One of the things I love most about blogging is the opportunity it gives me to build relationships with other talented ladies and the chance it gives me to hear your stories.
A few months ago, one of those talented ladies, Lori, sent me an e-mail where she shared with me a wonderful memory of her grandmother and gifted me a pattern. And to keep the spirit of her message going, I asked her permission to gift it to you all as well.
Throughout the year, Lori’s grandmother saved little balls of yarn scraps in a Kraut jar next to the chair where she crocheted. All the grandchildren would watch the jar of brightly colored yarn scraps grow and grow as they waited excitedly for Thanksgiving when Grandma would gather them around and teach them to make granny squares. Grandma would say “Haken op donderdag!” “Een granny deKen“! “Crochet on Thursday! A Granny Blanket!”
When dinner was finished and the dishes were clean, Grandma would give each child five small balls of yarn from the special Kraut jar and help them begin their squares. Then she would encourage them to be creative and make it there own. They played with colors, mixing them into different variations and amazing themselves and each other with the colorful combinations they came up with.
Small little squares filled the room. The grandchildren loved this time and thought it was just fun time spent with their grandmother. Lori and her siblings didn’t know, until many years later, that grandma and her lady friends at church lovingly sewed all the grannies together into blankets for people who needed help, either through hard times or illness. Those little grannies were not only Grandma’s gift of love to her grandchildren, but also her gift to others.
Lori worked up a little granny star motif for me and in her note to me she wrote,
“It is my gift to you to use, and as Grandma used to say, ‘Make it your little gift of love’. Grandma gave us this little gift and now it can be many! “
So, in the spirit of Lori’s grandmother, I added my own touch to the star and wrote up the pattern to share with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Thank you so much, Lori, for your sweet gift and for sharing your story!
Granny Star
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Skill Level:
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Easy
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Yarn:
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Worsted weight yarn (from your Kraut jar!)
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Hooks:
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H hook / 5 mm
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Notions:
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Tapestry needle
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Make a magic ring.
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Abbreviations Used
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ch
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chain
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dc
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double crochet
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st(s)
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stitch(s)
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sp
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space
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rep
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repeat
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sc
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single crochet
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Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), work 2 dc in ring, ch 1, *3 dc, ch 1, rep from * 4 more times, join and fasten off — 18 sts.
Round 2: Join next color in any ch-1 sp, ch 3, work [2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in same sp, ch 1, *[3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, rep from * 4 more times, join and fasten off — 36 sts.
Round 3: Join next color in any ch-1 sp, ch 1, work 1 sc in same sp, [3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc] in next ch-2 sp, * 1 sc in next ch-1 sp, [3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc] in next ch-2 sp, rep from * 4 more times, join and fasten off — 42 sts.
Ana from Lana & Hilos has created a helpful stitch diagram for this Granny Star. Click here to open the diagram.
Ana from Lana & Hilos has created a helpful stitch diagram for this Granny Star. Click here to open the diagram.
© Copyright 2012 by Petals to Picots
Please refer to my Terms of Use for copyright details.
Thank you for the pattern. I will have to try this.
What a wonderful story! I think I will make up a bunch of these and add them to my Christmas gifts this year
What a sweet story, thank you (both) for sharing this!!
What a lovely memory for your friend Lori. Thank you both for sharing the granny star pattern.
Aw that is so sweet. Thank you both for sharing the pattern;)
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Thanks for the pattern. Hope it’s ok that I use it because I’m a man.
What a wonder “share” God bless.
janie
How many chains for the magic ring?
The first chains made in the pattern is the chain 3 for Round 1. For directions on the magic ring itself, see here: http://www.petalstopicots.com/2011/11/how-to-crochet-magic-ring.html.
Thanks
Lovely story!!! And thanks for passing on the gift to us. I want to make some stars to give away.
How pretty! Thank you very much!
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Lee Ann H
Crochet…Gotta Love It! Blog
Crochet…Gotta Love It! Website (crochet names and rosary patterns)
Kara, I was thinking of drawing a graphic pattern of this granny star. That could be my way of sharing this and paying it forward. Would yopu and your friend give me permission to do so?
Let me know…
Love ♥,
Ana BC (Lanas Hilos)
Thanks so much for sharing the story and the pattern. Both are delightful!
This is so cute and the story is very sweet! I would like to make it in all one color, instead of joining a second color in the spaces how would you continue the pattern? Thanks for sharing!
Hi Carmela! If you would like to do the stars in one color and don’t want to fasten off after each round, you can slip stitch over the stitches until you reach your next space. You can also reconfigure the way you work each round by including the chains for the space in your for stitch, for example, in Round 1 you could Ch 4 (counts as dc and ch 1 space), *3 dc, ch 1, rep from * 4 more times, 2 dc, join in 3rd chain of beginning chain. Make sense?
What sweet memories!! Thank you so much for sharing the story and the pattern!! I am planning to make these as Christmas presents for my sisters. I also think I’ll take some yarn and hooks to our family Christmas and see if any of the cousins would like to learn to make this! Maybe we’ll start a new tradtion…thank you!!!
Thank you for sharing the pattern! You can see mine here: http://creativechaosart.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/crochet-granny-stars.html
Helen x
What lovely, sweet memories of a kind and wonderful grandmother. Brought tears to my eyes. Thanks to you both for sharing the pattern. Blessings, Tammy
What a great story and the pattern is beautiful.
Thanks so much for sharing this at Artsy Corner. Hope to see you again this week
I love this pattern! Saw it on Merry Messy Life’s hump day link party.
Oh my goodness, what a wonderful story, Kara! And to think a reader of your’s gave that to you and shared that story. That is just PRICELESS and I love what you did with the colors. Thanks for sharing at Hookin On Hump Day!
Kara, Thank you for sharing Lori’s story and pattern. What beautiful memories of a sweet caring grandmother. I am thinking I might try this pattern with thread instead of yarn.
My husband is a pastor and each year we give a gift to our deacons and their wives at the Christmas appreciation dinner we have for them. As money has gotten tighter, I have been looking for ideas of things I can make. I thought I might make a “bunch” of these and hang them from branch trees as center pieces and then let the couples take them home.
I’ll let you know how they turn out. I know January and February are a little early to start thinking “Christmas” with so many things coming between.
Thank you again and thanks to Lori!!
wonderful story and will pay it forward! Hugs!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it