Catherine Hirst - Granny Square Crochet: 35 contemporary projects using traditional techniques

granny square crochet granny square crochet 35 contemporary projects using traditional techniques Catherine Hirst Published in 2012 by CICO Books An imprint of Ryland Peters & Small Ltd 519 Broadway 5th floor New York NY 10012 www.cicobooks.com 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Text Catherine Hirst 2012 Design and photography CICO Books 2012 The author's moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. eISBN 978 1 782490 25 8 ISBN 978 1 908862 04 4 Printed in China Managing editor: Gillian Haslam Editor: Marie Clayton Pattern checker: Susan Horan Designer: Roger Hammond Photographer: Emma Mitchell Stylist: Sophie Martell For digital editions, visit www.cicobooks.com/apps.php contents

The humble granny square gets a modern reinterpretation in 35 great projects ranging from accessories through to home goods and items for baby. I have always loved the ingenious construction of a granny square, which lends itself so well to creative application in a variety of patterns.

Granny squares are also in fashion right now, with garments and accessories made from these traditional squares appearing everywhere from couture catwalks to main street stores. The astute reader will notice some projects in this book are not, in fact, made of squares. The brilliant granny stripe stitch pattern takes the 3-double grouping basis of granny squares and converts it into a lively striped pattern that works up quickly and easily, providing style and versatility. In other projects, the granny square construction is applied to create shapes other than squares, such as hexagons and triangles. One invaluable technique you will see used often in these pages is the join-as-you-go method, described in detail on . I recommend you get to grips with this useful technique, because it's really not difficult once youve mastered it and it means no more joining stacks and stacks of squares.

Instead, you join each square to the previous one in the last round of working, which means that when youve finished all the squares, youve finished the piece. What a relief! Special attention is paid to the edging in these projects; the sides of granny squaresand especially granny stripescan sometimes look unfinished, so many items have an edging added to make them look complete and professional. The edgings usedsuch as crab stitch, shell stitch, and popcorn stitchwill become invaluable tools in your crocheted projects once you see how finished and attractive your work looks with a lovely edge incorporated. Many of the projects in this book, such as the baby blankets, tea cozy, and pillow covers, can be modified to fit the size and shape you need; instructions on how to adapt for a custom fit are given. I encourage you to modify the patterns to suitchoose colors that work with your dcor, the shapes that are most attractive to you, and resize if necessary to fit to perfection! Feel free to use a different weight of yarn than that suggested on projects where tension is not important, but be aware that this will make a different-size final piece: thicker yarns and a larger hook will make a larger item, whereas thinner yarn and a smaller hook will make a smaller one. The projects made from individual squares or other repeating shapes lend themselves beautifully to reinterpretation.

Love the flower square in the pram blanket , add an extra strip or two of hexagons for more width, and make yourself a glamorous evening wrap? Let your imagination run wild! Possibly the best thing about most of these projects is that they are wonderful stash-busting exercises. Whatever yarn you happen to have lurking in a drawer or basket or on a shelf can be used upeven very small amountsto make colorful and beautiful items, so all that yarn you have left over from other projects wont go to waste. There is very little yarn out there that wouldnt work for these projectsalthough I would suggest sticking with cotton yarn for the washcloths and acrylic or other machine-washable synthetic for the dog coat. However, if you do choose to use the yarns suggested youll find that most of it is economically priced. Each project has a skill level listed, so crocheters new to the craft can start with the easy projects and work their way up to the more advanced, such as the cozy Granny Square Gloves on , since it's a beautiful item that will teach you all you need to know about granny square construction. A note for left-handed crocheters: additional information is given in patterns when the left-handed crocheter will need to work a certain section in a specific way.

As a leftie myself, I know how hard it can be to interpret a pattern when no notations are added for the southpaws! It's time for the granny square to say goodbye to its humble, old-fashioned origins and take its rightful place as a crochet technique for the modern world. Youll be surprised how easily and quickly most of these projects work up. I had tremendous fun creating these pieces, and I hope you will too. My sincerest thanks to you, the reader, for buying this book!

Adorn and warm your home with beautiful, granny-inspired items, from the ever-popular tea cozy to exciting new interpretations of pillow covers, place mats, and table runners. These projects would also work brilliantly as housewarming or wedding gifts! mini squares mug cozyNext page