Saturday, 21 April 2012

Graduated Granny Blanket


I have a crush on granny squares...  I love that they inspire infinite possibilities of colour play, and shape and size combinations, to create something unique every time.  It's the staple pattern that so many of us always come back to when the enthusiasm of a new pattern has been satisfied; and it is the basis of the pattern that I share with you today.

Now something that I am not quite so keen on are variegated yarns; they look so appealing in the shop with some lovely combinations of colours, and I've succumbed to the colourful lure of them more times then I care to remember.  But I have almost always been disappointed with them once I work something up - it must be the control freak in me that just can't give control to the wool!  I saw a blanket made by someone on the internet this week that was absolutely stunning; it had been worked up in lots of different shades of blue and the creator described how she put all of her various blue shades into a bag and randomly took one for each round.  And it looked really, really great.  I must do that, I thought to myself; and then I thought hang on, that is just impossible for me - there is no way that I can just pull a ball out of a bag and not have a heated debate with myself deciding if I like how this is going to look.  This will inevitably be followed by me having another delve until I find something that I like better...  hmm, it is no wonder I have a problem with variegated yarn!  Give me gorgeous, solid colours any day.

What I do like about variegated yarns is the blending of one colour into another, and so I decided to play around with using multiple strands of different solid colours together to produce different effects - and it is quite addictive!  And exciting as you never know what new, blended yarn you are going to create on each round - endless possibilities...  And you can decide where a colour change will occur on your work...  AND as you are using multiple strands, as well as a big chunky hook, your work grows incredibly fast - as well as using up a wool stash quicker than you can say "honey........ my wool basket is empty...... I need to buy some more..."  Everyone's a winner!

So, I give you, the Graduated Granny Blanket -

I NOW HAVE A NEW WEBSITE AND THIS PATTERN CAN BE FOUND AT -


http://psicrochet.com/portfolio-items/graduated-granny/




One rainbow graduated granny.  I do hope I have inspired you to try some yarn blending and maybe a graduated granny of your own.



The colours blend so beautifully together...



I hope you have a wonderful, colourful week.
Happy crocheting!
Karen
xx
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59 comments:

  1. Anonymous21 April 2012 at 11:37

    That is simply beautiful. I must try this. Thank you!

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  2. WoollyBudgie21 April 2012 at 12:08

    Wow! That is a really clever idea and I love how it has turned out!

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  3. Suzanne21 April 2012 at 12:43

    What a great idea! This would be also great for a rug! Thanks for sharing.

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  4. priscilla21 April 2012 at 12:46

    So pretty !! Love the colors !

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  5. lol21 April 2012 at 12:49

    The colors are magnificent!

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  6. Eileen21 April 2012 at 13:51

    Brilliant Idea! Using up stash in a hurry is a great idea! Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Meredith21 April 2012 at 14:15

    Karen your granny is spectacular. The colors merging one into another are brilliant. Love this and your explanation.
    Have a great day,
    Meredith

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  8. Catherine Holman21 April 2012 at 14:33

    Beautiful! The first photo reminds me of a watermelon with the luscious melon color in the middle, blending into the colors of the rind. Thanks for the tip on the four strands!

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  9. Anonymous21 April 2012 at 14:53

    very very nice! followed u here from Ravelry and ur post on the Graduated Granny. my daughter spotted the hex lily pad purse somewhere on the net, she said, and tried to explain it. and now i see it's from ur blog. too cute! how coincidental...

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  10. Lynne21 April 2012 at 15:34

    Gorgeous! Looks great on the couch next to your pillows too!

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  11. Petunia Pill21 April 2012 at 16:04

    This is EXTRAORDINARY! Love, Love, LOVE it! This is going on my to do list...to do for the very near future! I have to finish all my other unfinished projects before I'll allow myself to delve into another! This week's project is helping my almost college graduate daughter pass an online Excel class! Good grief...it has me crazy!

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  12. H21 April 2012 at 17:21

    The way you used the colours are soooo pretty!!!!!!!!! Just Lovely!!

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  13. Jessica21 April 2012 at 20:41

    Absolutely gorgeous!!!! I couldn't help but laugh at your description of your experiences with variegated yarns. I feel the **exact** same way. I fall in love with them in the store, but then have issues letting them just "do their thing" as I knit or crochet. :)

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  14. Eisenman Family21 April 2012 at 23:49

    I would love to make this blanket for my new little niece due in August. Yours is beautiful and I want to make one just like yours. Do you remember what colors you used in each round?

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  15. Ann22 April 2012 at 02:34

    This is beautiful! I love how you used color in this. I'm going to have to employ your technique, it's very ingenious.

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  16. Small Things22 April 2012 at 02:45

    I love the blanket! Wool spectacular!

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  17. Anonymous22 April 2012 at 02:54

    This is gorgeous. I love the colors and love the basket of yarn in the background. Oh I so want to try this. I am also loving your site too:)

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  18. homemade@myplace22 April 2012 at 03:44

    ....Amazing!! wow!
    xxx Alessandra

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  19. kj sunflower22 April 2012 at 04:21

    Oh what a beautiful square! Love how it blends, great idea!

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  20. kj sunflower22 April 2012 at 04:40

    I meant to say thanks for sharing :)

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  21. Neus22 April 2012 at 10:22

    It's very beautiful!! I love the colors you choose.

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  22. moleymakes22 April 2012 at 10:40

    What a simple yet stunning way of creating a graduated rainbow effect. I am definitely going to be putting this on my to do list.

    Thank you for sharing :)

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  23. lucila cabrera22 April 2012 at 17:21

    precioso colores gracias

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  24. Kristen22 April 2012 at 18:20

    That is luscious, and I'll bet it's as warm as toast, too. :)

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  25. heidihill22 April 2012 at 18:58

    so impressive,and inventive...I thought I was pretty good with color until I found you!Really gorgeous,and thank you so much!!!

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  26. Francesca Violetta23 April 2012 at 09:32

    wonderful!!!!! gorgeous!! I love it!!!!

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  27. Karen@colourinasimplelife23 April 2012 at 23:14

    Hey everyone; thanks for such great comments - appreciate each and every one.
    Thanks again
    Karen
    xx

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  28. Julia24 April 2012 at 12:21

    I think this is the loveliest thing Ive seen all day!! Oh how those colours zing and call to the soul - it's completely beautiful!!!

    J xxxxxx

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  29. Becky25 April 2012 at 02:01

    Wow! This is gorgeous and definitely something I am going to try! Thank you solo much for sharing.

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  30. Fleur Cotton25 April 2012 at 11:57

    I absolutely love your blanket. Working with variegated yarns is a craft in itself whether crocheting or knitting as sometimes the end result can be a disaster...but definitely not in this case...superb!

    Fleur xx

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  31. Caren25 April 2012 at 13:35

    Wow very nice! Those colors so that overflow! Really nice! Nice, you're a namesake :)
    Hug, Caren

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  32. needlekrafter5 May 2012 at 02:29

    so beautiful-- your blog is filled with so much inspiration!

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  33. SJ Scott5 May 2012 at 20:27

    Ah, the gorgeousness of it all! Beautiful, beautiful!

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  34. Anonymous6 May 2012 at 22:33

    Lovely!

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  35. andamento7 May 2012 at 22:42

    Hi there, yes it was Expedit units I bought. I got a 4x2 and a 2x2 and have put the smaller one on top of the larger one. I am happy with them, I would like more, but there's no space! I bought white as it's significantly cheaper. Perhaps one day it will be tidy enough for a photo...
    Love the colour blending. I'm still working on your puff hexagons - I've put them aside for now but will be back at them later. It's a long term project I think!
    Anne.

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  36. Uapipewife13 May 2012 at 20:12

    I just saw this method used making a doily out of sewing thread. She used the gradation method of using 4 thread then dropping one and adding another. What an effect. I love it in the yarn too!

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  37. heidihill16 May 2012 at 07:35

    I am deeply sorry about your cat;I have 12,yep,just kept rescuing them every year until I finally was able to spay and neuter the colony,then we seemed to get things under control. I had a couple of cats that I too recently lost that made it to 18,and 17...I am feeling your pain. I too,nursed most of them from just a few weeks old,with cat formulas(KMR-kitten milk replacement) and feedings through a syringe,so I understand how it feels to lose one after so many years!
    Regards,H

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  38. Lea26 May 2012 at 00:45

    I am sorry that you lost your cat. What a beautiful blended yarn crotcheted project, very inspiring!!!

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  39. Ateljee de Kraal19 June 2012 at 12:53

    What a beautifull blanket, that colors..... wauw.
    You've a nice blog, I'm your follower.
    Greetings Hanneke

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  40. Karen Brimhall3 July 2012 at 12:06

    Oh my gosh I love it! Who woulda thought it? Control with variegation! I love you already. Glad I found your blog.

    I am always trying to throw out my control freak. This would totally satisfy it instead. Love your colors!

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  41. Kong Ze20 July 2012 at 03:53

    So beautiful! Thank you very much for sharing this

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  42. Anonymous20 July 2012 at 17:44

    This is just a gorgeous afghan! I absolutely love the colors that you used to make this. Did you ever post the colors that you used? If not, do you have a list of them as I would love to make it in the same colors as you did. Just Beautiful!! Thanks for your creativity.

    Janet

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    Replies
    1. Karen@colourinasimplelife20 July 2012 at 21:05

      Thank you; I used stash yarn, so I can't tell you the exact colours, but most of the colours were Stylecraft Special DK yarn - I had added a good strong orange and a lighter and a darker yellowy green as the stylecraft range lacks these colours (I think they were from a rico acrylic range). I don't know where in the world you come from, but the stylecraft range is quite inexpensive and easily available from online uk yarn suppliers.
      I did 18 rounds; this made a blanket 37 inches square and I changed one colour on each round, but I re-used two of the colours from the middle for the outer 2 rounds. So I used 20 different colours altogether. I should warn you that the last few rows used a lot of yarn...
      The colours were
      1. light pink
      2. mid pink
      3. deep pink
      4. red
      5. salmony-orange
      6. deep orange
      7. mid-orange
      8. saffron-yellow
      9. bright yellow
      10. light green
      11. lime green
      12. dark lime green
      13. light aqua blue
      14. light blue
      15. turquoise
      16. dark green/blue
      17. Indigo blue
      18. blue-violet
      19. magenta
      20. red-purple
      21. dark-pink (reused from middle)
      22. red (reused from middle)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous27 July 2012 at 23:12

      Thanks so much! I will be working on this as my next project. I can't wait to see how it comes out.

      Delete
  43. Annaboo's House15 August 2012 at 14:10

    Hello there!
    Just been surfing around Pinterest and found you!
    Jolly glad I did, too- you have some gorgeous crochet projects here.
    This granny blanket is gorgeous. And a great idea to make your own variegated yarn!
    Thanks for the ideas.
    Have a great week.
    X

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  44. bolso.me6 September 2012 at 18:59

    Beautiful!!!

    Great idea. I'll try, sure.

    Regards

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  45. Franci4 October 2012 at 12:46

    Nicely done - it looks lovely!

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  46. Comberspud15 November 2012 at 23:06

    Wow! I love this! I've never had much love for the granny square, but having stumbled across ur blog via Pinterest I think I'm changing my mind. BTW, I'm just across the water from u in N. Ireland! 👋👋

    As someone relatively new to crochet, I am really grateful to people like yourself who post blogs, tips, patterns and links to useful sites, its a great inspiration!

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  47. Mon Papillon3 December 2012 at 22:04

    WONDERFULLLLLLLLL !!!!!!

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  48. Mon Papillon3 December 2012 at 22:06

    WONDERFULLLLLLLLL !!!!!!

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  49. Unknown9 January 2013 at 19:15

    Hi! I'm doing some blog hopping and have found myself reading all of your posts as your crochet is so inspiring! I LOVE this graduating colour style, just brilliant and I now find myself wondering if I should pull out a ripple blanket I started some time ago and use the yarn to try this! Thanks for sharing. I am now off to read the rest of your posts! Becky x

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  50. Unknown15 January 2013 at 13:36

    Beautiful colour....rainbow is my favourite! Your blog is awesome :)

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  51. Rachel6 February 2013 at 20:46

    Gorgeous. And it looks so warm and comfy!

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  52. Anna18 March 2013 at 21:16

    Wouwie... I want one :-)

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  53. barbi15ca19 March 2013 at 01:53

    This is super nice, trendy but classic too. Love your blog!! Great inspiration to us all. Thank you so much for sharing!

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  54. Soleil22 March 2013 at 13:29

    Oh so lovely! I'm going to crochet the same! Thank you very much!
    ~Olga~
    P.S. As well i beloved in your "Simple Striped Picture"

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  55. Dawn6 April 2013 at 00:59

    AHHH! :D I LOVE THIS! :) I call it ombre granny square ;) love how you changed the colors! This is yarn eye candy at its best! :D ~Dawn

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  56. Unknown24 June 2013 at 19:11

    I am so inspired to knit again, Karen!
    This is such a beautiful artwork to make.

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  57. Unknown8 August 2013 at 22:16

    Wow...This is beautiful. Was it your idea to use 4 strands, and changing 1 color each 4th row?
    Great call.

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