Granny Square Delight

Granny Squares are trending again. . . .

Granny Squares are back in style and more versatile too! I have been noticing Granny Square stitches in all kinds of garments. This popular motif was an icon in the 70’s, but now the crochet squares are back in the limelight. i have seen Granny Square made into curtains, dresses, skirts, scarfs, hats, bags, coasters, and Afghans. And now you can even crochet scrubbies. Yes, scrubbies for the kitchen. But first, let’s look at the traditional granny square. On the home page I shared Erica’s Arndt video on how to crochet a Granny Square. Erica’s does an excellent job going through the steps in making a Granny Square.

If you have not viewed the video, you will be missing out on the tips she uses such as weaving in the threads as you make the squares and more. I used the Lori Holt Chunky Thread, which is a DK sports weight yarn #2. It is worth buying this yarn for the details of the stitch is wonderful to behold. I bought this yarn on Amazon. A good substitute yarn would be the Bernat Softee Cotton Yarn. I used size G crochet hook to make the Granny Square and it came to 3 1/4 inches square when completed. I followed the instructions in the video and was amazed how it came out. Erica’s instructions are easy to follow, and I loved how she weaved in the tails as you crochet the square. Many times, I find it time consuming to weave all the ends in after making an item. I still have not weaved in all the ends on a Dr. Who scarf I made. It is still in the basket waiting to be completed. Now, I am rethinking my methodology when crocheting or knitting when it comes to weaving in loose ends. I would definitely mix up the colors like Erica did and make this a fun project. I am thinking about turning the Granny Square into a scarf by either crocheting the ends together or sewing it together. Check back here for updates to come later.

Now for the scrubbies. . .if you got the basics down in crocheting the traditional granny square then you can make the scrubbies using the same instructions as in Erica’s video [see written instructions on YouTube]. Look at the picture above and you’ll see the exact 4 rows of the pattern. I will be adding an extra row to the scrubbies since I feel it is too small a size for me. My scrubby I made ended up the same size as the traditional granny square and I used a larger hook size H. I would like my scrubby to be a little larger when scrubbing the sink, dishes, pots, and pans. Below is the crochet graph of a Granny Square. It is the same pattern that Erica uses in the video. The only difference is the chain 3 at the beginning of each new row. Erica uses a chain 2 at the beginning of each row. The scrubbies uses the graph pattern below.

You can order the materials and download the free pattern of the scrubbies at Lion Brand web site by clicking on the button below.

Lion Brand – Julia Scrubbies

The scrubbies use Stitch Soak Scrub Nylon yarn. The nylon yarn looks like round chain links that are weaved together. For beginners, I would use darker colors to see your stitches better, but it is totally up to you on what color you desire to use. Also, this nylon yarn can get tangled easily, so be careful on finding the end of the yarn in the ball. It seems that some balls the end of the yarn was pushed down inside the ball. Before pulling it out, I would just cut it before it goes into the center of the ball, or you will get a mess as shown in the picture below on the blue color ball. I still could not find the end. Augh! Be patient and take it slow when first making this scrubby.