car crochet

granny squares

When I am lucky enough to be the passenger on a long drive, I often get my teeth stuck into some crocheting that I keep in a bag behind my seat.

In keeping with granny blankets and my own upcycling/recycling preference, every single bit of wool is either the ends from something already made (be it tea cosies, gloves, hats or scarves), bits bought at car boot sales/charity shops or oddments that my mum has given me from her knitting projects. Some of it has been around for absolutely years and I can see some of the long gone garments in my minds eye when I’m crochetting away

ends for finishing off

It is a slow process but a brilliant use of my time in the car where I can crochet and chat to JC en route!!

The dog always travels at my feet in our big old X3 and his help is always welcome.

helping?

I have only managed about 75 squares which is surprisingly far from the finished size that I want to eventually achieve and even when all the squares are finished, I will have all the ends to finish off. That is a horrible and very long job but it has to be done. I have joined the squares as I go which reduces the amount of finishing off and it feels like it is evolving nicely but I still have a fair way to go.

yes, helping

I’m not in any hurry though and I have plenty of wool and hopefully plenty of journeys to come so I will get there eventually.

72 squares of odd ends of wool

 

granny squares

lots of different coloured knitted squares

My mum gave me a load of knitted squares recently that she had made from some bits of wool that will have come from any number of things that she has made over time.

The squares are an interesting collection of colours and not necessarily colours that you would instinctively put together. But the joy of a real granny square is that it is made of odd and interesting bits of wool that have no real use anymore.  Putting them together has no plan, it really is all about using up odds and ends.

squares crocheted together in a random way with random bits of wool

This ever growing blanket is something that I fiddle with on a weekend when we are in east anglia and perhaps the weather is a bit dull and cold.  It is slowly changing into a substantial item as I crochet the squares together with oddments of coloured wool of my own.

Who knows how big it will end up being but I have asked mum if she has any more bits that she can knit into more squares.

more knitted squares

It is snuggly and warm when it is over my knee and I am working on it.  My Jack Russell has his eye on it but he already has a crocheted blanket so I think it will find it’s natural home somewhere else.

Perhaps it would be fitting to give it to my mum. She is a granny and I’m sure she could use it for the winter when she is in her draughty little house knitting away.