Youtube Crochet Squares

[William Dupere]

Shewound up busting out a hook and some variegated yarn (it was red, blue and yellow) and showing me how to chain. I made chain after chain after chain and would wear and gift them as necklaces and bracelets. Later we moved onto single crochets, then double, then triple and finally she taught me how to granny square.

Chain in between 5 or 10 times (depending on how large or small you want the hole in the center of the square to be). I like a larger size so I always chain 10. Use a slip stitch in the first chain to turn the chain into a circle.

Double crochet three times and continue the pattern. On the corners you will chain three. When going through a hole that is not on the corner, only chain one before starting your next set of three double crochets.

To change colors, use a slip stitch to finish your current round. Clip your yarn so that you have about two inches and make a slip stitch that will become a knot when you pull all of the way through. Weave what is left of the tail through the granny square using your hook to hide the unfinished end.

Basic granny know how is all you need to be on your way to crochet a throw blanket, a pillow or almost any other make. You can keep it going for one massive crochet blanket or use that traditional granny square to make a patchwork style design.

The classic granny square is iconic. Recognizable in popular TV shows and movies and very likely in the house of someone you know. Perhaps your grandmother, mom, or friend has a basic granny square afghan thrown over a sofa or favorite chair.

A basic granny square features the chain stitch and double crochet stitch worked in groups of three. A chain stitch typically separates each dc cluster from the next. And in each corner space, a set of double crochet clusters are worked, separated by a couple of chain stitches to form a corner ch 2 sp.

A popular classic granny square variation will eliminate the chain stitch between the double crochet stitches on the sides. But in any case, the stitches in subsequent rows are always worked in the space between the clusters.

With nearly 5 decades of crochet experience, she finds joy in exploring the limitless possibilities, making Crochet 365 Knit Too a haven for fellow crochet lovers seeking inspiration, guidance, and a warm community.

It really depends on the size of the granny square. My recommendation is to make a square in the size you like and measure it. Then figure out how big of an afghan you would like (measure one you have at home for reference) and calculate the number of squares you need to make that size. Keep in mind how you will join your squares and what you will be doing for a border.

FYI. I am trsying the new Red Heart Grannie square yarn and they recommend a I hook. I had to go down to a G to get the gauge I need to meet the change in yarn. I was surprised that there was that much difference. I do not corchet loose but I kept having to goo down a hook. Just a note if anyone wants to try the yarn.

That yarn looks so fun but it really is dependent upon the exact pattern used and your tension and hook size. For me that kind of steals my crochet joy. But if someone wants to try it, definitely follow their instructions and hook size to start and then tweak your tension or hook size to get the colors to change properly.

The first thing you need to decide is what your layout is going to be. The usual way of doing this is to lay all the squares out on the floor and fiddle around with them until you are happy with colour/design placement. In the meantime your toddler will run all over you squares (and probably run off with a few), your other half will trip himself/herself up in an effort to avoid stepping on your squares, your cat will lie down right in the middle of everything, and your dog will use your squares as chew-toys.

A much easier method is to take photos of each square and then create a collage using your photo editor of choice. This can be printed out for future reference and is much, much easier than crawling around on the floor. THIS TUTORIAL by Tamara from Moogly tells you exactly how to go about creating a photo collage using PicMonkey, which is free and totally fabulous!

When joining crochet squares (or knit squares for that matter) it is very easy to crochet too tightly. Your joins need to be elastic to accommodate the stretching that will naturally occur from using your finished blanket lots and lots (and LOTS)!

This will depend on a lot of factors. What kind of yarn are you using? What is your hook size? How many squares will you be joining and what kind of join will you be using? So this is a question only you can answer. But I am happy to tell you how to figure out.

Please note that this will ONLY tell you how much yarn you will need for joining squares. You will have to do additional maths to figure out how much yarn to get for the border, but I will cover that in another post.

But sometimes squares do require blocking. This could be due to a variety of reasons: change in tension, inherent differences in yarns (when using more than one yarn per square), and design, to name but a few.

Although it is preferable that your squares all have the same final-round stitch count, it is not essential. If you have made your squares using different patterns from different designers (the Block a Week CAL 2014 being a classic example), you might find that you end up with a bunch of odd-numbered squares.

When you join as you go you are basically attaching each square to one, two, or three other squares when making the last round of the square (or an additional decorative round). A lot of people prefer this method because there are less tails of yarn to sew in at the end and once you have made the last square your blanket is basically done.

I am not going to go into detail about this method because it is not a method I have used a lot, but Lucy from Attic24 has a great tutorial for a Join As You Go Granny Square, which will give you a good idea of the what and the how. Tamara from Moogly also has a great tutorial for the Tight Braid Join.

However, there is a way to work around this (a semi-join-as-you-go, if you will). You can always complete all your squares up to the second to last round and then attach them to each other at a later date by adding the last round using the JAYGO method. This Lacy Blanket Join by Cherry Heart is a case in point. She takes completed squares and joins them with a 2-round JAYGO design that is just beautiful. The tutorial is extremely thorough and easy to follow, even if the join is slightly more advanced than some of the others I will be linking to.

Some people prefer attaching their squares in strips, almost like scarves. These strips can then be attached along their lengths to form the blanket. This Groovyghan by Zelna Oliver from Zooty Owl is a perfect example of this.

The upside to this method is that it is still fairly portable while joining, because you only ever need to carry enough squares for one strip. The downside is A LOT of tails of yarn to sew away, unless you leave a loooong tail at the end of each square and use this to crochet each square to the next.

Diana, I thought I had replied to your comment, I am so sorry. You are most welcome and I am pleased that you were as blessed by this whole experience as I was. Thank you for your great comment xxx dedri

Nice! I love these squares much better than another pattern I'd seen a few days ago. There's also a free perler iPad app I use that will let you design your own pattern and give you a count of how many squares of each color you'll need when done. Very convenient.

Wow I am so embarrassed! I've made over 50 of these and yet I still mistyped the pattern ? You are correct! only 3 DC stitches, not 4. I've updated the pattern. I am still hoping to make a video tutorial as well! Thanks for catching this!

Hi! this look so fun to do!

I was thinking of starting by doing a big square pillow with a pixel pattern. My question is: is there a way to enlarge the pixel square to make the back of the pillow from a single, big square?

Thanks!

I just wanted to thank you so much for your inspiration. I came across this page quite by chance and have since completed my own pixel blanket. I am so pleased with and cannot wait to give it to my daughter for her birthday in December.

Not sure if I can upload a photo on here but will on Facebook. I dare not do it until after her birthday in case she sees it and spoils the surprise.

So thank you so very much

From one delighted crocheter!

Let me tell you a little secret. I had used this method years ago when I just started crocheting again and had not liked the fact that it took a bit longer than some of the other methods (I know! Lazy!!). I was therefore very reluctant to give it another go. Beth, one of my testers and a very good friend, urged me to try it again. She was adamant that I would love it. And she was right!

I have made the join with a contrasting colour to better illustrate how it works, but you can use the same colour as your squares and the seams will blend in effortlessly. In the pictures above you can see that the slip stitches form a flat cable on the front of the blanket and a running stitch on the back.

The 2 back loops will be right next to each other, so on the inside of the join. For the purposes of this tutorial I will call them the inside loops (see adjacent photo). You will be working ONLY into the inside loops (back loops).

Insert your hook from front to back into the inside loop of the next stitch of the square on your left (see Photo 6). Then insert your hook from front to back into the inside loop of the next stitch of the other square (Photo 7). Grab your yarn, which will be at the back of your work, and pull through all three loops on your hook (Photo 8).

Photo 9 below shows a different view of what it should look like when you have inserted your hook through both of the inside loops from front to back. Inserting your hook in this way will cause the two inside loops to lie on top of each other instead of side by side. This is what makes the seam so flat.

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