Granny squares are a thrifty, fun and fashionable way to use up your yarn stash by creating adorable items to wear and to decorate your home. The colourful and cheerful creations have an appealing retro vibe, taking you back to the feel-good comfort of home-made furnishings and accessories. A handy techniques section explains all the basic skills needed, making this book suitable for beginners and more experienced crocheters alike.

Patterns are based around the classic granny square, but with a modern twist. They won’t take long to make and are quick and easy to complete once you know the basics of crochet. Each project has detailed colour photography and there are clear, concise instructions to follow. From gorgeous blankets to colourful cushions, to stylish scarves, shrugs and mittens, this book is packed with inspiring projects that are guaranteed to get you reaching for your crochet hook, and they’ll make charming gifts too.

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Emma Varnam’s latest book pays tribute to her enduring love of vintage design and colour combinations, featuring 20 patterns with a retro vibe. You’ll need some basic crochet skills to get started, but you’ll find these projects mostly quick and easy to make – and wonderfully practical to use. Granny squares are enjoying a major revival right now, and in this diverse collection Emma shows how a classic granny-square design can become a useful storage basket in your home, a stylish handbag for an evening out, a snuggly boho scarf for a chilly day, or a vibrant cosy for your afternoon tea. We particularly love the Fingerless Mittens, which have a striking colourway that’s reminiscent of folk art, while the alternating colours of the treble stitches on the cuffs create a vibrant Fair Isle effect. For the home, Emma’s Colour Block Cushion shows how effective single-colour motifs can be when used to create a pretty checked fabric in jewel tones. Although we’d love to make every project in this book, perhaps our favourite design is a timeless classic – the Beautiful Vintage Blanket. A future heirloom, you can make this blanket in any combination of colours from your stash, and it would be the perfect choice for a slow craft project to carry you through the winter.