Mar
Making the Granny Square Jacket
So I made this granny square cardigan back in spring 2022 when I was basically living on my couch watching old episodes of The Office for the third time, and honestly it turned out way better than I expected even though the process was kinda all over the place.
The basic idea is you’re making a bunch of individual granny squares and then seaming them together to form a cardigan shape. I used probably like 35-40 squares total depending on your size. Mine was a medium-ish fit and I think I ended up with 38 squares but I also made extras because I wasn’t sure about the layout.
The Squares Themselves
Each square starts with a magic ring or you can just chain 4 and slip stitch if you hate magic rings like I used to. I’ve gotten better at them but back then I was definitely in the chain-4 camp. You’re gonna work in rounds, and the traditional granny square is just clusters of double crochets separated by chain spaces.
Round 1 is usually chain 3 (counts as first dc), then 2 dc in the ring, chain 2, then *3 dc, chain 2* three more times. Slip stitch to the top of the starting chain. That gives you four corner spaces.
Round 2 you slip stitch over to the first corner space, chain 3, then do 2 dc, chain 2, 3 dc all in that same corner space. That’s your corner made. Then chain 1, and in the next corner space you do another corner (3 dc, chain 2, 3 dc). Keep going around.
For the jacket I made mine 5 rounds each because I wanted kinda substantial squares. If you go smaller you’ll need more squares obviously. I measured one square and it was about 5 inches across, maybe a tiny bit more. The Red Heart Super Saver I used (in that Soft White color and also some Claret for contrast) was pretty standard weight so that sizing worked out.
How Many Squares and Where They Go
This is where it gets messy because there’s no like official pattern I followed. I basically laid them out on my floor and my cat kept sitting on them which was super annoying, but anyway.
You need squares for the back panel, two front panels, and two sleeves. The back panel was 4 squares wide by 4 squares tall for me. Each front panel was 2 squares wide by 4 tall. The sleeves were 3 squares wide by 3 tall but tapered.
Actually wait, let me think about this again because the sleeves were… I think I did 3 squares around and 3 squares long, then seamed them into a tube shape. But you could also do flat sleeves and seam them after attaching to the body.
The Part That Really Annoyed Me
Okay so the thing that drove me absolutely nuts was seaming all these squares together. I tried whip stitch first and it looked bulky and terrible. Then I tried slip stitch seaming which was better but still kinda visible and stiff. What actually worked best was a flat slip stitch seam where you work through the back loops only of both squares, but it took FOREVER.
I spent probably three entire evenings just seaming squares while watching TV and my hands were so tired. If I did this again I’d maybe try join-as-you-go method where you connect squares as you make them, but I didn’t know about that technique back then.
Laying Out Your Design
Before you seam anything, lay out all your squares and take a picture. Seriously. I moved mine around like five times trying to figure out if I wanted a random color placement or a more organized pattern. I had made some squares in white, some in the burgundy color, and some with white centers and burgundy edges.
For the body I did a checkerboard kind of thing but not strict. The sleeves I kept mostly solid colored because I thought too much pattern on the sleeves might look weird or—actually I don’t remember my exact reasoning but they’re mostly the burgundy.
Pin or clip your layout so you remember what goes where. I used my phone and took multiple photos from different angles because I’m paranoid about forgetting.
Seaming the Body
Start with the back panel. Seam your 4×4 square grid together first. I worked in rows, seaming all the horizontal rows first, then seaming those rows together vertically. Use the same yarn you made the squares with or it’ll look off.
Then do each front panel separately. These are your 2×4 sections. Once you have both front panels and the back panel done, you’re gonna join them at the shoulders.
The shoulder seam is just the top edge of the front panel connected to the top edge of the back panel. Leave the middle squares of the back panel unattached at the top because that’s your neck opening. So if your back is 4 squares wide, you’re only seaming the outer squares on each side to the front panels.
Sleeves Are Weird
I’m not gonna lie, the sleeves were where I kinda winged it and hoped for the best. I made two separate panels of 3×3 squares each. Then I seamed them into tube shapes by connecting one vertical edge to the opposite vertical edge.
To attach the sleeve to the body, you’re working with the armhole opening which is basically the space between where the front and back panels meet on the side. I pinned the sleeve into the opening with the seam of the sleeve at the underarm point. Then I seamed around the entire armhole opening, which was awkward because you’re working in a circle kind of.
My first sleeve went on crooked and I had to redo it. Make sure the sleeve is oriented right before you commit to seaming the whole thing. The top center of the sleeve should line up with your shoulder seam.
Side Seams
After the sleeves are attached you gotta seam up the sides of the body and the undersides of the sleeves in one continuous seam. Start at the bottom hem of the cardigan, seam up the side, and keep going down the underside of the sleeve to the cuff.
This is where you’ll really notice if your tension was off on any squares because they might not line up perfectly. I had one square that was slightly smaller than the others and it created this little pucker that I just… decided to ignore because I was so done with seaming at that point.
Edging Makes It Look Finished
Once everything’s seamed you’re technically done but it looks kinda homemade and floppy without an edge. I did single crochet edging around the entire front opening, bottom hem, cuffs, and neck.
For the front opening I started at the bottom right corner and worked single crochet up the right front edge, around the neck, and down the left front edge. I did two rounds of single crochet to make it more substantial. You could do more if you want a thicker band.
The cuffs I just did one round of single crochet around the opening of each sleeve. Same with the bottom hem, just one round all the way around.
Some people add ribbing or a different stitch pattern for the edging but I kept it simple because I was already so tired of this project by that point.
Yarn Amounts and Other Stuff
I used Red Heart Super Saver like I mentioned, and I think I went through maybe 5 or 6 skeins total? I didn’t keep great track honestly. I know I used 3 skeins of the Soft White and 3 of the Claret. That was probably more than I needed because I had leftovers.
You could definitely use nicer yarn. I’ve seen people make these with Caron Simply Soft which has a better drape, or even cotton yarn for a summer version. The Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice would work too and it’s softer than Red Heart.
Hook size I used was a 5.5mm (I) hook which is pretty standard for worsted weight yarn. Some patterns say to size up for a more drapey fabric but I liked the structure of the tighter stitch.
Sizing This Thing
Okay so sizing is gonna depend on how big your squares are and how many you use. My 5-inch squares in a 4-wide back panel gave me about 20 inches across the back which fit me fine. If you need bigger, add more squares to the width or make larger squares.
The length from shoulder to hem was 4 squares which was about 20 inches, so it hit right at my hip. If you want longer add another row of squares to the bottom.
Sleeves are tricky because the 3×3 square tube I made was pretty roomy. If you want fitted sleeves you might need to do 2 squares wide instead, or make smaller squares for the sleeve portion.
Honestly I’d recommend making a few test squares first, measuring them, and doing some basic math to figure out your specific sizing before you commit to making 40 squares.
Things I’d Do Different
If I made another one, which I’ve thought about but haven’t actually done yet, I’d probably use the join-as-you-go method to save all that seaming time. There are tutorials online for this where you connect squares during the last round instead of seaming them later.
I might also do a more fitted shape by tapering the body slightly instead of keeping it boxy. You could do this by using fewer squares at the waist or by adjusting how you seam them together.
The other thing is I’d use better yarn. The Red Heart worked fine but it’s not super soft and the cardigan is a little stiff. Something with more drape would probably look more professional.
Wearing It
The cardigan actually gets worn more than I expected. It’s warm but not too heavy, and the open front means you don’t need buttons or closures which I appreciated because I didn’t want to deal with adding those. Some people add a tie or belt but I just wear it open.
It’s kinda bulky though, like you can tell it’s handmade. Not in a bad way necessarily but it’s definitely got that homemade vibe. The squares create texture which is cool but also means it doesn’t lay completely flat.
I wore it to a friend’s bonfire last fall and got compliments but also questions about how long it took, and when I said probably 20-25 hours total including the seaming people were like “oh wow that’s… a lot” which, yeah, it is.
Random Tips
Weave in your ends as you go on each square. Do not wait until the end. I waited and had probably 80+ ends to weave in and I wanted to die.
Keep your tension consistent across all squares. Mine varied a little bit and you can kinda tell when you look closely that some squares are slightly different sizes.
If you’re doing multiple colors, carry the yarn up the side instead of cutting it each round if you’re alternating colors. Saves yarn and ends to weave in.
Block your squares before seaming if you have the patience for it. I didn’t, but I bet it would’ve made the seaming easier if everything was exactly the same size and shape.
Use stitch markers or safety pins to mark where corners and centers are when you’re seaming, especially for the sleeves. It helps keep everything aligned.
The whole project is pretty beginner-friendly if you can make a basic granny square. The seaming is tedious but not technically difficult. I’d learned crochet maybe a year before I made this and it was totally doable, just time-consuming.
