I have talked about how much I love granny squares, so today I want to show all the absolute beginners how to crochet a granny square.
One of the most recognizable crochet patterns, the granny square can be done and used in so many different ways, what’s not to love about them? Every beginner should learn to crochet squares, and the granny square is just one type of square.
The granny square is not crocheted as most other square shapes are. Typically when you learn to crochet squares, you crochet in rows. With the granny square, you crochet in rounds.
As I mentioned in the “Ultimate Guide to Granny Squares” post, you can make almost anything out of granny squares. They are SO versatile. By simply learning one pattern you can create so many items. So this post is dedicated to all those absolute beginners out there who think they will never understand the granny square.
Granny square construction
The first part in learning the granny square is to understand the granny square construction. A typical granny square is crocheted from the center outward, which means there are no edges to line up. Learning to count stitches and keep your edges straight is one of the most difficult parts of learning to crochet so I think this is why granny squares are perfect for absolute beginners.
CROCHET: How to crochet a granny square for beginners | Bella Coco – YouTube
You start by forming a circle. You can create a magic ring, or you can just chain a few stitches and slip stitch the last chain to the first chain. Whatever method you are comfortable with.
How to crochet a granny square step by step
The entire granny square is a series of groups or clusters of 3 double crochet stitches. So for the first “round” you will need 4 groups of 3 double crochet. Each group is separated by 3 chain stitches. This is how you create the corners. As you can see below, the very center is a circle, but the end of round 1 is indeed a square.
Diagram by Sweet Bee Crochet – patterns, blog and creative connections
For the second round of the granny square you will once again add 4 corners, but you will do this with the clusters. You will add 2 clusters to each corner with the chain stitches between them. So, you will end up with 8 sets of 3 double crochet clusters.
Image from NIKOpatterns HOME – NIKOpatterns
From there, you follow the square shape by adding to each side and corner evenly. Every open space where you have chain stitches from the previous round gets a 3 double crochet cluster, except the corner, you have to do 2 sets of clusters on the corner to maintain the corner.
Diagram by Sweet Bee Crochet – patterns, blog and creative connections
In the image above you can clearly see how a cluster of stitches goes in each hole or space (chain stitches previous round). There are no stitches to count or rows to end. You are just adding to all four sides, following all the chaining spaces, as you go around instead of crocheting back and forth in rows.
Important to note:
It is important to note that different people do granny squares differently. The examples above show chain 1 on sides and 2 in the corners. The examples below have 1 chain on sides and 3 in corners. My method of doing granny squares is to simply chain 1 every time. This makes my corners tighter and I prefer the look. (The very top photo of the lavender granny square on the black background is one I crocheted. You can see the difference in the corners).
I hope you were able to learn to crochet a granny square step by step with the above information. Below I would like to continue with other types of granny squares you can master!
Variations on Traditional Granny Square
The basic granny square has some variations. One of the main variations on the basic granny square is what is called the “solid granny square”. It doesn’t have the chaining spaces and is crocheted a little differently.
Solid Granny Square for beginners – Bella Coco Crochet
Below is a photo of a diagram pattern for the 3 main types of traditional granny squares. The top is the traditional granny square and the bottom is the solid granny square. It’s always nice once you master something like this to look at the written pattern, especially with diagrams or symbols. Once you know the pattern you can learn to read the diagram easier!
The continuous granny square
The continuous granny square is the first blanket I ever learned to crochet. You start with the steps outlined above and you simply keep going until the “square” reaches your desired size. It is a super easy process that even a beginner can do.
Still learning to crochet? I have a great stitch checklist to keep you on track. Check it out below!
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