The Granny Square Challenge

[Deleted User]

If you knit and crochet, you've got a stash of wool somewhere that you don't know what to do with. Making granny squares is a simple, quick and versatile way of using this valuable resource, and very relaxing.
Have you already got granny squares waiting for inspiration? Have you made some great things from them?

I have pale blue 'fair Isle' DK which will become (I hope) a simple nightdress case, as it goes with my patchwork bedspread. Basically a large square, with a frilly crochet edging.

Dog blankets? Chair arm covers? Tea cosies?Granny-square gifts? Pictures of your completed projects - I'd love to see them.

artydoll

Heres a few of my granny square makes,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46716225@N06/sets/72157623268147958/

[Deleted User]

artydoll wrote: »

Heres a few of my granny square makes,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46716225@N06/sets/72157623268147958/

Wow! artydoll, you're a granny square queen:T:T:T:T:T

I love the squares you've done that are sort of solid with diagonal lines on. Do you know of a tutorial for these? I only know how to do a traditional square

WeaselPop

Wow those are amazing :j

I am quite crafty and make cards, jewellery cross stitch, bake and garden but I don't seem to be able to get the hang of knitting

I tried to teach myself but just ended up undoing it all, I would love to try these as doing lots of smaller squares sounds like a better way to start - any tips??

Also can I just say that your sock monkey is the most adorable thing i've seen for ages how did you make him? Mental pictures of all DH socks mysteriously going 'missing' :rotfl:

finnigan

Hi Weasel. This was my new years resolution, I will learn to crochet!!

See if you can borrow this book from the library, I am now two rows into a granny square bedspread for my lovely Mum for her birthday. Can't believe I just didn't 'get' it before :rotfl:

meanmarie

Artydoll....what lovely pieces...I can crochet and I do, but never seem to put anything together of all the squares I have done over the years, they are all in bags somewhere....someday I will construct a masterpiece!

Marie

WeaselPop

Hey Finnegan - I had a look but my local library doesn't have it (

Do you have any other basics book suggestions? Either from the library for cheapy ones from somewhere like the works?

Thanks!

lickylonglips

I'm on making triangles to be sewn up into a blanket. They're made by increasing 1 stitch at the start of each row until there are 75 stitches on the needles, then casting off. I'm using a load of primary coloured Robin DK "wool" and have made about 90 or so triangles so far. I need, I figure, about 200 (which would make 100 squares, 10x10) to make a usuable smallish blanket, but will probably keep going until I have maybe 300 or so.... It's taken me over a year to get this far, but I don't have a lot of spare time and I find it quite relaxing. P.S. I'm a man!

[Deleted User]

I make blankets for a charity called the Linus Project for children who have very little but the clothes on their back, so I knit quite a lot of 'granny squares'I have seven grandchildren all of whom have had 'cosy's' knitted by me The boys in their favourite football colours ( West Ham was a bit boring) and the girls in a multi-coloured pattern.My friend has a group of 6 ladies all over North Kent who she collects from, and since 2005 we have produced 492 blankets for the charity.She does patchwork and crochet ones and I specialise in knitted ones.Its a great hobby and costs very little but time. A lot of the wool I beg and borrow from friends and families and boots sales and charity shops.A lot of wool can be recycled from unravelled jumpers bought for very little at boot sales .Another friend gave me six big black plastic sacks full of 4 ply wool on cones that had been sitting in her loft from the days when she had a knitting machine. She was going to skip them!!! I had them, and shared them out with the rest of the ladies and wound together in two colours they make double-knit .I probably have enough wool to last me for around a year at the moment that has cost nothing but the effort of rerolling it off the cones and into balls.Every scrap gets used .When I am down to only a tiny amount left on a ball ,not enough to make a square I save them all up in a seperate bag and when I have enough for a blanket it gets knitted in stripes like a multi-coloured rainbow effect.I have been doing this for over five years and thoroughly enjoy it as it keeps my hands busy when I am just sitting watching t.v. and also stopped my joints on my fingers seizing up.(I have arthritis)
I am very lucky to have seven healthy well-fed warm well-housed grandchildren so if by my efforts there is a child somewhere in this world with one of my 'blankeys' wrapped around it I am very happy.
It helps to have a bit of patience I guess when learning to knit, my Mum taught me back in the 1940s when I was a little girl and everyone knitted then and recycled every scrap of wool. I must admit I hated making my brothers socks as grey was a very boring colour.But an evening by the fire with the wireless on and both my Mum and I clacking away on our needles brings back so many good memories for me.At 9.00.p.m. on a saturday night my Mum would put her needles down and say
'I'm away to make some supper 'and she would make the cocoa and cut the bread for my brothers and I and we would toast it of a lonf fork in front of the big black range in our kitchen.There is nothing like 'proper' toasted bread to match it.Extreme comfort food I think, the fronts of your legs getting a bright red hue, and the backs freezing from the draughts that blew around the house.Not the same taste as from a toaster on the side in the kitchen even though I am a lot warmer now.But I digress,if you haven't tried to knit your best bet is to find someone over the age of probably 60 odd and ask for help.Why not pop into your local pop-in parlour or old folks home I bet there's lots of ladies there who would happily teach you to either knit or crochet.It would make them feel good to pass on some skills to younger people as well.
JackieO

mumoftwo

I have just started a granny square blanket for my 14year old DD. She asked for one. I have a book with granny square patterns and ofcourse she choose quite an time consuming one, where you crochet a flower and the square around it, will try and post picture later. Good luck everyone. I love crocheting and only recently picked it up again.

[Deleted User]

You've painted a beautiful picture JackieO - thankyou