Knitwear designer Meiju Kallio transforms a large armchair with granny squares: “Crocheting is a vacation from knitting for me”
Known as knitting star Meiju Knits and for her editorial role for Kotona, Meiju Kallio crocheted a cover for an armchair out of granny squares as her vacation project. She found a perfect spot for this cheerful chair on the glass terrace of her new home.
This large armchair came with me from an old apartment years ago. I never really liked its appearance and, right from the start, dreamed of creating some kind of cover—either by sewing or knitting.
Eventually, the armchair ended up at the cottage, just as a big granny square craze was in full swing. So I decided that my summer project would be to brighten up the worn chair with granny squares.
I measured the chair, worked out how many rows of granny squares were needed for each section and what sizes they should be, chose lovely colors, and started crocheting whenever I had the chance. I don’t remember exactly how long the project took, but I believe I spent at least two summers making squares. I assembled the cover while heavily pregnant with my third child.
When I went to pick up the chair back home, I noticed eight squares were missing.
I found crocheting the cover a fun summer project. Since I’m also a knitwear designer, it felt like a break from my usual knitting. To make progress on the cover while at the cottage, I had to leave my knitting at home—otherwise, I would have been too tempted to go back to it! Knitting is still closer to my heart than crocheting.
Last summer, I brought the chair and cover back from the cottage to my new home. When I went to pick it up, I realized eight squares were missing—I had forgotten the cover was unfinished! Because the chair had been in a corner with the unfinished side hidden, I never remembered to crochet more squares. Now the chair sits on my glass terrace, and you can see the gap from the living room window. I cover this small flaw with a patchwork quilt I sewed—luckily, it matches the colors!
