In praise of granny squares

We are offering, at the shop, a class on beginning crochet with granny squares, and I've started preparing for it.

First you need to understand that 'granny square' is used in crochet for a motif of any shape. For the purposes of the class, I'm working with the traditional motif known as Old America.

I  was reading Lucy's blog this morning at attic24.typepad.com. She talked about the pleasures of meadows of buttercups and inspired me to try to 
capture the colours of fields of daisies and buttercups, with the flash of red from a poppy here and there.

I've been working with the African flower motif lately

for Heidi Bears animals.

And playing with this motif

from Betty Barnden's book:

But for the moment I need to concentrate on Old America. Maybe people could make a mug cosy during their first session, or a purse bag for a little girl.

Then there are cushions and woman-sized bags to play with, and maybe even a blanket. People who book for another session can try their hands at designing something for themselves. Once they grasp the principles of the square, they can go on to make hexagons and so on, if they choose. Once people have confidence in the basic stitches, there is no limit to what they can do.

Today Doris Chan's new book, Convertible Crochet  arrived; I'll report on that as soon as I've had a good look.

And guess what? I'm making another Happypotamus.