granny squares

Granny Square Cardigan

Projects

Well, I have come a long way with my granny squares since my post https://anotherdaywithjulie.home.blog/2022/07/03/making-granny-squares-at-my-age/ . Not only can I make a granny square, I can make at least 78 of them. I know this for a fact because that is how many granny squares it took to make my latest project, a granny square cardigan.

I chose to make the Granny Square Cardigan Crochet Pattern by Originally Lovely https://www.originallylovely.com/crochet/granny-square-cardigan-crochet-pattern/ . I substituted the yarn for an all cotton yarn because I did not want to use acrylic. This meant that I had to use a different size crochet hook to get my squares to be 4 inches. That is why it is so important to make a swatch or a square to be sure the correct size is achieved. If the size is off, the sweater will not fit. I am usually a size small in knitting patterns. Asuming this, I made up the squares for the size small. However, when piecing them together, I realized it was not going to be big enough. No worries. I just whipped-up some more squares and I was back in business. The medium was a perfect fit.

Having never made a crochet project before, I spent quite a bit of time watching youtube instructions to get me going. After making this, I do understand the terms and techniques better, and will say that the pattern is simple enough for a beginner (like me) but a little guidance from youtube is VERY helpful. The cardigan went together really fast. I was quite surprised that I was able to finish it so quickly.

Not to toot my own horn, but I was so very happy with the way the cardigan turned out. It is always nice to accomplish something that has been a goal for so long. I really never thought I would be able to make one granny square let alone a whole sweater. I even have an order from my daughter to make her a granny square sweater. A pull-over this time, with a slightly different granny square pattern. I will be visiting youtube again. Stay tuned to see how it turns out…

As always, Happy Crocheting!

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Making Granny Squares at My Age

Projects, Uncategorized

I have been in love with granny squares since I was young. I have always wanted to learn to crochet, but could never get past a single chain. This being only good for shoe laces. I decided to give it a try again.

I got a book on crochet, however, I found it hard to understand the procedures through the pictures. Maybe as a refresher once I have the hang of it, but for a beginner, this did me no good at all. My next step, youtube.

A lot of people will try and teach “beginners” to crochet granny squares on youtube. I gave three a try. The first one went too fast. Yes, I did pause and rewind and all of that, however, it wasn’t working. Proof of this fact is the above photo. The white “blob” is my attempt with this youtuber’s help.

I was beginning to think that maybe I was too young to be making granny squares. Do you have to be a “granny” to make them? Surely that couldn’t be the case…

Moving right along, I went through various videos until I came across my HERO. Jayda InStitches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_5nIpXg8OM was just what I needed. Her video was slow and she explanded everything so well. I actually made a granny square that looks like a granny square, with her guidance. THANK-YOU Jayda! (The three colored granny squares were made using the video as my teacher. They are arranged in order of making them. As you can see, I got better as I made a few. The blue/gold square was the last to be made and clearly the best.)

From this learning experience, I have come to the conclusion that not everyone is a good teacher for every person. Some people might have learned well from the first video I watched, but it wasn’t for me. Teaching and learning styles vary greatly from person to person.

As always, Happy Crocheting!