This granny star crochet pattern has such a sweet story to go with it! A few months ago, a reader named Lori sent me an e-mail and shared a wonderful memory of her grandmother and gifted me a pattern. And to keep the spirit of her message going, I asked her permission to gift it to you all as well.

Throughout the year, Lori’s grandmother saved little balls of yarn scraps in a Kraut jar next to the chair where she crocheted. All the grandchildren would watch the jar of brightly colored yarn scraps grow and grow as they waited excitedly for Thanksgiving when Grandma would gather them around and teach them to make granny squares. Grandma would say “Haken op donderdag!” “Een granny deKen“! “Crochet on Thursday! A Granny Blanket!”
When dinner was finished and the dishes were clean, Grandma would give each child five small balls of yarn from the special Kraut jar and help them begin their squares. Then she would encourage them to be creative and make it there own. They played with colors, mixing them into different variations and amazing themselves and each other with the colorful combinations they came up with.
Small little squares filled the room. The grandchildren loved this time and thought it was just fun time spent with their grandmother. Lori and her siblings didn’t know, until many years later, that grandma and her lady friends at church lovingly sewed all the grannies together into blankets for people who needed help, either through hard times or illness. Those little grannies were not only Grandma’s gift of love to her grandchildren, but also her gift to others.
Lori worked up a little granny star crochet pattern for me and in her note to me she wrote,
“It is my gift to you to use, and as Grandma used to say, ‘Make it your little gift of love’ Grandma gave us this little gift and now it can be many! “
So, in the spirit of Lori’s grandmother, I added my own touch to the crochet granny star and wrote up the pattern to share with you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Thank you so much, Lori, for your sweet gift and for sharing your story! Granny Star Crochet Pattern
Here’s what you need:
- worsted weight yarn (from your Kraut jar!)
- H-8 / 5.00 mm crochet hook
- tapestry needle
Resources and tutorials you may find helpful in following this crochet pattern: Crochet Abbreviations, U.S. to U.K. Crochet Conversion Chart, How to Make a Magic Ring {photo & video tutorial}.
Click here to add this pattern to your Ravelry queue.
With first color, make a magic ring (as an alternative to the magic ring, you can ch 4 and join with a slip stitch in furthest chain from hook to form a ring).
Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), work 2 dc in ring, ch 1, *3 dc, ch 1, rep from * 4 more times, join and fasten off — 18 sts.
Round 2: Join next color in any ch-1 sp, ch 3, work [2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in same sp, ch 1, *[3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, rep from * 4 more times, join and fasten off — 36 sts.
Round 3: Join next color in any ch-1 sp, ch 1, work 1 sc in same sp, [3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc] in next ch-2 sp, * 1 sc in next ch-1 sp, [3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc] in next ch-2 sp, rep from * 4 more times, join and fasten off — 42 sts.
Ana from Lana & Hilos has created a helpful stitch diagram for this granny star crochet pattern. Click here to open the diagram.
Click here for more of my free Christmas patterns.


I love the story! I made these for family ornaments, white center with red or variegated green or variegated dark blue for the next two rows and then a row of white sc with 2 sc, ch2, 2 sc in the ch3 spaces from round 3. The 2 sc, ch2, 2 sc really makes a good point.
Having trouble with row 3. I don’t end with 42.
How do u end up with 42 sets on row3. I guess I am not doing something right.
why not the star tutorial I need hands on it get it my husband was in service 28 years I need to get this pattern so I can make many red white and blue stars
Carolyn Lance
Just google star tutorial I am sure someone has one…
This is my next years project! you see I make 650 Christmas ornaments for a school and I’ve been searching for a simple crochet ornament to make and I’m so glad I ran across this one thank you for posting this one.
So glad you found it! That’s an impressive amount too 🙂
Thank you for the pattern and the history. I had to make it right away. I did it in white cotton and red and white cotton twist. I did the center and row three in white and row two in the red and white twist. As soon as I find my green cotton yarn I will try it that way, too. Deena
I really enjoyed the story and pattern of the granny star. I’ve been teaching my grand daughter to crochet. I think she would like this.I would like to try making these with cotton thread and enlarging the pattern to make small decorated stars for the tree.
That sounds lovely, Denise 🙂
Apparently I’m going to spend all day on your webpages!! Cute star ornaments, already made 1.. now to go hunt down some more yarn from the stash!! Thank you!! And thanks for sharing a great story.
i was looking for a star to put on a afghan for a military support project. this will be perfect. thank you for the story and the pattern. it is perfect.
What a wonderful idea! I am so glad to hear how you are using it 🙂