Beginner
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Granny Squares 3 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Easy seamless granny square pattern in four colors
A seamless granny square in three rounds and four colors, joined without a slip-stitch seam.
- Skill
- Beginner
- Time
- 45 minutes to 1 hour
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Rounds
- 3
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
3
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This granny square motif works up in three rounds from an adjustable ring, moving from a ring of double crochet through two further rounds of corner shaping, with a fresh color joined at the start of each round. Every join is worked as a half double crochet rather than a slip stitch, so the seam between colors sits flat instead of showing a ridge. Before starting, have all four colors wound and ready, along with a hook that suits the yarn weight and a tapestry needle for weaving ends as you go rather than only at the finish.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Joining rounds with a slip stitch
- Use the half double crochet join described for color changes instead. A slip stitch join will leave a ridge where the colors meet instead of a flat seam.
- Treating the chain 2 as a stitch
- Round 2 on, the chain 2 at the start of the round does not count as a stitch. Work your first set of 4 double crochets around the join itself, not into the chain.
- Leaving color-change knots loose
- Pull the new color firmly through all three loops left on the hook and knot the tails close to the fabric. A loose knot can work itself free even after the ends are woven in.
The materials list
- Yarn in four different colors
- Crochet hook
- Tapestry needle (for weaving in ends)
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 7 short forms
Main Pattern
Round 1
Start with an adjustable ring (also known as a magic loop or magic circle); Chain 3 (this counts as your first double crochet); Make 3 double crochets into the ring; Chain 2; Make 4 double crochets, chain 2, and repeat until you have four sets of double crochets; Join with a slip stitch to complete the round.Color Change: Initiate a color change with a half-double crochet into the top of the chain 3 from the start of the round; do not complete the half-double crochet, instead leave three loops on the hook, cut the yarn, and attach a new color by pulling it through all three loops; chain 1; knot the yarn tails together securely.
Round 2
Chain 2 (this does not count as a stitch for this pattern); Work 4 double crochets around the half-double crochet join; Continue to weave in the ends of the new color as you go, draping the yarn over and incorporating it into your stitches; At each corner, work 4 double crochets, chain 2, and 4 double crochets into each chain 2 space from the previous round; Chain 1 between each set of 4 double crochets on straight edges.Repeat Color Change: same as the previous color change step, performed at the end of each round.
Rounds 3–4
Rounds 3 to 4: Repeat the sequence of round 2, making sure to weave in ends as you work and change colors at the end of each round.Finishing: After completing the last round, finish with a half-double crochet into the first stitch of the round; perform a final color change; chain 1 after securing the ends; cut the yarn, pull through the loop, and fasten off.
Assembly, in order
Step 1If not already woven in during crocheting, use a tapestry needle to secure all dangling yarn ends.
Step 2Trim any excess yarn.
Check these before you start
- Choose a hook that sits comfortably with your chosen yarn weight; since every stitch is a double crochet, a snug gauge keeps the four corners from flaring open.
- Round 2 onward, the starting chain 2 does not count as a stitch. Count your sets of 4 double crochets around each corner rather than relying on the chain to track your place.
- Every color change leaves three loops on the hook before the new color is pulled through. Keep tails a matching length so the knot sits flat against the back of the work rather than bunching.
On one line
| Rounds | 3 |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Time | 45 minutes to 1 hour |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Confirm you have all four colors on hand before beginning, since a new color is introduced at the start of every round.
- Read Round 1 in full before making the adjustable ring, so the four corner sets are clear before the first chain goes on the hook.
- Cut short lengths of each color ahead of time for the color changes, since tails need to be knotted and woven as you move between rounds.
- Keep a tapestry needle within reach from Round 2 onward, since ends are meant to be woven in as you work rather than saved for the end.
Finishing
- Work the final color change exactly as the ones before it, then chain 1 instead of joining with a slip stitch.
- Thread any ends not already caught while crocheting onto a tapestry needle and secure them along the back of the stitches.
- Trim excess yarn close to the fabric so no tails show on the front of the square.
Construction
Each round's four corners land in the same four chain-2 spaces set up in Round 1, so the square grows outward from a fixed set of corners rather than shifting shape.
The join at the start of every round is a half double crochet rather than a slip stitch, which lets the color change happen at that spot without leaving a visible seam ridge.
Time per section
| Round 1: ring and first corners | about 10 minutes because it is the only round that starts from an adjustable ring and sets up all four corners from scratch |
|---|---|
| Rounds 2 and 3: corners and color changes | about 20 to 30 minutes because each round adds a new color, a corner at each of the four chain-2 spaces, and ends to weave as you go |
| Finishing: weaving and trimming | about 10 minutes because only two steps remain once the last round is fastened off |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.