Granny Square Day 2016

Hello, everyone!  Did you know that tomorrow (Aug. 15) is Granny Square Day? I didn't until I heard it mentioned on the Skein Enable podcast. I found this post on Facebook about it. The idea is to make a granny square and post a photo on Instagram to help create a virtual blanket. Sounds like fun to me! So grab a hook and some yarn, create a square for the worldwide blanket and post it on Instagram if you play in that forum. If not, make a granny square anyway! If you want to follow me on Instagram, I'm Greenhook over there too.

Speaking of granny squares, I spent several hours yesterday teaching people to crochet including making granny squares. It was the local Knit Out and Crochet - an event started by the Craft Yarn Council in 1998. I'm a member of Always In Stitches which is a chapter of the Crochet Guild of America, and we participate in the Knit Out and Crochet event every year. We teach people to crochet and help them to improve skills they already have. It's always a good time spreading the crochet love. 

Judy spent the day at the registration table checking people in.
 

Karen had a table with kids' activities. It's quiet in the photo, but it saw a lot of action with kids making pompom and pipe cleaner people.

Here I am with my new friend Gwen. She was so excited to learn how to make a classic granny.

I made this placemat incorporating African hexagon flower motifs and the 3dc granny cluster as an example of items that can be made with squares. It's also a great way to use up leftover yarn.

 Thanks for stopping by!

Odds and Ends

Granny square mug cozy

I've been thinking of small projects to make with granny squares lately and happened to find a free pattern for a mug cozy by Earth and Sky over on Ravelry. I whipped one of these up with some oddments of leftover yarn in bright colors. My battleship gray work cubicle is now a little cheerier.

What else is on my hook?

I finally started making the Cast Off Chemo Crochet Wrap by Cari Clement that I bought on Ravelry to support one of my favorite charities also called Cast Off Chemo. I'm not much of a pink person, but this is a happy color for spring. (Notice in the photo that other harbinger of spring at Casa Greenhook - a dandelion. Such a cheery little flower, right!?)

I wrote about Cast Off Chemo in an earlier post. New patterns have been added to the fundraiser since that then so check them out over on Ravelry. Maybe you'll find the perfect pattern for your next project. Every little bit helps to bring us closer to the day when we cure breast cancer and other cancers without having to go through chemo hell.

Oooh! Look at this one! The Amagansett Shawl by Susie Allen. Pretty! I think I'll make a purchase!

Granny Square Creativity

It's been over a month since I've posted. I've obviously been slacking! Time to remedy that. In my continuing exploration of the possibilities of the granny cluster stitch and granny squares, here are some creative uses of the squares. First a qualifier. Many times you'll see all square crochet motifs called "granny squares," but I'm referring to the classic square using the granny cluster stitch.

Thanksgiving is past, but I love this turkey with granny square tail feathers that my sister Gina made for her table decorations. She said it was a great way to use up leftover yarn. The pattern is the Thanksgiving Turkey Amigurumi by Kara Gunza and is available on the Petals to Picots web site.  

  

I found quite a few jewelry patterns using granny squares. Here's one for a brooch I made. It was in the crochet mystery Knot Guilty by Betty Hechtman.

Hear are some Granny Square Earrings by Leigh Manson-Brown that are crocheted with wire. That's a technique I'm interested in trying. The gorgeous amethyst briolettes add a great pop of color.

As a tea fanatic, I love this fun tea cozy by Shari Tombs. It would brighten up anyone's tea time.

Toys are natural for granny squares and other motifs. These Granny Cats by Jen Maude made me smile. The middle one has a classic granny square belly.

Hooty the Owl lovey by Laura Tegg is a real cutie.

In anticipation of Christmas, maybe I'll make some of these Granny's Christmas Cubes by Carolyn Pfeifer.

That's it for now. I hope everyone is enjoying the run up to Christmas and the other winter holidays. Happy Hannukkah to my Jewish friends and family! I couldn't find a granny square dreidel, but this one by Marly Bird looks like it has a granny triangle in the base.

Granny Stitch Project #1

Golden Granny Cardigan

I've finished the first project in my study of the granny stitch. I'm quite pleased with it. It's a casual, drapey sweater that's just what I need when the A/C in the office has been set to polar. The pattern is the Not Your Granny's Sweater #1 by Marty Miller. It was very easy to make and worked up really quickly. I used Knit Pick's Cotlin yarn. I had never used this yarn before. Although I found it a little rough on my hands, I was happy with it overall. It softened when I blocked sweater. I might make more versions of this sweater in different yarn like a wool blend for cooler weather. Any weight yarn would work since you can just work as many rounds of each square as you need for your size.

Colors: What a difference a name makes

The gold color of this yarn is called Creme Brulee. However, a friend saw me wearing the sweater and said, "That's Harvest Gold!" Yikes! The iconic '70s Harvest Gold! I did not do that on purpose. But I like it! Perhaps my next granny stitch project should be in Avocado Green. Um, maybe not. 

Speaking of my next project, I'm not sure what it will be yet, but I have an idea for a design of my own. Keep an eye on this space!

The Remarkable Granny Stitch

Lately, I've been pondering the classic granny square and the stitch pattern from which it's made - 3 double crochets, chain 1. I had been looking for a comfortable casual cardigan pattern and decided on Not Your Granny's Sweater #1 by Marty Miller. The pattern is based on granny squares. I had never spent much time making granny squares before. I made one when I first started crocheting because, well, you've just got to! It's almost a crochet rite of passage. That poor square is now used to clean my bathroom sink. And that was about as far as I went with granny squares. But as I was working the first square for the sweater, I began to really like the look of this stitch pattern. I'm not sure what it is about it. Perhaps the symmetry and the balance of positive and negative space. I also like the way the first round looks like a flower and the diagonal lines of shells formed by the corners of each round.

The stitch pattern can be worked in rows as well as rounds. What is it called if worked this way? The granny stitch? The granny square stitch? I haven't found it in any of my stitch dictionaries under those names. It's a version of the shell stitch really.

I've decided it would be fun to do a series of projects using this stitch pattern both in rows and in the form of the classic square. Searching on Ravelry, I've found all sorts of patterns using this stitch pattern not just afghans which is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Here are a few:

The Concamerate Shell by Janet Brani

Granny Short Mitts by Mearacaera Designs   

Easy Crocheted Hat by Meg Kealey

Granny Shawl by Charlene Van den Brande

Granny's Got New Ears by Carol Veitch

I love those earrings. What a fun use for bits of leftover yarn!

I just remembered another pattern that I've made using the classic square - Tessellations by Tracy St. John. This is a really fun hat pattern that is another good use for yarn leftovers. I've made several. Here's one of my favorites being modeled by my pale faced friend.

I'll post a photo of my granny cardi when I finish it. I'm not sure what my next "granny" project will be after that, but I'm looking forward to exploring the uses of this versatile stitch pattern. Anybody want to join me?

Speaking of Finished Projects

Here's the finished sweater that I was swatching and calculating for in my July 7 post. Since it isn't really the original Lorelei pattern, I called it the Lora Lie.