Crocheting: The Granny Square

With an Optional Lace Border

Within this article I am going to display several of my favorite Granny Square blankets! I hope you enjoying viewing my work!

Deneale K. Williams, Yahoo Contributor Network
Oct 1, 2007

 

A lot of you may already have heard of the granny square pattern. But for those who haven't, and for the beginner, I am going to describe it to you so you can make your own granny squares, or a big granny square blanket. This is a favorite among many crocheters.

 

What you will need:
Crochet hook of your desired size
Yarn, color and brand of your choice
Scissors

To begin, we will chain five. Then you hold your stitches, and take your hook, and grab the yarn from behind, and take it and pull it through the last stitch, and chain up three. This is your beginning circle.
Now we will double crochet two, bringing the stitches, through the hole that you are holding. The hole you are holding is the circle I mentioned earlier. You are not crocheting within the chain, you are going through it. It will now look as though you have three double crochets, because your chain three up stitch, is there to pretend to be a double crochet.

Next you chain one, then you double crochet three again, making them also going around the loop hole from the beginning. Chain one again, and then double crochet three again. Now you have three double crochet clusters. Again, we double crochet three, and then chain one. Now there are four. We take then chain one, and grab the yarn, come up from behind the first cluster, and your last chain, and pull the yarn through, thus connecting it. It somewhat should look like a small circle now, not yet a square.

Now we chain three, this is going to be our up stitch, that pretends to be a double crochet. With it, we crochet two more double crochets that are going into the gap of your single crochet from the row below it. Chain one, and then in the next hole where a chain stitch is below, we will be making another set of three double crochets.

After each double crochet, is a chain, each and every time. Soon, you will see it taking shape of a small square. As you are doing this, and as you go on, you will see where the corners are or need to be. The corner will be a chain stitch, and you will put your three double crochet clusters in it, and also do your chain stitch, and then thee more double crochet clusters. All of this will be in the one chain stitch, but that is because that is your corner.

The choice of the size of your square is yours. You can make several squares, and stitch them together making a granny square blanket, and have them in one color, or many. Or you can make it one big square and keep going and going. The photo I will provide you with this pattern, will be one huge granny square blanket.

As I have explained in my other patterns, you can do a little of this and that techniques to make your things original. This can happen once you are comfortable, and feel that you can do a little trick here and there. I have found that when doing granny square patterns, I get bored. I will do a row solid from time to time. But you do not have to, or you can make the entire blanket a solid square if you want to.

Doing a solid granny square will only require a chain stitch in the corner, and double crocheting in the stitch below, rather then through the circle, or chain stitches below. There are no clusters, either. It will just be double crochet, one stitch at a time.

Once you have concluded your blanket, you can choose to do a border, or not too. I like to make a solid double crochet final border, and then sometimes I like to do, what looks like a loose lace border. To do the lace border, you will be doing eight chain stitches, then a single crochet to grasp hold to your blanket within the forth stitch. Chain eight again, then a single crochet in the fourth stitch. For my borders I usually like a universal matching color to my blanket, or a variegated color.

Disclaimer: This is my first time WRITING about crochet. I did NOT copy it from a pattern book, I wouldn't even KNOW where to find it in a pattern book. But I do want you to know, I did not use slang or abbreviations, and I am in no way shape or form claiming to be perfect. If there is in fact a mistake in these words, please feel free to contact me on a professional basis, rather then write derogatory comments in the comments section. Writing crochet, is not easy at all! Thank you, and I hope you have enjoyed this pattern!

Published by Deneale K. Williams

123

Crocheting: The Chinese Fan Stitch

Deneale K. Williams, Yahoo Contributor Network
Sep 26, 2007

Through my crocheting experiences, I have found a beautiful stitch that I feel others might be interested in learning. It is called the Chinese fan stitch.

 

 

 

What you will need:

Crochet hook of your choice and size
Yarn of your color choice and type
Scissors

To crochet yourself a blanket from this stitch, first you must decided the measurements, whether it is to be a throw, a queen size blanket, or what. The length you decided, is then what you chain stitch.

In example we will you say you chained 72 stitches.

Now then two of those chain stitches are meant as your going onto the next row. Then into the fifth chain stitch, this is going back within your original chain stitches, going into said chain stitch, you will now be doing double crochets.

You will be putting thirteen stitches within this same chain stitch. It will be tight fitting. After concluding this, go into the fifth chain stitch and and make a single crochet. These actions will be what you copy through out this first row. And only in the first row, this row is unique. Every fifth stitch, has either thirteen double crochets, or a single crochet.

Back and forth.

Remember: your first row will be different from all the others, because it is the beginning.

As you get to the end, you will chain up three, and then above the stitches that have a single crochet in them, within those you will put the double crochet stitch, making two double crochets.

Chain five, then atop of the thirteen double crochets, making a fan stitch, you will be making a single crochet.

In the middle of the fan stitch. After the single crochet atop the fan stitch, chain five again.

In other words, you are doing the same things I explained at the beginning, but you will be making certain that the fan stitch has above it, a single crochet, and that the single crochet, beside the fan stitches, has two double crochets in it.

This is what you keep doing, until you find that you feel your blanket is at the length you want it. In other words, the fan stitch, will have a fan stitch above it.

Not like the shell stitch, if you are familiar. Doing this, everything is the same over and over, row after row.

Allow me to repeat the main thing you are doing after your first original row: two double crochets within your single crochet, then chain five, then above your fan stitch from the previous row, (and in the middle of said fan stitch) a single crochet, and then chain five.

This you do on and on, continuing.

To go onto the next row, simply chain three.

I am attaching photos, for you to enlarge, and get a better view of what it is that you are doing.

This will help you to understand and see what it is that I am describing.

After you have completed your Chinese fan stitch pattern, you will need to make a border. I strongly advise a double crochet stitch border completely around the blanket, to make it more sturdy.

You can do two or more rows, the choice is yours. To do said border, when doing a corner, you will be chaining three double crochets in the next to the last stitch on the edge, in one stitch.

Then you will chain one, and put three double crochets into the next corner stitch on the other side, and then double crochet one in each stitch. Basically you are doing the granny square border without the gaps, you are only using the corner structure.

After you have done said border, if you want to make the Chinese fan stitch as a fancy border you can do so. This time, use the same as the beginning stitch, for just one row, making it look lacy like. If you make another double crochet row on your border, now making it two, at the corner, where you see your chain gap, making the turn as a corner, this is where you put your three corner stitches in this time, then chain one, and then put the three for the other side, all in this same opening.

When crocheting you can do your choice of unique things-making your items original and stand out, making them your own. I strongly advise doing this. Because then when someone tries to take credit for your work, you can go OK, then what is this, or tell me where this is.

And trust me, there are people in this world, who try to take credit for others work, even crocheting. And a lot of hard work goes into it, be proud!
You can use variegated yarn, however as you are learning- any new stitch, for that matter- I think using solids, helps you to see what it is you are really doing and learning.

You can change colors with each new row if you desire too, just be sure to tie and tie your string over and over again, to prevent unraveling.
 
If you find that your skein ends in the middle, simply tie off and connect with the new skein, and knot it tightly, several times over, cutting off extra string lengths, to make the knot less obvious.

This stitch does and will remind you of the common shell stitch, but the fan stitch is bigger, and tighter, and even fancier.
Try to keep your stitches tight, never have them loose, because as with wear and tear, the blanket will look tacky with age.

The yarn I find best to use with any crafting is red heart. It is sturdy, and you can color match better if you happen to run out in the middle.
When learning something new, I try to stick with solids, until I get it down pat. I would suggest the same for you. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Disclaimer: This is my first time WRITING about crochet. I did NOT copy it from a pattern book, I wouldn't even KNOW where to find it in a pattern book. But I do want you to know, I did not use slang or abbreviations, and I am in no way shape or form claiming to be perfect. If there is in fact a mistake in these words, please feel free to contact me on a professional basis, rather then write derogatory comments in the comments section. Writing crochet, is not easy at all! Thank you, and I hope you have enjoyed this pattern!