Crochet

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GRANNY’S NOT SO OLD…..

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I took the first of a series of ‘Advanced Crochet’ classes last night at Knit and Caboodle in St. Charles, Missouri with the lovely Christina Marie Potter as the teacher.  I was one of the more ‘advanced’ students (which is a particularly scary thought!!).  Two of the six students really wanted to learn the basic granny square.  Christina hadn’t anticipated getting to that point during the first class, but she pulled out a pattern from a newly published book (a crochet for tots book) and started us off with the basics.  I hadn’t made a granny square in a couple of years.  Couldn’t believe how rusty I was!!  But, pretty soon, I was back in the groove.  The other gals got up to speed very quickly.

Christina had pulled three crochet books off the shelf for us to browse.  This one, I think it was a Candi Jensen,

Lately, I’ve found some great new ‘twists’ on the time-honored Granny Square.  Wanted to share this one with you.  I think it’s my favorite:

http://crochetme.com/patterns/granny-spiral

http://crochetme.com/patterns/granny-spiral

Think of all the cool things you could do with this little spiral granny!  I’m itching to get my scraps out right now but I can’t since I’m headed out the door to a working dinner.  Rats!  When I get home, it’s me, the sofa, and my scrap yarn!

Comments

  1. This is absolutely gorgeous! I “collect” squares (all roughly the same size but each different and unique) to put together into a very interesting afgan which increases in size regularly! Many thanks for sharing the link. Good luck with the rest of the class – I’m very jealous! 🙂

  3. WOW! This is beautiful. At first look it lood quite difficult, but after taking a longer study of it, it think it is quite simple. I think I will try it. Will let you know how it comes out.

  4. I am making a Turtle Afgan for my Grandma as a suprise! The shell is made from all different granny squares.(in browns and green colors) Then, I will attach a head, and four feet…and a tale of course.

    This square is Beautiful, and I think it would be an amazing square for the project! Love it! will give it a try to make. 🙂

  7. Debbie,
    Look at the links under the pictures. You might have to cut and paste since many of the older links have been disabled.
    jd

Have you read?

Christmas Tree Pot Holder Free Crochet Pattern

This free Christmas Tree Pot Holder is one of those classic holiday crochet projects that feels both decorative and useful at the same time. It has a lovely vintage handmade feel, with a tree shape worked in green crochet cotton and red detailing that gives it a festive finish. The pattern is presented as a practical kitchen project, but it also doubles as a cute seasonal decoration for anyone who likes to hang handmade pieces in the kitchen during Christmas.

What I like about this pattern is that it is not just a flat novelty shape. The design uses rows of double crochet with decreases to build the tree silhouette, and then red crochet is added to join the sections and create picot details, which helps give the finished piece a more decorative look. It also includes a covered ring at the top so it can be hung when not in use.

The materials list is refreshingly simple too. The project calls for green and red crochet cotton and a size 7 crochet hook, so it is a good stash-friendly make if you already keep cotton yarn on hand for kitchen crochet. Because it is made with cotton rather than soft acrylic, it has that more traditional pot-holder feel that suits the project well.

This would be a sweet little project to make for holiday gifting as well. I can easily see these being worked up as stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, or part of a handmade Christmas kitchen set. One of the comments on the post even mentions making them for stocking stuffers, which feels like exactly the right fit for a pattern like this.

Overall, this is a charming old-school Christmas crochet pattern with plenty of handmade appeal. If you love festive kitchen décor, practical holiday crochet, or just enjoy making seasonal projects that can be used year after year, this Christmas Tree Pot Holder is a fun one to bookmark.