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

Sewing in ends tutorial

Colour is a wonderful thing!

 It makes my heart sing and my world go round.

My favourite kind of project is one involving many shades

 of the wonderful

  Stylecraft Special DK.

In case you haven't come across this,

 it is a beautifully soft acrylic yarn which is washable, 

very affordable and comes in an amazing

  80 shades 

and there are always new shades being added to the range!

One of the most frequent questions I get asked by beginners,

 is how do I deal with all the dreaded ends!

So you've made a beautiful granny square,

 which looks perfect from the front,

 but when you turn it over its a disaster!

For this project I am working on,

 I have made a front and a back from my square,

 by threading all the ends through to one side. 

If you are making a blanket I would leave half on the front

 and half on the back then the blanket can be used either way.

When I start and finish off each colour

 I leave a tail of approximately 15cm / 6 inches.

It is important to leave long tails, so that your work

 can be fastened off securely, to prevent it from unraveling.

People sometimes ask,

 how I make my grannies so square and so neat

. . . if that's what you are thinking, you may like to read my

Granny Square Tutorial

to find some tips and tricks!

Now to deal with these pesky ends,

 we need some sharp scissors and a darning needle.

You will see that when I made my square,

 I started each round in a different corner.

 This means I have about a quarter of the ends

 in each corner to deal with.

You are going to work with 2 ends of the same colour.

Notice that one end is at the top of the trebles

 and the other is at the bottom.

We need them both to be together at the top,

 see where my needle is pointing.

First I use my needle to thread the bottom end,

 up to the top, to be in the same place as the other end.

Simply weave the needle through and under

 the matching coloured trebles.

Next make a reef knot with the 2 ends of the same colour,

 to secure your work. This will not show it will hide under the stitches

 when we have finished.

Trim your tails to be the same length

 and thread them through the darning needle together.

Doing 2 tails at once will halve the time needed for this task!

I am right handed so I work from right to left.

If you are left handed work from left to right.

Weave the needle under the 3 trebles of the colour above (red here)

 then under a stitch in the pink row.

Pull the yarn through and make sure it is nice and flat.

Repeat weaving under the 3 trebles and under a loop of its own colour

Keep going till all the yarn is hidden

 and trim off the ends close to your work.

Turn your work around as you stitch to make it easier,

 always working from right to left if you are right handed

 and left to right if you are left handed.

keep going and enjoy the satisfaction of that pile of ends!

I like to think of sewing the ends in as embroidery. 

I would suggest that you do a batch of ends after every few rows,

 then you are not left with a mammoth task at the end!

If you are wondering what I'm making here . . .

this rainbow square will become a cushion cover.

Its simply made by wrapping a granny square,

 around a cushion pad and crocheting it together.

You can read my step by step tutorial here

Wrap Around Cushion Cover Tutorial

So there you have it!

take care with your ends and your work will not come undone! 

Happy hooking friends

Heather

x x x

The Beginners Blanket

If you would like to make your first blanket,

 then carry on reading, 

I will take you through the process of all you need to know!

To begin with most people learn how to make a granny square.

I have a tutorial to teach you with step by step photos to help.

When you have a pile of squares come back for the joining

 and then for the border.

For this beautiful vintage style granny blanket 

I have used 8 shades of Stylecraft Special DK.

You can buy this yarn

HERE

You can of course use your own colours too. 

8 colours is enough to make

 49 granny squares of 7 rounds,

 so you can choose

 a square blanket 7 by 7 or a rectangular blanket 8 by 6.

I used

duck egg, buttermilk, sage, vintage peach, parma violet, grape,

 storm blue, pale rose and duck egg joined with mushroom

I made a rectangular blanket so needed 48 squares. 

This works out nicely at 6 centres of each of the 8 colours.

You can learn how to make a granny square

HERE

Organisation is very important to me.

It makes the process quicker and ensures an even balance of colour.

You can read about how I plan colours 

HERE

I would encourage you to start good habits now

and sew the ends in as you go!

Once the granny squares have 7 rounds,

 they are ready to edge in mushroom for joining.

I use the bed for this next step, to save bending down on the floor!

Lay the squares out in your desired arrangement,

 trying to ensure an even distribution of colour.

I then number each row using a scrap of paper

 and store the piles in a basket ready for joining.

There are many joining methods available.

My favourite is to crochet the squares together to give a strong join.

For beginners I recommend

crocheting together from the back, using UK dc, through both loops.

You can read how to do this

HERE

The join is made in rows of 1 direction first,

 then repeated in the opposite direction.

This makes a strong flat join with a ridge on the back.

Every blanket needs a border,

 just like a picture needs a frame!

I recommend the book

"Around The Corner" by Edie Eckman.

You can buy this on Amazon

HERE

(Please note this book is written in US terms.)

I have used border 27 for this blanket.

The final things I do for every blanket is to wash it.

This has the effect of blocking and helps to settle the joins.

Follow the instructions on the ball band.

For Stylecraft Special DK I wash in the machine

 at 30 degrees using my regular soap powder and softener.

 I then tumble dry on LOW HEAT.

So now the fun begins!

 Go and choose your yarn.

If you have any questions not explained in my tutorials,

 please email me at

 thepatchworkheartuk@gmail.com

 and I will try to help.

Have fun blanket making

I wish you many happy hours of hooking!

Heather

xxx