making a blanket out of granny squares?

[Cerissa Leach]

ive been practing some stiches that ive learned thru youtube and working on getting the granny square stich down. once i do i want to make a baby blanket for my neice who will be born in about 4 months. i read that you could just make a ton of granny squares and then put them together to make a blanket. is that true? and if so what kind of yarn would work best? ill be going to a yarn store so i imagine i will have a ton of selections. and about how much of it should i buy? i will have a few different colors i imagine  but am not sure.  

  im still working on tension, i either have too much or not enough.  i figure that if i do individual granny squares if i mess up on a few then i could just put those aside and not put those in, so it leaves me with room to mess up like i know i will, i did just start learning.

 

  also, one more question, one of the stores here offer a 4 week long crochet class for 90 dollars do you think that its worth it?

[bgs]

Your options using granny squares are limitless.  You can make a blanket by making a large granny square, you can make several small ones in various colors and put them together so that they resemble familiar quilt patterns or use up scraps to make up squares of whatever size you like and put them together.  There are various ways of joining  the squares from just stitching them together, single crocheting them together, join as you go (join as you do the last round of your square) and others.  You can do a search and find out how to do these.  One thing to be mindful of is how you work those ends.  Basically you always want to leave about 6 inches to weave back through your work changing directions which is what locks it in.  If you knot and clip them short they will most likely come undone and your blanket will fall apart.  A few years ago a friend had an afghan that her grandma had made years ago that was coming apart because she knotted and clipped the ends.  I was able to repair it.  I found all the ends, undid them, retied them and stitched the ends down with sewing thread(under other stitches)  Do a search and see the various ways people take care of the ends.  You can find discussions here on these topics also.  I have learned so much from the others on this forum.  

 

I pretty much use Red Heart Super Saver yarns, but Red Heart also make other yarns and so do other companies.  Seems like the Caron pounders are also popular.  You will just have to look and see what's available where you shop and decide from there.  You will find there are different weights of yarn by that I mean diameter of yarn----from thread to a thick chunky.  Here again your options are limitless.

 

I don't know about the classes.  I guess that would depend on if they are covering what you feel you need to learn.  I have mostly learned from books and the internet.

 

Good luck with your project.

[magiccrochetfan]

Hi Flagrl, welcome to the ville

 

What kind of yarn store are you planning to go to?  Different stores will carry different brands.  For a baby blanket you probably want something machine washable and dryable, so acrylic is usually the first choice.  Or you could use an acrylic/wool blend which usually feels a little cushier than 100% acrylic, or something with cotton in it.  Really there are many possible choices of yarn, it's hard to describe them all! ;-)  

 

I think the class could be a very good investment.  Maybe you could ask the store for more information about what it will cover, and talk to someone who has taken it to find out how helpful it was to them.  

[mamarose22]

The Pound of Love yarn is a little softer and slightly lighter weight than Red Heart and might be more desirable for a baby blanket.  It's considered a lightweight worsted.

[AsheSkyler]

I think granny square blankets are pretty nifty, but I'm no good at joining them. There's always a ridge where the squares are sewn together. I guess my advice would be to research how to have as smooth a join as possible between the squares.

[mamarose22]

The ridge is usually a desirable look.  You can join squares by placing right sides together and on the wrong side slip stitch the squares in the back loop (this loop is in the front on the wrong side) or use a ladder stitch.  These are the most desirable way to stitch them together.  You can achieve a different effec by single crocheting them on the right sides, cathing both loops.

[Gingerbread Girl]

There are countless ways to join motifs/grannies, including more decorative methods and there is a way to join as you go, too.

http://www.knotyournanascrochet.com/2013/04/10-different-ways-to-join-granny-squares.html

[mamarose22]

I've often used a join as you go as I hate to have to stitch them together in any manner.  Also I think it saves some yarn.