It's a classic. The Granny Square is one of the most recognizable things a crocheter can make. Their timeless features may leave you with a feeling of nostalgia and inspire you to create your own works of art. Granny squares have come a long way since the days of our grandparents, and so has the yarn. Color varieties are seemingly endless and the squares can take on a wide variety of contours and sizes.
Some Granny squares begin and end with a square shape where you make 4 corners and 4 sides in each round. You can also begin a Granny square with a circle, then change the stitch sequence to make 4 sides in the outer rounds. There are also Granny square patterns that begin with a factor of 6, creating a hexagon shape that transforms into a square by changing the stitch sequence. For this tutorial, I will be showing you how to crochet a Granny square that begins with a flat circle (factor of 8), that changes to a square in the outer rounds.
For this pattern, I am using Premier Home yarn which comes in so many fun colors! It is a medium weight yarn made from recycled cotton. Get yours here. Most of the yarn I use is from Premier - they have so many collections of different yarn weights and by far the most color options I've seen from any manufacturer. Premier is also an ethical and sustainable choice when shopping for yarn - they are OEKO-TEX and EN71-3 certified. You can find out more about it here.
Granny squares are made in the round. If you are unsure how to begin crocheting in the round, please refer to my helpful YouTube video on how to make a Magic Circle and begin stitching within the loop.
Okay, let's get to it!
For this pattern, I used the following materials:
3.5 mm crochet hook
Premier Home Recycled Cotton yarn, medium weight [4]
Darning or embroidery needle
Scissors
Usually, a 5 mm crochet hook is recommended for medium weight yarn. I used a smaller hook for this pattern because I don't want to see little gaps between the stitches of the Granny Square.
The following stitches and terminology are used in the tutorial and are abbreviated as follows:
mc - magic circle
sl st - slip stitch
sc - single crochet
hdc - half double crochet
hdc inc - half double crochet increase
dc - double crochet
ch - chain
st - stitch
FO - fasten off
YO - yarn over
BLO - back loop only
FLO - front loop only
FPhtt - front post half triple treble
FPhtt: YO 4x, insert hook around FP, YO & pull through, (YO & pull through 2 loops) 3x, YO & pull through last 3 loops.
CITRUS GRANNY SQUARE PATTERN:
With white yarn:
R1: in mc: ch 1, hdc 8, sl st into 1st hdc to close round [8]
After completing the first round, pull center of circle tight to close. FO yarn and use Darning needle to sew in yarn tails or work them into next round.
In any hdc of R1, pull up loop of new yarn (color for inside part of fruit), then:
R2: ch 1, beginning in same st as join: (hdc inc) 8x, sl st into 1st hdc to close [16]
R3: ch 1, begining in same st as join: (hdc, hdc inc) 8x, sl st into 1st hdc to close [24]
R4: ch 1, beginning in same st as join: (hdc, hdc inc, hdc) 8x, sl st to close [32]
After R4, FO yarn and weave in yarn tail.
In any st from R4, pull up loop of white yarn, then:
R5: ch 1, beginning in next st: (hdc inc, FPhtt into top of R1, skip 1 on R4, hdc 2) 8x, sl st to close [40]
The front post stitches of R5 are made into R1. Insert your hook around the top hdc st of R1 as you're looking at your circle.
If you need help with R5 and the front post stitches, watch this video.
After R5, FO white yarn and weave in tail.
With color you've selected for the fruit peel, pull up a loop in any st of R5, but in the BLO.
Note: You will not crochet into the stitches of R6, so be sure they are consistent in tension and appearance.
R6: BLO: sl st 40, sl st to close round [40]
FO yarn and weave in yarn tail.
Round 7 begins the formation of the square and is made into BLO of white stitches of R5. Do not crochet into slip stitches of R6. With color you've chosen for the space around the fruit, pull up a loop in any stitch of R5 (BLO), then:
R7: BLO: ch 3, dc in same st as ch, the following sequence of sts makes 1 side of square: (dc, hdc, sc 2, sl st, sc 2, hdc, dc), make corner in next st: (dc 2, ch 2, dc 2), repeat to make 4 sides and corners, when you return to ch-3 from beginning: dc 2 in same st as ch-3, ch 2, sl st to close round into top of ch-3 [52]
R8: ch 1, beginning in same st as join: (hdc 13, [sc, ch 2, sc] in corner space) 4x, sl st in 1st hdc st to close round [60]
Fasten off yarn after R8 and weave in yarn tail.
Note: If you want to make a bigger square with more space around the fruit, repeat R8 but add hdc sts as you make the sides.
These squares were so much fun to make, I turned them into a tote bag of different citrus fruits! Find the pattern for the full tote bag in the Off the Hook Crochet shop. In the tote bag pattern, you'll find instructions for the Granny Square, how to sew the squares together, sewing a liner and attaching it inside the bag using crochet stitches, and crocheting the bag handles.
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Happy crafting!
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