July 21, 2019

Crochet Granny Square Tutorial

Crochet Granny Square Tutorial
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Crochet Granny Square tutorial–the Right Way

crochet granny square tutorial by Sunflower Cottage Crochet

Welcome to our first in the Crochet Techniques series, the Granny Square Tutorial.

Have you ever worked up a large granny square blanket only to realize several rounds later that the middle is no longer in line with the rest of the blanket but off-center?

Are you looking to learn how to do the traditional granny square for the first time?

I have a great tutorial for you then, and it covers both new learners and those that want to learn something new.

Several years ago, when I picked up the crochet hook again after a long break, I (like most people) started out with the granny square.  I decided I wanted to make a blanket with one and started right away.

When I was on about round 30, I spread the blanket on the bed and looked at it, and then I saw it…

The center was no longer in-line with the rest of the blanket!!

I thought I had done something wrong, but I could see that I hadn’t.  Then why was the center…. off-centered?

Apparently, when you work a traditional granny square and slip stitch to the next corner to the left, it makes the center start to turn.

I didn’t like this, and besides, the giant granny is just a huge square and not suitable for a blanket or bed cover.  It still sits mostly done in my craft room to this day…

So what’s the fix?

There is a way to work a traditional granny square and not have the center move on you, as well as having only one slip stitch instead of 2 or 3.

Let’s take a look at the tutorial below. As a side note, this post includes affiliate links at no extra cost to you.

What you need:

  1. Yarn (of course)
  2. Hook
  3. Scissors
  4. Stitch Marker (optional)
  5. Yarn Needle (large eye blunt needle)

To start:

There are two ways to start working in the round:

  1. Magic Ring (magic circle) video here
  2. Chain 4, join to the first chain made with a slip stitch, and put your stitches in that tiny hole

I personally prefer the magic ring/circle.  I will explain both methods, you pick what works for you best.

Abbreviations:

Ch(s)–Chain(s)

Ss—slip stitch

St(s)–stitch(es)

DC—double crochet

Sk—skip

MR—magic ring

Chain 4 Method

To make a ring to work your stitches into–

  1. Ch4
  2. Ss to the first ch made
  3. Ch3



Magic Ring Method

This is easier to see done than explain, but I will certainly try–

  1. Using your index finger and the middle finger of your left hand (if you’re right-handed), hold them together with undersides facing up.
  2. Lay the yarn across the two fingers and hold it in place with your thumb.
  3. Take the working yarn (the part coming from the ball/skein/cake) and wrap it around those two fingers


4. When you come back around to the starting point, cross the yarn

5. Wrap the yarn once more around your fingers, stopping at the side of your middle finger.

6. Hold the yarn in place with your ring finger pressed up against your middle finger.


7. Insert your hook under the first loop

8. Grab the second loop and pull it through

9. Twist the loop

10. Chain 3


Yes, 10 steps.  I know it seems lengthy and difficult to understand, especially in written form, which is why I have the video for you here.

Now that you have your circle to work in to make sure you have a chain 3 to start out with

Chain 3 counts as a DC here and throughout the tutorial.

To get the center worked:

  1. 2dc, ch2
  2. 3dc, ch2
  3. 3dc, ch2
  4. 3dc, ch2
  5. Pull the ring closed if you did the MR method. Join to the ch3 at the start of the round with a ss

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You should now have 4 3dc clusters and 4 ch2 spaces.

Round 2

To work round two, we’re going to simply create 4 more corners, but they will be expanded by an extra cluster in each one.

  1. Ch1, turn your work. Ss to the ch2 sp right next to you.
  2. Ch3, 2dc in that ch2 sp (we will come back to this, don’t worry)
  3. Skip to the next ch2 sp—do not ch1 to get there; just jump right over to it. This helps to keep the square from being loosey-goosey and gap-y.
  4. [3dc, ch2, 3dc] in the ch2 sp
  5. Jump over to the next ch2 sp
  6. [3dc, ch2, 3dc] in the ch2 sp
  7. Jump to the next ch2 sp
  8. [3dc, ch2, 3dc] in the ch2 sp
  9. Jump to the starting ch2 sp
  10. [3dc, ch2] in that same ch2
  11. Ss to the top of the ch3 of the round.


Your work has now grown, and you will notice that there is a space between the corners.  We will need to work into those spaces.  As you also noticed, we start a corner at the beginning of the round but do not finish it until we come back around to join.

All of this helps to keep the center in place.

Round 3

Just like before…

  1. Ch1, turn your work. Ss to the ch2 sp right next to you.
  2. Ch3, 2dc in that ch2 sp
  3. Sk to the next space along the side edge
  4. 3dc in that side edge sp
  5. Jump to the next corner ch2 sp
  6. [3dc, ch2, 3dc] in that ch2 sp
  7. Jump to the next sp along the straight edge
  8. 3dc in that sp
  9. Jump to the next corner ch2 sp
  10. [3dc, ch2, 3dc] in that ch2 sp
  11. Jump to the next sp along the straight edge
  12. 3dc in that sp
  13. Jump to the next corner ch2 sp
  14. [3dc, ch2, 3dc] in that ch2 sp
  15. Jump to the last sp on the straight edge
  16. 3dc in that sp
  17. Jump to the starting corner to finish it
  18. [3dc, ch2} in that same sp
  19. Ss to the top of the ch3 of the round


Round 4

Traditionally, granny squares are a mere 4 rounds long however, some people like to make them 5 rounds.  If this is the case for you, simply carry on after round 4 as you have been, increasing the 3dc clusters along the straight edges each round by one cluster per side.  You will see how many you need as you need to put a 3dc cluster into each open space until you reach the corner.

  1. Ch1, turn. Ss to the ch2 sp right next to you.
  2. Ch3, 2dc.
  3. Jump to the first sp along the side
  4. 3dc in that sp
  5. Jump to the next sp along that same side
  6. 3dc in that sp
  7. Jump to the corner
  8. [3dc, ch2, 3dc} in the ch2 sp at the corner
  9. Jump to the next sp along the side
  10. 3dc in that sp
  11. Jump to the next sp along that side
  12. 3dc in that sp
  13. Jump to the next corner
  14. [3dc, ch2, 3dc] in the ch2 sp at the corner

Continue in this method until you have reached the final corner where you started the round.  Finish by doing 3dc, ch2, and ss to the top of the ch3 of the round.

Now you can fasten off.

To change colors

Changing colors in a granny square is quite easy.  You would simply fasten off after you ss to the top of the ch3 for whichever round you want to finish your current color with.

Cut the yarn and attach new yarn (however you like to attach new yarn) to that same corner, you fastened off at.

Trap the tails under your stitches by doing your ch3, 2dc right over the tails, then drop the tails and continue on around as normal.

You can change colors every round, every 3 rounds, however, you like.

That’s it for today’s tutorial. Please watch the YouTube video on how to do this, and be sure to like the video and subscribe to our YouTube channel.  Hit the little bell icon if you would like to be notified when we upload a new video.

Next tutorial:

The next tutorial is on the solid granny square, so don’t miss out!  Be sure to check out our pattern tutorials as well, and keep checking back because we’re always uploading new stuff!

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Filed Under: Beginner, Beginners Crochet Series, Blog, Tutorials