12-08-2017

I started this a while back with a completely different colour scheme in mind. Today it has been redesigned into a birthday present for my niece (for her next “big” birthday, which should give me plenty of time to get it done in the in-betweens). I’m not entirely sure what colourways I want to use yet; I’ll sit down with photoshop later and work that one out. For now, the new measurements will be approx 39” x 60” (13 x 20 rows + 6 to round out the top) for a kids’ bed quilt, 266 hexipuffs in total.

Needed: 266 hexipuffs
Previous measurements: 22 rows x 18 columns; project altered from 374 hexipuffs and 21 half-hexipuffs - this may need alteration, dependent on width of complete first row.

01-05-2018

I finally worked out what irks me so much about randomly assembled Beekeeper’s - not that there’s too many different colours, but that the lines of knit all run in different directions. Today I put together the central star motif of this one - I’ve kept all the lines of knit parallel to one another, and I’m mattress stitching every seam to the next puff. So far it’s looking very good, and once complete, I imagine will be quite warm.

05-01-2019

Make that VERY warm. Update: 36 made, 230 to go… :/
(That’s three a week, every week, and I might just be able to commit to that?)

22-10-2019

I have today stitched all but four of the completed hexipuffs together - as well as chosen several other complementary yarn colours from my stash to make up the next batch of puffs. Due date is still next July, I’m going to have to knit like the wind.

26-10-2019

52/266 puffs, averaging around 1hr each to knit, with 264 days remaining til due date.

10-11-2019

74/266 puffs complete, and K. has seen one in progress for the first time. Her response? “Can you make me one?” Lol

I’m not adding the yarn I recently bought to my stash, since I intend to use it all on this if i can, but for posterity’s sake, they were as follows:

• Lincraft Acadia - Goldmine; 50% wool-acrylic. 19:25 tension, way too thick for this pattern but a beautiful colour. Puffs adjusted to 14 c/o to give correct finished size. Weight per puff = 5-6g?
• Lincraft Cosy - Ocean (1) and Naturals (3); 100% wool. 22:32 tension, slightly too thick but perfect for socks, which is probably what the Naturals mix will go on. I stubbornly used Ocean for hexipuffs after ripping three other attempts off due to yarn issues, and adjusted to 16 c/o for sizing, they work nicely. Both these and the Acadia need less stuffing too, which is good. Weight per puff = 6g.
• Makr Surroundings - Blues; 100% acrylic. 17:19 tension, utter trash to knit with like most silky acrylics. The colour is perfect for the sky scene I have planned, but the yarn threads and splits and fluffs literally everywhere. Ripped off my needles in rage.

14-11-2019

80/266 puffs. Best pattern for the Acadia is 14 c/o, follow pattern to 30sts total, knit 2 rounds, follow decreases.

25-11-2019

Status: 96/266 hexipuffs and I am completing Nano alongside this daily challenge. Shhh.

08-12-2019

104/266 puffs complete with 212 knitting days remaining (=0.75 puffs per day).

11 are the bright blue Lincraft Cosy, and I’m not completely sure they’re going to look right in the colour palette; I still have half a skein of that left but am using up everything else I have before continuing, so I can lay them out and get a sense of blending. I am very tempted to purchase more of the Alpaca Barn Panache, as so far it has been the best and most consistent yarn to knit with (except for the MadTosh unicorn tails, but there is no way I’m ordering from overseas for something on as tight a deadline as this).

The Haysdale is an awful one to use on this project; currently I have it at a 16 c/o and it’s still too big. I may try a 14 but really, there’s just too much ease in this one. The colour is excellent though (◔_◔)

15-12-2019

110/266 hexipuffs, and more yarn acquired. :D

28-12-2019

120/266, Adelphe approves

16-02-2020

158/266 puffs and my storage box is full.

27-02-2020

174/266 - now is really not the time to be considering making this wider. However: I am considering adding a column down each side, adding an additional 44 puffs to the total. I need more yarn anyway so…

Should I go ahead with this clearly ludicrous plan, I will need 126 more hexipuffs, plus assembly time, plus the half puffs I’d also add in to even out the top and bottom borders since I am in no way qualified to crochet into hexagonal spaces.

Keisan says I have 129 days to achieve this. TIGHT.

12-03-2020

194/300 - I went ahead with that clearly ludicrous plan. 106 puffs to knit in 116 days. There’s the assembly time at least.

I’ve purchased three additional skeins of Alpaca, with another one coming this week by post, and will almost certainly need one more besides.

20-03-2020

208/300 #plagueknitting

23-03-2020

212/300, 96 sewn together. I found one I had forgotten to count, hashtag blessed.

04-04-2020

232/300, nailing this quarantine.

11-04-2020

234 made, and I have just discovered Judy’s Magic Cast On. T_T

I have to do it backwards to her instructions for it to work on these (ie. loop on the front needle, and hold the working yarn on the index finger, not the thumb) but it creates the MOST beautiful, neat cast on row, without all the ugly stretching/gaps of the set up row - and the clunky way of dividing between needles - that has annoyed me until now. God I wish I’d known about this sooner!

29-04-2020

268 completed as of last night, we are in the home stretch and I am going to get that Quarantine Knitter’s bingo.

11-05-2020

285/300, and I’ve settled on a border style! No half puffs, thank Noggin. I’ve also just discovered that the vague colour difference I noticed in the orange Panache yarn is not due to dye lot; the early one is Quince (now discontinued?), the later one Coral - ever so slightly lighter.

26-05-2020

A DASTARDLY MISCOUNT!

Finished puff #300 last night, laid them all out today, and realised I’m missing 7 from along the bottom stepped edge. Back to the hedgehog sticks..

08-06-2020

52 hexipuffs left to sew together (one of which remains to be knitted), and the border is almost half done. I’ve actually enjoyed doing such a sustained amount of crochet - this is by far the most detail I’ve ever done with a crochet hook and I no longer hate it.

21-06-2020

In honour of the solstice, all 307 hexipuffs are now sewn together! One long side of the border remains, which should take me about a week.

22-06-2020

For ~reasons~ I have ripped off the entire border and started again, and no, I don’t want to talk about it.