If this is your first time reading about my current crochet challenge, make sure you go back and read this post for a refresher or my self-imposed rules.
As I post each square, I will post the name and difficulty rating given to each square by Diana Krenz in her book 100 Vibrant Granny Squares, which I’m using for this challenge. Then I will give my difficulty rating and notes about the yarn I used and any new stitches, etc., that I encounter.
Ariane Square (1/100)
The author dedicated this square to her youngest sister who I can only imagine must be named Ariane.
Difficulty: Basic (According to the author, basic means that it uses basic stitches in an ordinary way [crocheting into stitches and chain spaces].)
My Rating: 2 (I am going to rate squares on a scale of 1-5, where one is a brand new crocheter and five is an expert crocheter.)
Hook size: H (5 mm)
Yarn: Premier Anti-Pilling Every Day DK
As I began to look through my yarn stash, I happened on the leftover skeins from my Temperature Ornaments (you can find the colors on the linked post), and I thought they would be perfect for these vibrant squares. The pattern makes a 9″ square, but since I used DK instead of worsted weight, my square measures 7.5″.
This was a great square and the pattern was easy to follow. I will note, however, that the font size for the instructions is rather small. As a woman in my *cough* forties who doesn’t yet need reading glasses, I found myself relying more on the charts than the written instructions. I do like how the patterns are written. She gives the option of starting every joined color with a standing stitch and the stitch glossary is quite sufficient.
The major change I made to both squares is that I started with a ch 4 ring instead of a magic ring. I don’t trust magic rings, but if you do and do them well, then you do you.
Why did I rate the difficulty at a two when the author called it basic? I don’t believe that this is a book for a beginner crocheter. If you have just learned the basic stitches, this one might stretch you. To be fair, the back cover of the book does say, “Made for crocheters ready to move beyond the basics, these patterns offer fun challenges that let you step up your game and ignite your creativity.” This book does just that.
Sedna Square (2/100)
Difficulty: Basic
My Rating: 2
Hook size: H (5 mm)
Yarn: Premier Anti-Pilling Every Day DK
(Confession time: I just logged onto the Premier yarn website to link the yarn and they had a beautiful box of assorted colors of this yarn for $24.99. I didn’t buy it, but my confession is that I really wanted to. That, however, would have been breaking rule #4: no new yarn. I might have an addiction…)
On this square I followed the color suggestions in a way. The original square called for three different greens, and I just so happened to have three different greens. So the light, medium, and dark greens are in the same position they appeared in the original pattern though are not at all the same hues.
The Sedna square used most of the same stitches as the first square. The finished product is a little less lacy than the first square.
Project Status: 0/10
This may prove to be the most difficult part of this challenge. I need to come up with ten different projects to use my squares for and only one can be a blanket (rule #5). I have some ideas floating around in my head but need to do some research on how to execute them. I might even make something wearable (yikes! I’ll have to measure!). It is a tenuous balance between showing off the beauty of the square and turning into something useable. Stay tuned for what I come up with!
As a side note, with seven and eight rounds on each of these squares, they would be a great option for a Temperature Blanket with each round standing for the high temperature for a day each week. If you’re interested in Temperature Blankets, check out this page.
What would you make with granny squares? I’d love to hear suggestions.
In the meantime, keep stitching.
Heidi