Bee Hive Lap Blanket

Hi All:

It’s a mish mosh of patterns, ideas and youtube videos but I’m really happy with the results. I posted the wrong side on another thread showing the solution I had to having run short of yarn but here are both sides as well as a close up of the Queen Bee herself.

I have to thank Lyza Walters (youtube video) for her great technique of joining the hexes. I always try to have the backs of my blankets look good and this was a good solution as that it did equal justice to the wrong side where I wanted the seam to stand out. I’ve used other techniques when I wanted the join blend in, however in this case, I wanted to see it clearly.

The edging is a simple sc all the way around.

I don’t know who to thank for the various tutorials I found on youtube so I’ll just say a broad based thank you to all of those good people who teach with only a ‘like’ as compensation. Thank you all.

Bees in Hive Childs Blanket Front.jpg

Queen Bee Ready for Her Close Up.jpg

Bees in Hive Childs Blanket Wrong Side.jpg

This is so adorable! You did an amazing job!

How cute!!! I am starting a hexi - I’ll have to look up her technique for joining. :slight_smile:

Here’s her link. She doesn’t talk but her video is very clear. The effect is that the join is slightly raised on the front and looks like a flat braid and the back is flat. Once you get the hang of it it goes pretty fast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3-zQA2qjLs

Her instructions starts at 1:06

Thank you! :slight_smile:

I just watched the video - the effect is very nice!!!

Yes, I’m liking this one too. I’ve only found a couple ways to join that I actually like so can’t wait to give this one a go. Thanks @susanwayne for posting the link.

I agree @Char & @pinesprairie
That join is one that was new to me and I think will be a favorite. As I make mostly blankets for donation and for babies, children or Elders (of a Native American Tribe) I don’t like anything with a lot of holes. Some of the joins I’ve tried are an open weave and others seen to only use the front loop in essence just joining the right side leaving an open ridge on the wrong side. I’m glad you both like it as well.

@susanwayne - What a cute blanket. I love the bees!

@susanwayne - did you figure out a good way to join the hexis? Not a stitch method but laying it out. Did you go one row at a time, corner to corner. I’m looking at a pile of hexagons trying to figure it out. Lol

I’ve had good results going a row at a time, end to end. The sides have to be done individually this way though. The other way I’ve liked the results with is to hold one, join 5 others to it and keep going by joining many to one if that makes sense.

@pinesprairie - thank you :slight_smile: I was wondering if working from a corner then work my way out would save on the tiny ends all the way up.

@Char either way you end up with small sections and I’d go with the ‘many to one’ for this join (although I haven’t tried it yet) - with other joining methods, it sometimes looks better end to end so the ‘direction’ of the join goes the same way.

@Char @pinesprairie When I did mine, I joined in strips (top to bottom and then I joined the strips together. I think that I thought it would give me the best shot at having some straight runs rather than many short sections joined. I don’t think that you can avoid adding individual hexes to one another for some of the joins. The new to me join looked great on both sides of the blanket) and once you get the hang of it, it went quickly.
Here’s a quick schematic of what I did. If someone finds a better way…PLEASE let me know!

Hex Join Schematic.jpg

This is awesome - thank you. :slight_smile:

@Char I’m glad you like it. It worked for me and I couldn’t think of a better way to do it. I’m hoping that maybe someone else will have a better idea for joining all of them. When I join Granny squares I do it the same way.

When I do squares I do it like the video - in a grid. No little joins. :slight_smile:

Can you link the video? I’m about to join grannies.

I looked for this last night but couldn’t find it - here’s another layout that I’ve followed with success…I do squares this way.

https://cypresstextiles.net/2017/09/07/continuous-flat-braid-join-for-hexagons/

@susanwayne - this video you shared - about 7:40 is when she comes up to the intersection of her join.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3-zQA2qjLs