This is a CAL from Agrarian Artisan Designs by Valerie Bracegirdle. Schedule:
January 21, 2017 Week 1 - 16 hexes, 4 halves
January 28, 2017 Week 2 - 18 hexes, 4 halves
February 4, 2017 Week 3 - 19 hexes
February 11, 2017 Week 4 - 24 hexes
February 18, 2017 Week 5 - border
Spring Blossom Blanket CAL Ravelry Group Thread
Agrarian Artisan Designs Facebook Page
I’m trying to decide on a color layout now so I can begin on the motifs. I’m going to use stash and not buy any more yarn. Valerie suggested that I do a test motif and weigh it to get an idea of yarn needs, and she also suggested using multiple colors in the background, both of which were brilliant suggestions! Unlike the pattern, I’ll do the first “background” row in green to simulate leaves around the flowers. I did three test motifs just to make the numbers more accurate. Total motifs = 81, so I have to multiply these numbers by 27 to get totals for the entire blanket.
Centers/Flowers:
Weight of 3 centers = 19g = 6.333g each
I have:
- Pinks: Lady Slipper, Rouge, 200g
- Purples: Freesia, Mulberry, 200g
- Teals: Marine, Peacock, Tidepool, 300g
I just have a small amount of Blush, so I will use that for a few centers.
Centers: 19g x 27 = 513g = Plenty of bright colors
“Leaves”:
Weight of test motifs w/ green rows = 28g, so green = 9g = 3g each
I have:
- Alfalfa 100g
- Peapod 93g
- Grass 100g
Green: 9g x 27 = 243g = Plenty of green
Background
Weight of test motifs w/ two white rows = 50g, so white = 22g (7.333g each)
I have:
- Sheep(ish) White(ish) 5 x 85g/skein = 425g, enough for 58 motifs
- Cream 100g, enough for 13 motifs
- Almond 100g, enough for 13 motifs
There are 7 concentric circles of hexagons. I will choose center colors more or less randomly (I may stick to one color family per concentric circle sometimes). I will use the same leaf color for each motif in a circle. Getting the background colors to work out is trickiest.
Circle # : Week # = number of motifs, Colors
1 : 3 = 1 hex (very center), Purple Grass Almond
2 : 2 = 6 hexes, Pinks Alfalfa Cream
3 : 1 = 12 hexes, Random Grass White(ish)
4 : 3 = 18 hexes, Purples Grass White(ish)
5 : 4 = 24 hexes, Random Alfalfa White(ish)
6 : 2 = 12 + 1/2(4), Random Peapod All
7 : 1 = 4 + 1/2(4), Random Grass Almond
I have transferred this plan to the layout diagram and added it as a picture.
Amounts needed for Leaves:
- Grass (have 100g) = 25 * 3g = 75g
- Alfalfa (have 100g) = 30 * 3g = 90g
- Peapod (have 93g) = 26 * 3g = 78g
Amounts needed for Background:
- Almond (have 100g) = 1 + 8 + 4(1/2) motifs = 11 * 7.333g = 81g
- Cream (have 100g) = 6 + 8 motifs = 14 * 7.333g = 102g , may have to substitute a White(ish)
- Sheep(ish) White(ish) (have 5 x 85g/skein = 425g) = 54 + 4(1/2) = 56 * 7.333g = 410g
Border
I have three skeins of Teal, so that should be plenty for some centers and two rounds of border. I will try to keep 50g of two teal colors.
01-27-2017
Week 1 hexes complete, though I still have 4 half hexes to do.
01-31-2017
I finished 6 of the Week 2 hexes today. This is a very pretty motif! I shared the picture on the Facebook CAL group to see if I could get more people to join me in this CAL.
02-06-2017
I made one Week 3 hex for the very center last night, but I stopped because I was making mistakes. (I spent the day putting together one of my #CrochetGirlGang blankets and I was tired.) I’ll probably do the Week 3 round in just purples.
The Almond color looks a little jarring in the center and corners -- I wish I had enough of the Cream and White(ish) which are very similar.
I’ve also decided to gift this to Lauren at the end of April as a thank you for setting up our trip to NYC to see Anastasia on Broadway. Now I have a deadline, though I’m going to have to put this on hold for a bit to finish my Moorland CAL and to make some gifts for people.
03-18-2017
Joining on the week 3 hexes now.
03-22-2017
Finished joining week 3 today. 43 of 81 motifs done. Now back to the corners.
03-24-2017
Corners are almost done but I’m not going to have enough cream. I think I may have some similar in my stash (that is marketed as aran weight but I think will be close enough). Just four more full motifs to join then two halves.
03-25-2017
I had to use the random yarn I had in my stash (Just Yarn Aran) for two of the motifs in the corners and it was awful! So glad the place I ordered it from messed up my order and didn’t send the 20 skeins I had tried to buy for a blanket. Yuck. You get what you pay for, I guess, and it was $.82 per 100g skein (on sale).
I finished the corners! Now just the 24 week 4 motifs and the border to go.
04-11-2017
I’ve finished joining the hexagons! Now just the border to do.
04-12-2017
Border done in a simple linen stitch because I wanted to use three colors and didn’t have enough for double crochet for all. I like how it looks.
I’m very happy with how this came out and Valerie’s patters are marvelously written. I’m sure I’ll be making more of her designs!