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]

I was recently approached by Alyssa, the cross stitcher behind the Etsy shop Stitchonomy, to take a look at her cross stitch pattern subscription club, known as The Pattern Club.

I took a look around and there’s a lot of cute stuff and fun options you’ll want to check out, especially if you love themed patterns that are small, easy to stitch and fun to combine.

The Pattern Club combines cross stitching with a social network. When you open the site you’ll see a news feed and have the ability to share updates much like you would on Facebook. You can see who is online, have buddies and post your own updates and photos. The community aspect is a little sparse right now but that should only grow.

The stitch along hub is the place to find the most recent patterns and information on the current stitchalong. As of this writing the Book Lover’s stitchalong was happening, with little designs like Peter Rabbit, a skull for Hamlet and keys for Jane Eyre as well as authors including Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen.

Other pattern collections include European designs, Halloween, ocean life, an allotment garden and more. Alyssa tells me there’s a new theme every month that either she picks or members in the community suggest. You can stitch just the patterns you want or put them together to make a larger collage.

The Stitchanomini vault gives you access to all of the previous patterns, and new patterns are released daily through the stitchalong. You can download individual patterns (most of them are 19 by 19 stitches) as PDFs or Pattern Keeper files. The PDFs include a color and black and white chart as well as a floss list.

Another cool thing you can do is build your own pattern collages from all of the squares that have been released. The collage configurator allows you to add patterns of your choosing to a grid ranging from 2×2 patterns up to 4×4. You can scroll through all the current patterns or search by theme and size to make a project that suits your needs. (Above is an example I made kind of at random but you get the idea.)

If you want to check it out, you can grab a three-day free trial and see all the pattern options. Membership is $7.99 a month, or if you pay for a year at a time you’ll get two months free. In addition to the patterns in the club, members receive discounts on patterns and supplies purchased through the shop within the club. Annual members get access to three paid/retired stitchalongs and lifetime members receive all retired patterns.

If you check it out I’d love to hear what you think!

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