Granny Square with a Difference
I love a granny square!! I am a huge fan of crochet’s most famous four-sided motif. However, sometimes it’s nice to add a little twist for no reason other than it’s fun to experiment and play with new crochet stitches.
This cute crochet square’s DNA is near 99% granny stitch, it’s just the centre that’s different. I felt like adding a little bit of dainty fanciness without it being overly complicated. The centre is almost floral and its petal-like nature works really well next to the more traditional trio of stitches that we know and love about the granny square. It’s a nice balance of new and old.
The written pattern for the cute square is below, or you can watch a video tutorial for the granny square, here.
New Crochet Granny Patterns
Granny Square Blanket
In recent months, I have come up with two new designs that feature this cute little granny square. Firstly, a cosy crochet blanket with two types of squares. The small squares that feature are the pattern I’m sharing today. (There are larger squares in this blanket that are a different design and I’ll talk about those another day).
I finished this giant granny square blanket just after Christmas and even though I haven’t blocked it yet, it’s on our bed, keeping us warm until the spring comes. When the weather perks up a bit, I shall wash and block it outside to bring it to life. It looks lovely without blocking but I know that a gentle wash and dry in the sun will really make a wonderful difference.
So, a pattern is coming soon for this comfy bedspread but not just yet. Maybe in a few months. (I’ve just ordered the yarn to make another in a totally different colour palette! – this one pictured is Paintbox Wool Blend DK).
Starburst Crochet Cowl
The other pattern that uses my little grannies is the Starburst Square Cowl. This time, I used loads of yarn minis and leftovers to create the ultimate stash buster. It’s perfect for using yarn advent minis or leftover scrap yarn from other crochet or knitting projects.
My Starburst Crochet Cowl is now available in my Ravelry Store and until the 17th of March you can receive 25% off with the code STARBURST. You can also choose to buy the cowl pattern on Etsy too, the same code applies there as well.
Join As You Go Technique
For the crochet cowl above, I use the Join As You Go technique to affix the granny squares to each other. This is also demonstrated in the video tutorial. Whilst I have written how to JAYG in the cowl pattern, I’m not going to do it here, I think it works just as well when you’re shown visually, which is why I put together the tutorial.
Essentially, JAYG is a series of slip stitches into an already crocheted square whilst you complete other square simultaneously. It can be confusing at first but once you get the hang of it, it might just become one of your most used crochet techniques. It’s amazing when working granny squares with the same outer colour because you can then adopt a “Continuous Join AS You Go”! Slightly different but an absolute game changer. I haven’t used it for years so don’t have a tutorial but maybe one day….
How to Crochet a Cute Granny Square
Please note that the instructions below are UK terms. The thing to remember is that a UK tr (treble) is a US dc (double). It’s a granny square pattern and grannies comprise of US dc stitches.
Yarn Weights and Hook Sizes
The granny square is all about using up your yarn scraps and leftovers and this design is no different. Gather together your favourite colours of yarn and get started right away! You could make a cowl, blanket, bag, scarf, cardigan, goodness me, the list goes on and on… Make sure you choose the same yarn weight for all of your colours; don’t mix and match as it might look higgledy piggledy in size/shape. If you’re unsure, read about yarn substitution here.
You will also need a crochet hook that goes with the yarn you’re using. For example, when I made my Starburst Cowl, I used fingering weight (sock) yarn and a 3mm hook. For the big crochet blanket, I hooked up my squares using a DK yarn and a 4mm hook.
Special Crochet Stitches
Note that I use a few techniques that you might not have tried before. This is so that the granny square looks the very best it can. The unconventional starts of the rounds might feel discombobulating initially but I demonstrate how to do them in the video tutorial. They will become second nature after a few practice runs. Honest!
Beg tr2tog: This is used as the beginning of the first round to work the first petal.
How to work a “Beg tr2tog”: Insert hook in circle, yrh and pull through, yrh and pull through both loops on hook (it helps to gently pinch the st at this point to make the next stage easier), insert hook in left leg of the st and the loop behind it (the pinch helps the back loop to become looser and more visible), yrh and pull through, (2 loops on hook), yrh and insert hook into the circle, yrh and pull through (4 loops on hook), yrh and pull through 2 loops, yrh and pull through 3 loops.
Standing tr start (sttr): This is instead of starting rounds by chaining, it looks much tidier than a 3-chain and it’s fun to do! It’s perfect when changing colour at the beginning of rows.
How to work a Standing Start: Yrh three times and hold loops on hook with forefinger, insert hook in ch-sp/st, yrh and pull through, [yrh and pull through 2 loops] twice. Let go of the yarn wrapped around your hook. First treble stitch made.
Extra Tip!! If you’re going to make a big granny square with lots of rounds, use the Standing Start and attach the new yarn to alternate/opposite corners of the square to prevent it from twisting. (Does this happen to your squares when you make them?! Ugh, it happens to me. But not when I attach yarn using this technique!)
Granny Square Pattern
As I have said above, please remember that these are UK instructions. UK Tr (treble) stitches are US dc stitches (doubles).
And, I’m sure you have spotted it already linked throughout the post but if you haven’t, the granny square video tutorial is here.
Chain 5 and join with a sl st.
Rnd 1: 1Beg tr2tog, ch2, *tr2tog, 2ch: rep from * 6 more times, join with a sl st into the 1st 2ch-sp. Fasten off & cut yarn. [ 8 “petals”]
Rnd 2: Attach new yarn with 1sttr in any 2ch-sp, 2tr in same sp, 3tr in next 2ch-sp, *(3tr, 2ch, 3tr) in next 2ch-sp, 3tr in next 2ch-sp; rep from * two more times, 3tr in first 2ch-sp, ch2, join with a sl st to the top of the first st. Fasten off & cut yarn.
And that’s the cute little granny square complete! If you enjoyed this blog post, have a look at more of my free crochet patterns, here.
