Timeless crafts in a modern era

From the simplest granny square to a warm woolly cable pullover, if you want to crochet or knit like it’s 1945 then the UQ Alumni Book Fair has the books for you – from as little as $1.

But where should you start? Most knitting/crochet books and magazines have a ‘how to’ section to help you on your merry way if you’re just learning the basics. If you’re a ‘I need to see it to learn it’ kind of person, then YouTube is home to a whole spectrum of helpful crafty types just bursting to share their skills with you. So, grab some vintage books for inspiration and let modern technology help you master the art.

If you’re a beginner, then the super simple granny square is probably for you. As delightful as it sounds, the granny square is made with crochet by working in rounds from the centre outwards. Grannies have been whipping up these squares for more than a century, with the earliest known example designed by a Mrs Phelps and published in the 5 April 1885 edition of Prairie Farmer. Once you have one granny square the possibilities are endless – you can join them many together to make a blanket, a hat, a vest or a bag, and whatever you make will be one of a kind. There are stacks of magazines and books with granny square designs and instructions to get you hooked.

Cute little crochet fact: the method of crochet cannot be replicated by a machine, it’s a totally handmade art!   

Contact called on the fantastic volunteers from Alumni Friends to help us find some vintage craft books and they found a treasure trove of patterns from almost every decade from the last century. I picked a bright pink number from the ’80s and got to work. After many hours of commuting on the bus and lunchbreaks spent sitting in UQ’s Great Court, I whipped up a pretty good likeness.

So come along to this year’s UQ Alumni Book Fair, find yourself a bargain craft book and stitch up your winter wardrobe with a cardigan like no other – literally.