Traveling Crochet Afghan: Square 8
Hello! My name is Abigail and the maker behind KKAME. I am so excited to finally be able to share square 8 of The Traveling Crochet Afghan. This project is absolutely amazing (and stunning!) and it is such a dream come true to be a part of such an heirloom piece. That being said, being an heirloom piece is exactly why I wanted to so much to join the project.
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Sooo how did the afghan come to me? Let’s dig in to the juicy details! I am sure a handful of you all may already know my story, but here it goes.
Grab the Traveling Crochet Afghan Kit HERE.
My Life in Yarn: KKAME
My story begins behind the wheel of a moped in the quiet provinces of the Philippines. It is summer 2005 and my grandmother was in town! During this time, summers were often spent at my aunt’s home enjoying the slow living of the countryside. I would ride my moped from the house to the beach which passes by grandma’s house.
I waved at her from my moped and I then I hear the shouts. “Abigail! Why you riding that?!” I sped up quickly! Okay so, mopeds are apparently a no no for grandma. Growing up in Hawaii, she was always so strict and proper. I spent that summer sneaking past her house whenever I drove to the beach since then. Whenever we were in the same place, I was called “little Flo” as relatives marveled at our resemblance. I could not see it.
It is 2011 and graduation day! I am the first grandchild to graduate from university. Grandma flew from Hawaii again and to attend the event and was calling me down from my dorm way to early than expected. My head banging with a hangover, I knew she could smell a celebratory night on me as we went for breakfast.
It is 2015, I graduated from my master’s degree without grandma’s presence and I am packing my suitcase. It was my turn to go home and visit grandmother in Hawaii, she was well into her fight against ALS. Now at a long term care home, she no longer could breath on her own, mobility was very limited, and speech was very hard to grasp.
I walk into the room and she is so surprised with my visit – haven’t been in Hawaii for ten years. The machine beeps uncontrollably indicating her excitement. Nevertheless, the first thing she tells me is “get a job here” – wanting me to stay on the island. Here, I give her my gift… the first granny square blanket I have ever made. Embroidered on the side: I love you Mama.
We stay for a month, every day by my grandmother’s side. Not a day goes by without me hearing “you look so much like your grandmother” by staff. Still, I cannot see it. She wears the blanket I made on her lap each time we go out for activities.
2016 and I am packing my suitcase again. I have decided to move back to Hawaii to help care for my grandmother. Fulfilling her wish to get a job and stay. Time flew by and I gradually saw how much I did indeed take after my grandmother. I learned so much about her past. She was a well known seamstress on the island, then one day while going through her craft stash in her dusty little room I find crochet hooks and knitting needles and realize “this is where I got it from!”. We shared the same creative soul! She had such a thirst for travel too! Photo albums filled with wonderful memories of the places she has been.
Day after day I sat next to her and worked on projects, admiring how – indeed – we were much alike. Day after day she would just stare at me. Pretty sure she was thinking how she wished I fixed my hair nicely or how much weight I was gaining haha! All up until the day she passed, it is 2018.
My life on the island – this chapter of discovery… of roots – ended after that. I turned over a new page and began the chapter of adventures. Here I am now, Canada, with the traveling crochet afghan.
Traveling crochet afghan square 8
The Classic Granny Square:
So there it is, my life in yarn. Learning so much about myself through the process of life, death, and grievance. I chose the classic granny square because of the blanket I made for my grandmother. This square represents her, giving her the chance to continue traveling around the globe again, and forever embedded in an art piece – an heirloom.
The classic granny square is made in a continuous pattern, round after round, and expanded into a whole blanket – as I have done for my grandmother’s blanket. It is a perfect beginner crochet project because of it’s repetition and simple stitches. It is my honor to add this square to the Traveling Crochet Afghan and to teach you folks how to make it. Are you ready? Let’s do this!
Pattern
Chain (ch) 4, slip stitch (slst) into first chain to create magic loop
R1: Ch 2, 2 double crochet (dc) into magic loop, ch 2, 3 dc into magic loop, ch 2, 3 dc into magic loop, ch 2, 3 dc into magic loop, ch 2, slst into the top ch at the beginning of the round. (4 clusters)
R2: slst into next stitch, slst into corner space, ch 2, 2 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. |Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. |Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. Ch 1, slst into top ch at the beginning of the round. (8 clusters)
R3: slst into next stitch, slst into corner space, ch 2, 2 dc into space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, slst into top ch at the beginning of the round. (12 clusters)
R4: slst into next stitch, slst into corner space, ch 2, 2 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, slst into top ch at the beginning of the round. (16 clusters)
R5: slst into next stitch, slst into corner space, ch 2, 2 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. |Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, slst into top ch at the beginning of the round. (20 clusters)
R6: slst into next stitch, slst into corner space, ch 2, 2 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, slst into top ch at the beginning of the round. (24 clusters)
R7: slst into next stitch, slst into corner space, ch 2, 2 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, slst into top ch at the beginning of the round. (28 clusters)
R8: slst into next stitch, slst into corner space, ch 2, 2 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space. | Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, 3 dc into space. Ch 1, slst into top ch at the beginning of the round. (32 clusters)
Fasten off with a long tail to seam to the afghan. You are done with square 8 for the traveling crochet afghan!
Thank you so much for sharing this journey with me! Being a part of the traveling crochet afghan is such an honor! I cannot wait to see your squares on IG, remember to tag @knitsandknotsbyame and I would love to hear all about Your own life in yarn in the comments below.
Made a mistake? You might find this post about fixing crochet handy.
Love this square? You might also want to try the Granny Pop Blanket which uses the exact same square!
Try your hand at mosaic crochet with the Coco Kali Afghan, a beautiful crocheted blanket made from a tile like squares.
Until next time,
Abigail
See where the afghan goes to next! We have all the destinations for the #travelingafghans right HERE.
What size hook do you recommend?
What is the stitch gauge for this project?
Hi Rosei! For the traveling afghan, each square calls for a 6mm hook to make a 10×10 square.
I crochet (and knit) very loosely. I usually need to use a hook or needle one to three sizes smaller than suggested by the pattern.
Thank you so much for this wonderful and so beautiful story. It allows me to remenber my own so loved grandmother (my “Mamie Jeanne”) (i’m french). Thanks again, i will make this square thinking about both of our granny <3
Stay safe
That is so kind of you! Our loved ones should always be remembered and live on through our work 💕
Thank you for your reply. I am using a J/6mm hook. However, after completing 5 rounds of the pattern and measuring the square, I determined that it will be smaller than 10 x 10 inches when all 8 round have been completed. Continuing the pattern until the square is 10 x 10 will use more yarn. Since I have only enough yarn to complete the entire project, this means not having enough yarn to complete the project later. This is why I ask for the stitch gauge.
Perhaps try loosening your tension. I used a relatively loose tension on the square so that it drapes loosely 🤗
Fun, its been a long time since I’ve done a granny square. Thanks for sharing it.
Hi,
On r2 in the pattern, you have an extra “Ch 1, 3 dc in corner space, ch2, 3 dc in corner space” because technically the “ ch 2, 2 dc into corner space, ch 2, 3 dc into corner space“ counts as 2 clusters, so the next three make 8 clusters.
However, the video is correct. It’s kind of confusing. Just thought I’d let you know!