Posted on 11 Comments

Granny Square Sampler Revisited

Granny Square Sampler Revisited, at Polka Dot Cottage

Were you reading this blog in the summer of 2012? If so, then you might remember the Granny Square Sampler.

This was a crochet-along hosted by Blair of Wise Craft, and it was inspired by a sampler afghan she saw in an old magazine.

I jumped on the bandwagon back then, happy to be a part of a group thing, but eventually I let it languish. See, I had enjoyed being told what to do for each square, and was a bit disappointed to not also be told how to arrange the squares together in the end. This was going to take some actual thought on my part, and I was more in the mood for brainless than I was for thinky. So I set it aside.

Fast forward a year and a half, and I am between projects. I’m in a bit of a decluttering mode at home (yay! finally!) and so the idea of starting something new (and possibly acquiring more yarn in the process) doesn’t appeal to me. I don’t have a whole lot of UFOs laying around, but I do have the sampler, and it’s kind of a big one.

I had finished all of the required squares except for one, and I had bought all of this yarn for it that was just sitting there. It really deserved to be completed once and for all.

So, let me show you the two sets of squares I did a long time ago and never shared here (weeks 12 and 13):

Granny Square Sampler Revisited, at Polka Dot Cottage

Granny Square Sampler Revisited, at Polka Dot Cottage

Yeah, I know the green one is missing a round of white. I was going to just leave it like that, but the more I look at it the more it annoys me. I will probably end up fixing it.

These are the ones I just did a few days ago, and they’re the last motifs required for the blanket (week 14):

Granny Square Sampler Revisited, at Polka Dot Cottage

I like them! I found the starting section in the middle to be a bit fiddly, but once you get past that, the rectangle is cool. I’ve considered doing a rectangular granny blanket in the past (as in, a blanket that is just one big rectangular granny), and now I think I may just do that sometime.

Ok, so all of the squares are done now.

Granny Square Sampler Revisited, at Polka Dot Cottage

Are you impressed?

I have stared at this arrangement of squares for a long time, and I can’t get past one thing: putting them together into a blanket I actually like is going to be a challenge.

Let me admit one thing here: I consider the original inspiration afghan to be – how shall I put this? Um, let’s just say, “random.”

I wish I liked random, but I really don’t.

I signed up to do this, though, because I thought I could save it with a coherent color scheme. The more I look at these squares, though, the more I feel that there is no color scheme in the world that could make me love this mish-mosh of squares, if they are to be arranged in the way of the original. I need order. It’s all just too jumbled for me, with motifs looking like they were forced into place. Ugh, I just can’t do it!

So, I came up with an idea: SQUARES

If I can work each of the different groups of motifs into squares that are the same size, and then connect those squares together into a blanket, then I think I will like this.

Let me show you what I mean:

Granny Square Sampler Revisited, at Polka Dot Cottage

So, here I have taken the two largest granny squares, and made them even bigger by adding more rounds to them. I’ve also taken the four granny circles, hooked them together, and then worked around the outside until I had a square of the same size as the other two.

I plan to do this with all of the motifs – turn them into 11-round granny squares – and then use a 12th round on each square to join as I go.

I’m actually kind of excited about this now. Fitting all of these random motifs into standard 11-round squares will be an interesting technical challenge for me, and then arranging those squares into a blanket will be a fun aesthetic challenge.

I do plan to keep this blanket in the van once it’s done, so it really doesn’t have to be the most attractive thing in the world anyway. I’m just glad that it won’t be the ugliest thing in the world either, because I had my doubts!

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Posted on 11 Comments

11 thoughts on “Granny Square Sampler Revisited

  1. I have to admit, I threw mine out. I really didn’t like how it was looking out together & we were moving, so decided to give it up.

    1. I might have done the same, if I were moving 🙂 (sometimes I think I need to pretend to be moving so I can be ruthless about getting rid of stuff!)

  2. Great save! I’m with you on the random. Really like the color scheme!

  3. I’m inspired! Such pretty colors! I remember making a pink and white granny square pillow when I was a little girl. So glad you have a tutorial on how to crochet a granny square too…’cause I don’t remember. Oooh, this would be a good project to take along camping too!

  4. I really love the variation of styles but they all feel like they work together really well. I really love the bigger ones. The swirl ones are also really fun.

  5. Hello
    Every crochet piece is beautiful so created in the colors, a lot of art in your designs
    So don’t hide your work display it in your home it just beautiful.
    Now I’m pulling out my yarns seeing this work of your.

  6. Absolutely love the color scheme you chose. I really like the way you have the random pieces laid out although I feel like they never go together looking the same when they aren’t the same size. The blanket would inevitably turn out slightly lopsided or pinched in some spots. I think you totally nailed it by making all the different squares into the same size! Now you get the look of a great sampler without the strangeness that comes with having a bunch of different shapes and sizes. 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration!

  7. I too was inspired to participate in the crochet-along. I may be missing a few more weeks worth of squares than you were. Something else always comes along that I would rather work on. I have a problem with “random” as well. I like your creative alternative. It makes me want to pull my squares out and see what I need to do to finish up. Thanks for being a diligent blogger. I look forward to seeing what you are up to next.

  8. They were so pretty and some one would have been glad to have gotten them and sewn them together. I have so much yarn and see the pretty colors and it’s like looking in a candy store window on a day when all the windows have been cleaned, the shelves dusted, the new candy put out, the old candy filled, and the sun is hitting the window just right to bounce off the candy to grab our eye and make us want to run our hands through each kind as sand falls when we’re at the beach. Oh! Those lemons, limes, oranges, cherries, yarns,.can you not see them? That is why I have yarn projects all around me. I understand why you threw them away but someone some where is crying I had time to sew that, I have nothing but..ha. When you’re moving its the last thing on your mind. They were Beautiful tho….
    Thank you for listening. God bless!

    1. Oh, I didn’t throw them away! I still have them, and I do intend to finish the blanket someday 🙂
      Thank you for taking the time to comment, though!

  9. Sorry Lisa dear, I’ve been try to change my email from apps six separate top the one I now am using and even tho I’m claiming the Abrahamic promise over my mind and body I think I’m acting in the older age before God restored abram and Sarai with let’s say youthful vigor for one another. I am just learning this iPad, it’s fantastic but unlike a regular tablet. Your work speaks for itself. It’s is beautiful. Keep me posted. Thank u again.

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