Book Review: The Granny Square Flowers Card Deck by Claire Montgomerie, Aug 2025

The Format

This is not your typical crochet book—it’s a deck! The 50-card format that worked so well in the first edition is incredibly handy for both browsing and working on the go. Each card features a single flower-themed granny square design, complete with a photo on the front and clear, charted instructions on the back. It's perfect for picking a design at random, mixing and matching for a blanket or project, or simply keeping next to your yarn basket for some spontaneous making.

The cards are sturdy, beautifully printed, and come in a neat, compact box—making them easy to store, transport, and flip through. They’d make a lovely gift for a crochet friend, or a treat for yourself.

The Designs

Claire has curated a collection of 50 floral-inspired granny square patterns, each bursting with personality. From simple daisy motifs to layered roses, sunflowers, and stylised botanical patterns, there’s a great mix of designs to suit different styles and colour palettes.

Each square is worked in rounds, and many feature clever shaping or layered petals to add dimension. Some use traditional square bases, while others experiment with circular centres or petal overlays to stunning effect.

Instructions

Aso included is a 32-page booklet, which contains a comprehensive step-by-step guide to reading and understanding crochet charts, with side-by-side examples of pattern and chart instructions to get you started. You will also find advice on general techniques, stitch help, and assembly advice—perfect for beginners or those returning to crochet.

I am a huge fan of crochet charts - why? Well one reason is that they are universal so there is no confusion about whether US or UK crochet terminology is being used, as there often is with written patterns. A chart is a chart - no matter which side of the pond you are!

Secondly, the great thing about charts is that they look like the finished item, so you can easily tell if you are going wrong. Have a look at the images below and you will see how alike they look.

Build your own Project

Claire’s instructions are easy to follow and thoughtfully laid out. The consistent format makes it simple to jump from one square to another and build a unique project from the designs you love most.

Joining Methods and Arrangement Tips

Two joining methods for the squares are described in detail and since each square is made using the same hook and yarn weight and is the same finished size, the squares can be joined together in any combination with ease. Again detailed step by step images are given for each joining method.

A number of suggestions are given for arranging your squares, from a random patchwork style, to using blocks of 4 squares to make a bigger square, or creating a checkerboard pattern or using one square all over - the choice and design possibilities are endless.

Choosing Colours

If like me you tend to find choosing colours for your projects a bit tricky there is also a useful section on creating a colour palette with hints and tips on finding the right colour combination for you, including suggestions on the proportion of each colour to use.

Construction Methods

Although all the squares are worked in the round, some are made up of smaller squares joined to make the same size larger square as the other designs. Here are a couple of examples.

My Favourite...

This took me quite a while to decide... but here is my final choice. It is the gorgeous Camellia square - very pretty, don't you think?

My Observations

• The written instructions in the booklet for special stiches and how to read a chart use US crochet terminology, something to bear in mind if you prefer UK terminology. However as you will be following the charts for each square this should not be an issue as charts are universal.

• If you really are not a fan of crochet charts (although I encourage you to try using them), then you are able to get hold of the written instructions for each square. These are not contained in the deck itself, but they are available to purchase from Search Press as an e-book companion to the card deck.

• A word of warning from the publishers - Beware of Fakes! Don't be fooled by cheap counterfeit imitations. This deck is by Claire Montgomerie, published by Search Press. It seems that fakes are available from a number of internet sites. Please don't be fooled. If it looks too cheap its probably because it is a fake and you really don't know what you will be getting inside.

Summary

The set would be a great addition to your crochet library. It is so versatile and dynamic and fun to play with! If you are a granny square fan with a penchant for flowers, then it is an absolute must.

Don't forget that if you are on my mailing list you can purchase any book that I review for 25% off from Search Press, using the discount code in my weekly email sent every Friday, available for TWO MONTHS from the date of the review.

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