Granny squares are popular with crocheters all over the world, with granny square blankets being one of the most quintessential crochet projects.
Originally designed as a way of using up leftover yarn scraps, these sweet little squares are quick to make, highly portable and offer an endless range of possibilities.
Whether you’re looking for your next must-make free pattern, or fancy making your own design and are looking for some inspiration, we’ve rounded up 10 free granny square crochet blanket patterns that use a range of techniques and styles. And once you've made your crochet blanket, you can final loads more free crochet patterns to try right here on Gathered!
Don’t miss granny square day!
Granny Squares are so popular, they even have their own celebration day! Find out more about Granny Square Day which takes place online on the 15th August every year!
10 Free granny square blanket patterns to start today!
1. Free granny square baby blanket crochet pattern
Best for your first granny square blanket
When it comes to making your first granny square crochet blanket, it’s a good idea not to get too ambitious. As such, making a baby blanket is the perfect project for beginners!
This beautiful granny square baby blanket pattern by Becky Skuse uses simple colours arranged diagonally in a variety of shades.
The reason we’d recommend this pattern for beginners is that you essentially make 10 basic granny squares in each colour, and then you join them all together with a final round using the cream shade. This helps to simplify the joining process and lets you focus on the fun part - crocheting!
- Get started with our Free granny square baby blanket crochet pattern on Gathered
2. Free granny square blanket crochet pattern
Best for big squares
If you fancy making your first full-size granny square blanket, then this design by Fran Morgan is a great choice.
As it’s made up of larger 10-round striped granny squares worked in Aran yarn you can get stuck into some fun crochet time and knock up a blanket super-quick.
It also uses the join-as-you-go method, where you work a final round on your square that also joins it to the square you made previously. It’s a great way of avoiding doing all of the joining right at the end of your project, although you can also join it in any way you like if you’d prefer.
- Go large with our Free granny square blanket crochet pattern on Gathered
Know your options
Once you’ve made all of your squares, you need to join them all together! Check out our tutorial on how to join granny squares and find your favourite joining method!
3. Giant granny square blanket crochet pattern
Best for colour-lovers
One of the many factors that people love about granny squares is that they’re perfectly suited for using with different colours, and this granny square blanket pattern by AnneMarie Bentham is a brilliant example of that!
The pattern is formed by a huge central granny square, which is then turned into a granny rectangle, and then finished off with a row of granny squares at two of the ends.
It’s a great stash-buster project and looks fantastic with each round worked in a different colour, although you can always get creative and give it your own personal colour scheme!
- Try colourful crochet with this Giant Granny Square Blanket crochet pattern from Lovecrafts
4. Flair granny square blanket crochet pattern
Best for an easy effect
This Flair granny square blanket by Bernat instantly caught our attention, and that’s exactly why we’ve included it in this list.
While this granny blanket pattern is largely made in the same grey shade, it also uses some clever alternate rounds to inject an extra splash of colour.
In the example pictured Bernat has used a stripy yarn which creates a really interesting effect, but we think it would also work in two contrasting colours.
- Mix things up with this Flair granny square crochet blanket pattern from Yarnspirations
5. Puff stitch crochet granny square blanket
Best for texture
Once you’ve mastered the basic granny square, there’s a load of different styles of squares to make using an array of stitches and textures.
Our free granny square blanket pattern by Esme Crick uses squares that are made up of a central circle of puff stitches, creating a gorgeous design that is both stylish and ever-so-touchable.
- Embrace squishy stitches with this Free puff stitch crochet granny square blanket pattern on Gathered
6. Free geometric granny square blanket pattern
Best for graphic style
As well as using colours to create stripes on your granny squares, they can also be used to create amazing graphical designs.
This type of diagonal two-tone granny squares have become increasingly popular over the last few years, and enables you to create and design your own geometrical granny square blankets.
We particularly love how this granny square blanket by Red Heart uses a shift of colours combined with rotating squares to create a design that looks incredibly complex but is actually surprisingly simple.
- Go geometric with this Prismatic Chromatic free granny square blanket pattern from Yarnspirations
Totally on-trend
If you’re a fan of super-stylish geometric and graphical designs, take a look at our pick of the top modern crochet blanket patterns!
7. Modern weave granny square blanket crochet pattern
Best for fun design
Even if you’re relatively new to the world of granny squares, everyone will enjoy making this stunning modern weave granny blanket!
Amazingly, it’s made up purely of simple 4-round squares made in solid colours, but it’s the clever layout that creates the amazing weave appearance.
Because the squares are positioned in a diamond layout, you’ll also learn how to make triangles (half granny squares) to complete your edges.
- Amaze your friends and family with this Modern weave free granny square blanket crochet pattern from Lovecrafts
8. Piece of my heart granny square blanket pattern
Best for stash-busting
Who doesn’t love a sweetheart design? This beautiful blanket is the perfect pattern for all you hopeless romantics, or just to celebrate your love for crochet!
This simple heart granny square is great for practising colour changes. You can choose to go for a consistent colour style like in the example pictured, but it also makes a great project for using up any bits of leftover yarn from your stash if you fancy mixing up the colours.
- Show your love with the Piece of my heart granny square blanket pattern from Yarnspirations
9. Amour granny square blanket crochet pattern
Best for variety
Here’s a granny square blanket that looks very simple at first glance, but look closer and you’ll see it’s chock full of added interest.
It starts off with a simple granny square. You then change from working in rounds to working in rows to create a mitred square with colour changes that create an L shape.
When you dig deeper into the pattern, you’ll also notice that alternate squares have a row of popcorn stitches that give you an extra textural dimension, which combined with the fancy shell stitch edging make this a blanket that will show off your skills!
- Get the Amour free granny square blanket crochet pattern from Lovecrafts
10. Bernat random granny square crochet blanket pattern
Best for yarn choice
While this random granny blanket from Bernat may look similar to some of the other granny square blankets we’ve looked at, we’ve included it in our list as we want to bring your attention to the yarn used.
When you spend a long time on a project such as a crochet blanket, you want it to feel just as lovely as it is to look at. This is where your yarn choice can make all the difference, and what could be better for a blanket than a super-squishy, super-chunky chenille yarn?
- Take a look at the Bernat random granny square crochet blanket pattern from Yarnspirations
Go beyond the granny
For more inspiration for your throws and baby blankets, take a look at the top crochet stitches for blankets.
Get creative with your granny square blanket
Granny square crochet blanket patterns are great for when you want to get stuck into your first big project, and with so many patterns out there you can easily find one to suit you.
Don’t forget to add your own style. Try making your blanket in your favourite colours or those that will compliment your home decor. You can even mix and match different granny squares in your blanket – as long as you make them the same size then it’s easy to switch things up!
Check out our huge library of free granny square patterns
Fancy seeing more amazing granny square design possibilities? Take a look at our ever-expanding library of free granny square patterns here on Gathered.
