Modern granny square

Oh Granny! I wonder what she would make of the popularity of granny squares and crochet these days? Whether you are new to crochet or a seasoned ‘hooker’ Granny Square Day is a fun day to join the thousands of crochet tragics who take to hook and yarn to create a little square of gorgeousness and to share on social media!

Colourful granny square from a blanket design by Natalie Beard @sewing_the_seeds_of_love

Granny Square Day was created in 2014 by Susan Regalia (@suregal27 on Instagram) after she had just learned to crochet and ‘was enamoured by the cheerful little granny square’. Little did she know that she had just created an International day of celebration for crochet addicts and newbies alike! In 2018 there were over 6000 posts on Instagram and Granny Square Day became a fun international event to promote the craft of crochet for beginners and seasoned crocheters. August has become Granny Square month, with the auspicious day, 15th August, being marked as Granny’s special day. Look for the hashtag #grannysquareday2020 on Instagram to see how trendy Granny has become!

I designed this granny square from a faithful old crochet blanket in my blanket stash that I could not find a pattern for anywhere.

if you are looking for a new hobby why not give crochet a try? There are hundreds of beginner friendly tutorials all over social media – Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Being a visual person my goto is Instagram or YouTube. There are countless tutorials for every level of expertise and even for left handers like me which opened up a whole new world for me in crochet.

August in the Hunter Valley, Australia is perfect for cosying up on the couch learning a new craft. This square was square one in a Crochet along I did in August. Design by @little_crochet_makes for @knitcrafthq Crochet along.
Block number two for the @knitcrafthq August crochet along by @loveandloop
Nautilus granny square for the August @knitcrafthq crochet along by Eleonora @coastalcrochet

Crocheting has become an inexpensive art form without doubt. There is endless choice of yarn and hooks are cheap too. I use a lot of acrylic yarn these days as it is reasonably priced, available in so many delicious colours and easy to launder in a finished item. It’s great for gifts! There are countless free crochet designs on Etsy, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. My goto is Instagram where I meet inspirational designers and ‘hang’ with my tribe!

For me, crochet is meditative and portable and socially acceptable! You can take crochet everywhere and hook at any time, but I would caution against hooking whilst you are driving! (Don’t ask about that!) The international crochet community online is supportive and friendly too. Crochet is the perfect thing to do curled up on a comfy sofa watching TV or listening to audio books or podcasts, with or without the family and cake.

There she is! My Granny! Natalie @sewing_the_seeds_of_love for her blanket design published in Simply Crochet magazine, issue 100

Why not check out #grannysquareday2020 to see what I am raving about? I have had a lot of fun hooking up squares and learning new techniques from designs on Instagram this month. You will recognise the classic granny square which is still popular but there are some talented designers doing amazing modern designs in swoon worthy colour combinations to tempt you. Is this your new hobby? I guarantee you will be ‘hooked’. I hope to see you hanging with my tribe on social media!