Mar
Getting Started With The Basic Cat Square
So I made my first cat granny square back in spring 2022 when I was basically stress-crocheting my way through some work drama and honestly it came out kinda wonky but whatever. The basic idea is you’re making a regular granny square but then you add cat features on top of it which sounds simple but there’s actually some planning involved.
You’re gonna start with a magic ring. Make your slip knot, yarn over, pull through – the usual. Chain 3 which counts as your first double crochet, then work 2 more double crochets into the ring. Chain 2 for your corner space. Then do 3 double crochet, chain 2, and repeat that two more times so you have four corner spaces total. Slip stitch to join to the top of your starting chain 3.
For the second round you’ll slip stitch over to that corner chain-2 space. Chain 3 again, work 2 double crochet in the same space, then chain 2, and 3 more double crochet in that same corner. That’s your first corner done. Chain 1 for the side space. In the next corner do 3 double crochet, chain 2, 3 double crochet. Keep going around like that.
Color Changes For The Cat Face
This is where it gets specific to the cat design. I usually work my base square in whatever color I want the cat to be – I’ve used Red Heart Super Saver in Buff for orange cats, and Caron One Pound in Cream for white cats. The Caron is softer but honestly the Red Heart holds up better if you’re making something that’ll get washed a lot.
Round 3 is where you need to start thinking about the face placement. You want to work this round normally but use a lighter color for the face area. So like if you’re doing a gray cat use white or light gray for about half of one side. The thing that really annoyed me about this process was keeping track of where exactly to switch colors because if you miscount by even one stitch the face looks lopsided and cats already judge us enough without looking crooked.
Work your corners like normal but when you get to the side where the face will be switch to your lighter color. Do this by working the last yarn over of your previous stitch with the new color. I usually put the face on one of the sides rather than centered because it looks more natural that way, like the cat is peeking out.
Adding The Ears
The ears are probably the most important part because they’re what makes it actually look like a cat and not just a blob. You have two options – either crochet triangle ears separately and sew them on, or work them directly into the top edge of the square.
For separate ears I chain 6, then turn and work back with 1 single crochet in the second chain from hook, 1 half double crochet, 1 double crochet, 1 half double crochet, 1 single crochet. That gives you a little triangle. Make two of those. You can add a smaller triangle in pink or white for the inner ear if you want but honestly sometimes less is more.
To attach them you just position them on the top corners of the square where the head would logically be and sew them down with a yarn needle. I use whip stitch usually because I’m lazy and it works fine.
The other method is working them directly in which I learned from just messing around one afternoon while my dog was barking at literally nothing outside. Instead of doing your normal corner on the top of the square, you work the stitches in a way that creates a point. So you’d do like 2 double crochet, chain 3, slip stitch back into the first chain to make a picot, then 2 more double crochet. It’s faster but doesn’t look quite as defined.
Eyes Nose And Whiskers
For the eyes you can either embroider them with black yarn or use safety eyes if you’re not making this for a baby. I’ve done both and the safety eyes look cuter but they’re annoying to position correctly. You gotta poke them through before you finish your square completely or… wait no actually you can add them after if you really shove them through but it’s harder.
I usually put the eyes about one round down from where the ears are, spaced evenly apart. For embroidered eyes I just make a few satin stitches in an oval shape with black yarn. Sometimes I add a little white French knot for the light reflection which makes them look more alive.
The nose is just a small triangle. Use pink or black yarn and make three or four stitches in a triangle shape right in the center below the eyes. Then for whiskers I thread black embroidery floss or thin yarn through with my needle, going in from one side and out the other near the nose area. Make them different lengths so it looks natural. I usually do three on each side.
Some people use fabric paint for the features which is totally valid but I like the texture of embroidery better.
Different Cat Face Variations
Once you’ve made like three or four basic cat squares you’re gonna want to mix it up. I made a whole series during summer 2024 when I was watching that show The Bear and just needed something to do with my hands during the stressful parts.
For a striped cat you work your rounds in alternating colors. I did one with Lily Sugar’n Cream in Hot Green and White which sounds weird but it was for a kid who specifically wanted a green cat so. You just carry your unused color up the side and switch every round or every other round depending how thick you want the stripes.
Calico cats are harder because the color changes are random. What I do is work with three colors and just switch randomly mid-round whenever I feel like it. Cut your old color leaving a tail and join the new one. You’ll have a million ends to weave in later but that’s the price of realism.
For a tuxedo cat use black for most of the square but switch to white for the bottom third (the chest) and make the face area white too. The ears stay black. This is probably the easiest variation because you only switch colors once or twice per round.
Sizing Options
The basic pattern I described makes about a 5 inch square depending on your tension and yarn weight. If you want bigger squares for like a blanket or something you just keep adding rounds following the granny square pattern – 3 double crochet clusters in the corners with chain 2, and 3 double crochet clusters along the sides with chain 1 between them.
I’ve made them as big as 10 inches by doing like 8 or 9 rounds total. The face features need to scale up too though which means bigger eyes and a bigger nose. For a 10 inch square I use actual craft safety eyes instead of embroidering because embroidered ones look weird when they’re too big.
You can also make tiny ones with thinner yarn. I used some Aunt Lydia’s size 10 crochet thread once to make cat squares that were only about 2 inches and turned them into coasters. Used a 1.5mm hook for those which was absolutely terrible for my hands but they came out really detailed and cute.
Joining Multiple Squares
If you’re making a blanket or bag with multiple cat squares you need to join them somehow. I usually use the join-as-you-go method where you connect each square to the previous ones as you work the final round. It’s faster than sewing them all together later.
To do this you work your last round normally until you get to the side where you want to join. Then instead of doing chain 1 or chain 2 for your spaces, you slip stitch into the corresponding space on the square you’re joining to. So like when you get to a corner you’d do your 3 double crochet, then chain 1, slip stitch into the other square’s corner space, chain 1, then 3 double crochet in your current square.
The other option is the whip stitch method where you line up your squares and sew through the back loops only with a yarn needle. I did this for a set of squares I made into a tote bag and it actually created a nice ridge effect on the outside that looked intentional.
There’s also the slip stitch join where you hold two squares together and slip stitch through both layers at once. It’s fast but creates a bulkier seam.
What Yarn Actually Works Best
I’ve tried this pattern with probably 15 different yarns at this point. The Red Heart Super Saver I mentioned before is honestly great for this – it’s cheap, comes in a million colors, and the squares hold their shape. The main downside is it can be kinda squeaky to work with and it’s not the softest against skin.
Caron Simply Soft is good if you want something more drapey. I made cat squares with that in Chocolate and White for a brown tabby pattern and they came out nice but they stretched a bit over time. Better for decorative stuff than things that need structure.
Bernat Blanket yarn is too thick for this pattern honestly unless you want giant cat squares which could be cool actually. I tried it once and the details were hard to add because everything was so chunky.
Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK is what I used when I wanted to make something more gift-worthy. It’s 100% cotton so it’s washable and the colors are really vibrant. More expensive though so I only use it for special projects.
Worsted weight is really the sweet spot for this pattern. Anything thinner takes forever and anything thicker loses the detail. Sport weight could work if you size down your hook.
Common Problems And How To Fix Them
The biggest issue I see when people try this is the square isn’t actually square. Like it curves or becomes a trapezoid or whatever. This usually means your tension is off or you’re missing stitches. Count your stitches every round to make sure you have the same number of 3-dc clusters on each side.
If your corners are curling up you might be chaining too much in the corner spaces. Try chaining 1 instead of 2 in the corners. If your corners are tight and bunching try chaining 3.
When the ears don’t sit flat it’s because they’re too big for the square or positioned wrong. They should be on the top edge angled slightly outward not straight up. I usually pin them in place first before sewing to make sure they look right.
If your color changes look messy that’s normal honestly. You can either embrace the handmade look or get better at carrying yarn and making invisible joins which takes practice. I still have messy color changes sometimes and I’ve been doing this for years.
Making It Look More Realistic
Some things I’ve learned that make the cats look more like actual cats: vary the eye placement slightly between squares so they don’t all look identical and creepy. Real cats have different face shapes so some should have eyes closer together some farther apart.
Add shading with a darker color around the edges of the face or under the chin. You can do this by surface crocheting or embroidering lines after the square is done. Just a few strategic darker stitches make it look way more dimensional.
The ears can have different positions too. One up one down for an attentive look both pointed forward for alert both out to the sides for annoyed. You control this with how you angle them when you sew them on.
Whiskers don’t have to be symmetrical. Real cat whiskers are all different lengths and slightly curved. I sometimes curl mine around a pen before attaching them to give them a natural bend.
Project Ideas For Cat Squares
Obviously a blanket is the main thing people make. I did one with 20 squares – 4 rows of 5 cats each all in different colors and patterns. Took me probably three months of casual crocheting. Used Red Heart Super Saver for the whole thing so it cost maybe 30 dollars total in yarn.
You can make a pillow cover with four squares – one cat face on front center or four different cats in a grid. Back it with fabric or crochet a solid back panel. Stuff with a pillow form.
Tote bags are cool with cat squares. Make two squares for the front and back or make four smaller squares and join them into each panel. Crochet simple side panels and handles. Line it with fabric if you want it to hold shape better.
Individual squares can be coasters like I mentioned before. You’d want to back them with cork or felt so they actually absorb moisture. Or just use them decorative.
I’ve seen people frame them as wall art which is cute if you’re into that. Just stretch the square over cardboard and frame it like a regular picture.
Baby blankets obviously but skip the safety eyes and embroider everything so there’s no choking hazards. Softer yarn like Bernat Baby Blanket would be better for that.
Adapting The Pattern For Other Animals
Once you understand how the cat square works you can modify it for other animals pretty easily. Dogs are basically the same but with floppy ears instead of pointed ones. Make longer oval shapes and attach them hanging down on the sides.
Bunnies have longer ears pointing up. Just make your ear triangles longer – chain 10 or 12 instead of 6.
Bears have round ears which you make by crocheting small circles instead of triangles. Work in a spiral: magic ring, 6 single crochet in ring, increase in each stitch around for one round. Flatten them and sew them on.
Frogs would need eyes on top of the head instead of in the face area which changes the whole layout but it’s doable. You’d probably skip the lighter face color and just make the whole square green then add googly eyes or big embroidered circles at the top.
Keeping Track Of Your Stitches
I use stitch markers constantly when making these because it’s so
