May
okay so granny squares but make them weird
so you want to make granny squares that aren’t just the basic grandma afghan situation. I get it. I was totally there last summer, like August 2024, sitting on my couch watching old episodes of The Office for the millionth time and I just got SO bored of the regular three-round granny square. like my hands could literally do it without looking and that’s when you know you gotta switch it up.
the basic concept but twisted
here’s the thing about granny squares that nobody really explains properly – they’re just clusters of stitches with chain spaces between them. that’s it. once you get that in your head, you can literally do whatever you want with them. the traditional one is like, chain 4, join into a ring, then do clusters of 3 double crochets separated by chain-2 spaces. but why does it have to be 3 double crochets? why chain-2? you can change literally any of those numbers.
I remember using Lion Brand Wool-Ease for my first weird square attempt because I had like 6 skeins of it in this ugly mustard color that I impulse bought. bad choice btw because wool-ease splits like crazy when you’re trying to do anything intricate, but whatever. the point is I started doing clusters of 5 double crochets instead of 3, and the whole thing just looked… chunkier? more interesting? the corners got really pronounced.
playing with stitch heights
one thing that makes granny squares way more interesting is mixing up your stitch heights. instead of all double crochets, try doing one round of single crochets, then a round of trebles, then back to doubles. it creates this cool ripple effect that catches light differently.
you can also do what I call the “staircase square” where each cluster gets progressively taller as you go around. so like, first corner is 3 single crochets, second corner is 3 half-doubles, third corner is 3 doubles, fourth corner is 3 trebles. then on the next round you start the pattern over. it creates this weird spiral optical illusion thing that honestly made me a little dizzy when I made a whole blanket of them but it looked cool.
the spike stitch situation
okay so spike stitches in granny squares are kind of annoying to do but they look AMAZING. basically you’re working a stitch but instead of going into the previous round, you skip down one or two rounds below. it creates these long vertical lines across your square.
I made a whole batch of these in spring 2022 when I was going through that whole breakup mess with Josh and honestly the repetitive stabbing motion was kind of therapeutic lol. I used Red Heart Super Saver in like 4 different colors – I think it was Cherry Red, Soft White, Perfect Pink, and Black. the spike stitches showed up really well with the high contrast.
the annoying part though? you have to actually pay attention. you can’t just zone out and watch TV because if you spike into the wrong round or the wrong stitch, the whole thing gets wonky and you gotta rip it out. learned that the hard way after making like 15 squares that were all slightly different sizes because I wasn’t being consistent with where I was spiking.
how to actually do a spike stitch in a granny
so you’re working along your round, right? when you get to where you want a spike, insert your hook into a stitch from the round below (or two rounds below for a longer spike), yarn over, pull up a loop to the height of your current round, then complete the stitch like normal. it stretches the yarn vertically.
I usually do them in the chain spaces rather than into actual stitches because it’s easier to see where you’re going. like if you’re doing a traditional granny with chain-2 spaces, spike your double crochet down into the chain-2 space from the previous round. creates a nice clean line.
popcorn stitch squares that are actually fun
popcorn stitches get a bad rap because they’re kinda fiddly but in granny squares they add such good texture. basically you make 5 double crochets in the same stitch, drop the loop from your hook, insert hook into the first dc of the group, grab the dropped loop and pull through. it makes this little bumpy ball.
I like putting popcorns at the corners instead of regular clusters. so like, chain 4 to start, join, then in the ring do: chain 3, popcorn, chain 2, popcorn, chain 2, and repeat 3 more times. gives you these really defined corners that stick out.
my cat absolutely HATED when I made these though because she kept trying to bite the popcorns off. had to lock her out of my craft room.
the granny square but make it a hexagon
okay this isn’t technically a square anymore but whatever, same concept. instead of 4 corners you do 6. chain 6 and join, then do 6 corners with your clusters. the math is basically the same – you need chain spaces at each corner and clusters in between.
I made a whole bag out of hexagon “granny squares” using Caron Simply Soft in like Ocean and White. they fit together differently than regular squares so you get these cool negative spaces when you join them. the annoying thing about hexagons though is that you can’t just make a simple rectangle blanket, you gotta actually plan out the shape or you end up with something weird and wavy.
offset granny squares
this is where it gets fun. instead of centering your clusters between the clusters from the previous round, you offset them. so like, you’d work your cluster INTO the previous round’s cluster instead of into the chain space. it creates this diagonal effect that moves around the square.
I discovered this totally by accident when I was making squares during a really boring work zoom meeting in like… I wanna say February 2023? wasn’t paying attention, worked into the wrong spot, and instead of ripping it out I just kept going to see what would happen. ended up with this cool swirly square that didn’t look like a traditional granny at all.
you gotta be careful with this though because if you’re not consistent about which direction you’re offsetting, the whole thing can get wonky and not lay flat. pick a direction (I usually go clockwise) and stick with it for all your rounds.
color changes but make them interesting
everybody does the thing where you change colors every round, that’s basic. try changing colors MID-round instead. like work half the round in one color, join the second color, work the other half. or change colors at each corner so you get this pinwheel effect.
I used a bunch of Bernat Blanket yarn for this – I think the colors were Busy Bee (yellow), Coral Cute, and Vapor Gray. that yarn is so thick that the color changes really pop. the annoying thing about changing colors that much though is you end up with like a million ends to weave in. I literally spent more time weaving in ends than I did actually crocheting the squares.
solid granny squares
okay so this sounds contradictory but hear me out – granny squares without the holes. you still do the cluster concept but instead of chain spaces between clusters, you work stitches into every stitch from the previous round. makes a solid fabric but you still get that radiating pattern from the center.
for this you’d do something like: magic ring, chain 3, work 15 double crochets into the ring, join. next round: chain 3, dc in same stitch, 2 dc in each stitch around, join. you’re increasing at the corners to keep it square-shaped but filling in all the spaces.
I made a whole set of coasters this way using I think it was Lily Sugar n Cream in random colors I had leftover. they’re actually functional because they don’t have holes for condensation to drip through.
the granny stripe square
this is where you work granny square ROWS instead of rounds. so you chain your starting chain, work a row of clusters, turn, work back. you’re still doing the cluster-chain-cluster pattern but in rows instead of radiating from center.
it creates a totally different look even though you’re using the same basic technique. I like these for making rectangular projects where you don’t wanna seam a bunch of squares together. just make one long granny stripe panel.
the thing that annoyed me about these is that the edges get wonky if you’re not super careful about your turning chains. I always ended up with one edge tighter than the other and had to block everything really aggressively to get it even.
mixed stitch granny squares
instead of all double crochets, mix different stitches in your clusters. like do a cluster of: half-double, double, treble, double, half-double. creates this fan shape that’s wider at the top than the bottom.
or do alternating clusters – one cluster of doubles, next cluster of trebles, repeat. the height difference makes the square kinda wavy and organic-looking instead of perfectly geometric.
I experimented with this using some fancy hand-dyed yarn I got from a local shop, can’t remember the brand but it was superwash merino and it was SO soft. the color variations plus the mixed stitch heights made each square look completely unique even though I was following the same pattern.
corner variations
the corners are what make a granny square a square obviously, so changing how you do corners changes everything. traditional is like cluster-chain 2-cluster in the corner space. but try:
- cluster-chain 3-cluster for more pronounced corners
- cluster-chain 1-single crochet-chain 1-cluster for a little point at the corner
- just a single large cluster (like 7 or 9 stitches) with no chain space for rounded corners
- popcorn-chain 2-popcorn like I mentioned before
each variation changes the whole vibe of the square. I made samples of like 20 different corner treatments and they all looked like completely different patterns even though the sides were identical.
dimensional granny squares
okay this is gonna sound weird but you can make granny squares that aren’t flat. by increasing more aggressively than normal, you create ruffles. or by increasing less than you should, you create a bowl shape.
I accidentally made a whole bunch of bowl-shaped squares when I was first learning and couldn’t figure out why they wouldn’t lay flat. turns out I was skipping increases at the corners. but then I leaned into it and made a weird sculptural wall hanging thing out of them.
for intentional ruffles, do something like: cluster-chain 4-cluster at each corner instead of chain 2. the extra chains create slack that turns into ruffles. or put 2 clusters in each corner space instead of 1.
joining methods that change the look
how you join your squares together is actually part of the design. traditional whip stitch or slip stitch seaming is fine but boring. try:
join-as-you-go where you connect squares during the last round – creates a flat seam that’s almost invisible. I used this method for a blanket with Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK and you literally can’t see where the squares connect.
or leave space between squares and connect them with chain-space bridges. makes this lacy lattice effect between blocks. looks really cool with solid squares because the negative space becomes part of the design.
or my favorite – the visible join where you use a contrasting color and do a round of single crochet or even a decorative stitch to connect squares. makes the grid pattern really obvious and geometric.
playing with symmetry
granny squares don’t have to be symmetrical. you can work increases on only one or two sides to make rectangles or triangles or weird trapezoid shapes. start with a traditional granny square for 2-3 rounds then only increase on one side for the rest.
I made a whole blanket of asymmetrical “squares” that were all different shapes and it fit together like a puzzle. took forever to plan out but looked really cool. used Red Heart With Love because I had a giant stash of it and needed to use it up.
the most annoying thing about this project was that I had to actually sketch out the layout before I started because you can’t just make random shapes and expect them to fit together. learned that after making like 30 random wonky blocks that absolutely did not want to seam into anything coherent.
textured vs smooth
you can make granny squares in different yarn weights and mix them in the same project. like worsted weight squares next to bulky weight squares. they’ll be different sizes obviously but if you’re doing a scrappy project that can actually look really cool and intentional.
or use textured yarn for some squares and smooth for others – like a boucle granny next to a cotton granny. the texture contrast makes even identical patterns look totally different.
I did this with a baby blanket using Bernat Baby Blanket (the textured one) and regular Bernat Blanket and it was… okay it was kind of ugly actually but the baby didn’t care lol.
when to stop adding rounds
you don’t have to make all your squares the same size. make some tiny 2-round squares, some medium 5-round squares, some giant 10-round squares. mix them together in the same project for this really organic patchwork look.
the key is planning your layout before you seam everything or you’ll end up with gaps that don’t work. ask me how I know.
anyway that’s basically it – granny squares are just a framework and you can change literally any element to make them unique. the yarn, the stitches, the colors, the shape, the size, whatever. just gotta experiment and see what happens. sometimes it works, sometimes you rip it out and try again.
