History of the Granny Square (+ 9 free crochet patterns)

If there’s one pattern all crocheters know by heart, it’s the humble Granny Square. For most of us, it’s the first pattern we learn to crochet right after we learn how to make the basic crochet stitches like chains, single and double crochets. And rightfully so, as it’s one of the patterns that hits close to home.

But do you know the humble origins of the Granny Square designs? I looked into it, and found that those beautiful granny squares have quite humble beginnings. But, has over time flourished into something of endless possibilities for the new and experienced crocheter.

I’m sure every grandma in the world either has a granny square crochet blanket, a granny square pillow, a classic granny square sweater (hello 70’s!) or maybe all of the above. There are so many patterns for crocheted granny squares, it looks like this pattern has been around for ages! And that got me to wonder: where does the Granny Square actually come from?

The History of Granny Squares

So I did some research. It turns out that I wasn’t the first one to wonder. Interweave has written an article about it back in 2014. The first mention of Granny Squares that they could find was in The Art of Crochet, published by the Butterick Publishing Company in 1891. Technically, they didn’t mention the term Granny Square, but surely described something resembling it:

‘All the odds and ends of fancy colours left over from other crochet work, or small quantities of bright-coloured Germantown or zephyr wools (…). The outside row of every block is made with black wool, and then the blocks are crocheted together with some bright colour, usually yellow… A handsome fringe of black, interspersed with bits of all the colours used, is generally added to the top and bottom of the robe, and sometimes all around it.’

It’s worth mentioning that the ‘robe’ in the text above is actually old English for a baby blanket. So technically, this book describes the first Granny square baby blanket! What's almost just as interesting is that crochet wasn't even referred to as crochet at that time. In the early 1800's crochet was referred to as Shepherd's Knitting or tambouring and was generally only used for delicate lace and trimmings for clothing. It gradually expanded to include a wide range of items, such as doilies, bedspreads, beautiful blankets and eventually, granny squares and granny square variations.

In the years following, many magazines have featured examples of the humble Granny Square, such as Victorian Crochet (Weldons & Company, 1895) and Fleisher’s Afghans (1930). The latter describes the pattern as an afghan with multicoloured squares in bright colours with a black border around each of the squares and the entire afghan. It surely paints a granny square picture, doesn’t it? Also interesting to note is that while the granny square shape has been around for a very long time, the term itself appears to originate from the 1960s and 1970s. The word "granny" was likely added to emphasise the vintage and nostalgic appeal of the squares.

9 Free Granny Square Patterns

While this motif might have been invented out of necessity and scarcity, yarn is hardly the sought-after commodity it once was. Now it's a great way to bust your scrap yarn stash (but we both know, while that is a great idea, you'll be shopping for more anyway). And that means that we can create any granny square we want, mismatched or not. If you’re a beginner crocheter who’s looking for free crochet patterns for Granny Squares, I’ve got you covered! I’ve listed some of my favourite Granny Square patterns below for your skill level, including sources and links to tutorials!