The simplicity of granny squares

My very first memory of crochet is of a little girl in school uniform sitting on the bus from school, and furiously stabbing away with a thin metal hook & cotton thread, oblivious to the stares from strangers on the bus.

I was about 12 then.  We had just learnt how to crochet in Home Economics.  Till today, my friends tease me that while everyone was struggling to crochet little chains, I had already gone on to crochet a pineapple lace tablecloth.  That memory makes me smile.  I did finish that tablecloth, and gave it to my grandmother.

Since then, I have crocheted many many things - Barbie doll clothes, coasters, more coasters, clothes, bags, even a bikini.  But the simplicity of the granny squares never fails to inspire me.  It is the most simple form of crochet, with no need to plan or count rows.  Just dip my hand into the yarn containers, pull out whatever strikes my fancy, and off I go.

In the spirit of stashbusting, I've dug out my softest cottons (and about 10 years old in my stash), and have been crocheting granny washcloths all week.  It's amazing what a little washcloth can do for your skin - my face already feels cleaner and smoother after a few uses.

Rowan Tapestry Scarf + more scarves

I've been fiddling around with the camera set-up so don't yet have pics of my works-in-progress (WIPs) to show. At any rate I have not yet learnt how to take a decent wip photo...

This is a crochet granny square scarf done using Rowan Tapestry in Potpourri, the colors remind me of the crisp air & soft glow of autumn. Still about 1.5 balls of Tapestry left so I may use it for a pair of Fetching gloves..... so that I match when I travel & dont look so errrm 'touristy'? Actually why is it that whenever I go overseas I never look like the locals and always stick out like a sore thumb? Will matching scarfs & gloves help I wonder?



At any rate, this is what I'm currently going ga-ga over on Flickr :

Chevron Scarf in Koigu KPPPM (yes I know I'm slow getting on the bandwagon)
Rib Scarf in Noro (brooklyntweed does a killer combination)

Someday I will have a whole drawer supply of gorgeous koigu and noro scarves, all prettily done up, waiting for my next trip overseas. In the meantime I can only stare at websites like these and maybe they will reward me for staying so long at their site & give me some free yarn?

Yeah, rite.

Flower Garden Granny Squares

I was overwhelmed by the explosion of colors & combinations of granny squares when I chanced upon this Granny-Along, and their flickr group. So much freshness & color, applied to something so basic & simple to crochet.. this is spontaneous, fun creativity indeed!

Seeing the number of Japanese publications that are coming out, it does seem that granny squares are having a major revival. Or maybe they never left.. just quietly & slowly endearing themselves into classic status? There are squares that are lacy, puffy, cute, earthy, colorful...looking through the Japanese books I have almost convinced myself that I really really must have a granny square rug/table runner/coaster/chair cover....like NOW. pls?

Thus inspired, I dug around in my stash and chanced upon nearly 20 balls of Cleckheaton 8-Ply Wool & Woolcrepe mix.. i had mauve, burgundy red, cream, tan (w a little mohair), variegated greens/purples/browns.. I had bought them separately but wonder of wonders, the colors work! Does this mean that I actually have some color sense..? wow. Or maybe, it just means that I have too much stash...

The motif is from this Japanese book, I really liked the texture of the puffy flower in the middle vs. a traditional granny.

It is so liberating to just pick up a color and crochet a round, pick up another for the next, and another... for someone used to overplanning my projects, this feels really free & refreshing. I would highly recommended this project for those of you who wish to exorcise your inner control freak.

No idea what I'm going to make from these squares yet... for the moment, I'm just having fun. Any ideas?