Putting Off Ideas
Anyone have those projects where you love a pattern, you research the yarn, you purchase all the yarn for that awesome blanket pattern, and then … that yarn just sits on your shelf for a year, or more? That’s what happened to me with the Waterlily Throw! I was so drawn to this as a new crocheter and the bright and fun colors and circular shape that I immediately bought all the materials described in the pattern. I didn’t know that these would sit on the shelf for so long! So after a year of staring at the yarn on my shelf (and practicing crocheting in the round), I finally decided to start this project, and this is what happened.
Just want to mention that this isn’t a pattern, to find the pattern you should go to the link above. All the pictures are mine and this is just a description of my process and maybe a little advice.
Colorway
I’m not going to lie to you here, I GENERALLY don’t crochet with multiple different colors of yarn, and especially not in rows like this. My usual process involves finding a yarn with a nice colorway, maybe something self-striping, and crocheting a really cool pattern! I would love to do more multiple yarn projects, and to get better at changing the colors, but the idea of weaving in ends on a blanket just stress me out. Someday I hope to get better at this (if you have any advice let me know).
This project uses about 5 different yarn colors and crochets in the round. I used the specific colors and brand of yarn from the project. I still have issues crocheting in the round with single crochet, but for this pattern I didn’t have much issue. So to start you have to create a magic ring in the color waterlily, which is a really pretty multi-colored yarn and appears to be the inspiration for the entire blanket, which I love! From that point each color is added in outward around the circle and each row/color has a different pattern. This repeats throughout the entire blanket pattern.
Hidden Changes
Ok so following a pattern, I’ve got this (except one part I’ll describe later), but I am NOT good at what to do with these pesky end yarn pieces when I change the color. When I change yarn for a cohesive project where the yarn is the same exact yarn throughout, it is much easier to hide the pieces behind the next row of stitches. This is what I did when changing colors in this project. The only issue I have with this is that the stitches in each row do not allow for an easy hidden change here.
In hindsight, it might have been easier for me to sew the ends in later, but this is one of the first projects I’ve done with color changes/yarn changes and I just don’t have the right amount of experience. It’s totally ok to learn, and that’s something I’ve taken away from this hobby and the community online. Really if anyone has any advice, I would love to hear it.
Even with the yarn/ends not being fully sewn in properly and sticking out, I did really enjoy this project and creating all of the cute stitches involved.
Big Mistakes
Don’t cheat, can you see the mistake I made in these rows? I made a huge mistake the entire way through until I got to the final rotation of the pattern and finally realized. Did I mention this is a learning experience for me.
I’ll give you a hint, the blue color pattern didn’t make much sense to me the entire way through. I did the fpdc around the wrong two stitches. I was really upset when I realized this mistake! Mistakes haunt me a little bit. I’ll share the last now so you can compare the difference, sorry if this isn’t the best picture.
Final Thoughts
I really loved this project, and the blanket is super cute and stylish. My partner loves it and has decided it is his. Due to the continued use for a few months, I’ve noticed my bad yarn changes poking out a lot, and had to resew the end of the magic circle a few times as well. These are all things that come with experience, hopefully. The yarn is soft and easy to work with. I wish I got the pattern right the first time around. This is the first (and currently only) project I’ve made and kept for my own home, so I’m not too worried about the mistakes. It’s held up well with my partner throwing it around and using it as a pillow, which is wonderful.
Let me know in the comments if you have any advice for color changing, if you have the same problems, what you think of this pattern. I’d love to hear from you!