The Slow Granny Blanket
- mavisandflo
- Jan 7
- 5 min read
A Gentle Making Project, one square at a time
The Slow Granny Blanket is a year-long crochet project designed to be created slowly, one square at a time.
There is no deadline.
 No pressure.
 And absolutely no need to rush.
This is a simple, colourful granny square blanket made with intention ~ beginner friendly, flexible, and designed to fit gently around real life.
You can start whenever you want.
 You can pause whenever you need.
One square at a time is enough.
A project designed to be slow
This project was created to use yarn you may already have at home ~ your yarn stash, colours collected over time, a mix of all the yarns. For me, the yarn I am using has a very special meaning.
It once belonged to my very first granny rectangle blanket. After a few years of family snuggling, washing and everyday life it had started to come apart. When that happened I was devastated.
Around that time, my beautiful mum had just returned home from hospital, which was to be for the last time. We were talking about my crochet ~ something she always supported so wholeheartedly. She was so proud that I had taught myself to crochet, especially because learning new things had never come easily for me. Mum could knit, but not crochet, and she understood how much effort it had taken.
When I told her how sad I was about the blanket unraveling, she listened ~ really listened, the way she always did ~ and then asked if she could wind the yarn. Her once-busy hands were finding it difficult to keep still. But over time she carefully rewound every strand of that blanket by hand. Ball by ball. Row by row. When she finished, she thanked me.
She told me the yarn soothed her.
It kept her busy.
It made her feel useful again.
Coming back to the yarn
A few years after her passing, I finally felt ready to open that bag of yarn again.
Looking through it was emotional. She had wound every ball so neatly, tucking the ends in perfectly ~ something I never do. And as I sorted through the colours, I realised something I had completely forgotten.
When I originally made that blanket, I had asked my family for their favourite colours, to contrast a row of white yarn.
My daughter chose yellow. 
My son chose green.
 My husband loves bright colours and suggested pink.
 My mum loved grey.
 My sister loved purple.
 Blue was mine.
Those colours were all still there — chosen long ago by the people I love. That memory alone felt like a quiet gift.
How my Slow Granny Blanket will come together
For my own blanket, I plan to make:
* Five granny squares per week
* Join them together at the end of each week
* Use coloured rows for rounds 1 and 2
* Use white for the third round (on all granny squares)
I don’t know exactly how it will turn out ~ perhaps a little like patchwork ~ and that feels perfectly imperfect. Just like me.
Materials I’m using:
* 8ply cotton/acrylic blend yarn
* 4.5mm crochet hook
* Scissors
* Threading needle (This time I’m knotting + weaving in ends as I go — slowly!)
Your materials, your pace, and your version may look completely different. That’s not just okay ~ that’s the point.
The intention behind this project
This blanket is an invitation.
To let your hands stay busy while your mind slows down.
 To do something just for yourself.
 To keep moving gently during seasons that feel heavy, loud, or overwhelming. At the moment, my heart and mind are particularly heavy.
There is no right or wrong way to do this.
 There is no schedule to follow. 
Only what feels right for you, in this moment.
Free granny square pattern + tutorial
Below you’ll find the free granny square pattern used for this project, along with a step-by-step tutorial suitable for beginners.
This pattern is intentionally simple so you can focus on colour, rhythm, and the act of making ~ not perfection.
Skill Level; Beginner + Easy
This pattern is written in US Terminology.
stitches used:
magic circle
chain stitch (ch)
double crochet (dc)
slip stitch (sl st)
chain space (ch-sp)
Pattern;
          Â
Start with a magic circle (or ch6 and join at beginning of circle).
Round 1: Ch4, 3dc into circle, ch2, 3dc into circle, ch2, 3dc into circle, ch2, 2dc,
join with a sl st around ch-4 starting ch. Secure stitch and fasten off.
Round 2: With second colour, attach to ch-sp and ch5, 3dc into same space, [(3dc, ch2, 3dc) into next ch-sp (creating a corner)] 3 times,2dc in first ch-sp, sl st around beginning ch-5. Secure stitch and fasten off.
Round 3: With third colour, attach to corner ch-sp and ch5, 3dc into same space, [3dc into next space between 3dc group, (3dc,ch2,3dc) into corner ch-sp] 3 times, 3dc into
next space between 3dc groups, 2dc in first ch-sp, sl st around beginning ch-5. Fasten off and weave in ends.
make it:
Finished!
Or if you prefer the tutorial you can find it here.
Optional: diary & weekly reflection pages
Alongside the pattern, I’ve also created:
* A daily diary page
* A weekly reflection page
These are completely optional.
They’re there if you’d like to record colours, feelings, small moments, or gentle reflections as you go.
You can print them, use them digitally, or ignore them entirely.
Take your time
This project doesn’t ask much of you.
Just your yarn.
 Your hook. 
And a little time. It is ok to let yourself have this time.
You might make one square a day, or one square a week. You might pause for a while and come back later. There is no deadline to meet and no right way to do this.
The Slow Granny Blanket is simply an invitation ~ to slow your hands, soften your heart and give your mind something gentle to focus on.
The Slow Granny Blanket is about creating something meaningful in a way that feels kind and achievable.
If you do decide to make it, I'd love to see your progress. You're welcome to share and tag along using #SlowGrannyBlanket
And as anyone who knows me would tell you, I move slowly. I'll be sharing my own Slow Granny Blanket progress here on the blog as the year unfolds.
As always I am here if you need any help, or you just want to have a chat.
Remember to do something just for yourself today,
Happy creating,
Melissa