Getting the Best Supplies
Choose a color scheme. Yarn, of course, comes in a wide variety of colors. Which colors you choose vastly changes how your final blanket, pillow, or other creation will look. Carefully choose your colors to get the effect you want. Get the boho look by pairing red, dark purple, pink, yellow, bright blue and spring green. Get the "old country" look by making bright squares but putting them together with a black border. Get a classic American look by combining, white, red, blue, and pale yellow. If you don't want the granny square look but you want to still use the method to get a fast blanket, use only two colors (white and blue, for example) to create a more subtle look.
Obtain yarn of your choice. Once you know your colors, you'll want to pick out a good yarn in the best material for you. If you're making a blanket for a baby, use the softest yarn possible. If making something more durable, such as a pet-bed cover, use acrylic.
Obtain an appropriately sized crochet hook to use. The size of the hook should always be stated in the pattern you want to use or listed for the weight of yarn you purchased. If you're worried about the hook size, do a test patch with a few rows of double crochet. If you have thicker yarn, use a thicker hook, and if you have thinner yarn use a thinner hook.
Making the Center Circle
Chain six. Form a slip knot around the hook, wrap yarn around the hook, and pull it through the loop in the knot--this is one chain stitch. After the yarn you pulled is wrapped around the hook, pull another loop through that, making a second chain stitch. Be sure to leave at least 4 inches (10.2 cm) of yarn at the beginning in case you need it later.
Slip stitch into the first chain. This forms a ring. Pull a new loop through the loop already on the hook, as well as through the chain stitch.
Chain three. This is the same as if you were doing rows of double crochet stitch.
Double crochet. Make two double crochet into the center of the ring.
Chain and double again. Chain two then make three double crochet into the center of the ring. Do this 3 times, for a total of 4 groups of 3 dc (double crochet).
Slip stitch to finish. Slip stitch into the top of the three chain to finish the round.
Making the Middle Row
Start with a new color. Add a new color for the next row if you like. Simply start crocheting with the new color from any ch-sp (chain space, the gaps left by the chain stitches between the bunches of double crochet).
Chain three again. Again, this is the same as if you were doing rows of double crochet stitch.
Double crochet in the corners. In the chain space described above, do 3 double crochet stitches (but don't forget that in your first set, the first dc is really the chain three that you did already).
Move to the next chain space. Chain two over the double crochet bunch and then make three more double crochet stitches into the next chain space. This begins to create the square.
Form the corner. Make 3 chain stitches to form the corner of the square and then double crochet 3 more into the same chain space. Change to 1 chain stitch between if you want a rounder, tighter square as shown in the pictures.
Continue until the row is complete. Do all 4 corners, and then slip stitch to the top of the ch-3 in the first corner to finish the round. Each corner should have two sets of three dc, each separated by three chain stitches.
Completing the Square
Start the next row. Change colors again if you like.
Continue similarly to the previous row. Double crochet 2 bunches of three stitches (separated by three chain stitches) into each corner. Do only ONE bunch of three dc into each "flat side" chain space, with two chain stitches between the corner bunches and the middle bunches.
Make as many rows as you want. The number of side spaces will continue to increase. You can make a potholder by backing your square with sturdy cloth, make an ornamental doily by using a thinner yarn, or even a baby blanket by using soft yarn in baby-friendly colors. You can make an afghan by either making one huge square or by attaching a number of small squares together. Squares can be attached by sewing or by crocheting together using slip stitch or single crochet.
Finished.
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