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A granny square is a piece of square
The earliest known example of a traditional granny square, designed by a Mrs. Phelps, was published in the April 5, 1885 edition of
According to Edie Eckman in ''The Crochet Answer Book'',
Any granny square begins with a small loop of
Granny square tutorial
{{crochet Crochet
fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not th ...
produced in crochet by working in rounds from the center outward. Granny squares are traditionally handmade as crochet cannot be manufactured by machine. They resemble coarse lace
Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...
. Although there is no theoretical limit to the maximum size of a granny square, crocheters usually create multiple small squares (called " motifs") and assemble the pieces to make clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...
, purses, Afghan blankets, and other household textile
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
s.
Granny square apparel is a cyclical fashion that peaked in the 1970s. As '' Stitch 'n Bitch'' series author Debbie Stoller describes:
Although particular color and pattern schemes for granny squares change with time, this class of motif is a staple among crocheters. Multicolor granny squares are an effective way to use up small amounts of yarn left over from other projects and basic granny square motifs do not require advanced skills to execute.
History
The earliest known example of a traditional granny square, designed by a Mrs. Phelps, was published in the April 5, 1885 edition of Prairie Farmer
''Prairie Farmer'' is a weekly newspaper which covers agricultural and rural news in the state of Illinois. It was first published in 1841 in Chicago, Illinois by John Stephen Wright and was called ''The Union Agriculturist and Western Prairie F ...
. She wrote:
The "crazy work" she refers to is crazy quilting
The term "crazy quilting" is often used to refer to the textile art of crazy patchwork and is sometimes used interchangeably with that term. Crazy quilting does not actually refer to a specific kind of quilting (the needlework which binds two or ...
, which was a popular trend at the time. During this era, it was traditional for women to use black ribbon on the borders between crazy quilt squares - much like the black borders of a traditional granny square.
The granny square motif reappeared in the 1930s, and the pattern was featured in publications such as Fleisher's Afghans.
Construction
According to Edie Eckman in ''The Crochet Answer Book'',
Any granny square begins with a small loop of chain stitch
Chain stitch is a sewing and embroidery technique in which a series of looped stitches form a chain-like pattern. Chain stitch is an ancient craft – examples of surviving Chinese chain stitch embroidery worked in silk thread have been dated ...
es. Basic granny squares alternate sets of double stitches and chain stitches. Variant patterns use different stitch types or produce other geometric shapes such as hexagons. In order to achieve a distinct angle at the corners the designer uses extra chain stitches. Subsequent rounds are added by wrapping multiple stitches around the existing chain stitches. Hundreds of variant motifs are in use and entire books have been devoted to granny square designs.Eckman, pp. 97, 158.
References
Further reading
*Cottrell, Susan; & Cindy Weloth. ''The New Granny Square'', Ogden, Utah: Lark/Chapelle, 2006.External links
Granny square tutorial
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