Granny Square Style: How to Make Limitless Projects from 10 Classic Patterns

by Hyllam Lefèvre

published by Schiffer Craft

At a glance:

Pros

• Clear, easy-to-follow illustrations
• Well-organized variety of patterns
• Step-by-step photos for every stage of each square
• QR codes to additional helpful online resources

Cons

• No left-handed instructions
• Some abbreviations used (s.s. for slip stitch) may not be familiar to US audiences
• QR codes only for online content—no written links
• Only QR codes for help with color changing techniques, no photos in the book itself

Granny Square Style is a lovely introduction to Granny Squares for the beginner crocheter looking to dive into the world of joined motifs. It’s primarily split into three sections - reference and general crochet instruction, in depth instructions for a handful of common granny square variations, and general recipes for five common crochet projects that granny squares are frequently used for. 

The reference and instruction section features beautiful illustrations and pictures explaining all the basic crochet stitches, and the handful of advanced ones, used in the book. In addition to the static visual and written instructions, each technique from slip stitch to final blocking has an associated video linked to the book by use of QR codes. Each video is shot clearly and professionally, showing the movements in motion so if you’re a visual learner, you might not even need the English subtitles turned on. Also, if you like the author’s work, you can find MANY more tutorials on her YouTube @lecrochetdeplume.

The heart of this book is this section on crocheting each of the square motifs. Each square has an introductory splash page with full-page finished example swatch presented on one side and a list of reference information on the other, including the yarn and hook used in the sample, its finished size, a rough stitch chart, the stitches used in the square, and even the page numbers where each stitch used was introduced in the reference section. Flipping onward shows the written pattern with pictures presented for every single row.  These row-by-row pictures are the best part of the book–why haven’t we been doing this right along? The overlapping stitches are so much easier to understand when presented with a series of images like this. The Granny Square patterns introduced progress in difficulty from the most basic to increasingly complex variations, balancing a mix of open and closed stitch patterns that could be used in a huge variety of projects. Any crocheter will find at least one square in here that they find gorgeous, even if the classic granny motif isn’t their cup of tea.

Photos courtesy Schiffer Craft

The final section of this book introduces recipes for many common granny motif projects in order of complexity from simple scarves through complex bags. These patterns give extremely detailed information on how to make copies of the projects provided, but also a more generalized set of instructions and suggestions for makers to design their own variations using the tools found in the book. The construction diagrams are especially helpful for more complex construction like the tote bag, while color variations presented give makers an idea of all the things they can do with this particular pattern even if boho isn’t necessarily their personal style. There are even time estimates for how long a project should take you, for if you’re planning ahead of the holiday season. 

Overall I think this is a solid intro to granny squares for beginning crocheters. It’s beautifully designed, has clear, clever illustrations, and images that are great for visual learners. The videos are a nice touch that could help even the most reluctant crafters and the layout makes for ease of flipping back and forth while keeping all necessary reference info in one convenient place. Grab a copy at your local yarn store or indie bookseller and consider stopping by the author’s socials to say hi!

Book Reviewer: Kat C.