Most people don’t want to waste even the tiniest pieces of a broken candy cane, so they use them to flavor their hot chocolate or ice cream. Likewise, I didn’t want to throw away the little balls of red, green and white yarns left after crocheting my candy cane ripples. So I made a scrappy ripple with them, Peppermint Candy Cane, which only created even smaller scrap balls!
I happen to know from crocheting my Flower Garden Granny, last seen in October, that the center of a traditional granny square uses only about two yards of yarn and the next round, about four yards. A tiny ball of yarn, too small to make even a single row in a ripple afghan, can still make several of these little granny squares!
Little square by little square, this will eventually grow into an afghan. Happily, I’m under no pressure to finish it quickly. I have until next Christmas, after all.
alottastitches 
I think you and I must be sisters! LOL I love scraps, too.
I do love to squeeeeze every bit of goodness out of a ball of yarn! 😀
Know of any great scrap patterns for yarn pieces less than two yards long? (other than tying them all together) I should weigh my bagful to see if there are enough for a blanket.
This is great! Only you could come up with this great idea. Only two yards? I may have to experiment with a mitered square to see how large (small?) it would be.
Thanks! The idea’s seed was planted when I ran across this gallery of Granny’s Daughters blankets a while ago. (more ideas here.) It started to grow when I sat down with all those tiny yarn balls and played.
Two things quickly occurred to me, Granny’s Daughters (sometimes called yo-yos – the four “petal” center of a Granny) are little!! 1 1/2″ motifs and I would need a Large amount of the background color of yarn if I was going to make a blanket like those in the gallery. That’s when my larger Christmas Colors Granny squares, which needed no “background” color, popped into my head. PING!!
Yes, just two yards for a Granny’s Daughter motif, but six yards total for my motif (2 for center, 4 more for next round). I know yarn generally goes further when you knit instead of crochet, but I wonder how dense garter stitch fabric compares to crocheting. Isn’t that what mitered squares are? I’m very curious; please share your experiment’s results.
dandylines commented in Ravelry at 4:21 PM December 15, 2011:
” Cheerful and fun granny for a great cause Linda. I am glad you have the patience for a small granny. ”
My reply:
“With join-as-you-go the little squares are quite fun!!
But, the ends, oooh, the ends. 😦 “
RBUTKA62 in Ravelry at 4:55 PM December 15, 2011:
” Awwwwwwwwww,isn’t it pretty! “
I love this Christmas in Grannies!! I’ve always been more favorable to a granny square. Maybe because it was the first style of crochet blankets I learned to do…. But Ripple comes in with a close second of a favorite. With all the patterns out there in crochet world I always side to those two. Beautiful beginnings Linda…!!! Kathy
Oh, “Christmas in Grannies”, what a great name! May I share it?
(Hmmm, wondering how many places I already referred to it as “Christmas Colors”?)
Grannies are great! for scraps and the Ripple? well, it’s FAST! making perfect for charity projects, I think. 🙂
I’d be honored if you used that name…kinda like it myself! It has a ring to it! You are right about ripples and speed….I did quite a few of those when I need one ASAP….once you have that patten rhythm down…you’re on your way! Love the colors you have used in the granny too!….Christmas Wishes to you!….Kathy
It’s official then – this afghan, now and forevermore, shall be known as “Christmas in Grannies”.
Thank you!