This is the blanket from the photo: soft pastel granny squares in pink, mint, sky blue, lilac and butter yellow, each one framed by thin white lines and finished with a lacy white scalloped edge. It looks like a summer meadow on your bed, and it is made from one tiny square that you repeat.
That is the secret of crochet. You do not make a blanket. You make one small square, learn it by heart, and then make it again. The grandmother in the photo is holding her very first square. Make one, hold it up, and you are already on your way.
What you need
- Yarn: soft worsted (4) acrylic or cotton blend in 6 colours: pastel pink, mint, sky blue, lilac, butter yellow and white.
- Hook: 4.5 mm (US 7). Go up or down a size if your square is not about 14 cm.
- Tools: tapestry needle, scissors, stitch markers and a tape measure.
- How much yarn? One square uses about 16 g. For a throw of 80 squares, plan on about 1.3 kg of coloured yarn (about 260 g of each colour) and 0.4 kg white. For a full bedspread of 140 squares, plan on about 2.3 kg coloured (about 460 g of each colour) and 0.7 kg white for the joins and border. Weigh your first square to get a better number.
Size and abbreviations
- ch chain
- sl st slip stitch
- sc single crochet
- dc double crochet
- sp space
- st(s) stitch(es)
- cluster 3 dc worked in the same space
- magic ring adjustable starting loop
Square size: about 14 cm (5.5 in) across.
Throw: 80 squares, 8 across and 10 down, about 112 x 140 cm.
Full bedspread like the photo: 140 squares, 10 across and 14 down, about 140 x 196 cm before the border.
How a granny square is made
Every crochet piece grows the same way: a loop becomes a stitch, stitches become a round, and rounds become a square. A granny square starts in the middle and grows outward like ripples in a pond. Each round sits around the one before it and adds a little more width.
- Start in the centre. A magic ring gives you a tiny hole that you pull closed, so the middle of the square stays neat.
- Work in rounds, not rows. You never turn the work. You go around and around, with the right side always facing you.
- Groups of 3 double crochets. These are the clusters that give a granny square its look. A chain space between clusters keeps it soft and flat.
- Corners do the shaping. At each corner you work 3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc. Those two chains let the square turn the corner without curling.
- Sides stay simple. Between corners you add one more cluster each round, so the square grows by the same amount on every side.
The 5-round square (make one test square first)
The ch 3 at the start of a round counts as 1 dc. Join every round with a sl st to the top of the ch 3. Change colour only if you want a two-colour square. The photo uses one colour per square.
- Round 1: Make a magic ring. Ch 3, 2 dc in the ring, ch 2, *3 dc in the ring, ch 2. Repeat from * 2 more times. Join and pull the ring tight. [4 clusters, 4 corner sps]
- Round 2: Sl st into the next 2 dc and into the corner sp. Ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in the same corner sp. *Ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the next corner sp. Repeat from * 2 more times, ch 1. Join. [8 clusters]
- Round 3: Sl st to the corner sp. Ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in the corner. *Ch 1, 3 dc in the ch-1 sp, ch 1, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the corner sp. Repeat from * 2 more times, ch 1, 3 dc in the last ch-1 sp, ch 1. Join. [12 clusters]
- Round 4: Same as Round 3, but work 3 dc in each of the 2 ch-1 spaces along every side. Join. [16 clusters]
- Round 5: Same again, with 3 dc in each of the 3 ch-1 spaces along every side. Join, fasten off and weave in the ends. [20 clusters, 15 dc along each side]
Check: your square should measure about 14 cm and lie flat. If it curls, your corners are too tight. If it ripples, you have too many stitches on the sides. Go up or down a hook size and try again.
Colour plan
- 5 colours, 1 per square: pink, mint, sky blue, lilac and butter yellow.
- Diagonal repeat: give each square a number from 1 to 5 as you go across the row, and start the next row one step further along. This makes soft diagonal stripes and no two squares of the same colour touch.
- Make a colour pile: 16 squares of each colour for the throw, 28 of each colour for the full bedspread.
- Keep the white for later. All joins and the border are white, so they frame every pastel square like in the photo.
Join the squares
- Lay all the squares out on the floor in your colour plan and take a photo so you do not lose the order.
- Hold two squares with wrong sides together. Join white yarn in the corner of both.
- Work 1 sc through the back loop of both squares in each dc and each ch-1 sp along the side. That is about 19 sc per side. This makes the thin white line you see in the photo.
- Join the squares into rows first (8 or 10 squares), then join the rows to each other, matching the corners.
- Where four corners meet, work 1 sc in each corner and keep the grid straight.
Scalloped border
- Round 1 (white): Join white at any outer corner. Ch 1, sc evenly around, with 3 sc in each corner and 1 sc in each join. Join. Adjust the last few stitches so the total is a multiple of 6.
- Round 2 (scallops): Ch 1, sl st in the first st. *Skip 2 sts, 5 dc in the next st, skip 2 sts, sl st in the next st. Repeat from * around, ending with a sl st in the first st. At each corner, work 1 shell centred on the corner stitch. Fasten off and weave in the ends.
How to make it faster
- Make squares in front of the TV. One square takes about 12 to 15 minutes, so 140 squares take roughly 30 to 35 hours.
- Work in batches. Make Rounds 1 and 2 of 10 squares, then Round 3 of all 10, and so on. You change colour less and the rhythm gets quicker.
- Carry a square bag. A finished square in your handbag is a finished square on the blanket. Make one during every coffee, bus ride or phone call.
- Weave ends as you go. Doing it right after each square keeps the final job small.
- Start with the throw. 80 squares cover the foot of a bed and take about 3 to 4 weeks. Add more squares later for a full bedspread.
Frequently asked questions
I have never crocheted. Can I make this?
Yes. The granny square uses only chains, slip stitches and double crochets. Make a magic ring, practise one square and repeat it. Many people make their first square in one evening.
How long does it take?
About 12 to 15 minutes per square. 80 squares take about 16 to 20 hours, and 140 squares take about 30 to 35 hours, plus the joins and border. At 8 hours a week, plan on 3 to 4 weeks for the throw.
Can I use other colours?
Yes. Pastels give the soft meadow look from the photo, but the same pattern works in bright colours, neutrals or a single colour with white joins.
How do I wash it?
Hand wash or use a gentle cycle in cool water, then dry flat. Check the label on your yarn first. Wash it alone the first time in case a colour runs.
