THE VERSATILE GRANNY SQUARE

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Pillows are another colorful addition to any room. Toss them on chairs, couches, and the family room floor (kids love hanging out on giantfloor pillows). Covering couch pillows that have seen better days is a good way to bring new life to those you thought were ready for the dump. And don't forget the bedroom; to me, a bouquet of crocheted pillows displayed on a bed is like having a summer garden year-round.

Perk up your kitchen with bright coasters, pot holders, placemats, and chair pads. One granny square makes a coaster, two squares (with quilted material sandwiched in between for padding) makes a pot holder, 12 small squares sewn together will make useful placemats, nine medium-size squares will make durable chair pads for your kitchen chairs. How about a welcome mat or scatter rug? Use two or three strands of four-ply yarn held together to make a thick, heavy rug. Working with several different colors held together gives a tweed-type look. Sew a piece of heavy burlap on your rug to make it more durable, and then glue some rubber strips on the bottom to make the rug nonskid. By using coordinating colors, you'll pull your new accessories together for a finished look.

You can either make colorful granny squares by using a different color for each round or by using three different colors for the first three rounds and same color for every fourth round. For example, use three vibrant colors for the first three rounds and then black for the fourth. Using black for your background will make the colors even more striking; using a different color for every round will create a virtual rainbow. Or work round after round with one color until you're bored with it, then change to whatever new color inspires you. You can make the afghan as large as you like; just keep crocheting until you feel the size is right.

My Gramma kept an old steamer trunk filled with granny squares. As a child, I would often spend some of my summer vacation with her. When I was bored, Gramma would send me to her "treasure chest" (that's what she called her steamer trunk), and I would pick out "grannies" and spend hours making different projects. Soon the day was spent and it would be time to fix supper. There never seemed to be a lack of things to do at Gramma's, and I always had something that I made to bring home with me. As I got older, Gramma showed me how to make my own grannies. That's when I began my "treasure chest:" I don't have a steamer trunk yet, but I do have my own version: a wicker laundry basket. My daughters, Delilah and Violet, are competent granny-square makers too, and we are constantly making more grannies to replace used ones, so we always have a substantial supply on-hand.

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