Granny Square Tutorial

This is for my mom, Tracey, who is teaching herself to crochet. I'm so proud of her! The granny square has been around for years, and came to be a pattern around the great depression. There are many variations of granny squares and a lot of people do their grannies differently, this is just how I do mine:

1) Slip knot your yarn and place it on your hook. Chain (ch) 4. Slip stitch (Sl St) into the fourth ch from hook to form a circle. Ch 3, counts as first Dc.

2) Work two double crochet (Dc) into the circle, ch 2. 3 Dc, ch 2, three more times for four Dc clusters. Sl St into the top of the ch 3 to finish the round. Fasten off yarn.

3) Attach your second color in any corner, but still with the right side facing you. Ch 3, counts as your first Dc. Dc two more into the same corner. Ch 2, Dc three more into same corner.

Ch 1, three Dc in next corner, ch 2, three Dc in same corner. Repeat to end. Sl St in top ch of the first ch 3, fasten off.

This is what your's should look like at this point.

4) Join your next color in any corner. Ch 3, counts as first Dc, work two Dc, ch 2, 3 Dc in same corner, ch 1.

Work 3 Dc in the next space, ch 1. Repeat three more times and Sl St into the top of the ch 3 at the beginning and fasten off.

5) Join your next color into any corner with a ch 3, counts as first Dc, work two more Dc, ch 2, work three Dc in same corner, ch 1, work three Dc in next space, ch 1, three Dc, ch 1. Repeat to end, Sl St in the top of the ch 3. Fasten off.

6) Join black, your last row, into any corner, ch 3, counts as first Dc. Work 2 Dc into same corner, ch 2, 3 Dc, ch 1, 3 Dc, ch 1, 3 Dc, ch 1, 3 Dc, ch 1. Work corners with ch 2 and straight sides with ch 1.
Repeat steps 1-5 to make any number if squares you'd like. Then to join as you go, you'll use the alternate step 6) for all other squares to, well, join as you go.

Alternate
6) Join black yarn into any corner, ch 3, counts as first Dc, work two more Dc into corner. Ch 1, insert hook into the corner of your previously finished square.

Yarn over, pull through into a Sl St. Finish corner as you normally would. Instead of ch 1 you'll insert your hook into the next ch space of the previous square and Sl St in place of the ch 1. Continue to next corner. Once you've reached the corner, ch 1, then Sl St through the previous square's corner and finish the square as you normally would.

This will join the squares together so you won't have to sew them together when each one is completed, therefore, saving you time and energy! (Trust me on that one!) Make sure to "join" whenever a square is going to touch another one. I hope this is helpful to you and please, please let me know of you have any questions! Happy Hooking!

Until next time!