I almost didn’t make this month’s project.

Well… that’s not quite true.

I almost didn’t make this version.

I’d been wanting to design a granny square beanie for quite a while. I love the retro feel of granny squares and the idea of turning something so traditional into a beanie that feels a little different from the ones you see everywhere else.

My first attempt, however, was a flop.

The squares were too large, the proportions weren’t quite right, and no matter how much I wanted it to work, it simply wasn’t becoming the beanie I had imagined.

It would have been easy to put the idea aside and decide that granny squares just weren’t meant for beanies.

Instead, I became curious.

Rather than asking, “Why isn’t this working?” I found myself asking, “What’s one thing I could change?”

That one question changed everything.

I made the granny squares smaller. I experimented with a finer yarn than I would normally use for a beanie. I found a way to work the colour changes that didn’t feel like I was constantly stopping and starting. Little by little, the project began to transform.

And somewhere along the way, it stopped looking like a pile of tiny granny squares and started looking like… a beanie.

I think that’s one of the things I love most about crochet.

Every project has a stage where it doesn’t yet look like what it’s going to become.

Sometimes it’s just rows of stitches.

Sometimes it’s a handful of separate pieces spread across the table.

Sometimes it’s a first attempt that simply doesn’t work.

It’s tempting to believe we’ve failed when we’re really just standing in the middle of the process.

Crochet has taught me, time and time again, that progress isn’t always about starting over. Sometimes it’s about changing one thing and seeing where that takes you.

I wonder how often we forget that.

Not just in crochet, but in life as well.

We can become so focused on whether something is working that we forget to ask what might happen if we approached it a little differently.

A small adjustment.

A different perspective.

Another attempt.

Sometimes that’s all it takes.

This month’s granny square beanie reminded me of that.

What began as an idea that wasn’t working became one of my favourite projects I’ve designed this year—not because it came together perfectly the first time, but because I gave myself permission to explore instead of giving up.

I hope, if you decide to make it yourself, you enjoy that same sense of curiosity.

I hope you enjoy watching a collection of little granny squares slowly become something you can’t wait to wear.

And I hope it reminds you that the difference between giving up and creating something you love is often the willingness to change just one thing.

If this month’s beanie has inspired you, I’d love you to join us inside the Hooked on Crochet Club. You’ll receive the written pattern for the granny square, then we’ll make the beanie together during this month’s Hook & Learn session. Rather than simply giving you a finished project, I want you to enjoy the journey of creating it, asking questions along the way and growing in confidence as you see those little granny squares come together. The replay is then added to the pattern library, so you can revisit it whenever you like.

I’d love for you to experience the same journey I did—watching a simple idea gradually become something you’ll be proud to wear.

Seona x