DIY Crochet Granny Square Throw Pillow

It’s no secret that we have a slight obsession with crochet granny squares here at The Neon Tea Party. I mean, what’s not to love?! They’re nostalgic, timeless, a little kitschy, and call for the use of all the fun and random color combos you can dream up!

It’s been freakin’ awesome to see the rise in popularity of granny squares (and crochet in general!) in fashion, with brands like The Series and Free People putting a modern spin on the classic crochet look, and celebs like Busy Philipps helping catapult their popularity.

Crafting up a whole sweater or blanket full of grannies can be intimidating and time-consuming for a first granny square project. But that shouldn’t stop you from venturing into Granny Land, which is why we encourage you to start with this simple granny square throw pillow, which consists of just two large granny squares sewn up with a single crochet border.

In our opinion, the best part about this project — besides its simplicity — is the opportunity to create a bold and striking color combo! There are no rules when it comes to how you pattern your granny square row colors. Alternating colors, color blocks, ombré, rainbow…the sky is the limit! We opted for a mix of neons, pastels, and jewel tones — a nod to our three crochet kit colorways.

When it comes to yarn, in true TNTP style we use Omegacryl, pulling from both the center and exterior tails at the same time, but you can also use worsted weight or, honestly, any weight you please! Just be sure to match your hook size to your yarn thickness. (We use a 5mm Size H hook in this project!)

Alright, without further ado, let’s get to grannying! (Yes, that is a verb! 😝)

YOU’LL NEED:

• Omegacryl* or your choice of yarn
• A crochet hook to match your yarn weight – we’re using a 5mm Size H* in this tutorial
• Stitch markers*
• Snips/scissors*
• Yarn needle*
• Pillow insert

*Item is included in our Crochet DIY Kit!

The bulk of this project is making your two large granny squares. If you’ve never crocheted a granny square before, we’ve got you covered with this video tutorial and pattern!

Make two evenly-sized granny squares to fit over your pillow insert. You’ll want your pillow insert to be nearly the same size as your granny, if not slightly larger to ensure maximum fluffiness.

When planning out your color patterns for the two squares, if you choose to do different patterns on each of the two squares like we did, we highly recommend ending both squares with the same color around the outside to make joining them together look seamless.

Once your squares are complete, it’s time to join them! Place one on top of the other with the wrong sides facing one another. Next, match up the holes around the outermost row and place stitch markers periodically in the holes around the edges to keep the squares matched up.

Next you’ll begin joining the two squares together with a single crochet stitch. Choose your border yarn color and attach it to your hook with a slip-knot. If you want a seamless border like our example here, use the same yarn as the last row of both of your squares. If you’re using Omegacryl, double up your ends, pulling from both the interior and exterior tails to make your slipknot.

You can see this technique in action in our how to join granny squares tutorial here! (Skip ahead to minute 16:19.)

How to single crochet your grannies together:

Start in the first corner with one single crochet stitch. With the border yarn attached to your hook, insert your hook into your first corner of both granny squares at the same time. Yarn over and pull the yarn through the corner, resulting in two loops on your hook.

Yarn over again and pull through both loops.

Next, it’s time to single crochet under your first set of stitches. Ensuring that your grannies are lined up precisely, insert your hook underneath the top V-shape of the first stitch next to your corner on both grannies (see first photo). Yarn over and pull under those two Vs, then yarn over again and pull through both loops on your hook.

Repeat these steps with every matching pair of stitches as you go along the edge of your granny square pair. Do your best to keep the stitches matched up, but if you hit a snag, you can always reset with an extra stitch in the next hole. This is where crochet is super forgiving! In general, though, you only need one stitch in the hole.

When you get to the next corner, stitch two single crochets into it this time, then again when you get to the next two corners. Stop crocheting when you have closed up 3 sides and have one side still open.

Insert your pillow into your granny square casing, then bust out your stitch markers one more time to match up the edges and keep your pillow from falling out.

Stitch your pillow closed until you get to the end of this last edge. When you get back to the starting corner, stitch one single crochet into it, so that the corner now has two single crochets — the one you started with and the one you ended with.

(Note: Our corner pictured has 3 single crochets because we didn’t think ahead. Whoops! That’s why you benefit from our trial-and-error. 🙃)

To finish your pillow, secure your starting and ending stitch together, insert your hook into the starting stitch while the loop of your ending stitch is still on your hook. Yarn over and pull through both loops.

Next, snip your yarn leaving 3-4 inch tail. Yarn the tail over your hook and pull through the 1 loop on your hook, resulting in a knot! Hide the tail by weaving it into the border of your pillow, using your yarn needle. Trim off any excess yarn.

And there you have it a crochet granny square throw pillow to add some modern thrift store vibes to your home! If this is your first granny project, CONGRATS and welcome to the granny party!!!!! We hope this fun and simple project gives you the confidence to take your next project to the next level!

Be sure to share your granny pillow creations with us by sharing a photo on Instagram and tagging us @theneonteaparty! We can’t wait to see!!!!

Peace, love & neon,
Marisa