In recent years, there’s been a heartwarming resurgence in traditional crafts, with crochet leading the charge. Among the myriad of crochet projects, the granny square blanket stands out as a symbol of warmth, comfort, and nostalgia. It’s a legacy wrapped in countless colourful yarns. This revival has been notably supported by the advent of granny square blanket kits, designed to simplify the crafting process while keeping the essence of creativity and personal touch intact. Let’s dive into the world of granny square blanket kits and explore how they’ve become a cornerstone of the modern crafting movement.
The Essence of Granny Square Blankets
Originating in the early 1800s, granny square blankets have been a staple in homes for centuries. Traditionally, they were crafted from leftover yarns, embodying the ethos of sustainability and resourcefulness. Their design—a square motif with a distinctive cluster-stitch pattern—allows for endless creativity in colour combinations and layout, making each blanket uniquely personal.
The Granny Square Blanket Kit: A Modern Twist on Tradition
Granny square blanket kits have brought a contemporary flair to this age-old craft. These kits are meticulously curated to offer everything needed to embark on a crochet journey, from high-quality yarns in various colours to crochet hooks and detailed patterns. For beginners, these kits demystify the crochet process, breaking down complex patterns into manageable steps. For seasoned crocheters, they offer convenience and inspiration, providing the materials and guidance to experiment with new designs and techniques.
What’s Inside a Granny Square Blanket Kit?
• Yarns: Kits typically include a selection of yarns, often in coordinating colors to ensure a harmonious final product. The yarn quality varies from basic acrylics to luxurious wools, catering to different preferences and budgets.
• Crochet Hook: A crucial tool, the crochet hook’s size is carefully chosen to complement the yarn, ensuring the stitches are tight and uniform.
• Pattern Guide: A step-by-step pattern guide is the heart of the kit, offering clear instructions for crafting the granny squares and assembling the blanket. These guides often include tips for beginners, along with variations for more advanced crafters.
• Extras: Some kits go the extra mile, including accessories like darning needles for sewing squares together, stitch markers, and even storage bags.Why Choose a Granny Square Blanket Kit?
Accessibility: These kits make starting a new project hassle-free, providing all necessary materials in one package. They eliminate the overwhelming choices of yarns and patterns, making crochet accessible to everyone.
Education: For novices, a kit is a fantastic learning tool. It offers a practical way to learn basic stitches and pattern reading, skills that can be applied to future crochet projects.
Giftability: A finished granny square blanket is a heartfelt gift, but so is the kit itself. It’s a thoughtful present for anyone interested in crafts, offering them a project that’s both enjoyable and rewarding.
Sustainability: Embracing the original spirit of granny squares, many kits focus on sustainability, featuring eco-friendly yarns and packaging.
Granny square blanket kits are gateways to creativity, learning, and the preservation of a beloved tradition. They invite crafters of all levels to partake in the joy of crochet, creating pieces that are as unique as they are warm. In a world that often feels too fast-paced, sitting down with a granny square blanket kit offers a moment of peace, a connection to the past, and the satisfaction of creating something beautiful by hand.
Crochet Granny Square Kits We Love
Introducing the new Utterly Aran Yarn, the Catalonia Granny Squares Blanket Crochet Kit. Ideal for beginners, this kit offers an easy pattern for a stunning blanket, with the option to customise colours. The kit includes 15 balls of Utterly Aran Yarn, a darning needle, the crochet pattern, and an optional 5mm hook. Finished size is 90cm x 75cm, and it’s machine washable. The pattern uses UK double and treble crochet stitches, and the showcased model uses a wheat colour for contrast.
Shop the Granny Square Blanket Crochet Kit
The Granny Square blanket kit above features Pro yarn, 100% soft British lambswool, available in three sizes. The kit includes lambswool, an easy-to-follow pattern with pictures, and a crochet hook, all packaged in a luxury gift box. Ideal for beginners and experienced crocheters, the blanket is made from crocheting granny squares with basic stitches. It comes in four colour options and three sizes, with instructions for colour placement and joining squares. The kit also offers a luxury gift experience, making the finished blanket a perfect, soft, and luxurious gift for loved ones or a cosy addition to your home.
The Luxury Bright Granny Square Blanket Crochet Kit includes everything needed to create a vibrant blanket: a crochet pattern, an aluminum “Pony” crochet hook, all necessary wool, and a stitch sheet. Ideal as a gift or personal project, the kit is prepared and shipped within 3 days of ordering. The yarn, a luxury oiled lambswool from the Yorkshire Pennines, becomes exceptionally soft and fluffy after washing. Finished blanket dimensions are approximately 105cm x 105cm.
Shop the Colour Fade Granny Square Kit
This crochet blanket kit, crafted with soft lambswool, is perfect for both beginners and experienced crocheters. It features an easy-to-follow Granny Square pattern, complete with detailed pictures. The kit produces a luxurious, soft blanket ideal as a thoughtful handmade gift and suitable for adding warmth and colour to any room. Each kit includes yarn, a crochet hook, and comprehensive instructions for creating a stunning colour fade effect with three available sizes: standard (105cm x 75cm), large (130cm x 120cm), and extra-large (210cm x 210cm), each packaged in luxury gift boxes. The blanket requires 4 Ply yarn and a 3mm crochet hook.
Shop the Giant Granny Square Blanket Kit
Elevate your crochet experience with our Giant Granny Square Blanket Crochet Kit, a modern twist on the classic design, perfect for those familiar with basic stitches. This easy-level project results in a generously sized blanket ideal for sofas or beds, offering a mindful crafting journey.
Skill Level: Easy
Stitches: Chain, double crochet, treble crochet
Kit Includes:
- Official Wool Couture Pattern
- Yarn in 11 colors (14 x 50g Main Yarn, 18 x 50g in colors A-J)
- Wide Eye Needle
- Optional: 5mm Crochet Hook
- SKU: K1006
Finished Size: Approx. 200cm x 200cm
Looking for a Ready Made Granny Square Blanket?
Shop the Colourful Granny Square Blanket
This vibrant blanket features 144 squares, each in 5 colours, utilising the full spectrum available in the Drops range, enhanced by select complementary shades. It’s framed with a bright pink edge, customisable upon request. Measuring 60 inches square, it comfortably fits over various beds, sofas, and chairs, perfect for cozy gatherings outdoors. An ideal gift for those who adore vivid hues!
Crafted from 100% new cotton, the blanket is machine washable for easy care. The primary yarn is Drops Muskat, a premium Egyptian mercerized cotton known for its strength, durability, and subtle sheen, thanks to the mercerization process which also maintains the blanket’s shape. Additional Anchor cotton yarns are incorporated to enrich the colour palette.
FAQ’s
How Many Granny Squares Do You Need for a Blanket?
The number of granny squares needed for a blanket depends on several factors: the size of the blanket you’re aiming to create, the size of each granny square, and the desired spacing between squares if any. Here’s a basic guide to help you estimate:
- Determine the size of the finished blanket: Common blanket sizes range from baby blankets (typically around 30″x40″) to large afghans (which can be upwards of 50″x60″ or more).
- Size of the granny squares: Granny squares can vary widely in size, from tiny 2″x2″ squares to larger 12″x12″ squares or more.
- Calculate the total area: For simplicity, if you’re making a blanket that is 50 inches by 60 inches (127cm x 152.4cm) and your squares are 5 inches (12.7cm) on each side, you can calculate the number of squares needed by first calculating the area of the blanket and the area of a square, then dividing the former by the latter.
Here’s a quick calculation for a 50″x60″ blanket with 5″x5″ squares:
- Area of the blanket = 50 inches * 60 inches = 3000 square inches.
- Area of one square = 5 inches * 5 inches = 25 square inches.
- Number of squares needed = Total area of the blanket / Area of one square = 3000 / 25 = 120 squares.
This is a simplified calculation and doesn’t take into account any specific design elements such as borders or spacing between squares. Adjustments may be needed based on the actual pattern you’re following.
How Many Rows Should a Granny Square Blanket have?
The number of rows in a granny square for a blanket depends on the desired size of the square, which in turn affects the overall dimensions of the blanket. Typically, granny squares can range from just a few rows to 20 or more. Here’s how to determine the appropriate number of rows:
- Size of the Square: Decide on the size of your granny square. Common sizes include 4″x4″, 6″x6″, 8″x8″, etc. The size will depend on how big you want the individual squares in your blanket to be.
- Gauge: Your yarn and hook size will affect the size of your granny square. It’s a good idea to create a sample square to measure how many rows you need to reach your desired square size.
- Blanket Size: Consider the final size of your blanket. A typical throw might be about 50″x60″. If you’re using 6″x6″ squares, you’d need 8 squares by 10 squares to reach those dimensions, not accounting for any borders or spacing between squares.
- Number of Rows: For a simple calculation, if you’re making a 6″x6″ granny square and find that each row adds approximately 1 inch to the square’s size, you’d need around 6 rows per square. However, this can vary based on your crochet style, yarn, and hook size.
- Design Consideration: The number of rows can also be a design choice. More rows mean a denser, more detailed square, while fewer rows result in a more open, airy design.
To summarize, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer for how many rows should be in a granny square for a blanket. It largely depends on your project requirements and design preferences. Making a test square is always a good starting point to determine how many rows you’ll need for your desired square size.
How Many Balls of Wool Do I Need for a Granny Square Blanket?
The amount of wool needed for a granny square blanket depends on several factors, including the size of the blanket, the size of the granny squares, the thickness of the wool (yarn weight), and the crochet hook size. Here’s a basic approach to estimate the amount of wool needed:
- Sample Square: Crochet a sample granny square using the yarn and hook you plan to use for the blanket. This will help you gauge how much yarn one square consumes.
- Measure Yarn for One Square: After completing the sample square, measure how much yarn it took. One way to do this is by weighing the square if you have a kitchen scale. For example, if a square weighs 10 grams, you have an estimate for the yarn consumption per square.
- Calculate Total Squares: Decide on the blanket size and calculate how many squares you’ll need based on the size of your sample square. For instance, if you’re making a blanket that’s 50″x60″ with 5″x5″ squares, you’d need 120 squares (as calculated in a previous answer).
- Total Yarn Needed: Multiply the amount of yarn needed for one square by the total number of squares. Using the example above, if one square uses 10 grams of yarn, and you need 120 squares, the total yarn needed would be 1200 grams.
- Consider Additional Yarn for Joining and Borders: Don’t forget to account for the yarn you’ll need to join the squares together and any border you plan to add. This can vary widely, but planning for an extra 10-20% yarn on top of what’s needed for the squares is a good rule of thumb.
- Yarn Packaging: Wool is often sold in balls or skeins with the weight indicated on the label. If your total yarn need is 1200 grams and the yarn comes in 100-gram balls, you’d need 12 balls of yarn. Adjust for any extra yarn you’ll need for joining and borders.
This method gives a rough estimate. Your actual yarn consumption may vary based on your crochet technique, the specific stitch pattern of the granny squares, and the yarn’s characteristics. Always buy a little extra to ensure you don’t run out, especial