Cross Stitch Granny Squares

I, like a lot of crafters I know, am into a lot of different crafts. I knit, crochet, sew, do cross stitch, even paint from time to time.

I love all these crafts by themselves, but I also love it when different crafts combine in the same project, whether that’s literally doing, say, knit and crochet in the same project, or taking a motif or design idea from one craft and translating it into another.

That second case is what’s happening here, with these granny square cross stitch patterns.

Originally designed by Lori Holt of Bee in My Bonnet to be a stitchalong project, this collection of granny squares comes in large and small sizes you can use for different purposes. I love the idea of using the small ones as a border on a project, or stitching the big ones to make the front of a pillow. You could even combine them in a project wit a band of the smaller squares between the larger ones.

Each small pattern is 19 by 19 stitches, which comes out to 1.65 inches or about 4 cm square, while the larger ones are 39 by 39 stitches, or 3.25 inches/8.2 cm square.

As designed the pattern uses 16 colors, as each square uses four different colors and there are four variation. You can use as many or as few colors as you like when you make your design.

You can grab this free pattern from Fat Quarter Shop.

And if you’re interested in crocheting real granny squares, check out this crochet granny square baby blanket, which is the perfect project to practice the basic technique. Or look at this granny square dish towel, which has a motif and color choices that coordinate beautifully with the cross stitch version.

Do you like to combine crafts or do one kind of craft that’s inspired by a different craft? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo: Fat Quarter Shop]