RE: Motif Blanket - Motifs too big to join?

[xyphir]

Hi!
I am making a motif blanket - well, have been making one for about a year now. Stumbled across the project again whilst searching for the mysterious surface in the dining room that levitates all my junk (found it, named it "table"!).
This was my first project I started and lost (fully blame "table's" gravitational pull). When I found it again a week ago, I started making the squares again - 3.5 hook, 5 rounds. Now that I can crochet faster, I made a whole heap of new squares.
Then I decided I had better check how many squares I had so laid them out and noticed something weird. When I had re-started to crochet - using all the same materials, even the exact same hook (it was also in the bag) - my stitches had become looser and my squares were larger. This doesn't surprise me as I imagine anyone new to crochet would hold their hook quite tightly. Now I am quite good at making trebles, at least, and am obviously holding my hook in a more relaxed way. Unfortunately, my 'new' squares are a whole round LARGER than my 'old' squares!
So, I decided to put together all my 'old' squares so they were out of the way. Now I have a blanket 7x7 motifs wide. But each of the finished motifs (6 rounds) measures the same as my 'new'/unfinished motifs (5 rounds).

I am just wondering what to do, now. How do I go about joining the 'new' and 'old' motifs? If I join them to the blanket as they are, then wont the blanket get a 'bump' in the middle where the stitching doesn't join up? Or should I just say "stuff it" and put on a substantial border?

I'm not sure how many posts I've done whether I can put up a photo, but will put one up as soon as I am able.

Your help is most appreciated.
XX
Dawn

[fantasticmio]

I think if you ignore how many stitches there are on a side and measure them in inches or centimetres instead you'll be ok.  If the motifs are the same size (or close), you can join them together without problem.  You may end up skipping some stitches on the bigger motifs or kind of double-joining some on the smaller motifs, but it should be fine as it's the finished size of the motifs that really matters.

What I would do is to use scrap yarn to join the motifs together in the corners, and perhaps also in the middle of the sides (depending on how big the motifs are, really) and then use your chosen joining method to join them together, keeping in mind that the stitch counts are different, so it won't be one stitch to one stitch.

Or, you could choose a joining method that isn't as picky about that, like a flat braid, or something.  Again, ignoring the stitches themselves and going by some common measuring system instead.

[xyphir]

Yeah, I thought that today I would give a go to join them as is, but worried about the 'lump' in the middle. I made a blanket earlier which had the horrendous lump. But I figure that this would be the 'border' round before I do the actual border, so it may not matter too much.
The difference in size is a whole inch, so over the round of the blanket it would be 7" altogether. My 'old' squares are 6"/15cm square - with the green border. But my 'new' squares are 6"/15cm square WITHOUT the border.
The blanket is an OK size, but not quite big enough to cover my whole body while curled up on the couch (my measure of a blankie! hehe) so I think it needs just one more round, though as I said, I could do it with an epic border, too.
Oh, I joined these as I went. I just made the green round my final round and joined them as I went.

[fantasticmio]

Ooooh, I see... I'm not sure what I suggested will work with the pattern you're doing.

The only things I can think to do here is either to rip out the squares that are too big and re-crochet them with a smaller hook, or abandon the big squares (use them for something else, maybe) and start adding border rounds on your blanket as it is now until it's the size you're looking for.

If you go with the second option, just keep in mind that your gauge is different now so be careful not to add too many or too few stitches on the first round (if it ruffles, you have too many stitches; if it cups, you have too few).

[xyphir]

Yeah, I thought - initially - that I could put a 'final round' of the larger squares, just without the green border, and finish with a nice border of some sort.
But then a friend came around yesterday and I pulled out my other baby blankets as I was complaining about this one to show her 'what I meant' about the size difference... and this one is the same size as the others! Go fig! So I decided that would stop my problem-solving and I would just bung on a border and get over with it.
I was actually a bit fed-up with the blanket. The photo doesn't show it, but when I bought the wool - all in the same bag - it turned out to be from two different dye-lots which you couldn't see in the florescent lighting in the store, but when I held it under my own portable thermo-nuclear device (aka the sun) there are actually FOUR different colors in the cream and purple! So I was in a bit of a funk when I realised how few squares I had actually made, and then the different colors... so I lay them out and realised that I actually had a perfect amount to do a very subtle shade pattern with alternating colors. I have made a color chart to show the different colors, but used extreme shades rather than the slight difference the blankie has.
When I was buying the green wool for the border the woman in the wool department thought I was strange (which says it all, really) when I checked the dye-lots on the bands. She told me they were all the same color to her, and I  explained what 'dye-lot' meant! She had no idea and admitted that when a bag was looking a bit empty in the above-shelf storage, they just fill it with whatever is on the shelves rather than put the remainder of the bag on the shelf. This could explain my original problem with getting mixed dye-lots in the first place. Seriously, I am so fed-up with Spotlight Manukau employing people who have no clue!
Anyway. Here is the finished product! I am also going to stick it into the 'finished' column, too!
YAY!
Thanks for all your help
XX

[magicfan]

I just spotted your finished blanket and it looks great!

[xyphir]

Aaaw, thanks for that!
Here are some more photos:









My sister took them with her new camera