Review The Granny Square Card Deck
Review of The Granny Square Card Deck
50 Mix & Match Designs
Claire Montgomerie
While watching Thelauragracee on Instagram, I came across her videos of making all the granny squares from a card deck. She spins a wheel to decide which square to make next.
I really loved the different squares she was showing and wanted a deck for myself.
Unfortunately, here in the Netherlands, I couldn't find the exact deck Laura was using for an affordable price. The only versions I could find were in Dutch or German. I can't crochet from patterns in those languages (yes, I know, I'm Dutch, but I learned to crochet using US terms).
Laura uses The Granny Square Stitches Card Deck. So, while I'm waiting for that deck to become more affordable, I bought the original The Granny Square Card Deck instead.
I'm not planning to make every square, just the ones that catch my eye. I actually like that about this deck. You don't have to make a complete project from the book. You can just pick a square you like and start crocheting.
What do you get in this deck?
When you open the box, you're first greeted by a user guide. It explains hook sizes, yarn weights, stitch chart symbols, special stitches, joining your squares, and offers some helpful advice on choosing colours.
There's also a small booklet with information about other products available in this series.
The deck itself contains 50 individual cards. They are sturdier than I expected, which is a nice surprise. I think this is especially useful because you will probably be taking the cards out and using them while crocheting.
On the front of each card, you'll find a photo of the finished granny square. For me, the examples were true to size, although that will of course depend on your yarn, hook size, and tension.
On the back of each card is the stitch chart. The stitch symbol key can be found in the user guide. Along the left side of the chart, you'll also find notes about that particular square. For example, it tells you about joining all your squares together, which special stitches are used, and whether it's worked in joined rows or unturned rows.
I really like having one square per card. You don't have to keep flipping through a book to find the pattern you want to make.
Making the Granny Squares
The first square I made was No. 10: Quartered Solid. I used it to make my Granny Square Triangles Bag. It was very easy to continue increasing the square to the size I needed.
I also made No. 26: Popcorn Flower. It had been a long time since I had used either the popcorn stitch or the puff stitch, so I really needed the user guide. Just to be sure, I also looked up a tutorial on YouTube. It turned out that the explanation in the user guide was excellent, and I had understood it correctly. So even though I hadn't used these stitches for a long time, I didn't have much trouble making the square.
Lastly I made No. 45: Poppy. That was a hard one. The first time, I somehow ended up with 9 petals instead of 8. So I had to redo it. Also, I don't think I did the long purple parts right. But hey, it still looks cute.
Is it beginner-friendly?
The good thing is that the user guide explains the special stitches, so you don't have to already know every stitch in the deck.
I would say that the deck is best suited to crocheters who already have some experience and want to try different granny square designs.
One of the things I like about this deck is that you're not limited to one project. You can make the squares exactly as shown, but you can also keep increasing them if you need a larger square. You can then use them for bags, blankets, cushions, or whatever else you can think of.
I used the Quartered Solid square for my Granny Square Triangles Bag and for my Sleepy Bunny Lovey, for example.
I'll probably make more squares in the future. Then I'll have to figure out what to do with them. Maybe I'll make a Chaotic Granny Square Bag!
Do I recommend the Granny Square Card Deck?
Yes, absolutely!I really like the idea of having 50 different granny square designs in one box. It gives me lots of inspiration without having to decide beforehand what project I'm going to make.
However, you do need to be able to read stitch charts. If you can't, this probably isn't the right product for you.
For me, the combination of the clear photos, the stitch charts, the user guide and the variety of designs makes this a fun addition to my crochet supplies.
What I liked:
- The cards are made from sturdy, high-quality cardstock.
- The photographs are beautiful and clear.
- There's a great variety of granny square designs.
- The user guide includes a very useful stitch symbol reference.
- None of the stitches are overly complicated, and the more unusual stitches are explained step by step.
Overall, I'm very happy with The Granny Square Card Deck. I haven't made anywhere near all 50 squares yet, but that's actually part of the fun for me. I can just pick the designs I like and use them in my own projects.
Some squares are easier than others, and I definitely had to redo the Poppy square! But that's also part of crocheting, right?
If you love granny squares and are comfortable reading crochet charts, I think this is a really fun deck to have.
Thank you so much!
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