Ever thought of a blanket as huge and intimidating to make? Not when you go the granny square way.
What is a granny square? A granny square is a single or multicolored crocheted block. It starts with a center and has stitches going all round to form a square. Several of these are then joined back to back to create motif blankets, scarves, purses, etc.
Granny squares offer a simpler and faster way of successfully pulling off one big crocheting project through many small blocks.
You can whip up granny squares pretty quickly into a massive stockpile for just about anything. You only need to start basic crochet stitches before advancing to complex designs.
So what’s the best yarn for granny squares? Granny squares are versatile and can be made with different yarns, but are easiest to make and look best in medium weight yarn, ranging from slightly thin to slightly thicker weights. Non-slick acrylic, wool, and other yarns with high stitch definition will make especially nice squares.
Sound like an excellent idea? Well, keep reading to find out more. In this post, we lead you to the best yarns for granny squares. You’ll also learn to estimate how much yarn you actually need.
Granny Square Yarns: What to Look For
Yarn’s characteristics will always affect the final outcome of your project. So, what factors do you consider when selecting yarn for granny squares?
Yarn Weight
Yarn weight affects how thick or thin your granny squares, and eventually, your blanket or whatever you intend to crochet turns out.
Chunky bulky weight yarn will yield thicker squares. Light to worsted weight yarns are, however, most forgiving on beginners and the learning curve is much smoother.
While you can make a granny square with just about any weight yarn, you’ll have the best and nicest looking results with anything in the middle range of weights. Chunky yarns might not be as eye-catching and lace weight could be difficult for a beginning crocheter.
Colors
Whether doing single color granny squares in alternating patterns or feel like going with the entire color wheel for a burst of energy and life, it is really up to you.
Just be sure the colors are complementary and also think about the border yarn color. It takes up the most yarn, therefore, you’ll need lots of it.
Material
You obviously want to make something useful out of the granny squares. Especially for high-use items like scarves, the yarn should be easy to wash and care for as well, having end users in mind.
While you may want something that isn’t too scratchy, keep in mind that some yarns made to be soft, such as Caron Simply Soft, would not come out as beautifully.
Acrylic (but not too soft blends), wool, and other textured yarns offering high stitch definition will be your winning choices.
Yardage
The good news is you don’t have to worry as much about yardage with granny squares. If you run out of yarn after only a few squares, you can simply make more squares in other yarns and arrange the squares into a different pattern, kind of like quilting with different fabric pieces.
Plus, many prefer to make granny squares in different colors – sometimes switching yarn partway through a square for a more varied look. That’s why granny square blankets are some of the most popular projects for using up your yarn scraps!
But still, who doesn’t hate running back to the store all the time to replenish skeins midway through a project? It is good to pay attention to the yardage you get per piece or pack of skeins.
If you want to use specific colors or arrange them a specific way, it’s a good idea to determine beforehand how much of each color will be sufficient – or you might get slapped by unpleasant surprises like stock out and discontinued colors!
The 3 Best Yarns For Granny Squares
And now to the exciting part of the guide -shopping time. We understand there’s nothing thrill in sifting through hundreds of yarn balls to select the best.
That is why we already did the heavy lifting for you. Here are the top 3 recommended yarns for making granny squares:
| Rank | Product | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Mira Handcrafts Acrylic Yarn Skeins (12) | Acrylic, DK weight |
| 2. | Red Heart With Love Yarn | Acrylic, medium |
| 3. | Knit Picks Wool of The Andes Balls (10) | 100% wool, worsted |
We’ve also got fuller descriptions and reviews of each – because we know how serious crocheters are about their yarn! So check out these yarn picks in more detail below!
1. Mira Handcrafts Acrylic Yarn Skeins (12)
Looking for a value starter pack yarn for granny squares? Mira’s Handcrafts fits the bill. You get 12 skeins in vivid rainbow tones, plus brown, black, white, and pink.
Each skein weighs 50g and is about 109 yards long. That’s a total of 1300+ yards.
This DK weight light worsted, 4 ply yarn is easy to crochet with and perfect for granny square crochet beginners and hobbyists.
You’ll love its soft texture and evenness throughout the length. Also, being 100% acrylic, washing your granny square project will be a breeze. Just throw it in the washer and tumble dry.
2. Red Heart With Love Yarn
Some granny square patterns can eat up yarn quickly, especially when using massive amounts of a particular color.
Red Heart With Love gets you both the desired colors and value per skein. It is not too rough and a medium weight, premium acrylic yarn that crochets beautifully.
You’ll pull 370 yards out of each skein, so there’s plenty of yarn for bunches of granny squares per skein.
The choice of selecting only the colors you love is fantastic, and calling the selection lovely would be an understatement. There’s flamboyant tones, neutrals, pastels, earth tones, metallics – you name it.
3. Knit Picks Wool of The Andes Worsted Weight Yarn Balls (10)
Whether you prefer natural fibers like wool for your granny squares or want to make something super warm and cozy out of them, this Knit Pick pack is perfect.
The 10 pack bundle comes in 10 on-trend colors. Each skein weighs 50g and is approximately 109 yards/100m long.
It is enough wool yarn for a baby blanket, shawl, purse, or scarf. But if you need to make an adult size blanket, throw, or afghan out of your granny squares, you’ll need at least 2 packs.
The light worsted Peruvian wool is of the finest quality. So soft, squishy, and sturdy. From Wool of the Andes, you can only expect beauty, strength, and durability.
How Much Yarn is Needed For a Granny Square?
It’s difficult to say precisely how much yarn is needed for a granny square because of several variables involved.
The size of the granny square, number of rounds, stitch design, thickness of yarn, and the hook gauge size all affect the amount needed. Plus, the exact pattern of square you are using will affect precisely how much yarn you need.
If you have leftover yarn stashed somewhere, you can make one sample granny square, unravel it, and measure, but as a very rough average, you can expect approximately 33 yards to work for a 6″ by 6″ block. Overestimate how much you need to be on the safe side.
The good news is granny squares are just perfect for using up scrap yarns! Many prefer to make granny squares with multiple colors, changing yarn as they complete every round or two or simply waiting until their itty bitty scraps run out.
If you find you run out of midway square, no worries! Just join a new yarn and enjoy the magic of a colorful square! Make other squares multicolor and no one will be any wiser that it was an accident.
How Many Skeins of Yarn Are Needed For a Granny Square Blanket?
The number of skeins you need for any granny square blanket depends on a few things.
First, remember that skeins have different yardages by brand, variety, collection, etc.
Second, the pattern of square you are using and the size of the blanket you want to make affect how much yarn you need. Bigger blankets naturally need more yarn and some patterns will use a little more or less per square.
If you know the approximate yardage per square per color, multiply that by the number of squares you need to get the total yardage per color. Now divide that by the yardage of your skeins to find out how many you need per color. Always round off to the next whole number.
But because granny square blankets tend to be quilt like, you can always buy a color at a time and make squares until you run out. After you have enough squares of different colors to make a blanket you like, simply arrange and stitch them up as you like.
Don’t forget some extra yarn for sewing the squares together!
Up Next: 7 Best Yarn Winders And Swifts
