Granny Square Sweater Layout & Assembly “how-to”. Please note, this is more of a “recipe” than a full pattern. The instructions are guidelines and are for one size only. I developed this design as part of my “Make Your Own Granny Square Sweater” course which I have taught multiple times at my local arts centre, the Riverhouse Barn since September 2021. The course goes into more details about custom fitting, how to modify motifs, neck shaping etc.
The course is now available as an online course! Please join the waitlist here to be notified of the next round!
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The Twinkling Granny Square Motif
The main component of the sweater is the Twinkling Granny Square motif. The pattern for the full motif is here and includes video instructions : Twinkling Granny Square Crochet Pattern with Video (mezzacraft.com)
The pattern for the half motif is here : Twinkling Granny Square – Half or Triangle Motif – Crochet Pattern (mezzacraft.com)
The instructions for the border join can be found here : Hdc Border Join for Twinkling Granny Square (mezzacraft.com)
Download a pdf version of this post by clicking on the link : “Twinkling Granny Square Sweater Layout & Assembly”
Materials
I have used a DK weight yarn in four colours. Natural yarns such as cotton or wool work best.
For the motifs, 4 colours – A, B, C & D – 100g or 250m/273 yards in each colour. A total of 1000m/1096 yards.
For the border join, 1 colour – E – 200g/500m/546yards.
Tools for Granny Square Sweater Layout & Assembly
- 4mm / G hook for squares & joining border.
- 3mm / D hook for neck border.
Finished Dimensions
See also the schematic below
- around the chest – 126cm / 49.60inches
- shoulder to hem – 45cm / 17.71inches from
- sleeve circumference – 33cm / 13inches
- sleeve length – 26cm / 10.23cm
Fit
On me, this sweater is cropped, quite loose on the body, with bracelet length sleeves which have only a small amount of ease at the top of the arm but flare out slightly closer to the wrist.
I am 172cm / 5ft 8Inches tall with a 92cm / 36” bust.
Gauge for Squares
Each square is 7x7cm / 2.75x 2.75 inches.
Each square with a border is 8.5×8.4cm / 3.35×3.35 inches.
Important note! Please wash and block your motifs and allow them to dry completely before measuring.
Number of Squares
92 x full motifs & 4 x half motifs (for neck opening)
Colour Sequences
Although the granny square is a 3 colour motif, I have used 4 colours which gave me 24 possible combinations.
I used this table to make a tally of the motifs I’d made, to make sure I was getting an even mix of colours and not accidentally over using one colour and inadvertently running out of yarn. You can add your tally in the “Qty. Made” column. You can download a version of this post here.
| Motif no. | Rnd 1 | Rnd 2 | Rnd 3 | Qty. to make | Qty. Made |
| #1 | A | B | C | 4 | |
| #2 | A | B | D | 4 | |
| #3 | A | C | B | 4 | |
| #4 | A | C | D | 4 | |
| #5 | A | D | C | 4 | |
| #6 | A | D | B | 4 | |
| #7 | B | A | C | 4 | |
| #8 | B | A | D | 4 | |
| #9 | B | C | A | 4 | |
| #10 | B | C | D | 4 | |
| #11 | B | D | A | 4 | |
| #12 | B | D | C | 4 | |
| #13 | C | A | B | 4 | |
| #14 | C | A | D | 4 | |
| #15 | C | B | A | 4 | |
| #16 | C | B | D | 4 | |
| #17 | C | D | A | 4 | |
| #18 | C | D | B | 4 | |
| #19 | D | A | B | 4 | |
| #20 | D | A | C | 4 | |
| #21 | D | B | A | 3 | |
| #22 | D | B | C | 3 | |
| #23 | D | C | A | 3 | |
| #24 | D | C | B | 3 |
Granny Square Sweater Layout & Assembly
Once you’ve made the required quantity of motifs, sew in all the ends! You will probably regret it if you leave it until after the motifs have been joined because you’ll want to wear it right away! Lay them out as per the schematic, mixing up the motifs and trying to make sure squares with the same border colours are not touching.
If you are not able to leave the motifs in position while you join, take a photo of the layout as a reference to the sequence of motifs for when you are joining.
Joining Options
- JAG : Use the “Join As You Go” (JAG) method – crochet the border for each motif, attaching with slip stitches and drop loop joins as necessary. Fasten off at the end of each border round. Instructions for that can be found here: Hdc Border Join for Twinkling Granny Square (mezzacraft.com)
Pros : no sewing and easier to manage the layout. Matches the gauge of the rest of your sweater. Cons: lots of stopping and starting and ends to sew in.
- Japanese continuous crochet method: the motifs are joined in one continuous crocheted border. With careful planning you could join the panels for this sweater in only 2 or 3 “goes” with only a few ends to sew in. This is how I joined the motifs for this sweater.
Pros : quicker, more rhythmic, no sewing and far fewer ends to sew in. Matches the gauge of the rest of your sweater. Cons: takes a lot of concentration, forward planning and being continually aware of where you are in regards to the layout and what you need to do next.
- Sewing : Crochet the border on each motif and join together all the motifs by sewing. A whip stitch or mattress stitch would be best.
- Pros: Easier to figure out the layout. Best for beginners or less confident crocheters. Cons : it’s difficult to match the tension of your crochet with sewing. It can reduce the drape of the fabric and impact the overall look of the sweater. Lots of ends to weave in and not a good choice if you hate sewing!
Seaming
Once I’d joined the motifs in the layout shape, I then added another row of hdc border to the under arms and side seams to make the sleeves wide enough to fit (see thicker green lines on the schematic).
I seamed using the continuous method but you could also sew these seams together.
Hem & Cuffs
The hem & cuffs each got another row of hdc border & a row of single crochet in the same colour. Finished with a row of single crochet, through the back loops only, with a contrasting colour using the smaller hook.
Neck Edge
The neck opening was too large to start with and needed quite a few rounds to get it to a size I liked.
Round 1 : With colour E, make a hdc border, replacing the hdc with a longer, treble crochet stitch whenever I hit the point where the half motif meets the full motifs to fill in the gap and create a curve.
Round 2 : continuing with the same colour, switch to the smaller hook and 1sc in each st around. Fasten off.
Round 3 : Keeping to the smaller hook, but this time change to one of the contrast colours; (1hdc in each of the next 6 sts, hdc2tog across the next 2 stitches) repeat around. Fasten off.
Round 4 : Using colour E – (1hdc, ch2) around.
Round 5 : 2sc into each ch2 sp, skipping all the hdc sts; fasten off.
Round 6 : Switch to a contrast colour, working into the back loops only – (1sc into each of the next 5st, sc2tog across the next 2 sts) around; fasten off.
Round 7 : Using colour E, sc into the back ridge of each stich, making a decrease (sc2tog) after every 8th stitch. Fasten off and sew in all ends.
Connect with me!
I hope you found these Granny Square Sweater Layout & Assembly instructions useful. If you are inspired to make a sweater after reading this post, please do let me know! You can often find me on Instagram. Please do follow and tag me @mezzamay if you make one of my patterns, use one of my tips or stitch patterns. I really love to see what you’re making.
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