The Second Granny Square

How did your squares turn out last month? I hope that you are still following along. Today our square starts with a circle. Don't panic it is an easy pattern just something different. I am still using an I hook which is 5.5 mm. We want to continue using the same size hooks. Today we only have one video. Of course you can go back Here to see the videos on weaving in the ends, and changing color. The video below does walk us through a color change. You can pause at any point in the video to catch up, or to take a short break and then continue later. This video is almost 27 minutes long.  Just a quick reminder we are making 8x8 squares so you will need to add three more rows to the square featured in the video and we are only making six of these this month. Trust me I finished all of my squares for the month only to realize that I was short half an inch or the last row. It is slightly annoying to have to fix a silly mistake. Luckily it is an easy fix. I hope you have fun with this square.

 

 

Since it is February I thought I would also include an heart applique video if you would like to add a few to your squares. These are easy to work up and they do not take up much yarn.



 

I found this heart later, after I finished this post and I like how it is made so I wanted to give you some options so that your blanket will be unique to you and your family. I do not have any pictures ready for you of this heart. I am sorry. I will get some worked up for you in an upcoming post.

 

 

I know the Teresa(the lady in the second video) says to weave in the ends but you need to leave a long tail so that you can sew it on to your square or you can follow the instructions in this video.

 

I like to use the tail I left to sew on the applique and if you just weave in the yarn to the top stitches on the granny square the yarn should not show through on the back. Take your time and it will be perfect!

 

If two of these squares look smaller than the others, that is because they are. I finished the squares and I thought four were short a row so I added an extra row. Then I measured to double check only to discover that now they are to big! Now I have to go back and add an extra row to the first eight squares to make them even. Please measure your squares to save you some heartache and extra work. Depending on what size hook you use will be the size of your squares. Use the same hook for all of your squares. If there is a slight difference in size between the first batch and the second batch don't worry about it if it is around half an inch.

I am not overly fond of the boarder on this heart but I wanted to do both boarders for you.

I like just a basic heart shape. Which one do you like?

I just wanted to remind you that you can do any color combination that you like. You can follow the video pattern for each of your squares or you can change it up and go crazy. I am excited to see what your squares look like this month. Of course if you have any questions please ask.

 

 

I hope your day is filled with sweet inspiration, lots of love, and plenty of laughter. Be well my friends.

 





The first Granny square

Our first granny square will be from Bobwilson123. I really enjoy her style of teaching and she uses US terms. Please choose a crochet hook that you are comfortable with and use that to make all of your squares so that all 60 of the squares will have a better chance of being the same size. I am going to use an I hook which is 5.50 MM.

Here are my hook, scissors, yarn needle, and a ruler.

These yarn needles come in plastic and metal, bent and straight. They all work the same.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

This is a basic granny square. Something that is easy to follow along with and will help us to build up our confidence. I am going to do a few of these in my background color. If you want to be brave or already know how to change colors feel free to be as creative as you want to be. Here are my finished squares for the month.

The video is for a small square which is likely going to happen again but it is easy to add a couple of rows to make each square 8x8. This also makes it easier to add the border around the squares because I have a good idea on when to change colors. The heart on the dark blue square is just sewn on to the granny square. I am thinking about doing an extra post in the future on applique in case you would like to add little embellishments to your blanket.

To be honest I wanted to show you that the squares are all basically the same size. You can tell in both pictures that they look a little wonky but that is totally normal and will not be noticeable once we sew them all together. If you are new to crocheting my best advice is, "Just keep making the squares and each one will get better."

 

Here is a video that gives you some advice on how to end one color and then change to a new color. Because our squares are slightly different so just pay attention to how he changes colors. I like to weave in my ends because I think it is more secure in the long run.

 

 So here is the video on how I like to weave in my ends. Do the technigue that works best for you.

Here is a great video to help show you how to weave in the extra tails at the end of each of the squares. I personally think it is better to weave in the ends as I go along, mostly because the idea of weaveing in 120-360 ends at once seems daunting.

 

 

I would love to see how your squares turn out. If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them. I hope you enjoy crocheting with me.

 

I hope that your day is filled with inspiration, love, and laughter. Be well my friends.



Granny Square project.

This year I want to make a granny square blanket. I was hoping that maybe you would like to follow along with me.

The first thing is to decide on the size of the blanket. I found this terrific chart on blanket sizes and how many squares is needed to complete a blanket http://www.planetshoup.com/easy/tips/afghsize.shtml

Most Common Afghan Sizes and How Many Squares They Take

Item and Actual Size in Inches	Afghan Measurements in Inches	Number of 6x6 in (15x15cm) Squares Needed	Number of 8x8 in (20x20cm) Squares Needed	Number of 12x12 in (30x30cm) Squares Needed
Preemie / Pet	15-24 square	9 (3x3) OR 16 (4x4)	8 (2x2) OR 9 (3x3)	4 (2x2)
Isolette (Hospital) / Large Pet	36 square	36 (6x6)	25 (5x5)	9 (3x3)
Bassinet 14x33	16 x 36	18 (3x6)	10 (2x5)	N/A
Cradle 18x36	20 x 36	24 (4x6)	15 (3x5)	6 (2x3)
Crib 27x52	30 x 54	45 (5x9)	28 (4x7)	15 (3x5)
Toddler / Lapghan (Wheelchair)	36 x 48	48 (6x8)	30 (5x6)	12 (3x4)
Child	42 x 48	56 (7x8)	36 (6x6)	16 (4x4)
Twin Bed / Adult 39x75	48 x 78	104 (8x13)	60 (6x10)	28 (4x7)
Long Twin Bed 39x80	48 x 84	112 (8x14)	66 (6x11)	28 (4x7)
3/4 Size Bed 48x75	54 x 78	117 (9x13)	70 (7x10)	35 (5x7)
Double Bed / Large Adult 54x75	60 x 78	130 (10x13)	80 (8x10)	35 (5x7)
Long Double Bed 54x80	60 x 84	140 (10x14)	88 (8x11)	35 (5x7)
Queen Bed 60x80	66 x 84	154 (11x14)	99 (9x11)	42 (6x7)
King Bed 76x80	80 x 84	196 (14x14)	110 (10x11)	49 (7x7)

I want to put a blanket on the back of my couch so that I can use it while I cuddle one of my three boys (husband is included) and watch a movie. So I am going to make a Twin size blanket. So all of my calculations will be based on the highlighted numbers above. Which means 60 8x8 granny squares in all.

What I have decided is to have ten different granny square patterns, Which means one new granny square a month but we will need to make six granny squares. In theory all of the granny squares will be done in ten months (October) and November will be sewing all of them together and December will be the boarder. Hopefully it will be finished for Christmas.

I think that we will need to have 6-8 balls of yarn to complete the project. I am going to do a boarder around my squares to help to make the smaller granny squares 8X8 or Just make the last round in my background color to help fit all of the squares together. Truthfully this is my very first granny square blanket so I am just hoping it turns out. I will post a picture of my finished granny squares, the link to the pattern, and/or any youtube videos that will help us along.

I would love to see your finished granny squares if you decide to follow along with me. Also feel free to post your comments, questions, or advice on the granny squares.

I hope your day is filled with inspiration, love and laughter. Be well my friends

Crochet dreams

I have been busy crocheting away avoiding my own school work which has put me in a last minute time crunch getting everything done. Yet here I am. So today will be a short post with pictures. So here are a few things that I have finished over the last week or so.

Flower clips. A little hot glue is amazing!

Remeber the last post with a weird green thing that was my sole.

I got the pattern from http://www.etsy.com/shop/bonitapatterns?ref=seller_info

The best part is these slippers are only half inch different in size (I had trouble keeping count I guess).

I made beards for my boys. I got the idea from http://calleighsclips.blogspot.com/

I love this picture

This is the same beard Damian is wearing but I love this man.

I made this lovely shawl. I got the pattern http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/crocheting/Accessory/Half-Circle-Shawl-with-Scalloped-Border/5690

I have become obssessed with the idea of granny sqaures. This is my first one.

I tested a pattern to give myself an excuse to at least try. You see I have been afraid to try because I did not think I would be good enough.

I am happy to report that these are the same size. Which means if I wanted I could make a blanket.

 I still have a couple of things on the burner that I will get done sometime. I am thinking about doing a little follow along blanket a sqaure a day. I will post the patterns where I can so you can make a blanket at home too. I like to do things with friends and it could be fun to make something together. I have to decide on the colors that I want to use but I have to confess I have already been searching the web for free granny square patterns so that I can share them with you. What do you think? Believe it or not these granny squares are easy to make, which makes crocheting the sqaures to go by quickly. Well I need to get back to my own school work....

I hope you are having a wonderful day filled with love and laughter. Be well my friends.