A lampshade is a funny thing. It sits there unassuming, gathering dust, gradually yellowing with age and one day, you suddenly realize how awful it looks. That’s exactly what happened to me. But instead of throwing the offending lampshade in the bin, I decided it could be cured with a bit of crochet. And so the Granny Lampshade was created.
68.5 x 20cm (27 x 73⁄4in)
Foundation chain: using colour A, ch 132. Sl st into first chain to join round (make sure your chain isn’t twisted)
Round 1: ch 1 (counts as dc), dc 131. Sl st to top of ch-1 to join round. Fasten off yarn (see Fastening off) and attach new colour
Round 2: using colour B, (ch 3 (counts as tr), 2tr) in same st, ch 1, *sk 3 sts, 3tr in next st, ch 1* repeat around. Sl st into top of ch-3 to join round, slip stitch across to the first ch-1 space. Fasten off yarn and attach new colour
Round 3: using colour C, (ch 3 (counts as tr), 2tr) in first ch-1 space, *ch 1, 3tr in next ch-1 space* repeat around. Sl st into top of ch-3 to join round, sl st to first ch-1 space. Fasten off yarn and attach new colour
Rounds 4–24: Repeat round 3
I used the colours in the following order for the remaining rounds:
C, D, E, C, F, A, E, F, D, B, E, D, C, A, F, A, C, E, B, D, F
Fasten off and weave in ends (see Weaving in ends).
Just attach the trim by sewing or gluing and voila!
Measure around your lampshade. Your foundation chain will need to be roughly the same length, BUT it must be a multiple of four for the pattern to work. Then follow the instructions in the same way. You’ll just need to adjust the number of rows to fit the height of your shade.
This project suits any cylindrical object needing a makeover. How about making a pretty pencil holder by jazzing up a plain glass jar with a bit of granny stripe magic?