Hooked on Grannies

AFGHAN CROCHET PATTERN

Well, what an adventure this one has been!
About 6 years ago, I picked up a crochet hook for the first time in my life and decided to see what all this crochet stuff was about. Little did I know what I was getting myself into and where that adventure would lead to but boy oh boy am I ever glad I did. A couple of YouTube video’s later, and I was totally hooked! Crochet has become as much a part of my life as eating and breathing.

Just like any other newbie who sets out on this amazing journey, I did not want to make “boring” granny squares in the beginning. Nah, I wanted to make pretty, complicated stuff first time out the gates. Well, I soon learned that there is a little more than meets the eye when you see all these gorgeous blankets that amazing designers create. At that stage, it was Sophie’s Universe, which had just been released by the fabulous Dedri Uys of Lookatwhatimade, and I was determined to have one of these beautiful blankets in my life.

After much frustration and many frogs, my tiny little Sophie was put aside and I decided it was time to maybe learn a teensy bit more before I tackled something like the incredible Sophie, so I set off on a square adventure! Those are nice and small I thought, how difficult can it be. So, I joined a group called Square A Week, run by my fabulous friend Kogi Naidoo and set off on my square adventure. Well, what a fabulous way to hone your crochet skills and really learn lots of new stitches, techniques and how to read a pattern properly.

Hooked on Grannies has been a type of “going back to my roots” design and has been a proper labour of love for me. I’m not very fond of designing squares, to be honest, but I have always loved blankets made up of squares. They make me think of those proper retro blankets that your granny used to make and are just perfect for stash busting and learning.

All of the new designs in the blanket have been named after one of my very special Sunshine fairies, now fondly known as the Dinosaur fairies, who have been part of my team for two years, some of them even a little longer. I thought it would be something special for them to each have their own little Sunshine design. These girls are totally amazing, dedicated and just as committed to Sunshine Land as I am. They teach me new stuffs every single day and although we are scattered all across the globe, have become part of my family.

I hope that you will enjoy this blanket as much as we all have and cannot wait to see your fabulous creations.