Amma - granny square top

Here at last is the recipe for my granny square top, which I'm calling "Amma" because it's Icelandic for "Granny". I finished this top in August, just in time for the last days of summer, and have worn it twice since then (you can see it in action on Instagram). I absolutely love it and it's such a great feeling to wear something you made yourself.

This top is super simple - just two granny squares joined together - and has a loose fit that skims the body - not too clingy and not too boxy. I made this to fit me and it's about 40" in total width. To make it in your preferred size, use your hip or bust measurement (whichever is larger) + desired ease (I added about 2"), divided by 2 as a guideline for the size of your squares.

Example: To fit hip 38" + 2" ease, use 40/2 = 20. Each square should measure 20".

The yarn is Álafoss Einband, which is an Icelandic lace-weight wool. It's light but also warm, just right for Iceland's cooler summers. If you plan to make this for warmer climates or you don't like wool, something like linen might be a good substitute. If you do choose Einband, note that it feels a bit coarse when you're working with it, but it softens after blocking. It also stretches when washed, so it's always best to do a swatch first. Swatching is definitely recommended if you're substituting another yarn.

MATERIALS

3 skeins Álafoss Einband lace-weight wool (50 g/250 m per skein)

3.5 mm crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge

Yarn needle

Stitch markers

GAUGE

5 rounds of granny square = 4" 

STITCHES USED

st - stitch

ss - slip stitch

sc - single crochet

dc - double crochet

ch - chain stitch

INSTRUCTIONS

Granny square (make 2)

Make a traditional granny square in whichever way you like doing them. I like the method below:

Make a magic ring 

Round 1 - Ch 5 (counts as 1st dc + ch 2 throughout), 3 dc into ring, *ch 2, 3 dc into ring*, repeat from * to * once more, ch 2, 2 dc, ss into 3rd ch of beginning ch 5 to join, and pull on the yarn tail to close the ring tight.

Round 2 - Ss into ch 2 sp, ch 5, 3 dc into same space, *ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) into next ch 2 space*, repeat from * to * two times, ch 1, 2 dc in last ch 2 sp, ss into 3rd ch of beginning ch 5 to join.

Round 3 - Ss into ch 2 sp, ch 5, 3 dc into same sp, *ch 1, 3 dc into next ch 1 sp, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) into next ch 2 sp*, repeat from * to *  two times, ch 1, 3 dc in ch 1 sp, ch 1, 2 dc in last ch 2 sp, ss into 3rd ch of beginning ch 5 to join.

Repeat Round 3, making 3 dc into each ch 1 sp and (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) into each ch 2 corner sp for 21 more rounds or until your square is the desired size.

Round 25 (or last round) - Ss in ch 2 sp, ch 3 (counts as 1st dc), dc in same space, dc evenly all the way around, making 3 dc in each ch 2 corner sp, end with 1 dc in last ch 2 sp, join with ss to top of beginning ch 3, fasten off.

Joining

Here is a very basic schematic to give you the general idea. Adjust measurements as needed.

Lay your squares one on top of the other with the right sides facing each other. At the top edge, place a stitch marker approximately 4"* from each side edge to mark the shoulder seams and neck opening. *Or desired shoulder seam length.

From the shoulder, place a marker approx. 7.5"* down each side for the armholes. *Or desired armhole depth.

For the side slits, place markers approximately 4" up from the bottom on each side.

Join the shoulder seams and side seams together using your preferred method. I'm impatient, so I just did a sc join. If I were making another one, I might whipstitch it for a less bulky seam.

Note: You can block your squares before joining them, but once again I was too impatient. I blocked my piece after it was done and that seemed to work out fine for me.

Neckline

Round 1 - With right side facing, join yarn in one corner of the neck opening, ch 1, sc in each st around, join with ss to 1st st.

Round 2 - Ss in each st around, ss into 1st st to join, fasten off.

Sleeves

Round 1 - With right side facing, join yarn at the seam at the bottom of one armhole, ch 1, sc in each st around, ss into 1st sc to join.

Round 2 - Ch 3, dc around, ss into top of beginning ch 3 to join.

Round 3 - Ch 1, sc in each st around, ss into 1st sc to join.

Round 4 - Ss in each st around, ss into 1st ss to join, fasten off.

Repeat for other sleeve.

Hem

Round 1 - With right side facing, join yarn at the seam in one side slit, ch 1, sc evenly around hem making 3 sc in the centre st of each 3 dc corner, ss into 1st sc to join.

Round 2 - Ss in each st around, making 3 ss in the centre sc of each 3 sc corner, ss to 1st st to join, fasten off.

Finishing

Weave in ends and block to size.

Note: I gently washed and hung my top up to dry, letting gravity do the work to stretch and lengthen the piece. This might not work with a different yarn though.

I hope you like this simple little top as much as I do - enjoy!

Summer shrug

It's been awhile since I last linked up with My Creative Space, mainly because I've (clearly) been finding it challenging to figure out some kind of a regular posting schedule that I can stick with.  But I do visit from time to time as it's always fun to see what other creative types are up to. This is what's just come out of my creative space.

summer shrug

It's a little shrug that was super easy to make as it's basically just a rectangle, folded in half and joined on either side to form the sleeves.

I used some black Álafoss Einband, which is a beautiful lace-weight Icelandic wool, from my stash. This took almost exactly two balls (good thing, as that's all I had).  I crocheted mine in a twin-v stitch (instructions from Harmony Guides 101 Stitches to Crochet), but you could easily make something similar in pretty much any stitch pattern, in either crochet or knit. It's actually a great project for experimenting with new stitches or combinations.

Using a 2.5mm hook, I made a chain long enough to reach across my shoulders and back from one sleeve cuff to the other, based on roughly how long I wanted the sleeves to be (for my shrug, this was about 120 stitches). I crocheted the stitch pattern until the rectangle was the width I wanted (about 35 rows for mine), folded the whole thing in half lengthwise and joined the two edges together, stopping at where the underarm would be (for me this was 20 stitches or so) and repeating on the other side to make sleeves.

summer shrug sleeve detail

You could stop here, weave in your ends and be done, but I kept going and crocheted a row of sc all the way around, then a couple more rows of dc to kind of "finish" it off.  I did the same thing around the sleeve cuffs, decreasing a few stitches in the first round of sc.  Weaved in all the ends and voila! A new summer shrug!

summer shrug label

After washing and blocking the yarn got much so much softer and lovelier.  I even stuck one of my new labels in it just because I thought it was pretty!

Check out more creative spaces here.