20-somethings are taking up grandma's hobbies

[Daisys and Diamonds]

i made one that fitted a single bed, we didnt have a single bed so i had to keep taking it up o Gary's mum and dad's to see if it was big enough yet
it was baby blocks so no holes
lots of triangles
i finished sewing it up in the summer- it was very hot draped over my knee every night
i made it out of acrylic because my family is allergic to wool, also many recepiants will just bung it in the washing machine or dryer and then its ruined

my mother in law showed me how to finish off the edges
i also made a smaller one for our old cat Tinky, it was after Gary's mum had died and i used her old wool, and the left overs from the big blanket, it was in Tinky's back door bed for through the day when we were at work
i wish i had kept the blanket, it was for my cousin's child, the first great grandchild in the family, never heard that she liked it, it was in neon colours
now my hands hurt too much

i did go to a short course at a craft supplies shop to learn how to read a pattern as American and British crochet is slighty different
think about ground floor in a lift in the US and 1st floor on a lift in GB (i may have that the wrong way around) but a US trebble is a double stitch in the UK (or do i have that the wrong way around?)

the joy of crochet is in wool (or wool alturnatives) it is very forgiving if you make a boo boo, often depending on the project you dont have to unpick it, i used to make teddy bears out of this 'wool' that knitted up like fur
again hands too sore to make them now

around the turn of this centuary, i was doing quite a lot, we call granny squares peggy squares
be very careful how you google granny into the internet

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

ok not being a Debbie downer and Gary is definatly on the mend,
but he just had almost a week in CCU, in his room they had a warmer that looked like a wine fridge, it kept the sheets and towels at body temp so Kenny must be right about the blanket having no actual warmth of its self
like when you go camping and the sleeping bag is freeing when you first get in

 

[kenny]

your thinking too much Kenny.....
dont take the love out of the blanket

Blankets are made of fibers, not love.

Thinking is good.
Too many people these days do not think well, or think enough!
Proof: 2025 America.

Life is not a fluffy happy Disney movie.

 

[kenny]

Grandma's thoughtfulness to work to make a beautiful thing IS an example of her love.
That love is real and a beautiful thing!!!!!

The love did come from the woman.
You seeing that blanket as a symbol of her love, resulted YOU choosing to see it as that way, the love stuff is in your mind, not in the blanket itself.

If that same blanket one day ends up in a thrift store, it's just a blanket.
The blanket itself didn't change.
The story someone associated with it ended.

 

[Karl_K]

You are actually a furnace that heats up everything around you.
A blanket a sweater, jacket and sleeping bag all work by slowing the transfer of heat away from your body.

A blanket with holes in it slows down the total transfer of heat both directly and indirectly.
It limits the exposed surface area directly and it creates dead air zones that resist heat transfer. (google it)

I used one that was made just like this one with large holes when camping down into the 50s and was just fine in a tent with a sleeping pad below.
Its science fact verified by me :}
And it was made with love by a friends mom :}


Because im a geek :}
The total heat transfer of a human is the same as the metabolic heat production, and is approximately 100 watts, or 400 kJ/hr, or 60-70 kcal/hr at rest.
The same heat as an old fashioned 100w incandescent bulb.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Grandma's thoughtfulness to work to make a beautiful thing IS an example of her love.
That love is real and a beautiful thing!!!!!

The love did come from the woman.
You seeing that blanket as a symbol of her love, resulted YOU choosing to see it as that way, the love stuff is in your mind, not in the blanket itself.

If that same blanket one day ends up in a thrift store, it's just a blanket.
The blanket itself didn't change.
The story someone associated with it ended.

oh no
not a thrift store
i feel so sad in those places
all grandma's treasures and none of her family wanted them
i always hope someone like @stracci2000 will come along and love them
this is why i have an overflowing china cabnet full of old royal family memorabilia

sometimes when i cant sleep i watch you tube and on the shorts are new things made from old quilts and blankets
now im looking for it i cant find, but she goes into goodwill and chooses something to remake

this is close

 

[Lookinagain]

But regardless of the type of yarn used holes are holes, and some heat that could have been trapped, escapes through holes woven, loomed or crocheted into fabric.
Fact.

Yes, some heat escapes, but they do help to keep you warm. Not as warm as a blanket without holes, but they do work to keep you warmer than you would be without it.

 

[Catmom]

I love this. I wish I knew how to crochet.

My mom made beautiful needlework pieces that are framed. All my nieces and nephews have beautiful Christmas stockings, birth and marriage sampler’s. My brothers and I have marriage samplers. I have many of her pieces.

@Catmom makes BEAUTIFUL quilts. Please just give me a moment to brag about you here Catmom. You are so talented!

Aww, thank you so much Calliecake! I really appreciate that. My mother taught me sewing when I was about 7 years old and I have never looked back.

 

[Calliecake]

Beautiful blanket @Karl_K.

My grandma crocheted blankets all the time when she was younger. I wish I still had the last one she made me.

My MIL gave me one of the last ones her mom made. I stored it away and it still looks brand new.

 

[jeaniefish]

A thousand apologies, but I the elephant in the room wants to konw
Aren't blankets for ....... uhm ....... warmth???
So what's the deal with all those large HOLES all over crocheted blankets?

Are these kind of blankets only for county fairs and walls, and not beds?
If beds, are they meant to be purely decorative during the day, but not functional at night?
Are they meant to let sweet little ole granny think she's still indispensable?
Are they blankets for when you don't really want or need a blanket?
Maybe they're "green" ... blankets because holes result in using fewer natural (sheep) resources, (or fewer oil wells, if synthetic yarn was used)?

Please don't shoot me.
Just asking.

Sorry granny ... but inquiring minds wanna know.

Kenny,
Back in the 60’s and 70’s , granny square crochet was all the rage, not just for grannies either. We crocheted those squares into ponchos and vests and even miniskirts. It was all part of our back-to- pioneer days , simpler times, bread baking and macrame weaving culture. It’s kind of nice to see that it has been discovered by a new generation instead of dying out completely.

 

[Rebel Rebel]

When I was a NY kid, long ago, the 60's, I went to sleepaway camp every year for 8 weeks.

We had art & crafts, where we made silly pottery things like ashtrays for parents' visiting day.

We had the knit and crochet shack, where the hippie girl taught us skills. I still have my hooks and needles.

My favorite lost skill is lanyards, I was great at that.

I love crafts, but I'm not crafty. I joke that I have a closet of well-meant fails.

 

[kenny]

Kenny,
Back in the 60’s and 70’s , granny square crochet was all the rage, not just for grannies either. We crocheted those squares into ponchos and vests and even miniskirts. It was all part of our back-to- pioneer days , simpler times, bread baking and macrame weaving culture. It’s kind of nice to see that it has been discovered by a new generation instead of dying out completely.

Granted all that.
I love all that, and of course have no argument with any of it.

But love or rages does not plug holes in a blanket that leak heat.

To imply so is

I'm perplexed by the response to mentioning a simple fact of physics.

 

[kenny]

Here's another common misunderstanding that blows away that misnomer, "common sense".

Walk into a room that's at 73°F where a soft cashmere sweater rests on a counter of solid granite.
Reach out and touch each with different hands.
Which is warmer?
Common response: "DUH! The sweater, and the counter is much colder."

Wrong.

If both have been in that 73°F room long enough, they are the same temperature ... 73°F.

"But then why does the granite feel so much colder?"
Actually it is not colder, it just feels cooler.
Huh? How? Why? How can that be?

(Actually because you fall into the fallacy that you can believe your 5 senses, more on that later.)

Granite conducts your hand's heat away from your hand faster than wool does.
IOW your hand just heated up the granite, a bit.

Oh come on Kenny, who cares? This so trivial?
Of course it is!
That is, until someone confidently states that granite is colder than cashmere.

 

[Garnetgirl]

Walk into a 73°F room

If both have been that 73°F room long enough, they are the same temperature, 73°F.

I remember explaining this to some friends - they were surprised, and I’m not sure they really believed me.
I learned this in high school. Physics? Thermodynamics?
I assumed everyone knew this. So much for assumptions, I guess.

 

[VRBeauty]

Blankets themselves don't generate or even have any warmth.
If the air in a closet is 62°F, the folded blanket itself in that closet is also at 62°F.
But when over, or around, our body, blankets just trap some of the warm air that constantly radiates from our bodies.

Some materials trap warm air better than others.
Wool is excellent because under a microscope you'll see a single hair of wool is not smooth, as are polyester fibers.
See pic below in which a hair of wool (far left) has many scales.
Each fibre of polyester (far right) is smooth.



Besides wool scales trapping more heat than a smooth synthetic fiber, the scales result in a much more chaotic jumble when many wool hairs are combined to make cloth that also lends to trapping air, warm air - even when wet.

But regardless of the type of yarn used holes are holes, and some heat that could have been trapped, escapes through holes woven, loomed or crocheted into fabric.
Fact.

It's not very warm and fuzzy and sentimental, like love from granny.
But a fact is just a fact, no implication, emotion or other baggage.

A crocheted blanket that is long enough to wrap around you several times certainly would keep one warmer than a shorter one, because the long one's holes will be be overlapped by hole-less areas of yarn.

But how many crocheted blankets are that long?

Yes Bron's is beautiful and grandmothers and hands-on hobbies are wonderful; I have some myself.
(Any why in the world do I feel obligated to defend myself by saying this? )
Should I apologize for responding to a non-fact with a fact?

I am attacking no poset here, or any of the world's grandmothers, or admirable artful hobbies.

But again, this quote from post #23 is untrue, "Traditionally a granny square rug would keep you snug and warm because of the love and time that went into it!"
Note it says "Traditionally a granny square rug", not one long enough to overlap several times around your body.

Just the facts, Ma'am.

* sigh *

Suffice it to say that my response was based on knowledge and experience, not googling.

I’d offer to crochet a granny square afghan for you so you can experience it for yourself, but… been there, done that, and I hate working in all those yarn ends.

 

[kenny]

*sigh*


And thanks.
I sincerely appreciate your kind sentiment.
But there's no way for me to receive it, as my full identity and exact location are not released.

Nothing personal.

 

[Dee*Jay]

@Bron357 - I thought of you the moment this popped up on my feed!

 

[kenny]

I remember explaining this to some friends - they were surprised, and I’m not sure they really believed me.
I learned this in high school. Physics? Thermodynamics?
I assumed everyone knew this. So much for assumptions, I guess.

Did you explain how some materials conduct heat better than others, and that our five senses can't be believed, for extremely well documented medical/biological/scientific reasons?

Book recommendation to follow ...

 

[kenny]

Dee*Jay, the elephants are thinking, "Thanks, really!
But why did you add so many holes?
They let some of my body heat escape.

 

[jeaniefish]

Here's another common misunderstanding that blows away that misnomer, "common sense".

Walk into a room that's at 73°F where a soft cashmere sweater rests on a counter of solid granite.
Reach out and touch each with different hands.
Which is warmer?
Common response: "DUH! The sweater, and the counter is much colder."

Wrong.

If both have been in that 73°F room long enough, they are the same temperature ... 73°F.

"But then why does the granite feel so much colder?"
Actually it is not colder, it just feels cooler.
Huh? How? Why? How can that be?

(Actually because you fall into the fallacy that you can believe your 5 senses, more on that later.)

Granite conducts your hand's heat away from your hand faster than wool does.
IOW your hand just heated up the granite, a bit.

Oh come on Kenny, who cares? This so trivial?
Of course it is!
That is, until someone confidently states that granite is colder than cashmere.

Kenny,
I think that you need to try out for JEOPARDY!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

It’s good to know that some of the old skills are not being forgotten.
I can’t knit to save my life, but I can crochet and embroider.

My mother used to do smocking and tatting - anyone?

my garndad who dies when i was one, they had eight kids, he made all the kids rag rugs, they (dad and his siblings) used to often talk about them with much effection

when i was 8 my mum and dad went to Sydney for 10 days, back then over seas trips were a big deal, you could only take so much money out of the country
anyway at school that week we did knitting
in over round ad out !
i knitted a little square and wanted to post it to mum and dad !
knitting is way harder than crochet, crochet is forgiving, knitting you have to unpick it
i used to crochet hats for my sister's dolls

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

The traditional granny square is about 8 inches square and they would be sewn together to make a rectangle shape and then a few rows around the outside to give a nice finish. Yes, they are often “ornamental” on the bed or casually draped on a sofa. Traditionally a granny square rug would keep you snug and warm because of the love and time that went into it!
Crochet has lots of stitches and I’ve seen some astonishing 3 dimensional items, including wedding dresses.
Me, I’m a two trick pony as they say. I can do chain stitch and double crochet. Yay me. And I can do it around and around and around until the square is more than enormous. World’s biggest enormous in fact. It took a few years.
And I’ve since started another one, crochet is a zen activity for winter.

i love seeing this again, your work is very neat and beautiful

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

love helps to heal so i see how love can keep you warm via a blanket made with love
people need love
i would love to still have something my grandma made me, to touch it and feel the love down through the years

 

[Rebel Rebel]

To add to crafts, these markers came into my ad feed and I couldn't resist. I like to draw a bit and these are incredibly fun and inexpensive. I bought a five-pack on Amazon.

https://www.sharpie.com/markers/new-creative-markers/

 

[kenny]

Kenny,
I think that you need to try out for JEOPARDY!

Golly Gosh!
Thanks, but no thanks.

I'm way too fugly now for TV.
Besides, I don't even have a single degree, not even an AA.
... just a few assiduous brain cells that have enjoyed annoying the hell out of people for over 6 decades now.

 

[kenny]

love helps to heal so i see how love can keep you warm via a blanket made with love
people need love
i would love to still have something my grandma made me, to touch it and feel the love down through the years

I agree 100%!

AND grandma's blanket would keep you even warmer without holes that let some of your body heat escape and go to waste.

So, it's not either / or.
It's both.

 

[elizat]

I'm a crocheter and learning knitting. I really enjoy it.

I also am a gardener and love outside work with plants and flowers.

I also am a potter- but I have not thrown in a bit. I have my wheel in the basement and a work area. I need to pick that back up.

I am in my 40's though.

 

[Matata]

I used to do crochet and needlepoint but lost interest after a few years.

FWIW, I find crocheted throws with the holes to be warm and snuggly so I guess I give off enough hot air to compensate for the holes.

 

[Matata]

Because im a geek :}
The total heat transfer of a human is the same as the metabolic heat production, and is approximately 100 watts, or 400 kJ/hr, or 60-70 kcal/hr at rest.
The same heat as an old fashioned 100w incandescent bulb.

LOL Karl, I just had a mental picture of you and wifey snuggling under a blanket and you sweetly whispering in her ear "You're as toasty as an old fashioned 100w incandescent bulb."

 

[Karl_K]

LOL Karl, I just had a mental picture of you and wifey snuggling under a blanket and you sweetly whispering in her ear "You're as toasty as an old fashioned 100w incandescent bulb."

She laughed and said its better than me saying she is an oven giving off so much heat. lol