Back to Basics: The Granny Square

The legendary Granny square is one of the first things a burgeoning "hooker" usually learns to make. It's a simple enough pattern -- a sequence of double crochets and chain stitches worked, counterintuitively, in rounds until the square reaches the desired size. More advanced hookers may blow off Granny as too basic or too unsophisticated, but I'm a firm believer that Granny is what you make of her.

For instance, my mother once made a blanket for one of my childhood dolls out of some leftover yarn by simply making a large Granny square that was maybe two feet by two feet. It was a perfect doll-sized blanket and "Cindy" and I never went anywhere without it. I also had a couple of sweater-vest/pullover thingies as a kid that were basically two Granny squares sewn together with little cap-sleeves attached.

As for me, I spent the holiday weekend crocheting about a dozen Granny square dish cloths in coordinating colors to put up for sale at The Sunny Attic. I found I could churn one out in under an hour, even if I included a final row of single crochets as a border. (I had ridiculous quantities of lovely cotton yarn to use up, so I went to town, as you can see from the photo below):

Variegated and self-striping and solid, oh my!

 

It was great fun choosing different color combinations to come up with coordinating sets of dish cloths, and, as always, I loved the instant gratification. I'm in the midst of a pieced afghan right now that involves many, many hexagonal Granny squares (Granny hexagons?) but despite the fact that that one's going to take me a while, it's proving to be a wonderfully portable project. I can throw two or three balls of yarn in my bag and work on the component hexagons pretty much anywhere. And that's the intrinsic beauty of Granny, in my opinion: the versatility. If you stop at one, you've got a nice little dish cloth or baby-doll blanket, but if you keep making them, you can put them together into something bigger. So don't count Granny out!

Make your Black Friday a Sunny Friday!

Now through Monday, November 28th, use the coupon code SUNNYFRIDAY at The Sunny Attic and take 20% off your entire purchase! I've got some more things to add this weekend so stop by often!

Giving Thanks

For me, Thanksgiving triggers one word: kitchen. I grew up in a home where a home-cooked Thanksgiving feast was a foregone conclusion. I still have vivid memories of the way my mother used to literally write out a schedule for her Thanksgiving preparations, complete with corresponding grocery lists (multiple shopping trips were a necessity) and a timeline for preparing the turkey, side dishes, and desserts so that everything would be ready in time for dinner on the fourth Thursday in November.

As an adult, I've celebrated Thanksgiving in a variety of ways... there was the year I'd just had my wisdom teeth out and had to stick to soft foods and liquids on Turkey Day... the year I went to Newport, RI and took advantage of one of the buffets being served at a nearby hotel... the years I've gone to the homes of friends or family... the years I've hosted and cooked the whole dinner myself (and found myself writing out a schedule much like my mother does)... and quiet years when I've spent the holiday by myself. Thanksgiving 2011 will be a quiet, home-alone-with-the-cats holiday for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm looking forward to the downtime and the pleasure of simply being able to do whatever I feel like doing.

But regardless of how I spend Thanksgiving, the association with "kitchen" is still strong. Although I don't always have a lot of time for cooking or baking, it remains one of my favorite pastimes and I seem to have cultivated a love over the years for all kinds of vintage housewares and kitchen-related items. A few months ago, while browsing at Goodwill, I came across an old Corningware pie pan in the famous Cornflower pattern and I had to have it. (Not only do pies turn out better when baked in a ceramic or glass pan in my experience, Corningware just can't be beat as far as quality and durability. For $2.00, that pie pan was truly a steal!) I love retro china patterns, too. I was the lucky recipient of a late great-aunt's wedding china in the discontinued "Rutledge" pattern by Lenox, and my maternal grandmother used to sell Frankoma pottery in her flower shop. (There are boxes of Frankoma dishes in the Mayan-Aztec pattern sitting in my parents' garage just waiting for me!)

And then there is Tupperware.... glorious Tupperware. And Bakelite. And Whirley cow creamers. And highball glasses and martini shakers and swizzle sticks. And bundt pans and jell-o molds. All of these things set my heart a-flutter. I not only love finding great old housewares and ceramics at bargain prices, but I especially love finding something old and usable, like that Corningware pie pan. Good quality kitchenware never goes out of style!

I still remember when I got my first apartment, my mother gave me a few of her kitchen hand-me-downs: some Pyrex measuring cups, old measuring spoons, Tupperware, tongs, and other random things, most of which I've held onto as the years have passed. All of these implements still serve the purpose for which they were intended, and although newer, better, and non-stick-ier items are hitting the marketplace all the time, I cherish my vintage tools for one simple reason: they belong to Mom. Although we live on opposite sides of the country and see each other perhaps once a year (with phone and email to bridge the gap), having her stuff in my kitchen keeps her closer to me, and I treasure that.

Here's to a joyous Thanksgiving full of goodness from the kitchen and the love of family and friends! (And a special birthday shout-out to my amazing mother, B., who has a birthday this Friday. Miss you, Mommy!)

Confessions of a Hooker

My name is Jeanne and I'm a hooker.

No, silly, not that kind of hooker. Hooker as in "crochet hook." (But I bet the first line of this post caught your attention, didn't it?)

My mom taught me to crochet when I was about ten years old, and I've been doing it on and off ever since. It's a fun hobby, easy to learn, and a great way to express your creativity within the framework of an established pattern. I've never considered myself to be a particularly "artsy" type, but give me a nice crochet pattern, some great yarn, and a crochet hook and I will churn out something pretty within a matter of hours, days, or weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the project and the amount of free time I have on my hands.

When someone uninitiated sees me crocheting something, the first words out of their mouth are usually, "Oh! What are you knitting?" I explain, patiently, that what I'm doing is actually crocheting, not knitting. Knitting is accomplished with (usually) a pair of long, pointy needles, whereas crocheting utilizes a single hook. There seems to be a bit of a rivalry between knitters and hookers, too -- personally, I like the fact that crochet projects tend to work up faster and I love all of the fun patterns one can create with a crochet hook -- everything from seashells to the delightful popcorn stitch. (I also know I'm not coordinated enough to manipulate two knitting needles. There are times when a crochet hook is challenging enough!)

The photo at the start of this post is a cute purse that I made from some deliciously soft Caron acrylic yarn, a 99-cent flower pin from the local fabric store, and some wicker-wrapped wooden handles. I found the pattern in my personal crochet Bible, Debbie Stoller's wonderful book, Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker. It is chock-full of awesome projects and is also a great reference for those times when I forget how to decrease, or need to remind myself of the steps involved in executing a perfect triple crochet stitch.

Last Christmas, I made a bunch of hats like the one pictured here for my friends and family. These were easy, one-ball-of-yarn projects, and I found the pattern in a small booklet for sale at a craft shop near my home.

One of my crocheting challenges, though, is that I tend to get bored easily. If I'm working on a huge project, it's a safe bet I'm going to be working on it for a while because I'll get so tired of the repetition that I eventually have to put it away for a while and work on something else. I'm also a sucker for instant gratification, so making a hat or a dish cloth in a couple of hours is often much more appealing to me than working on an afghan for weeks and weeks on end. These little "chrysanthemum" dish cloths were made from another free pattern I found at the craft store, and they're super quick to make. They also have just enough variation and complexity to them that they keep me interested from start to finish. Can't ask for more than that!

Another way I stave off boredom is by using variegated yarn -- that's yarn that has been dyed multiple colors throughout, so as you stitch, the colors change and neat patterns emerge. The fun and visual interest of working with variegated yarn keeps me engaged as I watch the colors play together. I recently discovered self-striping yarn, too, which is a variation on traditional variegated yarn. When you use self-striping yarn, especially in a project worked in rows, you get the advantage of a finished piece that looks like you created the stripes using different colors, but without the hassle of actually having to change yarns during the course of your project. Here are a couple of shots of a self-striped dishcloth I made recently, for example:

And just to prove that I am capable of taking on a bigger project from time to time, here's a picture of the afghan I made for my boyfriend last Christmas:

He loves it but insists it's "too nice" to use and seems to be a bit fearful of wrecking it somehow, even though it's totally machine washable and I could easily repair it if necessary, also. I know where he keeps it, though, so whenever I'm over at his place, I go get "my" afghan to keep warm while we watch TV. It's better than a Snuggie!

Admission to the burning ruins.......

“To inquiring friends: I have troubles today that I did not have yesterday. I had troubles yesterday that I have not today. On this site will be erected shortly a better, bigger, greater Steeplechase Park. Admission to the burning ruins: 10 cents.” – George C. Tilyou

It's safe to say that I'm a confirmed Coney Island-phile. Over the years, I’ve amassed a collection of all kinds of Coney Island-related artwork and ephemera, I’ve railed against the unscrupulous developers (*cough* Joe Sitt/Thor Equities *cough*) that have threatened to do further damage to this already fragile Brooklyn neighborhood, and I’ve documented in photographs many of the visits I’ve made to the place known as “The People’s Playground.” I even worked Coney Island into the plot of the 50,000-word novel I wrote for National Novel Writing Month in 2009.

Recently, I made the decision to put some of my Coney things up for sale at The Sunny Attic -- I have quite a few items that I'm keeping, but it made sense to whittle my collection down to just a few favorite treasures and find good new homes for the rest. Two items have already sold and I will be listing a few more very soon. Feel free to visit the shop and check them out!

I have been in love with Coney Island since the first time I visited it, in 1997, but I think my love for it stretches back even further than that. I can remember an afternoon during my teenage years in the Seattle suburbs…. on the walk home from school one day, I passed an art gallery and saw a really cool painting of the amusement area at Coney Island in the window, complete with the Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone represented. I remember seeing it in music videos, TV shows, and movies, too, and I always knew it was someplace I wanted to go one day.

Over the years, as I learned more about its history, I began to relate to it on a spiritual level. Coney Island is a place that has undergone so many transformations that it’s easy to lose track of them all. Amusement parks came and went, most of them destroyed by fire, but like the mythical Phoenix, the neighborhood and its people always found a way to regenerate. Even in the dark days of so-called “urban renewal,” under the iron fists of people like Robert Moses and Fred Trump, Coney Island remained a place where anyone who could afford the subway fare could go to enjoy the beach, the rides, and the food. I relate to that enterprising, entrepreneurial spirit of independence, of renewal, and of transformation that has drawn so many people there for over a century, because those things aren’t just the story of Coney Island, but they’re the story of myself and my life, too.

When I think of home, I think of Coney Island.

Welcome to The Sunny Attic!

Welcome to The Sunny Attic! I've started this blog -- an adjunct to my Etsy shop of the same name -- as a place to share interesting tidbits, spark conversations, and, of course, to promote my burgeoning business. Thank you for stopping by!

A bit about me... I'm 35 and for as long as I've been alive, I've been a fan of.... well, interesting things. And crafty things. My mother has been crocheting for as long as I can remember, and when I was about ten she very patiently taught me how to use a crochet hook. As often happens, other interests gradually took precedence during my teen years, but I picked up crocheting again in my mid-20s and was surprised at how easy it was to re-learn. Nowadays, I usually have at least three or four different crochet projects going at once -- I crochet things to give as gifts, to keep for myself, or to sell in my shop. I'm fond of smaller projects, like hats, scarves, and dish cloths, since they're easy to mass produce and provide that oh-so-delightful instant gratification, but I've also made more complicated things like amigurumi (small, but complex -- once you make all the component parts you have to put them all together!), afghans, and handbags. I'm currently at work on a gorgeous shawl in a tricky pineapple pattern. It's probably the most challenging pattern I've ever worked, but it's working up beautifully.

In addition to being a confirmed crocheter (or "hooker," as I like to call myself), I'm also very fond of junk shops, flea markets, and antique malls. My home is filled with all manner of interesting odds and ends that I've collected over the years, including some wonderful ephemera from Coney Island, which I'm gradually adding to my Etsy shop, some Frankoma pottery, and other cute vintage things from, quite literally, here, there, and everywhere. Besides crocheting, there is nothing I enjoy quite so much as unearthing a hidden treasure and bringing it home.

Thanks again for visiting The Sunny Attic. Feel free to browse my shop on Etsy and come back here often, too. As I embark on this adventure, I'm sure I'll have many stories to share along the way.