Solid grannies with a hint of texture, just enough to keep it from being a boring double crochet solid granny, but no cables, either. Using a stitch like the one I'm calling "spike" shows the same on front and back. Very nice I think. I did not make this stitch up, I learned it by watching a video by Lily Chin, "Mosaic Magic". Of course this is the most basic mosaic stitch she teaches, if you want to learn more of making a dense, gorgeous blanket using one or multiple colors with amazing designs, without carrying the colors like you do in normal colorwork, you'll need to go to the Interweave store and buy the video. There is also a pattern book. I happened to come across a special where the book and the DVD were sold together, so I got lucky. Very interesting technique and patterns!
Okay, so you know I'm naming this Team Granny because, like many designers who name their designs on the color they made it up in, I couldn't think of anything better. It's just a solid granny stitch with one variation, and I'm making it in the beautiful purple/gold LSU colors. (In winter, you'll see a lot of yards in Louisiana planted with purple and gold pansies - that tidbit of knowledge was free).
Team Granny
I am using Lionbrand's Vanna's Choice (worsted weight) in Purple, Mustard, and White.
Hook: I
You also need scissors and a darning needle.
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Edited (06/01/2014) because my original instructions made a cupped square. I decided to st art over, and just do a simple DC flat granny square. I prefer no holes in my square, meaning even the corners are solid. (it's the same as I did the first time, except the corners are made correctly this time, thus insuring a flat square rather than an ill-fitting, cupped square).
You could actually choose any style granny square, as long as it's a solid color until that last row. Go to http://www.ravelry.com/patterns, click "crochet" and do a search for "granny square".
Instructions
Color1: (I used purple and gold respectively) Make flat granny square up through row 4.
Color2: (I used white on all blocks).
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Color1: Use the granny square of your choice, all rows same color.
Color2: Last row.
I stopped at Round 4 with Round 5 being white (color2), however if you want it bigger, just keep repeating Round 4. Your numbers will change but the pattern will not. Unless, of course, you choose to incorporate a design, such as post crocheting to form cables. I just needed to finish this quickly and get it delivered, so my choice is to keep to the old adage "less is better".
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Joining:
I now have gold blocks edged in white, and purple blocks edged in white.
I am now going to join using Zooty Owl's Visible Join method, with purple. If I were going for Mardi Gras colors, I'd join with green :)
Here are some pictures of the process. As of today I only have 4 done, and that's okay. I'll be working on this all summer. it's a work in progress until I say it's done :) Of course, that joining part won't be done until last, I just wanted to see how it would look. I like it!
The next day:
So, yesterday I posted that four-square picture on Facebook, and you'd know it. It's LSU colors! Within 5 minutes I had a request to buy it! Well, expanded to the size of a baby blanket for an upcoming baby shower in which the theme is, yep. LSU. So yesterday afternoon/last evening I sat and crocheted some more.
One skein of Vanna's Choice worsted weight yarn is 170 yards. I got exactly 7 blocks of rows 1-5, with maybe 2-3 yards left over.
A quality photo of the completed project will be added here soon!
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06/07/2014
Finished!
