With the renewed interest in crochet, brought about by its use in fashionable ready-to-wear, and the long-running interest in anything antique, vintage, or nostalgic, – most commonly seen in the patchwork quilting phenomenon – there has also come an ever-increasing interest in crochet in general, and the making of rugs, shawls, throws, etc. in the style which has become popularly known as ‘Granny Square Crochet’.

This much-loved style of crochet is arguably the most recognized crochet motif around the world.  Its popularity stems from the facts that it is made from basic stitches and is therefore quick and easy, it is small, very portable, fast and uses up scraps of yarn left over from other projects.  When the motifs are joined together the end result is a very useful, colorful and cosy article which looks and feels very special and yet was both easy and cheap to make.

Adapted from the much finer and more intricate crochet patterns brought by the early European settlers to America, which of course were also time-consuming, granny square crochet became the more practical and useful expression of crochet at a time when practicality and usefulness were much more necessary to everyday life, and indeed survival, than fine and intricate beauty.

Which is not to say that granny square crochet is not beautiful, because it most certainly does have a beauty all its own.  With its wonderful colors, patterns and textures it has aesthetic beauty, but it also has an ethereal beauty, too, or ’soul’ – the ability to touch our hearts, perhaps because it connects us with the ‘humanness’ of the ones who made it, and also because it is so practical.  Granny square rugs, shawls and throws are ‘comfort’ articles.  They are also very satisfying to make.

The basic square is just the starting point to your adventure with granny square crochet, because there are lots of other shapes that can be made, too, and joined together for totally different pattern-ways to those of the basic square.  Then, of course you can be really adventurous and combine several different shapes.  Wow – there’s a whole new world of crochet opening up to us!  Enjoy your crochet life!