Well, it’s FINALLY here - Kaleidoscope Hexagons 2! Thank you to everyone for your patience. I wanted to make sure everything was just right.

These charts are for 18 individual / unique hexagons along with two bonus charts and serves as a stand-alone pattern or an expansion pack to the first publication. You may choose any 18 to create a lap-blanket as diagramed on page 5. These 18 hexagons fit together in a four-column by five-row configuration, like the configuration of the first pattern released in September 2020. With the inclusion of the two additional charts, used in conjunction with the 18 hexagons from my first pattern in this series, you can create a larger blanket in a six-column by seven-row configuration. There are a total of 38 hexagons in the larger blanket – again, 18 from the first pattern and 20 from this one. The total number of hexagons in this larger blanket would be 38, between the two published patterns. The exact measurements for each blanket are found on page 5. Also keep in mind that if you purchased the initial pattern, you may mix and match between the two to create any configuration desired, so as long as maintaining the column – row layout. While you are using the same wool and colorways, you may choose any colorways you wish. If you are wishing to combine these charts with the charts from the first pattern, pay particular close attention to the wool amounts because you may end up having enough leftover unused wool from the first pattern to use with this pattern. At the very least you may only have to purchase only a ball or two of additional wool. If you are wanting to include more colorways with the Knit Picks Chroma selection that are different from those you chose for the first published pattern, then obviously you would have to purchase additional wool in those particular new color choices. You will find a breakdown of the wool used specifically in this pattern as well as a breakdown of total wool amounts for the larger blanket which combines both patterns.

These patterns use fingering weight wool / wool-blends. The main (background) color is Knit Picks 50g Palette – “Navy” and the contrast (foreground / design) colors are an assortment of Knit Picks 100g Chroma colors. The contrast color is always held in dominance.

For each pattern, I have provided the actual yardages used for each color on pages 2 and 3. The denoted yardages are based upon the design and the total number of stitches and carried floats of each of the two colors. This means, you may use any Chroma and Palette color combination of your choice. Do keep in mind that the Chroma yardage-to-weight ratio varies slightly from the Palette, so if you swap out a Chroma color for a Palette, the required yardage may be a little different. If you stick with the Chroma / Palette combination as set forth in each chart, regardless of individual color choices, you should not have any issues.

The Chroma color used is also specified on each chart. A special note regarding the Chroma colors: several of them slowly variegate, eventually repeating across upwards of seven individual colors and / or hues. The importance of this is that as you can knit several individual hexagons from a single ball of Chroma, the color scheme of each hexagon can end up looking completely different. This has to do with where within the ball you begin using it and with which color / hue happens to be at the start an individual hexagon. Your next hexagon could start at the beginning (or in the middle of) any color / hue within that chroma colorway. With that said, the color scheme of your hexagons may not end up looking like that of the hexagons I have shown in these charted patterns. This is what can be so fun about using Chroma colors, however – the uniqueness of each hexagon, hence your blanket. You do not have to use the Chroma color specified for any given hexagon either. You may mix them up, join a different Chroma color in the middle of a hexagon or simply choose your very own Chroma colorways of which there are dozens. You may also choose to use solid Palette colors on some or all hexagons, but keep in mind, the required yardage may vary as a result.

The characteristics and implication of using Chroma colors on your hexagons are as follows: more of any given color within the Chroma colorway will occur for several of the rounds in the center of a hexagon. This has to do with the fact that the rounds are shorter during the creation of this portion of your hexagons. As you knit towards the top quarter of each hexagon, you will notice a faster rate of change within the gradient from round-to-round since those rounds are longer, allowing you to get through more color changes. This adds a unique effect to each hexagon, regardless of the colorway of the Chroma ball you are using. This can be seen clearly in the charts as well as the photographs on Ravelry. A benefit to using Chroma, is far fewer ends to weave-in once a hexagon is completed – a maximum of four tails.

Using Chroma colors against the background of a darker Palette colorway provides for a “stained glass” or “kaleidoscope” appearance to each hexagon. The darker background color really makes the design stand out more. Observing yarn-dominance with the Chroma color, this will cause the design to lift away or pop out from the hexagon and is precisely why I am partial to the darker background colors. If you are a two-handed knitter, hold the Chroma color in your left hand, knitting Continental-style and the Palette (main or background) color in your right, knitting English-style. If knitting both colors Continental-style, be sure the Chroma color sits to the left of the Palette color on your tensioning finger. This will provide the same effect as knitting two-handed. The key to yarn-dominance is ensuring that the floats of the contrast color are always below those of the main color. In general, the observance of yarn-dominance with the Chroma or design color is important because there are instances of single stitches within the charted patterns. If you instead, hold the main color (Palette color) in your left hand – basically observing yarn-dominance with that color – it will cause the design to recede into your work and more specifically, those single stitches appearing within the design have a higher tendency of vanishing or disappearing. Yarn-dominance is nothing more or less than the natural outcome of a somewhat looser tension for those stitches.

Needle Size: US 2 (2.75-mm version) – DPNs or circular(s): two 47-inch circulars are recommended. Brand: Knitter’s Pride Zing.

Yarn:
Knit Picks Palette Yarn - Main color:
Fiber Content: 100 percent Peruvian Highland Wool
Weight: Fingering
Knitting Gauge: 7-8 stitches = 1-inch (measured knitting) on US 1 – 3 (2.25mm – 3.25mm) needles
Yards: 231
Grams: 50
Put Up: Ball
Care: Hand Wash/Dry Flat or Professional Dry Clean
Color(s):
Navy SKU: 24001

Knit Picks Chroma Yarn - Contrast (dominant) color:
Fiber Content: 70 percent Superwash Wool, 30 percent Nylon
Weight: Fingering
Knitting Gauge: 7-8 stitches = 1-inch (measured knitting) on US 1 – 3 (2.25mm – 3.25mm) needles
Yards: 396
Grams: 100
Put Up: Ball
Care: Machine Wash / Tumble Dry Low or Professional Dry Clean
Color(s):
Drawing Room SKU: 26926
GoGo Boots SKU: 28033
Groovy SKU: 26542
Mermaid SKU: 28034
Pegasus SKU: 26546
Seahorse SKU: 28038
Tiki SKU: 28041
See Written Instructions
See this page, below as well as page 3 for precise amounts needed.

Totals (yds) (for lap blanket):
Palette Total (Main color) (1,611)
Color H: Navy (1,611)
Chroma Total (Contrast color) (925)
Color A: Drawing Room (89)
Color B: Pegasus (193)
Color C: Seahorse (88)
Color D: Groovy (91)
Color E: Tiki (142)
Color F: GoGo Boots (190)
Color G: Mermaid (132)

Totals (yds) (when combining these hexagons with the first pattern (Kaleidoscope Hexagons):
Palette Total (Main color) (3,006)
Color H: Navy (3,006)
Chroma Total (Contrast color) (1,842)
Color A: Drawing Room (191)
Color B: Pegasus (387)
Color C: Seahorse (187)
Color D: Groovy (199)
Color E: Tiki (295)
Color F: GoGo Boots (291)
Color G: Mermaid (292)