Margaret Hubert - The granny square book: timeless techniques and fresh ideas for crocheting square by square

THE
GRANNY
SQUARE
BOOK

TIMELESS
TECHNIQUES & FRESH IDEAS
FOR CROCHETING
SQUARE BY SQUARE

MARGARET HUBERT

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It takes a group of very talented people to get a book from I have an idea to seeing it in print. Some of these wonderful people are listed below, but my thanks also go out to all the people behind the scenes, who work so hard in the many departments of publishing.

Linda Neubauer, my editor. If not for Linda, there would be no book. Linda has always believed in me, is always there for me, and always helps when some technical aspects are beyond my capability.

Karen Manthey, technical editor and diagram illustrator, who always creates easy-to-follow, wonderful diagrams.

Tahki/Stacy Charles Yarns. Diane Friedman and Stacy Charles have so generously donated the yarn for all the swatches in the book and for four of the projects. They are great supporters of crochet and are always willing to help designers.

Other yarn companies that I would like to thank, who have gladly donated yarn, and without whose support designers could not work: Blue Heron Yarns ( blueheronyarns.com ), Kreinik ( kreinik.com ), Caron ( naturallycaron.com ), Lion Brand ( lionbrand.com ), Patons ( patonsyarns.com ), Plymouth Yarn ( plymouthyarn.com ), Premier Yarns ( premieryarns.com ), Red Heart Yarns ( redhearty.com ), have all donated yarns for the special projects in the book.

Jeannine Buehler, Paula Alexander, Nancy Smith, and Jennifer Radinsky, who helped me to crochet all the projects in the book.

Elaine Brown, who designed and made the hat topper.

Chris Simon, who allowed me to use her wonderful Butterfly Square, used for the Butterfly Garden Two-Way Shawl.

Sharon Valencia, my daughter, who designed and made the Yoga Tunic and Mat Carrier.

Nicole Valencia, my granddaughter, who designed (and made with her moms help) the Bright Colors Backpack and the Tween Hooded Vest.

Chris Hubert, my son, who took several of the family photographs and also the photographs of the older afghans.

Many thanks to all.

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to all of my wonderful family for their support, especially my daughter Sharon, my granddaughter Nicole, and my son Chris, who gave a little more of themselves for this book.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Many who know me as a crochet and knitwear designer may think that my doing a book on granny squares is a little odd. After all, isnt the granny square a bit dated and boringly basic? Far from it! The granny square is the foundation upon which unlimited new and exciting designs can be created.

The term granny square really encompasses scores of unique motifs, and Ive included seventy-five of them in this book. With the marvelous selection of yarns available to us today, you need only some basic design instruction and a little imagination to take any of these motifs to new creative heights. Its amazing what you can do with the humble granny square.

Mom and I collaborated on this afghan fifty years ago and it is still keeping someone warm today.

My love affair with the granny began in 1954 when I learned to crochet. I had been knitting for years, having learned at a very young age and loving it, but crocheting was a new and exciting adventure for me. Picking up border stitches on the front of a knitted sweater to crochet a simple border was my first step into the world of crochet. Next was learning to make a granny square. My mother was a fabulous knitter, did not crochet very much and never taught me how, but when she saw me making these captivating little squares over and over again, she was hooked. Together we made a huge granny afghan, Mom making all the little squares, me doing the edging and putting it together. After using it for many years, I passed it along to a dear friend, Carol, who still loves and cares for it.

In 1975, I decided to make myself a granny square bedspread using cotton thread. It was a project that spanned six years. It was initially made to fit a standard size bed; a few years later I added rows to fit a queen size and later added more squares and rows to fit a king size bed. I still love it and use it.

The tradition of the granny square is passed down from one generation to the next. Each generation leaves its own design imprint on granny square history, influenced by important events of their era, the current styles, and the yarns available to them. I taught my daughter to make her first granny square when she was seven. She made a giant granny square and presented me with her first afghan. Sharon had two granny square designs published when she was just a teenager.

After all this work, I could never bear to part with it!

My daughter is still proud of the first granny square afghan she ever made.

My daughter and I both taught my grand daughter to crochet, and she is already designing her own projects with grannies. With her mothers help, she designed and crocheted the adorable backpack taught on .

Working on this book led me to wonder how many of my fellow designers learned to crochet at an early age and if they learned from a grandparent or parent. I was particularly interested in knowing if they learned to make granny squares at a young age, and if they were passing on their knowledge to others, so I asked a number of friends, who happen also to be fabulous crochet designers, about their early experiences. Here are some of the replies that I received; very interesting and varied:

I learned to crochet from my mother when I was nine years old in 1973. The granny square was probably the second thing that she taught me how to crochet. (The first was single crochet in rows and it bored me.)

VASHTI BRAHA

My second grade teacher offered to stay after school and teach crochet to any students who wished to learn. I was the only one who stayed! Years later I tracked her down to thank her, and she now works from some of my patterns.

TAMMY HILDEBRAND

Designed by my grand daughter, this backpack shows her favorite colors and her love of anything denim.

My mum had taught me to knit when I was quite small, but I dont remember her crocheting very much. I just sort of figured it out for myself when I was in my teens, when crochet hippy-style fashions were starting to come into vogue. I never actually made a granny square back then although soon after I started crocheting I remember I did create a very bright and lacy granny circle poncho using random circular motifs simply because I hadnt yet figured out how to put in the corners!

PRUDENCE MAPSTONE

I didnt learn to crochet until age twenty-two when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras. I learned by rote in Spanish. I have passed on the skills to both of my daughters, and one crochets more than the other.