Granny Square {Tutorial}

Hey friends! Today I am going to share with you the pattern for the granny squares I have been making. There’s nothing fancy about them but I thought it would be fun to do a tutorial since I got quite a few emails with questions about them. In this post I will walk you through the pattern and also throw in a couple tricks to make things a little easier.

First you need to pick your yarn. I think this is where you can have fun and pick whatever yarn you would like. Hey even a bulky yarn might be cool! I’m sure it would be nice and warm and cozy. Either way, granny squares are always great for getting rid of some of your stash. I am using the lovely Stylecraft acrylic yarn I ordered awhile back. I have a ton of it so I have no concerns about running out!

Granny squares also let you be creative with your colors. You could use every color of the rainbow or just two or three colors. Every couple squares, I also let my daughter take a turn and choose the colors. They may not always go together but that’s ok! I think it just makes the square that much more special and she feels like she is helping.

For mine, I have a variety of colors and the squares are all bordered with white. Here are the colors I chose for this square.

As far as a hook size, the best is to use whatever your yarn label recommends. You can also use whatever you like. I am using 4.50 mm hook for this project since the Stylecraft is a little thinner. 

 

Lets get started! Again this is just the way I have been doing it.

First start with a magic ring (aka magic loop). I highly recommend learning this!

Chain 3 then work one dc into the ring and ch1. This counts as your first cluster

The next step is to make clusters. To do this, yarn over and insert your hook into the ring, yarn over and pull up a loop. Yarn over and pull through the first two loops on your hook. Instead of finishing like a dc, you will yarn over and insert hook into the ring again.

 

Yarn over and pull up a loop.Yarn over and pull through the first two loops on your hook. Next, yarn over and pull through the 3 remaining loops on your hook. You have now completed one cluster.

Ch 1

 

Do this until you have 8 clusters (which includes the ch 3 and dc at the beginning)

Tighten your ring and join with a sl st into the top of your ch 3

 

At this point you can either continue with the same color, or you can start a new one. I will be starting a new color. To do this, cut off current color and finish off

Tip #1… How to join new yarn

First place a slip knot on your hook

Next insert your hook in any of the chain one spaces (in between two clusters)

Yarn over and make a sl st

Now we will start round 2

Ch 3 and make 2 dc’s in same space, ch1. In next ch1 space, work 3 dc’s and ch 1.

Continue doing this all the way around and join with a sl st into ch 3. You should have 8 sets of 3 dc’s

Round 3

Tip #2… Weaving in ends as you go

I think weaving in ends is one of the down sides to crocheting. Either way, I try to keep it as easy as possible.

As I am working the next round, I carry the ends along the back of my work, working my dc’s around the ends.

 

As you can see, it saves you a lot of time at the end. When you are done with the round, just clip the ends and you’re done with them! I recommend doing this after each round. There’s nothing more annoying than having to go back after making 5 beautiful squares and then going back and dealing with the ends.

 

Round 3

Also Tip #3… Starting next round with the same color

For this round I am keeping the same color. This tip is quick and simple. It saves you from cutting your yarn and joining again. Also your work will look nicer.

What you need to do is get to the next ch 1 space so you can start the next round. Some will work into the ch 1 space behind the chain 3 but I think that makes things look a little sloppy.

To get to the next ch 1 space, simply slip stitch into the next two dc’s then into the next ch 1 space.

Easy Peasy!

Now we will work the first corner of the square into the ch 1 space

Ch 3 and work 2 dc’s in same space. Chain 2, work 3 dc’s in same space. ch 1

 

There’s your first corner

Next, work 3 dc’s into the next ch 1 space. Ch 1

  

Into the next ch 1 space you will be working another corner. Work 3 dc’s, ch 2, 3 dc’s into same space. ch 1

Continue doing this all the way around until you have a square shape. Sl st into ch 3

Round 4

This round will be the same as round 3 except you will have two spaces of 3 dc’s in between each corner.

I will be joining a new color this round. Make a slip knot on your hook, insert into the ch 2 space in the corner of your square.

 

Ch 3… make 2 dc’s, ch 2, 3 dc’s in same space. Ch 1

Meanwhile, bringing your ends from the previous row along your work

 

Work 3 dc’s ch 1 in the next two ch 1 spaces… Keeping those ends along the back of the work

 

In next ch 1 space, work another corner. 3 dc’s, ch 2, 3 dc’s in same space. Ch 1

I like to keep the ends along one side and under one more corner. Just so they’re really secure. One downside to running a different color yarn along the back is that it’s visible. If you don’t like that, you can weave it into the corner. I’ll show you how to do that later. Go ahead and cut your ends when you’re done with the round. Again it’s a time saver!

 

Round 4 is done!

Something else about granny squares that is great is deciding how big you want them. You can do as many or as little rounds as you would like. If you want to do more from here, just repeat round 4.

I like making my squares bigger. I can use more colors and I don’t have to make as many for the blanket!

One square is finished! With many more to go. But that’s the fun part. Picking and playing with new colors and watching your blanket grow.

It’s also fun to play with different patterns within your square too. Whether it’s repeating a color or making each round different, it always has a unique look. Check out these three squares

 

Now that you are done with your square, it’s time to weave in the ends that are left. Unfortunately there will always be some left.

I start by bringing my yarn down once through a corner

Now I like to weave the yarn in a zig-zag motion through the corner, making sure I go one way then back the other way at least once.

 

Once you have gone through as many times as you’d like, just snip the end and you’re done.

So there you have it! How to make a simple granny square.

As far as joining your squares, there are many different options. I currently am using the join-as-you-go method. I got the tutorial here. I ended up tweaking it a little as I went along and got comfortable with it.

Other ways to join are a simple whip stitch, doing slip stitches or single crochets, or even joining with double crochets. These methods can all be found on the internet.

 

Thanks everyone for reading! I apologize for not being able to post this last week. Feel free to email me with any questions!