Aura Motif Lapghan
Process Log: Aura Motif Lapghan (#FrostAndBloomCAL)
This post served as a living document for my progress on the Aura Motif Lapghan.Last updated: 27 March 2026
- [01 March 2026]: Started Part 1 redo with 4.5mm hook for better stability.
- [03 March 2026]: Wash test completed on solid brown hexagon; 0.7cm shrinkage noted.
- [06 March 2026]: All blue-dominant motifs completed across multiple parts to provide data for the yarn projection sheet. Projection sheet added to track yarn usage against current stash.
- [09 March 2026]: Precision tracking implemented; diameter per ROUND recorded for all motifs to manage tension consistency.
- [10 March 2026]: Part 1 (Solid & Striped) completed.
- [13 March 2026]: Part 2 (Popcorn, Block & Granny) completed.
- [18 March 2026]: Part 3 (Bullseye, African Flower & Blooming) completed. Last round of African Flower changed to HDC.
- [20 March 2026]: Part 4 (Sea Dog & Snowflake) completed.
- [22 March 2026]: Part 5 (Half Hexagons) completed. A little tweak done to reduce some ugly gaps.
- [23 March 2026]: Part 5 (Filler Hexagons) completed. Layout finalized.
- [27 March 2026]: Join & Border completed. Some afterthoughts.
The Material Struggle: "Fly Fibres"
Working with 雪球沁柔 (Snowball Qinrou) - a wool-free air-jet yarn—has its pros and cons. While it matches the original kit's "blown yarn" texture perfectly, it sheds "fly fibres" constantly. Even with a centre-pull, the fibres are everywhere. I've considered using fruit nets to contain the shedding, but for now, my nose is just bearing the brunt of it.The YOLO Swatch Test
I am rarely a swatching person, but since many are reporting yarn shortages, I decided to do a wash test. I didn't want to waste yarn just for a swatch, so I used a completed solid brown hexagon (one of the colours where I expect to have leftovers).- Method: Cold machine wash in a laundry net; dried flat.
- Result: 12cm (pre-wash) shrank to 11.3cm (post-wash). A 0.7cm loss is acceptable for a lapghan, so I'm moving forward.
Yarn Substitution, Colour Mapping & Usage Projections
Since I am not using the official kit, I've mapped the original Hobbii Portobello colours to the 雪球沁柔 (Snowball Qinrou) codes I'm using. Both are "blown" yarns, making them structural matches even though my version is wool-free.| Colour | Hobbii Portobello | Snowball Qinrou | Colourway |
|---|---|---|---|
| MC | 02 Off White | 01 奶白 | White |
| A | 113 Misty Green | 41 青草绿 | L. Green |
| B | 116 Hunter Green | 42 沼泽绿 | Green |
| C | 88 Turkish Blue | 43 天海蓝 | L. Blue |
| D | 96 Teal | 05 牛仔蓝 | Blue |
| E | 68 Light Purple | 50 罗兰 | L. Purple |
| F | 70 Purple Rain | 49 桔梗 | Purple |
| G | 10 Cappuccino | 18 浅卡色 | L. Brown |
| H | 20 Americano | 04 浅棕卡 | Brown |
The designer's placement generally pairs light and dark counterparts of the same hue to get 8 motifs. However, the distribution is inconsistent across different motifs:
- Striped: All start with the lighter colourway. I'm testing one blue to see if I can reverse the other one to a "dark start" for more variety.
- African Flower: The petal-to-center matches are all either both dark or both light. Strangely, there were two dark blue variants but zero dark browns.
- Sea Dog: This one is a bit of a puzzle with no darker blue at all.
- Coloured Cells: These are the estimates! They are automatically calculated based on the yarn I used for my blue motifs to help predict if there is enough yarn for the rest of the blanket.
- Plain Cells: These are the actual amounts I’ve used for motifs I have already finished.
- Yarn Chicken Tracker: Keep an eye on the totals at the side of the projection. This compares what I've used against my current stash (including the variance) so we can see if I’m going to make it to the end without restocking!
- Personalised Colourways: The colours in this sheet reflect my own preferred placement, not the designer’s original layout.
- Customise Your Own: You are welcome to download a copy of this sheet to your own Google Drive. From there, you can adjust the colours and motifs to your liking to see your own projected yarn usage.
Precision Tracking: Diameter per Round
Because my tension is not always reliable, I’ve taken a more disciplined approach to this project. Instead of waiting until the end of a motif to find out it’s the wrong size, I am measuring the diameter of every single round.I have documented these exactly as they are measured (in cm) - including the slight variations to - provide a realistic baseline for anyone else aiming for a consistent size.
| Motif | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid | 3.2 | 6.1 | 8.6 | 10.9 | 12 | - |
| Striped | 3.2 | 6.1 | 8.6 | 10.9 | 12 | - |
| Popcorn | 2.2 | 5.2 | 7.5 | 10 | 12 | - |
| Block | 4 | 5.4 | 8.4 | 9.8 | 12 | - |
| Granny | 4 | 7 | 10 | 12 | - | - |
| Bullseye | 2.2 | 5.1 | 8 | 10.5 | 12.2 | - |
| African Flower | 4 | 7 | 9.5 | 10.5 | 12 | - |
| Blooming | 3 | 8.1 | 10.6 | 12 | - | - |
| Sea Dog | 3.9 | 5.9 | 7 | 8.7 | 9.7 | 12 |
| Snowflake | 4 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
| Half | 3.4 | 5.6 | 8.4 | 11 | 12 |
- Popcorn (R3): Two sides (the skipped spaces) may result in a narrower diameter. Adjust by making taller stitches on these sides in the subsequent two rounds to maintain consistency.
- African Flower (R5): Completed in HDC instead of DC to keep diameter closer to 12cm.
Note
Current Milestones
Technique Highlight
While working the half hexagons, I made a small adjustment to reduce the gap that usually forms after the turning CH-3.Instead of a regular DC, I used a linked double crochet (LDC) for the 2nd DC of the row. It helps tighten that spot slightly without changing the overall structure.
Afterthoughts
The joining process was the most demanding phase of the entire project. Even following the designer’s route, it required a lot of stopping, turning, and weaving in, which made it feel more laborious than the motifs themselves.
That said, I chose to work the joins using the surface slip stitch from the wrong side with a smaller 4.0 mm hook. The result was a flatter, more seamless finish, which I personally prefer over a more raised join.
The border, in contrast, was a breeze. After the intensity of joining, it was a much smoother way to wrap up the piece.
I made small adjustments across both the joining and the border involving the Bullseye motifs, keeping their wavy edges instead of forcing them to conform. This allowed the motifs to retain their character while still fitting naturally into the overall layout.
For the filler hexagons, I moved away from the original full brown approach.
I chose to have a hero motif (the Sea Dog in the centre), using all non-brown colours.
The remaining four were African Flower motifs using colours matching their neighbouring sections. In one of them, I lost yarn chicken on the light purple and reduced it from two rounds to one. The light and dark purple tones were close enough that the change blended in without issue.
This helped to use up the remaining colours more intentionally.
Looking back, the process had its slower moments, especially during joining, but each decision shaped how the piece came together.
And in the end, it came together, in its own way.
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