How To Crochet A Straight Granny Square

Keeping a Granny Square straight

A beginner friendly pattern

By Kerry Jayne Designs

Granny squares have been around forever but one of the things that can happen when making one is that they can twist. If you have ever made a continuous Granny square blanket, which is literally one big granny square, you may have discovered that the more rounds you add, the more twisted the granny square becomes, and often by about round 7 the granny square is beginning to twist, lean and swirl! 

The granny on the left has been crocheted round and round in one direction with top side facing throughout, as you can see the square is beginning to twist. The granny on the right has been crocheted turning the square over after each round, thus alternating the direction of each round, therefore counteracting the twist! This may sound complicated but it really isn’t and to me is well worth learning. 

It's not necessarily a problem if you are happy to have a twisted granny square blanket, but personally, I like the granny square to be ‘square’, to me it looks neater and more professional.

There are a few different ways of preventing your granny square from twisting or leaning, such as blocking with pins, or by starting each round at a different point in the square, but I will show the way I like to do it.

With the method below, it's easy to remember and you also have the added advantage that there will be no right or wrong side to the blanket, both sides will be exactly the same.

As in most of my crochet blanket patterns I have created this step by step photo tutorial for you to follow, showing you ‘How to make a Granny square ‘SQUARE’  :-) 

You will need to know:

How to make a Slipknot HERE

How to make a Chain stitch (Ch) (st) HERE

How to make a Slip stitch (Sl st) HERE

How to make a Treble crochet stitch (Tr) (USA Double crochet) HERE 

I will be using UK crochet terminology for this tutorial (For conversion  to USA see HERE)

Use the appropriate size crochet hook for the yarn you are using, it's usually indicated on the yarn label. I am using a size 4mm hook with a Double knitting (DK) weight cotton yarn.

To start

Make a Slipknot on your hook,

Ch 4 (do not count the loop on your hook),

Slip stitch into the 1^st ch to make a ring.

Ch 3, (counts as your 1^st Tr), 

make 2 Tr into the ring, (the ch 3 and the 2 Tr’s will count as your 1^st 'Treble cluster'),

Ch 2, (the ch 2 will count as your 1^st corner space), 

Make 3 Tr into ring, (2^nd cluster done)

Ch 2, 3 Tr into ring (3^rd cluster done) Ch 2, 3 Tr into ring (4^th cluster done), Ch 2, slip stitch (sl st) into the 3^rd ch of the Ch 3 you made at the beginning of the round (where I am pointing my needle). You will now have 4 ‘Tr clusters’ separated by a ch 2 corner. Round 1 complete :-)

Turn the square over (you will be turning the square over after every round and working each round in the opposite direction to your last round. By doing this it will counteract the twist that happens if you were to just keep crocheting round and round,

Make a sl st into the corner to begin, Ch 3 (You will be starting from the corner on every round hereafter and will ‘compete’ this corner at the end of each round),

make 2 Tr into the same corner space,  

Ch 1, 3 Tr into the next corner space,

 Ch 2, 3 Tr into same corner sp (1^st corner done),

Ch 1,  3 Tr into next corner sp,

Ch 2, 3 Tr into same corner sp, 

Ch 1, (3 Tr, Ch 2, 3 Tr) into next corner sp, Ch 1, 3 Tr into the 1^st corner space where you started (where my needle is pointing. If you feel you are crocheting over the top of your starting chain, pull the stitches back a bit so that you can see your ch3),

Sl st into the 3^rd ch of the Ch 3 (where my needle is pointing).

Round 2 complete :-)

Turn the square over, slip stitch into the same corner sp to start, Ch 3,

Make 2 Tr into the same corner space,

Ch1, 3 Tr into next space,

Ch1, 3 Tr into next corner sp,

Ch2, 3 Tr into same corner sp. (2^nd corner complete),

Ch1, 3 Tr into next sp, Ch 1, *(3 Tr, ch 2, 3 Tr) into next corner sp, Ch 1, 3 Tr into

next sp, Ch 1; repeat from * once more, 3 Tr into the 1^st corner sp where you started, Ch 2, Sl st into the 3^rd ch of the Ch 3.

 Round 3 completed :-)

Turn the square over, sl st into the corner sp to start, Ch 3,

Make 2 Tr into same corner sp, *Ch1, 3 Tr into next sp, Ch1, 3 Tr into next sp, Ch1, (3 Tr, Ch 2, 3 Tr) into next corner sp; repeat from * twice more, Ch1, 3 Tr into next sp, Ch 1, 3 Tr into next sp, Ch 1, 3 Tr into 1^st corner sp, Ch 2, Sl st into the 3^rd ch of the Ch 3 st.

Round 4 complete :-)

Ok so you should be getting the hang of it now, as you can see, the square is still perfectly straight. Carry on repeating the rounds in the same way.

Just a few things to remember with this method, always turn your square after each round, then slip stitch into the 1^st corner and then Ch 3 to begin. Also, remember that you complete your 1^st corner, at the end of each round. Every cluster is separated by a Ch 1, except the corner which is a Ch 2.

I hope you have enjoyed my Granny square tutorial.

Perhaps you would like to try my blanket pattern Poolside 

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Happy crocheting!

Lots of love Kerry x