Alternative title: Ten things I learnt when I finally made a Lapghan.
Two posts in less than a month? It’s a record! This is a double as well, including some of my excellent ranting, as well as a freebie pattern at the end.
So in September 2014, I decided that it was high time I finally learnt to make a granny square. Except that I couldn’t find a pattern I liked that I could get to work (don’t get me started on trying to get this damned thing to work, beautiful but impossible even with an English pattern translation!). So I made a Hexagon instead.
And then I decided to make an Afghan.
And then I started crocheting, and downgraded to Lapghan. Because thing Number 1 I learnt?
1. Making so many hexagons drives you insane.
In total I only made 49 of these things, and it took me three and a half months. On New Years Eve I made 14 of those 49 (it’s not as sad as it sounds – we stayed in and did a ‘Lord of the Rings’ extended edition marathon and I crocheted while I watched, it was awesome). I had to put it down for long lengths of time because the idea of having to make another damned hexagon almost put me off crochet for life.
2. I need how much yarn???
I have a basket where I keep my project of the moment, and during this one I had 16 different balls of yarn in there. I dreaded running out of one cos I didn’t have a clue where I found some of them. Which leads me to…
3. Sometimes coincidences happen.
One of my friends commissioned some Minions for a Christmas present for her Grandson, and as part of her payment gave me a couple of balls of random purple yarn she had no use for. I put them somewhere and forgot about them, until I ran out of a shade of purple with one hexagon still to go. Cue panicked dig through the yarn stash and wouldn’t you know it? Random purple yarn = exact right colour. Spooky.
4. Don’t mix your yarn thicknesses.
I discovered part way through making this Lapghan that I was using a mix of Double Knit, Worsted Weight and Sports Weight yarn. I had always thought that DK and WW were two names for the same thing. Apparently not. Oops. Made attaching the hexagons together a bit hit and miss and required some stretching on one or two of them.
5. Sewing together is both infuriating and therapeutic all at once.
I attacked my sewing up in batches – make seven hexagons, sew them into one big hexagon, repeat.
I both loved and loathed this bit, because although it took time, it was kinda cool to see the work grow as I did it. It was fairly mindless too so good for zoning out.
6. Tying in the ends is a bitch though.
Honestly, I know that I’m meant to sew in the tails or whatever, but I’m lazy so the knots are just gonna be made as small as possible ok? Cool.
7. I do not know how people make multiple Afghans a year.
Honestly, you crafters simply amaze me sometimes.
8. Blocking doesn’t actually have to take forever.
Some will tell you that when you block a piece of work, you need to do it by lovingly soaking it in a specific temperature of water, perhaps with some fabric softener or starch or whatever, then pinning it out and leaving it however long it takes yarn to air dry. Balls to that – get the iron out, works just as well in a tiny percentage of the time.
9. Work out the lay plan before you start.
It’s confusing as all hell trying to remember which hexagon goes where in the little seven hexagon flowers, and it’s even more confusing trying to work out how to fit seven of these mini ones together into the final Lapghan. At one point I thought I’d messed up entirely and chosen a shape that couldn’t be tessellated how I’d expected. Luckily not the case!
10. I will never make an Afghan or Lapghan again.
Sorry, not happening. It’s lovely, but…. just… no. No.
Unless it gets really cold.
Or I find a cool pattern.
Hmm…
Free pattern link and explanation of the colours of my ‘My Little Pony’ inspired Lapghan after the jump.
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