How to Crochet a Solid Granny Square – Easy No Magic Ring Tutorial for Beginners

Table of Contents

A classic solid granny square built entirely from double crochet, starting with a simple chain ring instead of a magic ring — a genuinely good beginner project since it only uses two stitches you likely already know. Fully adjustable in size just by adding more rounds.

Quick glance

Time	Skill	Finished size	Hook
30–45 min	Beginner	Adjustable — grows with each round added	4.5mm

Materials

Worsted weight acrylic yarn
4.5mm crochet hook
Scissors

Terms & abbreviations

Abbrev	Term	Notes
ch	chain	—
dc	double crochet	the primary stitch throughout
hdc	half double crochet	used once per round, to close each corner cleanly
sl st	slip stitch	used only to form the starting ring
sp	space	the corner and side gaps created by chains

Pattern

Foundation ring: Chain 4. Join into a ring with a slip stitch into the first chain — double check the chain isn’t twisted before joining. Trim the short starting tail.

Round 1: Chain 3 (counts as your first dc). Work 2 dc into the center of the ring. Chain 2 (first corner). Work 3 dc into the center of the ring. Chain 2 (second corner). Work 3 dc into the center. Chain 2 (third corner). Work 3 dc into the center. To close the round, work 1 hdc into the top loop of your starting chain-3 (this stands in for the 4th corner). Pull your starting tail to tighten the ring.

Round 2: Chain 3 (first dc). Work 1 dc into the hdc space from Round 1’s closing stitch, then 1 dc into each of the next 2 stitches. *Corner: 2 dc into the next ch-2 space, chain 2, 2 dc into that same space.* Work 1 dc into each of the next 3 stitches, then repeat the corner. Continue around for a total of 4 corners, working 1 dc into each of 3 stitches between them. To close: work 2 dc into the final hdc space, then 1 hdc into the top of your starting chain-3.

(You should have 7 dc total along each side of the square at this point.)

Round 3: Chain 3 (first dc). Work 1 dc into the hdc space, then 1 dc into each of the next 7 stitches. Work a corner (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) into the next ch-2 space. Repeat working 1 dc across 7 stitches and a corner for all 4 sides. Close the same way as Round 2 — 2 dc into the hdc space, then 1 hdc into the top of the starting chain-3.

(A quick note on the source video: it mentions “half double crochet” once during this round’s side stitches, but every other round explicitly uses plain double crochet for the sides. Working the whole round in dc — matching Rounds 1, 2, and 4 — keeps the square’s edges uniform, which is standard for a solid granny square, so that’s what’s reflected here.)

Round 4: Same process as Round 3, but working across 11 stitches per side instead of 7 (since Round 3 added 4 more stitches to each side). Chain 3, dc into the hdc space, 1 dc across the next 11 stitches, corner, repeat for all 4 sides, then close the same way as before.

Growing the square further

To continue enlarging your granny square, simply repeat the same round structure: chain 3, dc into the hdc space, work across the stitches along each side, corner at each ch-2 space, and close with 2 dc + 1 hdc into the top of your starting chain. Each additional round adds 4 more stitches per side — so your side counts will run 7, 11, 15, 19, and so on as you keep going.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Foundation ring twists before joining	Double check the chain lies flat before your joining slip stitch — hard to fix once several rounds are built on top of it
Corners look uneven	Make sure every corner gets exactly 2 dc, chain 2, 2 dc into the same space — a missed chain-2 flattens that corner
Square comes out rectangular, not square	Confirm you’re working the same stitch count across all 4 sides before starting a new round — an uneven side means a stitch was missed or added somewhere on the previous round
Losing track of where a round starts and ends	The chain-3 at the start of each round always counts as your first stitch — remember to work into it, not skip it, when you reach that point again

Finishing

Chain 1, cut your yarn, and pull it through to fasten off. Weave in the remaining tail.