Hello and welcome to Patchwork House . . . . .
my little corner of the world in England, where you will find me addicted to colour and playing with yarn!


6 April 2015

Granny Square Tutorial


As much as I love to crochet all sorts of different blankets there is something so very special about the humble granny square. There are many wonderful examples around some with small squares others with big and some with varying sizes of squares. You can view many lovely examples here on my
 But it is the colours which always excite me and draw me to any blanket!
You can buy the Turquoise Colour Pack


 It is a crocheter's basic right of passage to learn how to make a granny square and something many of us start out on. I have fond memories as a young teenager sitting with my Mum with a massive sack of colours crocheting granny squares and have recently spent time with my own daughter passing on this lovely skill.

Over the past few weeks I have been making many rainbow baby blankets
 and enjoying the simple granny square


blending the colours has given me oodles of fun


you can find the colour palettes
 that I use on a page at the top of my blog


I must add there there are loads of tutorials and You Tube videos out there
 and many different methods available. This is just straight from my head 
and a method I have developed that works for me!

I am using Stylecraft Special DK with a 3.5mm hook. This is my preference as the yarn is soft and snuggly for a blanket, is very affordable, easily washable and comes in a fabulous choice of 63 wonderful shades!

So here to help with the many questions I have been receiving is my version of
how I make a Granny Square. (I am using UK crochet terminology. You will find a handy conversion to US terms on the Crochet Conversions page at the top of my blog)


1. Make a magic loop (I prefer this starting method as it does not leave a hole that is too big in the centre)
2. Pull through a loop for the 1st stitch
3. Make 3 chain for the 1st treble
4. Make 2 trebles to complete the first cluster


5. Make 1 chain then 3 trebles thus forming a corner
6. Repeat this twice more
7&8. Pull the tail to close up the magic loop. Make 1 chain then join with slip stitch into the 1st treble of the round


9&10 Fasten off 1st colour by pulling yarn through loop and cutting to leave a tail about 10cm /  4inches
11. TURN WORK OVER and make 2nd round from the back. This is very important to stop the granny square from twisting.
12. Using a new colour pull up a loop making sure you leave an end of about 10cm / 4 inches for sewing in later.


13. Holding the tail firmly at the back of the work make 3 chain for the 1st treble
14. Make 2 trebles to complete the first cluster (this is half of a corner)
15. In next chain space make 3 trebles 1 chain 3 trebles (this is a corner)
16. Repeat this twice more in the next 2 chain spaces


17&18. To complete the 1st corner make 3 trebles then 1 chain 
19&20. Join with slip stitch into 1st treble of the round


21&22. Pull yarn through and fasten off cutting yarn to leave a tail 10cm / 4inches
23. TURN WORK OVER. You are going to do this every round keep a perfect square. It prevents the awful twisting that is often seen and has the added bonus of making both sides the same so there is no right or wrong side to the blanket!
24. Using a new colour pull up a loop making sure you leave an end of about 10cm / 4 inches for sewing in later.



25. Holding tail firmly at back of work make 3 chain for the 1st treble
26. then 2 trebles to complete the 1st half corner. In the next chain space make 3 trebles and the same in the corner. 
27. Complete the corner by making 1 chain 3 trebles
28. Continue around the square making clusters of 3 trebles with 1 chain only in the corners. Note this is different to many other granny square patterns as I prefer a closer texture. Fasten Off.



29. TURN WORK OVER each round  - this means you work in alternate directions, anti clockwise then clockwise which prevents a twist forming.
30. Keep hooking until you have your desired number of rounds.
31&32 On completion of each square use a darning needle and sew the tails into their own coloured  stitches



33. I sew in half on the front and half on the back
34. Trim ends neatly with sharp scissors
35&36. The result is a perfect square which can be used from any side! Notice it has 90 degree corners and parallel sides, all very pleasing to the eye and easy for joining.


So there you have all the information you need to make squares!
Get hookin and come back in a few weeks for my next tutorial on joining!

Of course if you are a complete beginner 
you may wish to make solid squares to avoid all the colour changing


these are equally pretty


and can be joined very simply to make a beginners blanket.


To avoid the joining why not make just 1 big square! 
(I hasten to add though that a big square does tend to become frilly
 after about 60cm so I only use these for small baby blankets!)

I hope this helps answer the questions you have.
Do please leave me a comment if this has been helpful or  
if you have any questions
 and I will try to edit and update the tutorial to help!


If you have enjoyed my free tutorial
 please consider making a small donation to support my crochet work. 
You can do this using the Paypal App on the sidebar of the blog.

Happy Hookin

Heather X X X












14 comments:

Nichola said...

Hi Heather, many thanks for your excellent granny square blog, I have been crocheting for a few years and can never find that perfect finish! So I think using the magic circle and turning will help. Can I please ask if you are using a continuous colour, how do you start round two? I assume you don't turn on these rows? Many thanks

Lauren Peterson said...

Your TREBLES are US DC, correct?

YOUR work is always sooooo beautiful and colorful!

Crafty Gifts & Crochet said...

Lovely blog..!!
I do my GS slightly differently at the start but I love your way and will be giving it a try. I'm teaching crochet evening classes so I'll pass on your FB page/blog details to them so they, like me, can drool over your beautiful work.
Jo. xx

Claire Mackaness said...

A great tutorial Heather, so nice to see a fellow 1 chain in the corner hooker I always thought I was the odd one out! The only thing I do differently is I do not turn as I like the front and back look, they still stay square though.

Anonymous said...

I like your combination of colors. Squares love them.

pat said...

I am new to turning my square over before starting a new row, it does make quite a difference I notice! Lovely tutorial, tks Pat x

Amy at love made my home said...

Great tutorial! xx

Kris@Littlebushshack said...

Thank you so much Heather , I would have never thought to turn :) so simple for a great result . Love your creations x
Kris

Suegodfrey said...

Thank you for posting these instructions, I will give it a go. Many thanks Sue x

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Believe it or not, it took me some time to learn the granny as I was teaching myself and used to not be very good at reading patterns. Finally came across one on Tangled Happy that made perfect sense and there's been no stopping me. Love making granny squares just because. :) Have a great day. Tammy

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the granny tutorial. Is your treble the same as US double crochet? Also on an earlier post I think I remember you saying to start you new color in a different spot other than where you ended your last cluster and tied off. Is that correct or am I thinking wrong. You are such an inspiration to me and I hope to be able to crochet a beautiful granny. Thank you for the time and effort it took for you to provide this info and for teaching me the correct way to make my favorite granny square...

Eight by Six said...

That's very interesting. I always make my granny squares on the same side. I have used the previous tip you gave me to start each new round in a corner and it works beautifully, thank you

Unknown said...

Oh, this is wonderful! I've been crocheting for years and have NEVER thought to do an alternating side granny to keep things really squared up. Just completed round 5 on a new baby blankie I've started and this is THE way to go! Thanks again!!

Sandra said...

I adore granny squares and come back to them time and time again! I have a friend who is just learning to crochet and I've sent her your link as the granny square tutorial is so well explained for a beginner!

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