Granny squares revisited

Colorful bohemian patterns which date back to at least Victorian times…originally  granny squares were made to use up old scraps of wool left over from other projects or from unravelled outgrown knitwear: the thrifty women of early America would carefully save scraps of yarn and fiber unraveled from old sweaters and socks. As these scraps accumulated, they were crocheted into small squares; the colors combined on the whim of the craftsman. The squares were then sewn together to make a blanket which was both functional and colorful.  Because grandma was no longer up for manual labor, she was often the one to sew the squares together, thus they became GRANNY SQUARES.

This colorful GRANNY SQUARE blanket was though to resemble a Colonial-era rug, which was brought over from England, by way of the Middle East.  By the early 1800’s, the name GRANNY SQUARE AFGHAN was commonly used to describe these blankets made from multi-colored yarn.

Many artists and artisans have revisited this cheerful craft… one of them is Sophie Digard, a Parisian knitwear designer. She began her enterprise in 1999. Fibers made and dyed to her specifications in France are shipped to her workshop in Madagascar where they are hand crocheted, knitted and embroidered into unique works of art. Her work is a great example of taking the granny squares to another…exquisite level.The other so very artistic lady is Ingrid Jansen from wood&wool stool. She uses granny squares to decorate, in a whimsical way and with a great sense of color, objects of everyday use such as stools, hungers, pillows etc. Her wooden stools made fs scrap wood and topped with a crocheted top are simply adorable.

…some images of Sophie Digard work were also taken from the crochet universe…

Klaudia DelmerTue, January 5, 2016Design, DIY