How to Make a Rectangle Granny

RECTANGLE GRANNIES
all methods with thumbnails
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A Granny Square is worked in rounds. When I say "working in rounds" I am talking about where you start in the middle and your piece grows outward, getting larger, until it is the size you need. Most grannies are worked on one side without turning. Most grannies are also square. But how many bodies do you know that are square? hee hee. For the most part, people are taller than they are round and a square granny afghan has to be much larger to accommodate height. If you make it rectangular, it can easily cover a person lying down.

We are going to learn different methods of making a rectangular granny. These are the methods I know. There may be others. I don't pretend to know everything about the granny, but I'm happy to share what I know.

If you do not know how to crochet at all, then you should first go to the Learning to Crochet pages.

In the tutorial below I will use the full word the first time I use it, then I will switch to the abbreviation to get you used to reading patterns.

For the first method we will loosely make a chain (ch) of 13 stitches (sts). Here's a pic

Into the fourth ch from your hook (hk), make a double crochet (dc). (Note: The first 3 chains count as one dc. If you like to use ch 2 to bring your dc to height, just chain 12 for your foundation chain and go into the third chain from hook.)

Then into the SAME chain work another dc, ch 2, 3 dc, (push those stitches to the side if you find your fifth chain is getting lost in them) ch 2, work 3 dc. So now you essentially have 3 shells (shell = 3 dc) separated by 2 chains. This forms the narrow end of your rectangle. (Note: If you feel the need to use 4-dc shells to make that turn, you can certainly do that. You might like to put 4 or 5 in the center shell only. Just do the same at both ends. Another option would be to use ch-3 between corner shells if that works better for you. We will be switching to ch-3 in a later round.)

You will have 9 free chains. If you can't see 9 free chains, then your shells have swallowed up one or more. (note: If you chained 12 to begin and went into the third chain, then you will have 8 chains left) Push them aside. If you find your chains were worked too small and you have trouble getting all that into one stitch, then rip and rework your foundation chain. It's easier to do it now than to wait and get a rectangle you're not happy with.

ch 1, skip (sk) 2 ch (again, make sure you don't miss that one right next to your shells), 3 dc in next chain,

To complete your first side you continue with shells and chain-1. Work ch 1, sk 2 ch, shell. If your side were longer, you would continue this until you get to the end. The picture below shows the second narrow end as well as the first side.

Now you are at the opposite end of your rectangle. You will make your end as you did the first one except you're not starting with a chain. So work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, 3dc) in that last ch. Another way of writing this would be (shell, ch 2, shell, ch 2, shell) since we have already said that shell, in this pattern, is equal to 3 dc. Be aware that in a different pattern a shell may be something different, so pay attention to the abbreviations and special stitches noted in your pattern.

You will now be working on the opposite side of your foundation chain - in the "leftover" loop - to make your side

ch 1, sk 2 ch, work 3 dc into next ch. Note that you are working into the chain loop that is directly opposite the shell you made on the other side.

Now ch 1, sk 2, and make a shell in the next free loop, opposite the next shell. (not pictured)

You can ch 1, then join with a slip stitch (sl st) to the top chain of your beginning (beg) ch-3. (note that when a dash is used with ch, that means you are talking about something that already happened. The ch-3 was already made, and now you are working into it.) Another method is to join with a single crochet (sc) and start working right where you are. I'll show you the slip stitch method in round two and the single crochet method in round three.

In BOTH cases, you DO NOT TURN. You will work on the right side for the entire piece.

Joining rounds method 1:
finish round one as follows: ch 1, join with sl st to top ch of beg ch-3. DO NOT TURN.

Dave at Serendipity offers an alternate method of working this round of the rectangle granny. I didn't put it as a separate method since it is so close to this one, just using a (dc, hdc, dc) rather than 3 dcs. You can find his instructions at http://serendipity.gpvm.com/granny.html .

Round 2 (continuing with slip stitch join)

sl st in next 2 dc, sl st in ch-2 space (sp)

In same ch-2 sp work (ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) for first corner, (note: you can work ch 2 OR ch 3 for your first chains - do whatever brings your stitch to equal height with your other stitches. Just do the same thing for all your beginning chains on all rounds.)

Note: If you've worked the original granny square tutorial, you may have noticed we've been working two chains in corners rather than three chains. That is because the width of your rectangle is less than the width of your granny at this point. On the next round, we will switch to three chains in corners. If you find your corners are not square, and you want to chain 3, that is perfectly fine.

Now I will demonstrate the alternate method of joining your rounds, by using the single crochet. You do NOT have to use this method to do your third and other rounds. You can use EITHER method for your rounds. I am showing it here just to demonstrate the procedure. When you make an actual afghan, you should choose which one you want to use and use that one throughout, although I don't think it really matters if you use one for one round and one for another. It shouldn't look a lot different to the casual observer.

Do not make a ch-1 at this point. You will insert hook into the top chain of your beginning ch-3 and complete a single crochet in that chain. That gives you a bit more space than a chain but still connects your round.

Work 2 dc in space under that sc, then ch 1. This shell is part of the side of your rectangle.

In other words, (shell, ch 3, shell) in the ch-2 space of the corner of your previous round.

(ch 1, 3dc in next ch-1 sp). This is your first complete side since you will now have four sides, rather than corners only on each end. This is obviously one of the narrow ends of your rectangle.

Then ch 1, in ch-2 sp work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) for third corner (picture also shows the ch 1 in the next step)

Your next side on this round will be (ch 1, 3 dc). Remember that another way of writing this would be (ch 1, shell). (picture again shows the ch 1 in the next step)

Remember that since we joined with a sc on the last side of the second round, our first shell of round 3 was on this last round. So now we are back at the beginning. You can join with a slip stitch and sl st across to your next space, where you would make a shell, or you can join with a sc as you did last round. When working an actual project, you should choose which method you want to use and stick with that one for the duration.

At this point, three rounds have been completed with a J-10 6.0mm hook, my square is 4" x 7".

To make an afghan using this pattern, just repeat row 3. Your ends will contain a longer side as you do more rounds, but will be worked the same. Sides are (shell, ch 1) and corners are (shell, ch 3, shell). There is a ch 1 between every shell except corners.

When you've reached the end of your rectangle, you want to finish it off nicely. The method I use is what I call the Invisible Finish Off (IFO).

Now this was just the first way of making a rectangle granny. There are two other ways that I know of.

Row 1: With H hook, ch 10, 2 dc in 4th chain from hook, (sk 2 ch, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch) twice. (right side) (3 shells)

Row 2: ch 4, turn, 3 dc in first sp between shells, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1 , dc in last st of last shell. (2 shells)

Row 3: ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sp (before your first shell), ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, 3 dc in last sp before tch (3 shells)

Row 4: Repeat (rep) row 2 (ch 4, turn, 3 dc in first sp between shells, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1 , dc in last st of last shell)

Row 5: Rep row 3 (ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sp, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, 3 dc in last sp before tch)

Row 6: Rep row 2 (ch 4, turn, 3 dc in first sp between shells, ch 1, 3 dc, ch 1 , dc in last st of last shell)

Row 7: Rep row 3 (ch 3, turn, 2 dc in first sp (before your first shell), ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, 3 dc in last sp before tch), Invisible Finish Off (IFO) (no photo of row 7)

Join yarn on right side, in any corner stitch. Note that this is a stitch, not a space. You will go into the top of the stitch. Work (ch 3, 2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in that stitch. I could probably have used a ch-2 there, but it will all even out as we go along.

Continue again as in a regular granny. You are working into the side of the rows now. Wherever there is one double crochet (rather than a shell) you will work (ch 1, 3 dc).

So for the first side it is (ch 1, shell) three times. Then ch 1 and work another corner. What is a corner? (shell, ch 3, shell). Then work a side. What is a side? (ch 1, shell). On this short side, you'll do this twice. Then ch 1 and work another corner (third corner) as before.

Work side three same as side one. Ch 1, corner. Finish with a side just like side two. (not pictured) Join with preferred method (sl st or sc) or use IFO if you're done.

I went through that rather fast because I think you have the idea of what a corner is and what a side is. You will see as you go whether you are at a corner or on a side.

I decided to slip stitch over for this square so I'm starting round 2 in the corner. Note that this round and all future rounds will be made in space, not in a stitch as the first one.

(Ch 1, shell) across first narrow side. There will be three shells on this side. I'm not counting the corner shells as part of the side for our purposes. ch 1, then work corner in ch-3 space. Repeat across sides two and three. Then work one more side across side four, joining in the top chain of the beginning ch-3.

In this method, you make two small regular grannies, join them and then work around them. I did two, one with a one-round granny, and one with a two round granny. I should have chosen a better join method as I found this one showed up too much, but you get the idea. It IS rectangular and that was the point. (P.S. If you don't know how to make a regular granny, go see the tutorial on the granny. Basically you ch 5, join, work four (dc, ch3) for one round. Additional rounds are just like the first method. (Shell, ch 3, shell) for corners. (ch 1 shell) for sides.)

1) first step is to make two 2-round grannies and then join them together, IFO

2) holding squares as pictured, join yarn in lower right corner, work (shell, ch 3, shell) for first corner, (ch 1, shell) across for first side, (shell, ch 3, shell) for second corner, ch 1, shell begins the second side

note: It is perfectly okay to join your yarn in a different corner. Just note that if you joined at a different place, the specifics of the tutorial will be different, though the method stays the same. Corners will still be (shell, ch 3, shell). Sides will still be (ch 1, shell) with a ch 1 before corners.

3) to continue the second side work (ch 1, shell) across. This includes the space before and after the joining. (note: If you used a different joining, you may have to adjust here, depending on if you have more or less space at that point)

In corner ch-3 space work (ch 1, shell, ch 3, shell) for third corner

4) ch 1, shell for third side, then work (ch 1, shell, ch 3, shell) for fourth and last corner, (ch 1, shell) in each space across for last side, join with preferred method - I joined with a sc in this instance

5) Since I joined with a sc, my first shell of the next round will be in the same space - making it the last shell of the last round

Round two will be worked much as round one - (shell, ch 3, shell) for corners, and (ch 1, shell) along sides. Don't forget the ch 1 before the corner shells as well.

6) Completed square with two rounds

The white #1 shows the first round of the original granny square. The yellow #2 shows the second round of the original square.

The white "round one" shows the first round that goes around both grannies

The yellow "round two" shows the second round that goes around both grannies.

Continue rounds until piece is desired size

1) make two one round grannies

2) join them together, IFO

3) in this case I joined yarn in upper right corner, just to show you that you can join in any corner, work (shell, ch 3, shell) for first corner, (ch 1, shell) across for first side, ch 1, (shell, ch 3, shell) for second corner,

4) Because there is only one round on that granny, your next stitches will be another corner rather than a side. So work (ch 1, shell, ch 3, shell) for third corner. (ch 1, shell) across for side, ch 1, (shell, ch 3, shell) for fourth corner. Join with preferred method to top chain of beg ch-3, completing round one

5) for round two I used the single crochet join, so I begin on a side. What is a side? (ch 1, shell), then work a corner (shell, ch 3, shell), then (ch 1, shell) across for side two

continue in pattern working (shell, ch 3, shell) for corners, and (ch 1, shell) for sides, remembering to add that ch 1 before the corner shells

6) Here's the completed round two

The white #1 shows the first round of the original granny square.

The white "round one" shows the first round that goes around both grannies

The yellow "round two" shows the second round that goes around both grannies.

Continue rounds until piece is desired size

Caroline Francis kindly gave me permission to publish this tutorial on her rectangle granny method. You can see the original pattern (still available as of 7/2008) at http://crocheters.freeservers.com/rect.html . Caroline has married since publishing the pattern. Caroline is also a member of the yahoo group called Happy Hookers,
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HappyHookers/

Here's my how-to on Caroline's square. Any errors are mine alone.

For this method you will chain 8, then slip stitch into the first chain to form a ring. You are using a larger number in your foundation chain because you don't actually want a circle. You want more of an oval because you will fit more stitches on the sides than the ends. Don't worry if you don't understand this now, you will see as we go along.

You start off the same as a regular granny (ch 3, 2dc in center of ring, ch 3, 3 dc)

Then you ch 1, 3 dc. This will be the side of your rectangle. It may not look like it will straighten out at this point, but it will.

Now follow the picture below - ch 3, shell, ch 3, shell, ch 1. You're almost finished round one.

work another shell, then ch 3, join with a slip stitch to top chain of beginning ch-3. Notice that you have two ch-1, which will be your sides, and we know from past methods that (ch 1, shell) is a side. And we have four ch-3. From past methods we also know that corners are (shell, ch 3, shell). I know at this point it doesn't look much like a square or a rectangle, but trust me. It will.

After you join to the beginning ch-3, sl st in the next 2 dc and in the ch-3 space. This puts you at the next corner. (note: If you've done the previous rectangles, you know that you can join with a dc or hdc and begin at the corner you just completed. I am, however, following Caroline's pattern which uses the slip stitch method. Both are just fine!! You can use either.

You are ready to begin your second round now. Start with a beginning corner. (ch 3, 2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc)

ch 1, work your second corner (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in the ch-3 corner space of round one

ch 1 to separate your corners of the narrow end of your rectangle, then work your third corner as usual (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc)

ch 1, work corner in ch-3 corner space from round one (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc). Now you can see the shape of the rectangle, right? Coming along great!

Ch 1, then join with a slip stitch to the top chain in your beginning ch 3, then slip stitch in the next 2 dc and in the next ch-3 space to put you in the next corner, ready to begin round 3.

To start your third (and last) round of this rectangle, you make a beginning corner (ch 3, 2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc).

(ch 1, 3 dc) twice to make your side, then ch 1 again and make your second corner (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc)

By now you should see that all your corners are (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) except for the first corner of each round which begins with a chain. All your sides are (ch 1, 3 dc). In other words unless it's a corner, you ch-1 between shells, including before and after your corners.

So what's your next step? ch 1 first, because you've just completed a corner, then work a side which is (ch 1, shell) twice

ch 1, then work your last side, which in this case is just one shell (3 dc), then you ch 1 and...

Note that if you want to do more rounds to actually make something with this rectangle, you just continue as you've been doing, adding corners and sides. As Caroline notes, you skip all the dc stitches and work in the spaces created by your chains.

This is a great pattern and I hope you all take a moment to go have a look at Caroline's pattern and visit her web site. If you've of a mind to, you can even join the Happy Hookers group. These ladies have warm hearts and help a lot of folks. Kudos!

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial and, in fact, learned something. Notice I didn't tell you to pig out on chocolate throughout - that's because this was such a long tutorial I was afraid a sugar high would cause your hooks to shake. LOL But now that you're done, you can put that hook down and grab a snack size box of Bluebell chocolate ice cream. Yummy. I used to love to eat ice cream with those little wooden spoons. Somehow it just tasted better. Memories.