Fourth Beginner Crochet Project: Granny Square

Alright, so you've finally mastered the single and double crochet and you can increase/decrease, now it's time for the square to look a little fancier and more intricate. As you can see, this one does have holes, but still many uses. I've actually made a bag out of granny squares and a lot of people make afghans out of them. This is about the simplest one out there. You start in the center with a loop and work circularly around, making corners as you go so it ends up being a square.

You'll need worsted weight yarn (not black), a darning/yarn needle, scissors, and a crochet hook size G-J.

We'll start by chaining 4 stitches like we have in the past. (Wrap yarn and pull through loop on hook)

Insert your hook into the LAST "v" on the chain, still on the top half of the "v".

Now wrap yarn under the hook like usual, and pull through both loops on hook. This is called a SLIP STITCH and is usually used to join to ends together, like in the ring we just made.

This time chain 3 stitches, coming off of the ring we just made.

Wrap your yarn so that it's on the left side of the hook. Stretch the ring a little so that you can see an opening large enough for your hook in between the chain stitches. Insert your hook into this hole, you might have to turn it sideways like in the picture so that your hook is horizontal.

Now with your yarn wrapped on the left, you're going to perform a double crochet stitch into the center of the ring. (Remember: yarn on left, insert into ring, wrap over hook to right, wrap under hook to left, pull through first loop, wrap to left, pull through next 2 loops, wrap to left, pull through next 2 loops.

Repeat this process two more times in the ring, making three double crochet stitches total. If you're wondering what to do with the starting tail, I just hold it along side the ring as I go so that it hides in the middle of the double crochet stitches. 

Again, do 3 chain stitches coming off of the three double crochet stitches.

Now repeat the double crochet stitches like before, doing 3 in the ring still. You'll notice that the chain 3 you just did forms a corner when you push these 3 stitches close to the 3 you did before.

Repeat this process (3 double crochet stitches, 3 chain stitches) around until there are 4 sets of double crochet (12 stitches), and 3 corners. Don't forget to end with a chain 3. Also at this point, I cut the remaining of my starting tail.

Insert your hook into the top of the chain that we started with at the beginning of the double crochet section and slip stitch here (wrap and pull through both loops). This should make it continuous and finish your fourth corner. Since you've  finished one full rotation of the crocheted work, you call this a ROUND instead of a row, like we have previously. So in crochet talk: you've just finished one round.

We're gonna start this next round similar to how we started the first, you chain 3 and double crochet 3. This time, double crochet in the space between your first round chain 3 and your first round double crochet stitches.

Now, chain one stitch, and double crochet 3 stitches in the next chain gap.

Now chain 3 stitches, and double crochet 3 stitches on the other side of the same gap, making a corner.

Continue this way all the way around. (Double crochet in groups of three, chain 1 stitch between them when they're on the same side of the square, chain 3 stitches between them when you're making a corner.) You should end with 8 sets of double crochet stitches (24 stitches).

Slip stitch into the beginning chain like we did before, completing your fourth corner and your second round!

Now that we're done, finish it like the previous squares and sew in the remaining tail.

Congratulations, you just finished your first granny square! If you enjoyed this look online, you'll find more difficult granny squares, some larger, some smaller.