Hexagonal Goodness

Good morning! I am feeling very happy today :: no particular reason for it, only that the sun is shining, the sky is bright and blue and I'm wearing one of my favourite jumpers. The jumper was a charity/thrift shop find and cost me about £3.50 I think, and I do really enjoy wearing it. It's made of pure wool (slightly scratchy, but I try and ignore that), it has a diamond pattern on the front which is slightly old fashioned, but it 's the sleeves that I love. For some reason, just glancing down and seeing my arms wrapped in these wooly, stripy sleeves makes me feel so hippety-hop-happy! Hang on a moment,  let me just take my jumper off and photograph it for you so you can see what I'm talking about.......

......there! See what I mean? Can you imagine what these coloured stripes do to me? They make me smile broadly, that's what. And smiling broadly, in my opinion is always a Good Thing for a Monday morning. As well as smiling, this jumper also makes me think of my crocheted afghan blankets, and this morning it reminded me that I have been meaning to show you something of my hexagon blanket progress.

The photo at the top of this post was taken in August when I was on holiday in Craster. Of course I took my crochet with me on holiday, and most early mornings I would sit myself by the open bedroom window, drink tea and crochet whilst listening to the sounds of the sea. It was quite wonderful, and the memories of those mornings fills me with joy.

This is my third crocheted Afghan blanket and it is proving slow going actually. Remember when I began it back in May of this year? I was so excited! Well yes, five months on and I am still excited, am still enjoying this blanket, really I am, but truthfully it's quite fiddlesome. There isn't the same easy, soothing rhythm that I so enjoyed with the ripple blanket. And the Granny squares I could almost do with my eyes closed. I most definitely have to concentrate more with the hexagons, and sometimes I find this a hard thing to do. I am easily distracted, and quite a bit of frogging usually takes place whilst I'm making hexagons.

But as fiddlesome as they are, there's no denying that they are full of colourful goodness. And Colourful Goodness, like Wooly Striped sleeves, is a happy thing.

For quite a while I was producing lots of these colourful three-round circles without actually making them up into hexagons. I liked to see them as flowers, liked the way I could arrange them and play with them, line them up and stack them.

But a month or so ago I felt it was time to start the process of joining them together. And suddenly, the pile of individual flowery circles became a blankety field of colour. There are 73 hexagons here so far (I just counted), and as this is going to be a smaller blanket than I usually make (destined to drape over the back of an armchair), I reackon I am almost half way :: I don't think there will be more than 200 hex's in he finished afghan.

Well seeing them in these photographs today, I have to admit they do look good all joined together, looking snug and colourful and blankety.

Yes, I must keep going with them, even though I can feel myself being pulled towards starting another blanket, the thrill of a new project. Possibly a big giant granny square? Or another ripple? Or a straight striped one like this one? Or a granny blanket made out of giant granny squares? Squares or stripes, squares or stripes? No no no shhhhhhh naughty brain, you must not be distracted. Think Hexagon Goodness, Hexagon Goodness, stay focused!

Incidentally, I have been asked many times now about the pattern for the hexagons, as it doesn't appear to be available online anywhere that I could find. If you read back through my post in May, you will know that I managed to work it out for myself by studying other peoples photographs in Flickr. And as I had to alter it to suit the weight of yarn I'm using, my pattern I think has ended up slightly different from other peoples. I am pondering sharing it, if I can work out how to write it. If I manage to do it, I'll let you know.

So many things to do, so many colourful, lovely things to contemplate and such a fidgety brain and stripy sleeves and sunny weather that keep making me all distracted.
Ah well, at least I'm happy, even if it is in a fidgety, flitty, wooly, distracted sort of a way.

Comments

[claudia]

Olá!!
Seu blog é muito lindo!!
Parabéns!!
Você tem esquema dessas mantas coloridas? Elas são maravilhosas!!
Beijos

[Fiona]

Well I don't have stripey sleeves to make me smile today but your post had definitely made me smile. Actually your posts always make me smile because they're always so lovely and chattery, like having a good gossip with a friend. The hexagon blanket is looking fab! How many times am I going to wish to myself that I could crochet?! It's going to look great when it's finished. Enjoy the rest of your fidgitty, wooly, stripey, happy day!

[cathleen]

All those colors look amazing together! I think the granny squares are too difficult to crochet, at least for me, because it takes major concentration. It's funny you mentioned your thrift store jumper. (sweater) I, too, have a stripy colorful one I bought at a thrift store 2 years ago and I wear it constantly. It's so cold this morning that I have it on right now with my PJ's.

[mandy]

your crochet always looks so neat and perfect, and such beautiful colours, I am just learning to crochet myself, what size hook do you use to make those hexagons? and what type of wool, could you tell me please, your blankets are so pretty Lucy.

[Fi]

Lovely blankets Lucy. The granny squares do it for me though every time!

[Amanda]

PS Is there any way of making half hexagons to straighten out the edges of the blanket or do they have to remain castellated at the top and bottom?
xA

[Amanda]

Hi there again
I love all your blankets, and your blog and your CHEERFULNESS!!! Could you put a link in the sidebar, or somewhere, with the details of what yarns and hooks you have used for your various blankets. I know you have put it in the blog somewhere, but I can't find it....
Thanks to you for your happiness!
Love Amanda

[driftwood]

ok enough ! if you don't stop showing me gorgeous crochetty blankets I'm going to turn up on the attics doorstep and not leave until you show me how to crochet!!!!!!!

[Pink feather paradise]

My Auntie Pat use to make the zig zag blankets and when I see one I remember her and holidays as a child in Curridge near Newbury.
I really must sit down and try crocheting one myself.
Your hexagons are fab, what a wonderful mixture of colours.
Keep going coz the finished article will be amazing.
Cheers Alex

[ginny]

your blanket is gorgeous... that alone would make me so happy .. to make something that beautiful.
i have carrots awaiting transformation a la attic24... just need a pocket of time to get going...
happy monday xx

[attila]

Carrot cake duly made last night; gorgeous! Thank you so much for a terrific recipe; I always use wholemeal flour, so I added extra milk and it came out beautifully. Actually, we had an attic 24 feast yesterday; sweet potato fish cakes for dinner and carrot cake for late afters.

[Jen]

You, Lucy, are a happy hooker! (teeheehee)

I love love love the granny square blanket. I'd like to learn how to crochet and make it but it looks intimidating. What's a good first project? I really want a blankey.

[Leisa]

Your blankets are beautiful. What a clever girl you are. Enjoying your blog just so much!!!