New Project Spotlight – Which Way Filet

Have you ever come across a project that you look at and think ‘that looks complicated’ but then you start making the project and realize, ‘this isn’t complicated at all’?! Today’s New Project Spotlight Series shines the light on the Which Way Filet crocheted blanket by Fiber Spider provided via video instruction on YouTube.

I watched a variety of versions of this blanket pass through my Pinterest and Facebook crochet group feeds from other talented crocheters. Each time, I thought ‘that looks more complicated than it’s worth’. 

Let me back up and explain. I had a project or two I started on prior to this one when I got part way into it and realized this isn’t even worth it. The counting or complications involved just didn’t justify the end result. It was like using a beautiful stitchwork, but using thick, fuzzy yarn that doesn’t showcase it. Why do all the counting and gyrations for an end result that just, well, isn’t there?  I know, you can simply change the yarn, but that’s a different point. So I walked away from a couple projects as a result.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to a good, challenging, crochet project — think Cosmic CAL, Charlotte’s Dream, Sophie’s Dream — but I do get a bit irritated when a project’s recipe of instructions just don’t justify the end look. I’ll get off my soapbox now. Just to be clear, that was NOT the case with this one or any of the ones listed here.

What you’ll need

For today’s Which Way Filet blanket I used 1 skein of Caron Cake (383 yards/skein) in Faerie Cake, 1 skein of Hobby Lobby’s Yarn Bee Snowflake Wool Blend (247 yards/skein) in Pale Aqua, and trimmed it using a Sundance Sugar Spun roving-style yarn (114 yards/skein) in a non-described color but I’d mark it as a peachy pink. Side note: why do yarn makers not put a color on a skein??

Each of the yarns have a bit of wool in them. Caron was 80% acrylic, 20% wool. Yarn Bee was 56% wool, 44% polyester. And Sundance was 87% acrylic, 13% wool.  Wool was NOT a requirement for making this blanket. It just so happened that when I used the Caron Cake, and only had one skein of it, it didn’t make a big enough blanket. So I rummaged through my stash and figured I might as well keep the wool theme going. 

I tend to shy away from using wool but I also didn’t want the blanket to warp over time because the yarn combinations didn’t have at least some wool in them. I know in some circles wool yarn is the gold standard. But in my craft show days, the wool projects seemed to be the ones I drug back home with me. People just did not seem as interested in a handmade item with wool in it. And I suppose, depending on who they were buying it for, if you don’t know if that someone has an allergy to wool, then you might not take the chance.

I learned that the hard way. One year at Christmas I bought a beautiful ivory colored sweater for my mother-in-law. It was beautiful. Did I mention that already? So I wrap it all up and give it to her in front of family on Christmas, ready to bask in the glory of finding her such a gem. She opens the gift, oohs and aahs about it, and then reads the tag that says it’s wool. Her smile faded and she says, ‘Um, it’s wool. I can’t wear wool. I break out’. My balloon of excitement was instantly deflated, more like popped!  She was so very sweet about it though thanking me for the gift and letting me know she’d show me what she exchanged for it, which she did. I love my mother-in-law.

So, back to the Which Way Filet blanket. I didn’t jot down what size hook I used. I’m guessing it would have been an I hook. The finished dimensions were 31″x 31″ making it a smaller baby (or even perfect for a doll-sized) blanket.

The Border

I followed the pattern until I reached the border. And then I sort of made things up. I did two rounds of single crochets, and then I used a shell-like stitch (2DC, ch2, 2DC in the same stitch, skip the next two stitches and repeat) for the border that turned into a ruffly edging. Not necessarily what I had planned, yet a happy accident (wasn’t that one of Bob Ross’s coined phrases?)

“Crochet stirs the heart, inspires the imagination, and brings joy to the soul.” — borrowed from www.happilyhooked.com

Final Thoughts on the Which Way Filet Crocheted Blanket

This was another easy pattern to work, pretty much just double crochets worked in the round (or square in this case).

Did you like today’s New Project Spotlight for the Which Way Filet crocheted blanket? If so, stay tuned for more projects in this series. If you’ve just started or have questions about this series, read my Welcome Post.

What’s your opinion on using wool yarn? Are you a wool-loving crafter, or do you shy away from it? And what do I do with this finished project? Many of the donation centers for blankets don’t want projects with wool in them. Help a girl out and leave a comment below.