Book Review: ‘Granny Square Fashion’…

Welcome to this book review of ‘Granny Square Fashion’ by Cassie Ward…

I’ve been sent a complimentary copy of the book by the publisher Search Press. Cassie invited me to be part of a ‘book tour’ on social media with different creators sharing designs from her new book each day throughout March. I didn’t hesitate and of course said yes!

Supporting fellow designers is really important to me and any opportunity to showcase and promote crochet is a good thing… but my review will be honest! 😊

I met Cassie in person at Yarndale back in 2019. That’s nearly 5 years ago which I can’t quite believe…😊

And I loved Cassie’s previous book published in 2020 from which I made a top and my daughter a poncho…

Here’s sweet little Salty with the top I made in progress 4 years ago. A photo which brought me a smile as I was scrolling through old photos to find the top I made…

Anyhow, back to Cassie’s BRAND NEW book, ‘Granny Square Fashion’!

Whilst I absolutely loved Cassie’s previous book, this new book certainly feels more like a reflection of Cassie’s Instagram account ‘The Missing Yarn’

Cassie designs and creates many pieces for magazines which frequently make the front covers. If you’ve seen a crochet magazine on the shelf of a shop, and noticed the front cover, then I can guarantee you’ve probably seen one of Cassie’s garment designs!

Cassie’s designs are always instantly recognisable with her use of bright and bold colours, and garments often made up of motifs joined.

So when I first received this new book and saw the 15 designs within the pages, I smiled because they really are very very ‘Cassie’!

There are 15 designs including both garments and accessories. I absolutely adore this sixties style mini dress – what a design!

There are also bags, a hat, headband, wrap, cowl, tank top, cardigans, jumpers and more!

Whilst the pieces are all shown together as a bright and colourful collection, these designs can of course be made in more muted colours or in single colours too to suit individual tastes and styles.

Each design has a full written pattern as well as diagrams and a chart which is just brilliant. So whether you prefer a written pattern or appreciate the help a chart can give then this book really does have all you need to help you easily create the designs.

And because the designs in this book are all based on the humble granny square they really are easy to achieve. It’s definitely very beginner friendly and amazing creations can be made.

There’s a section on reading patterns and charts, a section on joining squares, as well as a section on special stitches and techniques used.

It’s a clear and easy to use book with plenty of tips and explanations.

The garments are all size inclusive with actual chest measurements ranging up to 60 inches. And I adore that there’s a male model showcasing one of the designs…

The patterns are all in UK crochet terminology. A version of the book with US terms is being released a little later this year and will be called ‘Granny Square Chic’.

I chose to make the bucket hat from the book. I do always love a hat and a crocheted summer bucket hat has been something I’ve wanted to make for ages so this was the perfect opportunity…

And I absolutely love it! It was a joy to make and I chose sunset colours against a contrasting black background.

The only adaptations I made to the design (I’m a designer too so I can’t help myself!😆) was to not turn the granny square on each round and I also used my own joining method. Turning a granny square is often recommended to prevent the ‘granny lean’, which can make a square look a little skewed and Cassie explains this in the book.

Turning projects made in the round is something I often do for the exact same reason. But on this occasion for the small squares required for the hat, I decided to keep the right side facing…

My tension using a 4.5mm hook and DK yarn was a little tighter than the tension recommended in the book and my first granny square was smaller than suggested. I could have gone up a hook size to match the tension but I decided to stick with the 4.5mm rather than go up a hook size because I wanted my hat to fit snugly. And as expected my hat did come out a teeny bit smaller than the measurements given in the book but it really is the perfect size for me – it isn’t going to blow away in the wind which is an important consideration by the sea!!

This book really is a fabulous resource for fashion-led, granny square projects. Starting with a classic granny square, you can then make a whole range of larger projects by joining multiple squares and Cassie really guides the reader how to do this perfectly.

I love a crochet book when the personality and style of the author and designer shines through and that’s another reason I particularly love this book. Cassie writes a lovely introduction and her acknowledgments at the end are heartfelt and honest – so very beautiful. ❤️

The sign of a good book is when it’s not just you enjoying it and other people notice it too. With my copy of the book on display at home when a friend popped by last weekend, she instantly spotted it, flicked through the pages and had chosen at least three projects she wanted to make!

So this is certainly a book which I can highly recommend for fun granny square projects…

Happy Crocheting Everyone! 😊💙