Modern Hexagon Afghan

I had an unexpected 8 weeks off of work, and while I had a ton of projects to work on during that time, I decided to pick up one more. The weather was getting chilly and it seemed like a good time to pick up my crochet hooks again. 

I didn't really know what to work on, so I started browsing Pinterest for some ideas. I saw a beautiful hexagon baby blanket from Make and Do Crew and decided to run with it. 

The original had space on the sides, but I decided to crochet some half hexagons to fill them in to create a more finished (okay, rectangular) feeling.

I was really happy with the outcome and Astra loves it too, so naturally, it was part of her first Christmas photo shoot!

I think the hardest part (besides sewing all of the hexagons together) was choosing the colours! I wouldn't be able to tell you how many times I changed the colour scheme. In the end, I am satisfied with what I chose (dark teal, light grey, dark grey, dusty pink, white, and cream) - it fits right into our living room. 

If I ever get bored enough, I might consider making another one! That sewing hexagon together thing is no joke! The outcome was pretty darn satisfying though. 

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Crochet Mood Blanket // Year Long Project

I posted a picture of my mood blanket on Instagram a while ago and got a bunch of questions about it. I decided to share what exactly it was, and some photos. Maybe it'll inspire my crocheting (or other craft) readers?

In January of 2017, I finally ended a project that took me just over a year to completely finish.

The task? Every day of the year, I was supposed to crochet a simple solid coloured granny square according to my mood. To crochet a mood blanket. I was inspired by other year-long crochet projects and this one appealed to me. Why? I'm not sure, but I will definitely say that I never realized I had so many moods....I have never considered myself terribly "moody," but hey!

The moods and colours were as follows:

Sad- Sky Blue
Inspired- Soft Grey
Loved/thankful- Scarlet
Happy- Light Teal
Productive/motivated- Damson Purple
Unproductive/unmotivated – dark denim
Frustrated/Annoyed- Medium Rose
Excited- Medium Teal
Exhausted- Dark Rose
Hormonal- Gold
Sick/crampy/crappy- Medium Denim
Relaxed/Content- Cream
Determined- blush pink
Anxious/stressed/nervous/overwhelmed- Buttercup
Not Sure-Dark Teal

I think the most fun of this whole project was picking all of the colours! It was hard to imagine what it would look like since I couldn't exactly predict my mood each day, but as it came together, I liked what I saw! Some of the colours apparently make no sense when you think of the mood, but that is alright. 

Most days I would do multiple squares to either catch up or get ahead of the project. By the end, I was getting as much done as I could. Life happens, but I was pretty good about writing down my mood for each day, even if I wasn't able to crochet a square that day. 

Once I was finished putting it all together, I definitely procrastinated putting the borders on it. Spring crept in, then Summer, and I purposed that it was too hot to actually wrestle with it to add it on. 

I completed the whole thing in January, and my sweet mother-in-law helped me sew in all the ends. Good thing too, because that is probably my least favourite part. I've since learned, and I make sure they're in as I go. 

My husband put a ban on more blankets in our house, but I've been whipping up all sorts of projects. I never planned to share my crocheting endeavors on the blog, but since I got such an overwhelming response, maybe I'll start doing so!

In hindsight, I would have probably made the squares a little smaller - the finished project fits over our king sized bed! But at least it's warm? :)

UPDATE: 11/17/17

It turns out our new kitty, Astra, loves the mood blanket too! When it's draped over my office chair, she uses it as a blanket fort, and when it's folded and about ready to be put away, she delays the process by jumping up and taking a nap. A long nap. Even when it finally gets put away, she'll hop on top and watch the world around her. We've found out that this kitten loves knits as much as her fleece!

She's so stinking cute though!

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Do you crochet or craft? I'd love to see and hear about your projects, too!

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