Confessions of a knitter (and how I fell in love with Granny Squares) 🧶
How I discovered Crochet and Granny Squares, and put together new Gradient Duo sets perfect for starting together
Hello my crafty friend,
I have a little confession: for years I looked at crochet with a certain distance.
Those who know me know that knitting is my first love, and it is still. Crochet never really got me. I wasn't convinced by the fabric structure, especially for wearables, and I'll admit that sometimes I found it a bit too "vintage" or outdated. The feeling came mostly from thinking of those classic granny blankets often made with a mix of yellow, red, green, blue, black, and white all thrown together; they made for a "noisy" effect that reminds me of the image appearing on TV in the night, were trasmissions was off, back in my childhood.
I do usually prefer something little more modern, linear, or harmonious in terms of color. In fact I do deeply appreciate crocheters, wether designer or maker, with a modern approach like the brilliant Molla Mills and Therese Hagstedt, know on socials as Tipsy Tessie, who got me hooked with her wonderful Crocheted Quilt, or maybe Quilted Crochet? works.
That's where Granny Squares started to intrigue me; there was something that echoed in me. The quilting-like visual and geometric effect, that sense of building something from individual pieces. The way of working from the center outward, the infinite possibility of combining shades and arranging squares together — it all resonated in me and showed me a different approach at both crocheting and knitting.
I think that was part of what brought me back to knitting and hand-dyeing four years ago, when I launched my first Yarn Advent Calendar and a new pattern — after about two years away, after the pandemic hit and I lost myself, unsure of where to bring SnailYarn. With my Scrappy Christmas Quilt Advent Calendar and Triangles, a knitted Quilt knitting pattern, while playing with yarns and shapes and, of course, colors, I slowly started to find my way back to my creativity.
Yet I'd never really tried to jump into crochet, until recently.
It all started back in February when I found the cute free pattern Katzie's Bed by Teti Lutsak, that I could not resist making for my sweet older cat, Miku. That brough me the idea of working Granny Squares with my Gradient Sets, which then brought me an idea for my next Advent Calendar (more on that soon!). That's how creativity works, once you open a door, an idea flow in the next one! 😌
So I decided to start making Granny Squares with my Gradient Sets, to see if the idea would have worked, and also just to show crochet swatches to all of you who might prefer or just love crochet as much as knitting. I picked up the crochet hook and got started, and predictably, it was love at first sight.
I am a little obsessed with yarn management in a project, especially if using Gradients sets. In a set, depending on the project, I try to use each color so that it is well balanced among all 5 shades, both visually in the actual project, as well as in term of leftovers, so that they can still be used as a Gradient in a future project.
That's why I decided to work my Granny Squares alternating the direction on the Gradient:
- In one square, I work from the lightest color at the center toward the darker outside.
- In the next one, I reverse the process, from darker color at the center to the lighter outside.
While this perfectly balances the use of each mini skein, it also creates a game of contrasts that, to me, is modern and vibrant, and that got me obsessed, and wanting to crochet Granny Squares in all the Gradient Sets colorway, starting from what I had already on hand.
There are a couple more things in the process that hooked me.
The satisfaction of "finished"
Each little square is a complete project in itself.
I often struggle to maintain focus on long projects and keep working on them until the end (ask my old wips...). For someone like me, who sometimes can't even imagine to actually finish those last, long, apparently endless rounds of a shawl, the feeling of completing a little square in a short time, it gives a feel that push your enthusiasm, and actually makes you want to do more, instead of giving up.
A moment of pure contemplation
In those evenings when I feel too tired to concentrate on just any other projects, these little squares have become my quiet space. What we usually call 'Mindless' work has become sort of 'Mindful' for me. After a couple of rounds, my hands already know what to do, no need to think, not much need to count obsessively (until you don't skip a stitch, or crochet in a stitch twice, but they're so small that unraveling and working again is so easy and feels like it takes almost no time).
This let me to focus on the here and now: on the yarn flowing through my fingers, on the rhythm of the stitches, and above all, on the pure pleasure of watching the colors unwind. Seeing one shade seamlessly blend into the next is an almost meditative exercise that capture my eyes and my restless mind.
It gave me a satisfaction that goes beyond the purpose of a finished project.
While those squares were made with the idea to show how the colors look worked in Crochet, and to give a suggestion of use, and so ultimately to inspire you, they surely became the beginning of a future project. I don’ know which one yet, but one day those little squares will tell me what they’re meant to be.
But right now it doesn't matter. Now it's just about making them, one after another, whenever I feel I just don't know what else to do (can you just sit without nothing to do?), and enjoying the peace and calming effect of that moment.
If you want to try this "color meditation" with me and experience this play of colors and contrasts, I've put together some new Gradient Duo sets in the shop.
Check all the ready to ship Gradient and Gradient Duo Sets
They're made up of pairs of Gradients that are coordinated or in contrast (5 mini skeins per color, for a total of 10 mini skeins of 10 g each) that I've personally selected in a variety of combinations.
Some numbers if you want to start with me:
Here are the technical details for my Granny Squares (worked with a 3.5 mm - US size E/4 - UK size 9 crochet hook):
- Weight: Each little square weighs about 4 g.
- Dimensions: Each side measures about 8.5 cm.
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Set options and yield (both 100 g total):
- Gradient Duo (10 x 10 g): Contains two different shades, coordinated or in contrast. You get about 24 little squares total (12 of each color).
- Gradient Mini (5 x 20 g): Contains a single gradient. You get about 24 little squares total, all in the same color.
❗️Important Yield Information:
In both cases, to get about 24 little squares in total from a 100gr set, it's essential to alternate the Gradient direction: half of the squares of each color need to be worked from light at the center to dark on the outside, and half from dark at the center to light on the outside. If you don't reverse the process, the yield will drop drastically because the outer colors will run out earlier!
But what can you do with them?
You might still be asking: Ok, it sounds amazing and fun, but in the end, what can I make with them? Like I said, I don't have a finished project in my head yet. But surely I have plenty of ideas!
You can just have fun combining and alternating colors and light-to-dark/dark-to-light Granny Squares like in the photo above (my favourite thing to do, like playing with lego!) and see what they inspire you, you might assemble them in a rectangle for a classic lap blanket, you might get creative by incorporating them in a knitted garment/accessory, or create tiny accessories, a keychain popped in my mind just now while writing! The sky is the only limit!
To give you an idea of the surface you can cover by combining little squares, here are some numbers with some different arrangements:
- 100 g (24 little squares): arranged 6x4, you get a panel of about 51 x 34 cm, the perfect size for one panel of a pillow cover or of a tote bag.
- 200 g (48 little squares): arranged 6x8, about 51 x 68 cm.
- 300 g (72 little squares): arranged 8x9, about 68 x 76.5 cm.
- 400 g (96 little squares): arranged 8x12, about 68 x 102 cm.
- 500 g (120 little squares): arranged 10x12, about 85 x 102 cm, will make for a perfect lap blanket, or arranged 20x6, about 170 x 51 cm, will make for a lovely big wrap.
In other words, the more sets you combine, the more little squares you make, the bigger the surface grows... along with the relaxation (and fun, of course!) 😌.
Check all the ready to ship Gradient and Gradient Duo Sets
You don't always need a complicated plan or a difficult pattern to be creative. Sometimes all it takes is five rounds, five shades, and the pleasure of watching the world taking color, one stitch at a time.
What's next?
If crochet really isn't for you, don't worry: knitting remains my first love, and in the meantime I'm also working on various swatches to inspire you in your next knitting projects.
But if you want to try this "crochet color meditation", and don't know where to start, in my next email I'll give you all the references: the tutorial I followed, my beginner tips, how to start without difficulty and, most importantly, how to hide your tails as you work, so you won't have to weave them all in at the end! (Honestly, I would never manage to do that!)
I'd also love to give you some assembling and finished project ideas, maybe later on, when we'll have enough little squares ready, with no rush, each one at its own time
Shall we start this journey through color together, one finished little square at a time?
A hug,
Valentina
