Geometric Granny Blankets

Granny square blankets hold a wonderful attraction for me.

The simplicity of the square allows the colours to triumph

 and enables different square sizes to be combined.

It's all about Maths using factors and multiples!

For this single size blanket

 I have used granny squares made with 8 rounds

 surrounded my smaller squares of 4 rounds.

I have joined my squares as I add the last round of colour.

This is called the Join As You Go (JAYG) method

and there is a good tutorial on Attic 24 blog

As you all know I'm a lover of Cath Kidston

 and for this colour recipe I took inspiration from my china.

You can buy this yarn

HERE

If you are a beginner you can read how I make a granny square

HERE

I am often asked how I make my grannies so perfectly square

and many people say they find a large square twists.

 Read my tutorial and you will learn a few tricks!

I worked in batches making a set of squares first, then joining them all later,

 as this was a more productive method.

Be careful to use all your 8 colours equally

 so that the final blanket looks balanced

 and also to ensure you don't run out of yarn!

 If you don't plan, you will find that you have a natural preference

 for putting certain colours together and these may dominate the blanket.

 You can read a blog post about how I plan colours 

HERE

Be sure to sew in your ends as you go, then its not a huge task at the end.

Beginners may like to read my tutorial on how I deal with ends

HERE

Here are the facts and figures that you will need to know to make this blanket.

Finished blanket weight 750g

size 100x125cm

Yarn needed 8 x 100g balls of Stylecraft Special DK for the squares

PLUS 1 more ball for border in the colour of your choice.

Make 20 granny squares of 8 rounds (7 rounds for JAYG)

and 74 granny squares of 4 rounds (3 rounds for JAYG)

I used a 3.5mm hook with Stylecraft Special DK as this suits my tension.

 You should use a hook that suits your own tension.

So in the single size blanket I combined 8s and 4s,

you can easily see that 2 4s will sit along side an 8.

For the King size blanket I started with much larger squares

and have combined 12s 6s and 3s.

This time I worked from the centre of the blanket out,

starting with 9 granny squares of 12 rounds each.

This means you need to make 9 squares of 11 rounds,

 then the 12th round is added as you join the squares, using join as you go.

If you want to use another joining method,

 then make 12 round squares in the beginning.

Here my colour palette has been insipired by Orla Kiely

 using colours again from my mugs.

You can buy this yarn

HERE

This colour recipe has 12 shades

 but I must make it clear that this was

 NOT ENOUGH

 for the king size blanket

 and I needed a little more than 100g of each colour

 and more for the border.

Again I worked in batches, making 64 grannies of 5 rounds.

These were then added using the join as you go method

 and they become 6 round grannies.

Finally a batch of 176, 2 round grannies were made,

 to be joined and become 3 round grannies.

This blanket is a labour of love,

 don't make it if you don't like dealing with ends!!!

This is a huge blanket to cover the top of a king sized bed,

so at the end it becomes quite heavy and difficult to work on

 and very warm to sit under!

But I'm sure you will agree it is fascinating

and these colours are truly wonderful.

Here are the facts and figures that you will need to know to make this blanket.

Finished blanket weight 1650g

size 150cm square

Make 9 granny squares of 12 rounds (11 rounds for JAYG)

 64 granny squares of 6 rounds (5 rounds for JAYG)

and 176 granny squares of 3 rounds (2 rounds for JAYG)

I used a 3.5mm hook with Stylecraft Special DK as this suits my tension.

 You should use a hook that suits your own tension.

Finally a blanket deserves a border just as a picture has a frame.

I have used number 27 from the book

Around The Corner Crochet Borders

by Edie Eckman

It has written instructions in US terms

 with clear charts and photographs

You need 8 balls to make a single size blanket plus

you will need 1 extra ball,

 in the colour of your choice, for the border.

For a king size blanket you need 1600g

 so buy 2 of each shade 

 PLUS 2 more for the border.

Here are some suggestions of colour recipes to help

Now you have all you need to know

 to make a geometric granny blanket.

There are oodles of possible combinations.

 Have lots of fun creating

and be sure to share your photos in the

 Facebook Group.

If you have been inspired by my work

and would like to make a donation for this free pattern,

you will find a Paypal donate app on the sidebar of this blog.

Thank you for all the lovely comments on Facebook and Instagram

 it is truly wonderful to know that my work is appreciated.

 Because of my loyal followers,

 my crochet has grown to fill a void in my life

 from having to give up teaching and for this I'm truly thankful. 

Happy hookin friends

Heather

x x x