My favorite possession in the whole wide world? The granny square afghan that my grandmother made for me when I was about 12. Honestly, the thing is my #1 decorative influence — it’s full of color and most importantly, homemade love. Of course, I collect vintage afghans a bit… I have a few wonderful ones. The afghan above: $20 from JunqueInTheTrunque, on Etsy.
There are a gazillion possibilities for color combinations. This blue granny square afghan, $26 from VintageEye, Etsy. It’s really big, too — a great price!
This is just like my Lur Lur made!!!! Learn how to crochet your own afghan with these vintage instructions, $3.95 from AntiquesGaloreGal.
I didn’t know that they also made barkcloth that looks like Granny Squares: $35 from GiftsnCrafts, Etsy.
Oh yes, the girls in my family all had crocheted poncho’s too – I had white, Jenni had blue, and Sara had pink. I still have mine. It even has pom poms on the tie-ends. Make your own with these instructions from 1975, Granny Square Magazine, a Woman’s Day Special Edition, $5 at LoveElizabeth, Etsy.
Did your grannies and moms and aunties crochet you afghans, readers? Do you make, or collect them still?
Dozens of beloved vintage afghan designs — upload your photos, too! 
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I just bought a vintage granny square afghan from ebay 2 weeks ago!! It is the traditional black background/multicolor square just like that fleisher pic there and you have, I just love it! Had always loved that color and style and wanted one.
I also have vintage family afghans a multi green one made by Hubby’s mother and a green/gold and a green/pink made by my Great Aunt.
I am a freak for vintage afghans too, so cozy!
Oh, yes, my mom was a granny square maker, I still have a full-size bed afghan (which I don’t pull out often because I don’t want my dog’s hair to attach itself, but when I do I think of it as my mom visiting from the other side.) I had many ponchos usually made for Easter (wish I still had them and the ones mom made for herself) and a hat made out of 3 grannies that when pieced together and put on the head, gave ‘cat’ ears. Oh, how I used to get teased from the kids in school, but I liked it and wore it with pride! I also have a traditional black background with colorful centers that make up flowers that I somehow got passed down to me and I have no idea who made it. It’s in pristine condition, densely crocheted and heavy. It all makes me consider picking up the crochet hook again and making some grannies for a pillow. I often find them in thrift shops and have to pick them up, inspect them and consider them becoming mine. The grannies always bring back memories.
My grandmother had a few of these in her house, but I never liked them. Haha. I could never understand how the blanket was going to keep me warm since there were holes in it. When she passed away, I looked over those afghans (which I am sure my mom took and has some where at home) and took a ton of her quilts. So instead of collecting retro afghans, I go for the vintage quilt. One of the ones I got from her house had old flour bags as one side. I love it.
I really like that poncho though. It’s fun!
A family friend, who is now 96 years young still makes afghans and I have several of hers that are just beautiful. They are classic Americana!
I’ve got a partially-made granny-square afghan by my chair here, and yes, I grew up with them too … but for me, they’ve always just been dead easy, cheerful and cheap.
I have one much like the Fleischer one pictured! My grandma made it!
*smiles*
For now, I hang on to what she did made, and pull them out when I think the cats won’t kneed them to peices. xo
My mom had made me two afgahn-like crocheted blankets with matching pillows. SHe was big into doing crochet and made blankets and hats and scarves like crazy!! Though looking back, she didn’t really do small squares as much. If sh ewere still alive today I would request one
Awesome color combo! Handmade Grandma gifts are indeed priceless. Yours looks so well cared for, But of course!
Making these afgans are a lot of fun but can be slow going if you have a 40 hour day job. I hope to one day make one.
Loved that you shared this!
I have one in brown, yellow and orange, with matching little pieces for the arms of the sofa. My late step-mother gave it to me in the late 70s when she changed her decor to other colors. I don’t think she made it, but whenever I open my linen closet and see it, I think of her. Because I also have a shedding dog, I don’t display the afghan. I don’t want to have to wash it too many times and wear it out. I love looking at the different colorways you show. Maybe it’s time for a granny square revival.
Just a tip for washing afghans, I have very furry kitties too who just LOVE laying on the afghans, haha, so especially the vintage ones which aren’t as colorfast as the new yarn is, wash them in cold water and a gentle setting on the washer so they don’t fade or snag. Mine are acrylic so I do put them in the dryer, they dry fast, but wool probably would need dried flat so they don’t “felt” and shrink up I would assume.
If all I need to do is get pet hair off a blanket or afghan, I toss them in the dryer with an anti-static sheet, and give them a whirl for an hour or so on gentle/low heat. It can take a few whirls to get them reasonably clear if they’re very furry, but overall, it does cause less wear-and-tear and it’s fine for wool.
I have a granny squares afghan, black background with multicolored squares, that was a gift over two decades ago. At first, I didn’t like it because the yarn is synthetic and it felt sticky. But, over the years kids and pets have broken it in, and it seems softer and more comfortable.
Thanks for featuring quilts and afghans over the past couple of days. We have several quilts and a couple of afghans made by our grandmas, and we are so impressed with the work and love that went into them. I’m attempting to make my first quilt. I’m delighted to find I can make neat little stitches by hand, but I’m dismayed to find I am pretty bored with the process. I want to do so many of the things our grandmas have done, like canning veggies, gardening, and sewing. The first two I love, but sewing seems so tedious. But, I’ll stick with it so that a potential grandchild will have a quilt that their grandma made.
Sumac Sue, I made a quilt that is all pieced together (by machine). That was 15 years ago. Then I decided I *must* hand quilt the top or whatever you call it. 15 years later… the quilt is well protected in a closet, but not one more stitch has been made. I need to find a good place to outsource the hand-quilting to. I swear I would do it if the price were *reasonable* enough. Hey, the grandkids won’t … err … know the difference.
This also reminds me, I read a story a few years about about bona-fide grannies who will fix your crochet quilts for you, of you don’t know how to crochet. I need to find them, as mine is raveling in one spot. Anyone know? This sounds like a good little home-based business, considering how much we all seem to treasure our grannies’ crocheting.
Check with yarn shops in your area. They’ll know someone who can help.
Both my paternal grandmother and maternal great-grandmother used to make afghans for us. I had my sofa, office chair and futon draped with them, and had stacks of many more lining the top shelf in my closet back in Arlington. When we moved to California, though, I left them all behind with my mom and sister in Virginia rather than paying to have all that heavy wool shipped west.
I couldn’t stand it! I have been looking for an afghan for our bedroom & the blue one was perfect! Also, the orange & green one will look so good on the back of our 50′s sofa. You can never have too many of these treasures! Can’t wait until they get here!
Nancy, you bought them?! Good for you!
I always loved the granny square afghan on Roseanne. It was such an authentic detail of a working class home–or maybe it just seemed like it ’cause we had one on the back of our couch!
Making one is on my long, long list of things to do.
i have been trying to find everything to make the roseanne blanket. do you happen to know all the colors and or the pattern. if you can please get back to me thank you.
Pam you would be surprised, crocheting is not hard to do and it’s not tedious it’s actually fun!
I taught myself to crochet ( so far I just know the basic stitches, single, double, etc. ) from an old book from my Mom, it had instructions and a few pics of how to do basic things and what was great for me is that it had the left hand crochet since I am a lefty!
I did my first (and only so far) afghan by reading that book, It’s just a simple double crochet the whole way through, but I did 3 rows of double in multiple colors so it’s striped and not just one color. It’s actually fun and very relaxing.
Sitting with one on now. Two cats on it with me. Black with multi-colored squares. Plus the multi-colored cat hair, of course.
My Grandma made me a granny square afghan when I was little, Mom stored it in her cedar chest. It’s still there, I’m just too afraid to put it out with my dogs. I do have two other afghans that Grandma made that I do use, both are in a zig-zag pattern – don’t know what it’s called. I use them all the time in the winter, they’re great, and they look great folded up on the foot of the bed, ready for the next night! I also have my baby blanket in the same pattern, using greens and off-white with tassels. I love it! I have 4 other afghans that I use regularly around my dogs. I went to an estate auction this past spring and there were 4 afghans there, the auctioneer couldn’t get a bid on any of them so they tried to sell them all together. I couldn’t help myself when I thought about all the work and time that the woman spent on them, so I bought them. I got all four of them for $5! I don’t think a couple of them had ever been used even.
oh my goodness, michael, you are the best, just the best, for saving those afghans.
I love the old granny afghans. I’ve made a bunch of them over the years, and still use them everyday. Don’t be afraid to use them, they are pretty rugged… some of mine get washed weekly, others monthly. I used to hand wash them carefully and lay them flat to dry.. no more! Now they just get tossed in the washer and dryer, no need to pamper them.
If you notice some unraveling or long threads showing, borrow or buy a crochet hook, probably a size f or g, Carefully weave the loose threads back thru some of the sturdy parts around it… just use the hook to draw those loose ends back so they’re hidden.
When I give a multi color afghan as a gift, I include the hook with it. I always tell that person they will probably find some ends popping out here and there, once in a while, and show them how to work them back thru the piece, so they won’t show.
Use and enjoy them, that’s what they were made for!
I love my afghans! I come from a family of needlecrafters, starting with my grandmother, who did all kinds of crochet and embroidery. My mother does everything (knit, crochet, sew, quilt, needlepoint, etc) and taught knitting classes for years. I don’t have a granny square afghan, but I have a variety of other style, the “zig-zag” being my favorite. My mother has given me multiple ones over the years and also many quilts. She’s made each of my boys a quilt, as well. Afghans are my favorite, as they keep me warm in the winter watching TV on the couch.
They wash and dry very nicely.
My two favorite zig-zag pattern afghans are made with multiple colors (my mom used her scraps) with one using black as the main alternate color and another one uses white as the main alternate color. I use the white one in my bedroom and the black one in the living room (although I rotate with other quilts/afghans regularly).
All Afghan Owners: This would make such a lovely slide show. If you want to contribute — send me a pic or two at retrorenovation [at] gmail [dot] com. Note: They MUST have a person or a kitty or a dog in them!
Pam- I am weak, what can I say? I did buy both & am very excited! I have been looking for ones those colors ( just got a black background one) but couldn’t find these colors in good shape.
That is a great site- also got a 50′s hair dryer for our new yellow guest bath & a set of Vera sheets!
What a fun day!
Thanks!
nancy – Vera sheets? i am SO JEALOUS! congrats!
Hey… isn’t that model on the cover of the Granny Squares pattern book the actress who played Mindy on the TV show “Mork & Mindy”?
And wasn’t her name… uh, let me think… oh, yeah — PAM?
I know here name, of course: Pam Dawber. Yes, the young woman looks like her – would take more research, though. Pam was one of the top-20 names in the 50s, I believe….
And she’s married to handsome Mark Harmon.
(tee hee)
My Mom made me a granny square afgan too, but we cannot find it. I remember helping to map out the design…my colors were white, bright jungle green and bright orange. WOW! (I had a jungle green & white bedroom). She’s made me several more ‘sedate’ afgans in different colors & patterns, but I sure wish I could find my granny square one -
I’m in on the slide show! I’ll try to get some good pix later and send them to you.
In the meantime, as I was browsing Flickr, I found this photo on MiniJen’s photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mini_jen/755633356/in/set-72157600717470184/
It’s a granny square afghan at Charles Phoenix’s house! (And if you don’t know who he is, you should find out!!)
Nancy — Vera sheets, you ARE a lucky dog!! I recently found Vera place mats and passed them up because of the colorway (stupid me) went back and they weren’t there. ahhhh, of course for only $1!! I was doing the “I have to stop collecting things mantra” but I did pick up a table cloth recently, (unfortunately with spots I may not be able to get out.)
An afghan slide-show? sounds fun! fun! fun!….let me get the camera out.
denise, the “I have to stop collecting things mantra.” That’s a good one as if.
Seems like sitcoms from the 50′s-80′s had either a granny square afghan or one of those barometers that were sort of almost tear dropped shaped hanging on the wall. I want both for my living room.
How many of you have accidentally or on purpose gotten rid of a quilt or afghan, then wished you hadn’t? We managed to lose a quilt made by Wayne’s grandma, and an afghan made by my grandma, during one of our moves. I suspect they were in a box that accidentally got placed in the “take to Goodwill” pile. Both were in rather garish colors, and spent most of the time in the closet, but, still, I hate it that we no longer have them. I hope someone else is enjoying them. Maybe one of you other readers found them and love them. Hope so!
I’ve always loved granny square afghans!!
I’m in Florida. I’ve been picking up home made afghans to send to Haiti. I found a bunch of home made, perfect condition, granny afghans at the Goodwill Outlet. The price of each…..wait for it…..$1.99. Five for $5 beats me, but this was pretty good.
I’ll wash them and get them to people who really need them. I’m knitting one, and my mother and a neighbor knit/crochet squares to be put together. It’s easier for them to accomplish small parts of the project. This began as a project on Ravelry.
CB
Oh pretty please, let’s have a post-our-afghan-pix party!
it’s on my list! this sunday, i think, when folks have time to shoot their pix and upload….
I’m 56 and have been crocheting since I was 14. I remember learning to make grannies in home economics class as a freshman in high school in Tennessee. I hadn’t made any in decades but have soooo many different colors of yarn in my baskets that I’m making a granny bedspread from them and trimming them in a beige yarn. I absolutely love crocheting and even though I work 40+ hours a week, I always crochet a little during my lunch hours. It’s very calming and relieves stress.