Crochet Granny Square Tips & Ideas

Hey Everybody!
I want to share some great patterns and tips that I have collected about one of my favorite crochet techniques, the Granny Square! I know a bunch of you are thinking, "Oh, What is so great about a granny square? Its so dated and old fashioned." I am here to tell you that you are DEAD WRONG. Granny Squares are fabulous. There are so many different things you can do with them. You can make your traditional afghans, purses, clothes, aprons, laptop and tablet cases, and anything else you can dream up. Seriously, the sky is the limit when it comes to granny squares. You can make the traditional granny square pattern look contemporary and modern by using interesting color choices. You can also mod the granny square patterns to look like other shapes. You can ever add flowers and other types of embellishments to them. I have gathered up some helpful posts for starting out if you have never crocheted a granny square before. I have also found some examples of interesting ways to use granny squares. I hope y'all are ready to gain a completely new perspective on your piddly ol' granny squares. ;)

traditional granny square from the purl bee

This is a traditional granny square. It is made up of double crochets & slip stitches. The pattern for this square can be found at the link in the photo caption. (The blog that this pattern comes from shares LOTS of free patterns and tutorials. I highly recommend subscribing to them.) This is one of the most simple crochet techniques there is. Once you get this down, you can start branching out and trying new and different things with your granny squares.

granny square chart from not your average crochet

 

Here is a crochet chart that shows you visually where each stitch should go, in case you have difficulty following patterns. I highly recommend that you get comfortable with reading patterns because it has not been my experience that many people provide charts instead of patterns when sharing their projects.

Now that we know a little bit about the traditional granny square, I encourage you to get creative with it. Here are a few examples of where you can go once you become comfortable with the technique.

1.) Free Pattern for the Circle Granny Square from Signed With an Owl.

2.)Puff Stitch Granny Square from Mille Makes

3.)Free Pattern from Crochetme for the Granny Spiral

4.)African Flower Granny Square Free Pattern from Lanas Yo Villos

5.)Granny Square Pattern from The Creative Penny

6.)Granny Square with Flower Pattern from Penny Peberdy on Ravelry

This is a tiny example of the multitude of ways that granny squares can be changed to create beautiful patterns.  I just really happen to be fond of the six here. :) Now for some interesting ways to USE granny squares!

1.)Tangled Happy's Granny Square Apron Free Pattern

2.)Julia Crossland's Bolster Pillow (Not a pattern)

3.)Ponnekeblom's Granny Square Beach Bag

4.)DROPS Design Studio Granny Square Embellished Skirt

5.)Wind Rose Fiber Studio's Mini Muk Luks Tutorial

6.)Granny Square Ripple Tutorial

I really hope that this post has encouraged you to give granny squares a try. I also hope that you have found tons of inspiration from all of these great projects! The internet is just full of talented people. :) I would love to see any of the projects that you make! Happy crafting!

Love to you all,

Irice