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Rainbow Granny Check

Anita Gibney

Rainbows and Granny squares. They are an irresistible combination.

I think my fascination with little Granny squares began when I saw Sandra Cherry Heart’s Giant Granny Patches blanket. It was 2013 and, at the time, I was very new to crochet. The thought of tackling a project so huge felt impossible, but I was mesmerised.

A couple of years later I began my first attempt. In my mind, I could see a subtle rainbow check pattern. It almost worked, but the colours weren’t quite right. It ended up consigned to the WIP (work in progress) pile and that was the end of that.

But some ideas just won’t go away. So last year, with a stash considerably bigger than in 2015, I thought I would give it another try.

I spent a happy evening on the floor of my yarn room pulling out colours and making a huge creative mess. The very best kind of mess! I chose 49 different yarns, all selected purely for the colour. They’re a mix of acrylics, wool, and a couple of merino blends. The only rules were they had to be DK and from my stash. No buying!

Part of the charm of Granny squares for me is the simplicity. This is a soothing pattern; easy to pick up and put down. I keep the yarns in a footstool in my kitchen so it’s always handy when I have 5 minutes to spare. 

If you would like to make one…

You will need:

4mm hook or appropriate hook for your yarn weight.

Scissors

Yarn needle

49 different shades of yarn, all the same weight. You will need about 50-60g of each one to complete 9 pattern repeats. This will give a finished blanket size of approx 135 x 135cm, excluding a border. Of course, you can make any size you like. I used DK and I have listed the colours I used in bold. For each, I have tried to suggest at least one alternative yarn, but have a rummage through your stash and I’m sure you will find lots of other substitutes. Don’t be afraid to mix fibres. I have used acrylic, wool and blends and they all seem to pull together perfectly. Nepps and marls will work perfectly well too. It all adds to the character.

TIP - If you are using one of the thicker DK yarns, such as Drops Karisma or Sirdar Hayfield Bonus, use a 3.5mm hook, just for those squares.


  1. Stylecraft Life - Zing, Sirdar Country Classic Chartreuse,

  2. Cygnet - Barley, Stylecraft Special - Mustard, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Coevoorden

  3. King Cole Baby Big Value Tweed - Amber, Stylecraft Special - Gold

  4. Stylecraft Special - Tomato, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Vlissingen

  5. Scheepjes Colourcrafter - Tiel, Stylecraft Special - Raspberry

  6. Cygnet - Cerise, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Apeldoorn, Stylecraft Special - Bright Pink

  7. Stylecraft Special - Lime, Scheepjes Colour Crafter Delfzijl

  8. Stylecraft Special - Copper, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Breda

  9. Stylecraft Special - Magenta, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Kortrijk

  10. Stylecraft Special - Grape, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Hoorn

  11. Stylecraft Special - Plum, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Meppel

  12. Stylecraft Life - Cranberry, King Cole Pricewise - Shiraz

  13. Sirdar Country Style - Tana,  Scheepjes Colourcrafter - Leiden.

  14. Stylecraft Life - Oatmeal, Scheepjes Colourcrafter - Hasselt, Cygnet - Harvest

  15. Stylecraft Life - Rose, Stylecraft Special - Pale Rose

  16. Jarol Heritage (Long Discontinued), Use King Cole Pricewise Fallow, or James C Brett Light Lavender.

  17. Stylecraft Special - Parma Violet, Scheepjes Colour crafter - Helmond

  18. Stylecraft Special - Lavender, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Heerlen

  19. Stylecraft Special - Bluebell, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Rhennen

  20. Drops Karisma - Light Sky Blue, King Cole Big Value Baby - Sky

  21. Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Delfzijl, Stylecraft Special Pistachio

  22. King Cole Big Value - Rust, Cygnet - Burnt Orange

  23. Stylecraft Life - Lily, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Luik

  24. Stylecraft Life - Heather, Sirdar Hayfield Bonus - Neon

  25. Jarol Heritage - Saxe, Stylecraft Life - Aster, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Middelberg

  26. King Cole Pricewise - Oyster, Stylecraft Special - Parchment

  27. King Cole Merino blend - Carnation, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Venlo

  28. King Cole Pricewise - Fallow, Sirdar Hayfield Bonus - Lilac

  29. Stylecraft Life - Cream, any cream will do.

  30. Stylecraft Life - Ice Blue, Sirdar Country Classic - Mint Blue

  31. Stylecraft Life - Fern, Stylecraft Special - Meadow, Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Assen

  32. Sirdar Harrap Tweed - Gallop, Sirdar Hayfield Bonus - Taupe

  33. Stylecraft Life - Fuchsia, Stylecraft Special - Fuchsia Purple

  34. Stylecraft Life - Deep Purple, Stylecraft Special - Proper purple

  35. Stylecraft Life - Duck Egg Nepp, Stylecraft Special - Sage

  36. Stylecraft Life - Mint, Stylecraft Special - Duck Egg

  37. King Cole Pricewise - Fudge, Stylecraft Special - Mocha

  38. Drops Karisma - Old Rose, King Cole Pricewise - Vintage Rose

  39. King Cole Majestic - Petunia, Sirdar Hayfield Bonus - Mauve

  40. Stylecraft Special - Touch of silver, James C Brett Baby - Soft Grey

  41. Jarol Heritage - Denim, Stylecraft Special Denim

  42. Drops Karisma - Sea Green Mix, Cygnet - Juniper

  43. King Cole Merino blend - Bayleaf, King Cole Pricewise - Forest

  44. King Cole Merino blend - Bronze Green, Stylecraft Special - Khaki

  45. Stylecraft Special - Burgundy, Scheepjest Colour Crafter - Kampen

  46. Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Deventer, Stylecraft Special - Emperor

  47. Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Alphen, Stylecraft Special- Storm Blue

  48. King Cole Pricewise - Silver, Scheepjes Colour Crafter -Sint Nikklaas

  49. Scheepjes Colour Crafter - Wolvega, Stylecraft Special - Graphite

Stitch Terms

ch - chain

tr - treble crochet (US double crochet)

ss- slip stitch

Ok, on to the pattern.

Start by making a 3 round Granny Square

We are going to start at the bottom, left-hand corner with square number 1 and then make and join 48 more squares, using join as you go, in the number order they appear above. Start by making square number 1 which is a normal 3 round granny square. I like my squares to be dense and tight so there are no chains between clusters on the sides and only 2 chains at the corners. I turn the square over after each round to keep it square and prevent twisting.

Using Stylecraft Life Zing and a 4mm hook:

Round 1: 3ch, ss into 1st ch to form a loop and 3ch. 2tr into loop. *2ch, 3tr into loop.* Repeat from * to * twice more, 2ch, ss into 3rd ch of starting 3ch. Turn.

Round 2: 3ch, 2tr, 2ch, 3tr in same corner space. *3tr, 2ch, 3tr in next corner space.* Repeat from * to * twice more, ss into 3rd ch of starting 3ch. Turn.

Round 3: Ss into space, 3ch, 2tr into same space. *3tr, 2ch, 3tr in next corner space, 3tr into next space.* Repeat from * to * twice more.3tr, 2ch, 3tr in next corner space. ss into 3rdch of starting 3ch. Fasten off.

Next, add square 2 above square 1

You can click the pictures to make them bigger if you need to.

Make square 2 until you get to the first corner of round 3. Instead of chaining 2, just chain 1. You are going to replace the 2nd chain with a slip stitch into square 1.

  1. Slip stitch into one corner of square 1. To do this, insert your hook from top to bottom, pull up a loop and pull through it through the loop on your hook.

  2. 3tr into the same corner space of square 2.

  3. Slip stitch into the next space on square 1.

  4. Repeat for the next two sets of 3 trebles. When you reach the next corner, slip stitch and then chain 1.

  5. Now finish the square in the usual way. Every square you join above will be done in the same way.

  6. Make and join square 3 in the same way as square 2. Every square you add to the right will be done like this.

Now add square 4.

  1. Begin joining square 4 in the same way as the previous two squares. When you reach the inside corner, make one slip stitch in each of the spaces indicated by the arrows. You are replacing both corner chains with a slip stitch.

  2. Now join the second side and finish the square in the usual way.

  3. At the intersection of the 4 squares, you should have a nice neat join.

Keep adding squares, until you have made your first block of 49 squares. Now it is just a matter of repeating that block as many times as you want to make the blanket the size you’d like, or until the yarn runs out 😁.

My blanket will have 9 repeats and I will be adding them in the order laid out in the diagram below. Just to be clear, these are not separate blocks. Each individual square is joined to the first block, one by one.

As you add more repeats, you should see the check pattern beginning to emerge with bands of light and dark running through it.

I haven’t decided what type of border I will use yet, but I think it will probably be something very simple.

I’ll update you with more pictures soon!