Posted on

How to Crochet a Granny Square

The granny square is the most common motif in crochet. Almost everybody recognizes a granny square! Even beginning crocheters can learn to crochet a granny square.

Granny squares are useful and versatile. They can be crocheted in any yarn . They can be dressed up or down, and they can be combined in so many different ways.

Granny squares are relaxing to crochet because the concept is so easy. The hook goes into spaces, not stitches, so once you get the feel of it, you can almost crochet without looking.

Follow these steps,and watch the video tutorial to crochet a classic granny square. I’m using American crochet terminology in this post. This post contains affiliate links.

What is a Granny Square?

Although a lot of people use the term “granny square” to refer to any type of crocheted square, a true granny square is a specific type of crocheted motif.

A classic granny square is crocheted from the center out. It consists of groups of three double crochet stitches, separated by chain spaces. All of the stitches are worked into chain spaces, not into the tops of stitches.

How to Crochet Granny square with helpful labels

They can be crocheted in one color, but are most often seen in multiple colors. It’s a great way to use up small amounts of different colored yarns!

There are lots of granny square variations. What follows is a classic Granny Square with chain-1 spaces between the stitch groups, and a combination of chain-3 and chain-2 corner spaces.

Tips & Tricks

Many granny square instructions have you join new colors and start new rounds with a chain-3 build-up chain at the beginning of the round. I don’t like the way that looks, so in these instructions I’ve added the refinement of using a standing double crochet to start each new color.

If you understand the construction of a granny square, you can make them without a pattern. Basically, you are putting 3 double crochets into each chain-1 space, (3 double crochet, ch 2, 3 double crochet) into each corner space, and you are using a chain 1 to bridge the gap over each 3-double crochet group.

Don’t worry-that will make more sense once you’ve crocheted one! Be sure to watch the video below for more tips.

A printable ad-free copy of this pattern is available to subscribers to my newsletter. Click on the button to subscribe and get the pattern.

Get the Pattern button

Granny Square Instructions

Abbreviations

A, B, C: yarn colors
ch: chain
dc: double crochet
rep: repeat
rnd(s): round(s)
st(s): stitch(es)
standing dc (standing double crochet): beginning with a slip knot on the hook, work a double crochet into the space indicated

Materials

Any yarn and any hook appropriate for your yarn

This granny square uses three different colors but you can make your granny square with any number of colors.

Instructions

With A, ch 4, join with slip st to form a ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 2 dc in ring, ch 2, [3 dc in ring, ch 3] 3 times, join with slip st to top of beginning ch-3. Fasten off. You have 4 3-dc groups and 4 corner spaces.

Rnd 2: With B, standing dc in any corner space, [2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in same corner space, ch 1, *[3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in next ch-space, ch 1; rep from * around, join with slip st to top of first dc. Fasten off. You have 8 3-dc groups, 4 corner spaces, and 4 ch-1 spaces.

Rnd 3: With C, [standing dc, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in any corner space, *ch 1, 3 dc in next space, ch 1**, [3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in next space; rep from * around, ending last rep at **, join with slip st to first dc. Fasten off. You have 12 3-dc groups, 4 corner spaces, and 8 ch-1 spaces.

Rnd 4: With A, [standing dc, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in any corner space, *ch 1, [3 dc in next space, ch 1] in each space to corner space**, [3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in corner space; rep from * around, ending last rep at **, join with slip st to first dc. Fasten off. You have 4 corner spaces, 4 additional 3-dc groups, and 4 additional ch-1 spaces.

To make the granny square larger, repeat Rnd 4, changing colors as desired.

If your granny square starts to look off-kilter, read Skewing Grannies. For a fun variation on the classic granny square, try a Tower Stitch Granny.

Watch the Video for More Information

In this video, I show you how to crochet the granny square I just described.

Note that on Round 3, I start the round in the middle of a side (in a chain-1 space), rather than in the corner as the written instructions show. This is just to demonstrate that you can start the round anywhere at all, as long as you understand granny construction!

Posted on

Crochet Pattern Round-Up: Unusual Techniques

Break out of your crochet rut and try a new technique! Skip the rows of double crochet and rounds of granny squares.

Find a technique that’s new to you with this collection of crochet projects that use unusual techniques.

Posted on

Crochet Along with Me: 5-Panel Blanket

5-Panel Crochet Blanket

For the next several weeks, over on the Plymouth Yarn Magazine blog, I’m going to be hosting a free Crochet Along (CAL). I’d love to have you join us.

5-Panel Crochet Blanket Crochet Along

We’ll be crocheting a 5-Panel Blanket. Each panel is made with a different stitch pattern, and along the way I’ll show you not only the stitch pattern, but tips and tricks for making your crocheting easier.

Don’t love the colors? Not a problem! Choose colors that suit your decor.
Find all the details here.

Gather up your yarn, and join me and Plymouth Yarn as we crochet along together.

Past Crochet Alongs

Last year I hosted a crochet along here on the blog and on Ravelry. You can buy the completed pattern for the Skill-Builder Blanket Crochet Blanket CAL.

Skill-Builder Crochet Blanket
Posted on

Crochet Yarn Overs and Yarn Unders: What’s the Difference?

Are you using yarn under graphic

Almost every crochet stitch includes the instruction “yarn over”. But what is a yarn over and how is it different from a yarn under? Does it really make a difference in your crochet?

Yes, it does make a difference. Let me explain. Read all the way to the bottom of the post, then watch the video.

I’m using American crochet terminology.

How to Yarn Over

Start with your hands in the ready position, as shown in the photos. The hook is in front of the working yarn.

Neutral "Ready" position for right hand
Neutral “ready” position for right hand

Your dominant hand holds the hook and your non-dominant hand controls the yarn, with the working yarn coming over your index finger. This means that if you are right-handed, the hook is in your right hand and the yarn in your left. If you are left-handed, the hook is in your left hand and the yarn is in your right.

Neutral "ready" position for left hand
Neutral “ready” position for left hand

Press back with the hook and at the same time bring the yarn over the hook from back to front. The yarn will be crossing the front of the hook from upper right to lower left if you are right-handed, and from upper left to lower right if you are left-handed.

Yarn over for right-handed crocheters
Yarn over for right-handed crocheters
Yarn over for left-handed crocheters
Yarn over for left-handed crocheters

How to Yarn Under

Start in the ready position as described above, but bring the hook over the top of the working yarn, so that the yarn crosses the front of the hook from lower right to upper left for right-handers, or from lower left to upper right for left-handers.

Yarn under for right-handed crocheters
Yarn under for right-handed crocheters
Yarn under for left-handed crocheters
Yarn under for left-handed crocheters

Single Crochet: Yarn Over and Yarn Under

To work a regular single crochet, insert the hook into the stitch, yarn over — notice the position of the yarn — and pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull through two loops on the hook.

Some crocheters work a yarn under instead of a yarn over at a crucial point. Often they don’t even know they are doing a yarn under! Here’s what typically happens:
Insert the hook into the stitch, yarn under — notice the position of the yarn — and pull up a loop, then yarn over and pull through two loops on the hook.

Why Does It Matter?

Take a look at the photo below. In the first few rows, I crocheted a regular single crochet, made with yarn overs. The two legs of these single crochet are parallel to one another.

regular sc compared to crossed sc
The stitch circled in red is crossed, while the stitch circled in green is straight.

Then I switched techniques on the last row. On that row, after I inserted the hook into the stitch, I did a yarn under then finished off the second step with a yarn over. In this example, the two legs of the single crochet are crossed.

The yarn unders create twisted stitches, but they also change the gauge and the drape of the fabric. Chances are, if you’ve been working unintended yarn unders, you’ve been having trouble matching the pattern gauge! Try it yourself and see the difference.

Some people like to use yarn under single crochet stitches for amigurumi projects. That’s fine, as long as it is intentional!

Double Crochet: Yarn Over and Yarn Under

Double crochet has three yarn overs, and thus three opportunities to make yarn unders. However, let’s concentrate on what happens when you do a yarn under right after you insert your hook into the fabric, as above.

Here’s a regular double crochet: Yarn over, insert the hook into the stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, (yarn over, pull through 2 loops) two times.

See how the legs at the base of the double crochet are parallel?

double crochet with parallel legs made with yarn over
The strands on the base of this double crochet are parallel.

Here’s a twisted double crochet: Yarn over, insert the hook into the stitch, yarn under and pull up a loop, (yarn over, pull through 2 loops) two times.

Twisted double crochet stitches made with yarn under
The base of these double crochets are twisted.

This time, the legs at the base of the double crochet are twisted.

Know the Difference

If you are just learning to crochet, pay attention to the way you are wrapping the yarn over the hook. Get into the habit of checking that you are working a yarn over (unless the pattern says otherwise).

If you have been crocheting for a while and have only just discovered that you are doing unintentional yarn unders, it’s not too late to change!

Take time to study what you have been doing, then practice working yarn overs instead of yarn unders. It may feel strange at first, but you will eventually find that it is easier to get the yarn through the fabric with a yarn over.

Has this post been eye-opening to you? Have you discovered that you were yarn undering when you should have been yarn overing? Let me know in the comments.

The following affiliate links might provide a small income to me if you buy something, but don’t cost you anything extra.

The yarn I’m using in the photos and video is Marly Bird’s Chic Sheep from Red Heart. The crochet hook is Clover Amour, size 5.5 mm.

Keep Learning

Want to know more about crochet? I’ve got resources and links to up your skill level.

Posted on

Free Crochet Pattern: Easy Heart Hat

Easy Crochet Heart Hat

Wear your heart on your head with this easy beginner crochet pattern for Valentine’s Day, or any time of the year.

Easy Crochet Heart Hat
Adult size hat shown in white with red heart. Child size shown in red with white heart.

The hat is worked in joined rounds from the top down in joined rounds. The heart appliqué is crocheted separately and sewn on.

This post may contain affiliate links, which help support me but don’t cost you anything extra.

This free pattern is sized for babies. An ad-free paid version includes sizes for baby, child, teen/adult small and adult medium/large, and includes a crochet symbol diagram for the heart. This pattern uses American crochet terms.

Buy the Printed Pattern Button

Materials

Craft Yarn Council Icon for 4 Medium Weight Yarn
Craft Yarn Council Icon for 4 Medium Weight Yarn





About 90 yards [85 m] of medium weight yarn in a main color and about 10 yards [10 m] in a contrasting color.

Red Heart Soft Yarn

The hats pictured used Red Heart Soft yarn in Off-White and Cherry Red. (Really Red is another good choice.)

Size H-9 [5 mm] crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge

Abbreviations

CC: contrasting color
ch: chain
dc: double crochet
hdc: half double crochet
MC: main color
rep: repeat
rnd(s): round(s)
RS: right side
sc: single crochet
st(s): stitch(es)
tr: treble crochet

Size

To fit baby
Finished circumference 14 3/4″ [35 cm]; hat fits with negative ease

Gauge

Rnds 1-2 = 2¾” [7 cm]
13 dc and 7½ rounds = 4″ [10 cm]

Instructions

Heart

With CC, ch 4, join with slip st to form a ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 3, (3 tr, 3 dc, ch 1, tr, ch 1, 3 dc, 3 tr) in ring, ch 3, slip st in ring.

Rnd 2: Ch 3, sc in next tr, 3 dc in next tr, hdc in next tr, sc in next 3 dc, (sc, hdc, sc) in next tr, sc in next 3 dc, hdc in next tr, 3 dc in next tr, sc in next tr, ch 3, slip st in next slip st.

Fasten off.

Hat

With MC, ch 4, join with slip st to form a ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc throughout), 11 dc in ring, join with slip st to top of ch-3—12 dc.

Rnd 2: Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each st around, join with slip st to top of ch-3—24 dc.

Rnd 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in next dc, *dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc; rep from * around, join with slip st to top of ch-3—36 dc.

Rnd 4: Ch 3, dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc, *dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc; rep from * around, join with slip st to top of ch-3—48 dc.

Rnds 5-10 : Ch 3, dc in each dc around, join with slip st to top of ch-3—48 dc.

Next rnd: Ch 1, sc in each sc around, join with slip st to first sc.
Rep last rnd 3 (4, 4, 5) more times.

Fasten off. Weave in ends. Sew heart onto center front of hat, using photo as a guide.

More Projects

I love to crochet hats! Check out my Avery Hat and the Sunset Hill Hat.

Looking for more heart-themed projects? Knit the Hearts All Around Hat or try out the Thread Crochet Heart Necklace.

Posted on

6 Crafting New Year’s Resolutions I Can Keep

6 Crafting New Year's Resolutions I Can Keep
6 Crafting New Year's Resolutions That I Can Keep graphic

Conventional wisdom says that sharing New Year’s resolutions with someone else is supposed to keep us accountable and thus more likely to achieve success.

I’ve come up with 6 reasonable and sustainable goals for my crafting life in the New Year. With your help, I think I can achieve them. Who wants to join me with these New Year’s Resolutions?

This post may contain affiliate links, which help support me but don’t cost you anything extra.

Resolution #1: Allow My Yarn to Mature

Resolution #1 Mature Yarn: skein of natural-colored Candide Yarn
This classic yarn has been in my stash for many years.

Not all yarn needs to be used immediately. Sometimes it needs to age until it is ready to reach its full potential.

This process may take years. Since yarn doesn’t go bad if properly cared for—in moth-proof storage, for example—there’s no time limit on when it must be used. I have yarn that is more than 25 years old. It’s still a nice color. It’s still wool. It just hasn’t decided what it’s going to be.

My yarn stash serves as high-quality housing insulation.

I resolve to not stash bust this year.

Resolution #2: Allow My Yarn Stash to Grow

Resolution #2: New yarn from Stunning String Studio
Who wouldn’t want this beautiful pink yarn from Stunning String Studio? And some cute stitch markers, too?

Forget “yarn diets”! They just make me feel guilty about buying new yarn. Yarn doesn’t have calories and it doesn’t make me fat, so why should I diet?

Instead, I want to embrace the joy that purchasing a beautiful new yarn brings: the expectation of a future project; the zen of repetitive motion as colorful fiber slips through my fingers; the prospect of unlimited options.

Budapest Yarn Shop
I bought souvenir yarn with my last forints in this shop in Budapest.

Yarn makes an excellent travel souvenir. Every time I see that ball of yarn I bought in Budapest, I remember the adventure I had finding the yarn shop. I couldn’t read the street signs, the store was on a small street away from any tourist areas, and no one around spoke English (or Spanish or French, which were other languages I tried). When I found the shop, we all had a marvelous time visiting and admiring each others’ work, despite some pretty significant language challenges. They helped me figure out how many forints I could spend and still have enough change to take the tram back to the boat. If I had been on a yarn diet, I would have missed that entire experience!

I resolve to buy more yarn this year.

Resolution #3: Allow My Yarn to Range Free

Resolution #3 messy studio space with free-range yarn
The sad truth is that my studio is never Instagram-worthy.

Some people like a very tidy desk, a very tidy house, and a very tidy studio. I am not one of those people. While I like a neat kitchen, living room and bedroom, when it comes to my creative spaces, “tidy” is not a word that any one would use.

When I’m being creative, I want to see things out in the open. As I sit and crochet with one yarn, I like to let my eyes rest on other yarn that I have yet to use. I allow my mind to wander and dream of my next project. If everything is tucked away from sight, I can’t do that. I prefer free-range yarn.

I resolve not to organize my stash this year.

Resolution #4: Allow Some Yarn to Depart

Resolution #4: bag of yarn to donate
Not all yarn needs to live at my house.

This resolution may seem at odds with Resolutions #1 and #2, but it’s not. I do have a finite amount of storage space, and an even more finite amount of open (free-range) space.

Sometimes as yarn matures, it tells me it needs to leave the house and spread joy elsewhere. (Infrequently, it tells me this the moment it arrives at my house, but often it takes a bit longer.)

Maybe the color is not my thing, or the fiber content. Maybe I swatched with it and just couldn’t get it to behave in the way I wanted it to. These are the yarns that are ready to spread their wings and depart my nest.

There are plenty of people who would love my unloved yarn. I’ve given to senior centers, elementary and middle schools, and church groups, and they are always happy to accept donations.

I resolve to give away yarn this year.

Resolution #5: Use the Best Tools

Resolution #5: Circular knitting needles stored in The Circular Solution
I don’t love every single one of these needles. It’s time for some to find a new home.

I have a lot of crochet hooks, and even more knitting needles. I have tape measures in every drawer and project bag.

However, some of those tools aren’t the greatest. Needles may have blunt tips or sticky finishes that I find annoying. A few circular needles have a catchy cable-to-needle join. Certain brands of crochet hooks don’t fit my hand and make crocheting awkward and uncomfortable. A couple of those tape measures are surely stretched out and faded.

Some of these items should be discarded entirely, while others would be perfect for another crafter. Why am I keeping these tools?

I resolve to use only tools that make my crafting more enjoyable.

Resolution #6: Practice Safe Crafting

Resolution #6: Knitting Comfortably cover

If I want to keep knitting and crocheting for years to come, I need to take care of my body. This means avoiding repetitive stress injury, getting up and moving instead of sitting at my computer and behind my needles/hook. It means getting sufficient full-body exercise. It means using a body-friendly bag when I go to teaching gigs, fiber shows and shopping sprees. It means paying attention to proper lighting, keeping my yarn and electrical cords out from underfoot, and more.

These are not new resolutions to me, but it helps to remind myself of them. One of my go-to resources for reminding myself of these things is Carson Demers’ excellent book Knitting Comfortably. (Read my interview with Carson.)

I resolve to pay attention to crafting ergonomics this year.

Final Thoughts

Of course, I could make more traditional goals that would make me more organized, tidier, and maybe even more financially responsible. But I probably wouldn’t keep them, and that failure would just make me feel bad.

I’m content with the way things are, and these goals fit into my lifestyle this year. If they don’t fit into yours, that’s fine. Perhaps you need to save money and thus should use stash yarn all year. Maybe an untidy crafting spaces gives you the creeps, or UFOs make you nervous. Perhaps your living space doesn’t allow for more yarn.

Embrace what works for you, and set your goals accordingly. This fiber-crafting thing is supposed to be fun and relaxing. Make it so.

What about you? What are your goals for the New Year?
Share in the Comments below.