My Hexy Granny is getting bigger!

I have a fascination with repetition. I love the way a pattern with variations plays upon the eyes. When we went to MoMA recently I was really surprised by how much I loved the Andy Warhol soup can series. It was the way they were all hung there like a big quilt or blanket with a repeating shape that was slightly different each time. I think this is what is drawing me to quilt making at the moment, and certainly why I like to knit and crochet blankets like this...

Unfortunately this is a painstakingly slow process. Here are 175 hexagons and, as you can see by the seed packet in the first photo, it is barely larger than a lap blanket.

These were all very randomly placed (I did separate out some concentrations of one colour) and I like the effect, but I do wonder whether I should play more with the light and dark and have almost lines running through it. It will certainly need to be bigger, but I'm not sure this will ever be big enough for a bed.

And of course there is still the dilemma of joining them. I am torn between wanting to crochet them together to increase the size (even if only marginally) or whether to sew them as I don't really want a border colour to interrupt the play of the colours... I did have a play with a rather neutral colour and it really changes the whole look of it.

For now I will keep making those little hexagons. I was horrified the other day when I realised I'd made two exactly the same in the same sitting. As far as I can see they are the only two that are the same, but as I make more I suppose the odds for repeating get higher unless I bring in more colours.

And speaking of pattern:
yesterday Ella begged me to use her Mendhi kit she got for Christmas. What fun!

It was a bit of a learning experience for me and Ella's got a bit smudged, but once I got the hang of it, I was wanting to do it on anyone who'd keep still for long enough. Oscar even got a "tat" on his shoulder (he was at swimming when I was taking the photos), and Remi has begged me to do one for him today.

I am a little concerned that it looks like I've drawn on myself with texta (marker) and I just look like a pratt, but it was fun when I was doing it.

Still waiting for the washing machine, and after that there will be plenty of repetition to keep me happy for a while!