Thursday 25 September 2014

From triangles to hexagons, plus a little blanket update

Hello again!

For all of you who managed to plough through my last blog post, you deserve a warm thanks for taking the time to read it! I know it was a bit much to digest in one go! It's just that so much happend in such a short time, I didn't get a chance to blog inbetween! So, here is a quick new post!

You may remember that on Saturday I started crocheting triangles with Scheepjeswol Stone Washed Yarn using a 3.5mm hook as usual. Well, after making 12 triangles which I had finished by late Tuesday night, I had the task of crocheting them together, which I did yesterday. No, these triangles were not for some bunting (great idea!), but for something else entirely! I had decided that I wanted to make a Hexagon (shaped) cushion!

This morning I had only the following steps left to do:  Sewing the (used) cushion pad into a hexagon shape (done quickly by hand), then pinning the 2 sides together to check if it is possible to insert the cushion pad inside - this worked best by using the entire 25cm length of my zip, then handsewing the zip into the 2 halves of the cover, then crocheting the 2 cover sides to each other (this worked like a treat using the little stitch holes of the bottom rows of the triangles and looked so neat when finished) and as a finishing touch, I made a quick tassel because I had long ends left over after sewing and did not want to waste them. And because tassels rock!!! :)

This is what the finished Hexagon cushion looks like - it has a light side and a dark side (a bit like all of us, haha). I used 12 of the available 16 yarn colours for the triangles , plus light grey and black for crocheting them together (because initially I wanted the raised seems to show on the outside, later I preferred them hidden on the inside - I always try to leave my design options open!).

Ta-daah! My Hexagon Cushion (with Tassel)
... come to the Dark side! (The reverse of my cushion)
Due to the fact that I converted an old square cushion pad from 45 cm into a new hexagon shape, measuring 20cm on the sides (or 40cm across the middle axis), this cushion has achieved a lovely plumpness! (The new cushion pad I had bought for this purpose went instead into an existing cushion which also looks plumper now, thus solving 2 problems in one go!

Guess what? In another life we want to be bunting!
Playing with Triangles
Experimenting with layouts
This morning: finished front and back covers, drawing a Hexagon shape onto cushion pad
Can we become the outside?
Pssst! Nobody will know we got a fancy trim on the inside...
Finished cover from inside
Here is where my original inspiration came from - Ingrid from ingthings had made a crochet cushion composed out of triangles and half triangles (she has included a basic pattern which was to crochet 41 stitches and at the beginning of each row to skip the first stitch, with each row resulting in one stitch less than the previous row. So simple!

I adapted my pattern as follows: I made 45 stitches because I wanted the bottom of the triangle to measure 20 cm (thinking of my cushion pad of 40-45cm). The beauty of this pattern is that you can adapt it to any size you want, just make sure to swatch your chosen yarn to work out the (uneven) number of stitches required! You could make a Triangle cushion, even a Star cushion! The Triangle cushion could be a green Xmas Tree (you could go mad with decoration it with simple crochet appliques...) You see, there are lots of possibilities!

I leave with with a short glimpse at my Harlequin Blanket, I'm feeling very happy with the current colours I am adding (the Raspberry Red (at the top row) is from the Hobbybeurs!), of course I did less on it during the last few days because I concentrated on making triangles! Now I can get back to my blanket!


What are you busy making? I think there are a number of you making blankets, it seems like now is a good time to do this. The weather has returned to a more normal temperature, with rain yesterday, but luckily there is a bit of sunshine coming through my windows here, hooray!

If you managed to read this far, thanks for reading, lovely to have you here! Maybe you would like to leave a comment? If any of you want a further explanation, please feel free to ask! (I'm not always the best person to document all my design processes, ironical, since this is exactly one of the reasons I write this blog - I do want to make a note so other people could benefit from it!)

I love hearing from you all and enjoy reading your comments!

53 comments:

  1. Lovely cushion-the tassels are fabulous

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  2. The tassel gives it class, it is stunning.

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    1. Hehe, and I just thought I want to have an easy solution of how to open the zipper more comfortably.... but yes, I love tassels, so that was decided! And to be honest, it was not so difficult to make! xx

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  3. Beau travail! Great job! I love your cushion.
    Lucie

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  4. Ich bin von deinen Arbeiten immer ganz begeistert! Liebe Grüße, Didi

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    1. ... und ich bin supergespannt auf Deine!!!! xx

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  5. Beautiful cushion,great idea!!!
    Happy crochet.:)

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  6. Your cushion looks great!! I like the idea of the light and dark sides, you could turn it over so that those around you know if you are in a light or dark mood depending on how you feel!! xx

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    1. Hahaha, what a cool idea! ;) I'm guessing what will more likely happen is this: there will be a very dark black cat (our Jasper) lying on the light side.... and leaving black fur all over it!!! :O xx

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  7. You are brilliant! I love the triangle cushion, it is fabulous.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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  8. I really enjoy each and every comment too. THey mean so much, eh?
    Your work is lovely I love cushions that are unique. :
    Im kntiting a soft cowl in Road to china Light

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    1. Hi Kathy! Yes, absolutely! :) And thanks for leaving one, too!
      I'd love to see the cowl you are knitting, hopefully soon! Hope you are feeling better again!!! xx

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  9. The cushion looks so great! I am truely AMAZED on how much you get done in such short time! :-)

    Take care
    Anne

    http://crochetbetweentwoworlds.blogspot.de

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    1. Hahah, Anne! :) I'm sure I mentioned before how much I crochet (or knit) on my bus journeys into town. I think I managed about one triangle on a 40 min trip roughly. I did plenty in the car as well. I like to use such time in a creative way.... before that I used to read a lot on my journeys, but now I tend to do that at bedtime, a nice ritual before falling asleep! xx

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  10. I love the idea of a hexagon cushion, the colours are great and I like the fact there are two sides!! You could use it as a mood signaller?! Have it on the light or the dark side depending on your mood?! The blanket is as always beautiful, indeed a lovely project for this time of year :)

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    1. Cool idea! ;) It's funny how it worked out with the colours, I just picked my favourites one after another out of the bunch of 16 available colours.
      The lighter side colours are similar to the ones I used for a pair of potholders (you can see them in this post: http://myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be/2014/08/enjoy-little-things-puur-haken-and.html) - I picked them out automatically because they go so well together! xx

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  11. Wat is hij mooi! Echt super gaaf! Ik zag de driehoeken bij Ingthings voorbij komen, ga ze zeker ook ooit maken. Liefs Lisanne

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    1. Hallo Lisanne! Dankje!!! :) Maar ik denk nog al graag an die harlequin kussen die je zelf hebt gehaakt! (Zoiets blijft in mijn hoofd!!!) Ik hou van jouw ideen, dat is een goeie inspiratie voor mij! (Goed zo!!) xx

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  12. What a great idea for a cushion, I would never have thought of making a hexagon shaped one. The colour choices are really subtle and just right for this time of year. Thanks for always dropping by my blog, I love hearing from you. Jo

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    1. Hi Jo! It's funny, but the idea really took shape rather quickly, once I saw the initial project on the ingthings blog, when I looked at the square/rectangular cushion cover she made, the centre (which is the hexagon shape) stood out and the idea somehow developed from there! I find that my design process is very much hands on, seeing where it leads me, rather than sitting down and thinking what precisely am I going to make?
      Glad you stopped by, too! :) xx

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  13. What an excellent idea to sew in a pillow to fit the hexagon, I just thought about using a round one.
    Thank you for commenting in my blog.
    About my nails, thank you, I LOVE Essie polish, always use it and change colors all the time. Maybe I should write about that in the blog...
    Have a nice evening.

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    1. Hi Monica! Well, for a start, I only had a square cushion pad and I didn't think it wise just to 'stuff' it inside the cover.
      Haha, you and me both! :) This is why I got to notice it, I guess. I have a collection of them, in lots of colours! I think it must be in our personality that we are both drawn to pretty colours (which also manifests itself with regard to wool!) :D
      You too! xx

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    2. I totally agree with you, I love colors in everything i wear, create and have in my home. My hubby is a bot more, read LOTS, concervative, but we manage ;) EssieLOVE.
      Have a perfect saturday. I have blogged a hat perfect for you today. Rowan hat. :)

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    3. Thanks Monica! (I can just imagine your home!)
      I just went to take a look! What a gorgeous hat, in a fantastic colour - I love Rowan yarn! xx

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    4. Thank you so much. The hat is not made of Rowan yarn, but from Drops <3 you 4 yarn, it can be made out of all the group C yarns from Drops. I halve used Alaska/Nepal aswell.
      I will release patterns for both hat, headband, cowl and halv mittens.

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    5. Sorry for misunderstanding! I find your creativity inspiring! :) xx

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  14. Ingrid this is stunning, beautiful colours, gorgeous shape

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  15. Hi Ingrid, thanks for popping over to my blog today. I love your Harlequin Blanket, such a great colour combination. Amanda from cloudy Kent (UK) x

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    1. Yes, Amanda, it's going to be a very colourful blanket indeed! xx

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  16. Ingrid, me again I forgot to thank you for mentioning me, I am please to see your dishcloth didn't have the extra petal like mine. Wishing you a wonderful weekend

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    1. Hi Helda! Not to worry, I always try to include the links back to other people's blog pages if I mention them! Haha, I think your dishcloth has got extra cleaning powers, so don't knock it!!!!
      Enjoy yours, too! Looks like I will be knitting (I started this morning!) xx

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  17. So Nice work here...a beautiful cushion.
    Thank you for your comment on my post today, about peaches and tuna..
    I was born in France, near the Belgium frontier so maybe it gave me the same taste about peach and tuna.. that is funny. And my husband always has fun on me about the fact I am more Belgium mind than French...(and now living in Canada).
    And I am happy to have your visit on my blog from a German ( my family by my mother is German) living in Belgium. It is nice to have things in common.
    Have a great and beautiful week end.
    Miss.

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  18. Thanks so much for that lovely comment! It's always nice to find out what things you have in common with another person! (It's a small world!) Enjoy your weekend as well! :) xx

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  19. Ingrid, you have inspired me with your lovely makes, to pick up my hook and finish my two blankets from last year! I adore both your makes but the blanket is a beauty!
    bestest daisy j x

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    1. Yes, Daisy!!! Get back to your crochet!!! (You know you want to, the sewing can wait for a while!) You will have lovely blankets at the end of it!!! Thanks for the compliments! I love seeing the many wonderful clothes you make... ;) xx

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  20. Your hexagon crochet cushion is a lovely idea, it looks so pretty! I love the harlequin pattern too.....very inspiring! I am working on a ripple blanket and plan to do some more of it this evening :)
    Happy week ahead.
    Helen xox

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    1. ...and you, Helen! :) A crochet ripple project is also on my list of must makes! Meanwhile I have been doing a spot of knitting... ;) xx

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  21. Wat een leuk kussen is dat geworden! En ik maar denken dat het een slinger werd, maar na het klikken op de link uit je vorige blogpost wist ik stiekem al dat het toch geen slinger werd, hihi. Maar toen stond mijn reactie er al wel, hihi. Groetjes!

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    1. Ach Lizette, dat is niet erg! Ik denk soms ook dat je sommige projecte op verschillende manier kan gebruiken, zoals bouwsteenen! Dat vind ik heel interessant! :) xx

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  22. So lovely to catch up here, you've been quite the busy little bee! :-) I LOVE your triangle/hexagon cushions, and the tassel is just the perfect detail! Have a lovely week x

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  23. OH it's so beautiful ! Wonderful ! Bravo ! HAve fun and a nice day !

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    1. Thanks for your post! Lovely to 'meet' you here, I'm going to check out your blog! xx

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  24. What fabulous color palettes you have chosen for your cushions!!

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    1. Thanks, Maya! But it is also the yarn (check here for all 16colours: http://www.deramores.com/scheepjeswol-stone-washed) - I just love using it! :) xx

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  25. Lovely work, and a great way to re-use a spare cushion insert. Clever.
    I love your sense of humour (the dark side) teehee. Now we know! :-)

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  26. Thanks, Jodie! ;) It all began in a galaxy far away, with Star Wars... xx

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  27. Thank you so much for sharing at my link up

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