delicate, it must have been so fiddly. Thank you for the link :) xx

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  18. I like your works in progress :-) For my hexie afghan I initially made about 9 hexies one after the other. After that I began making them in rounds according to colour. In other words, I made many centres with one colour and then would incrementally make the hexies. I only weave the loose ends in after making a lot of them. I found incrementally making the hexies is more fun for me.

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  19. Hi Chrissie. I love the colours if your hexies - I do one at once because I like to see how it looks when completed. I like the snood pattern and the colour, the way it changes as you work. That's what I love about random yarns. Cute snowflake.
    Carolx

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  20. Hi Chrissie- I said I'd pop over!
    What a lovely blog of yumminess...
    I'm with you on the Hexie thing. When I made a granny square cushion I had to make each separately. I'm not a big one for long projects, so the quick fix of seeing each one completed gave me the momentum to keep going!
    And what a gorgeous snood, too! I love the yarn!
    Anyhoos, can't resist adding Mister Fox to your linkup- have a fab weekend
    Sarah xxxx

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  21. I am too impatient to see how they will look finished so I compete one at a time. Far more time consuming though...your hexies are coming along so nicely. Love that sparkly thread too!

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