By Joanne C. Gonzalez
Chances are you’ve crocheted or at least heard of the quintessential granny square. Granny squares transcend time. The Art of Crochet, published by The Butterick Publishing Company in 1891, describes what we now know as the Granny Square as a “block for a slumber robe or an infant’s blanket (page 95).” History reveals their colors come from the scarcity of yarn in the early days of our country. Too expensive to be wasted, yarn had to be used sparingly, and any remnants were saved for future use. The crafter used her hook much as a painter uses his brush to combine colorful yarn scraps into small squares. Tradition records that these colorful motifs, usually sewn together by grandma into a blanket, became known as Granny Square Afghans.

So, if granny squares are that old, why are they so popular? One author attributes their popularity to “their portability, simplicity and the fact that they’re excellent vehicles for using up scraps of yarn and for experimenting with color combinations.” Designer Joanne C. Gonzalez experiments with original color combinations using a technique called waterfall crochet in Annie’s Crochet Waterfall Crochet Granny Squares. The waterfall crochet technique uses chain spaces to form a lattice to work over to achieve the look of mid-row color changes, yet color changes are made only at the end of rounds. This technique demonstrates a new way to carry yarn while creating a clean look to the classic granny square.

Never having seen this technique, I tried it out. The title, waterfall, perfectly describes how a new color fills in the pattern by cascading down into rounds previously crocheted. Joanne teaches the basics with step-by-step instructions and accompanying colorful photograph tutorials. She offers helpful tips and gives detailed instructions for each square. Your end result is a beautiful afghan with 20 different geometrical squares. Embrace this new technique and order yours today!