Sunburst Granny Square: A Four-Round Pattern With Puffs and Clusters

A sunburst granny square is a flat circle that becomes a square in its final round. The circle is built from three rounds, plain double crochet, then puff stitches, then clusters, each in a new color so the center looks like rays spreading outward. The fourth round uses tall treble crochets at four points to push out the corners. This original four-round pattern has 16 stitches or groups in every circle round, which keeps the counting simple.

The pattern uses US crochet terms. A US double crochet (dc) is a UK treble, and a US treble (tr) is a UK double treble.

Materials

• Worsted weight (4) yarn in four colors: A (center), B (puff round), C (cluster round) and D (square frame).
• US H-8 (5 mm) hook.
• Yarn needle and scissors.

In this weight the finished square should be roughly 4.5 to 5 in (11 to 13 cm) across. That is an estimate that depends on your yarn and tension, and puff stitches vary a lot from one crocheter to the next, so make one square and measure it before planning a project.

Abbreviations and Special Stitches

Abbreviation	Meaning
ch	chain
sl st	slip stitch
dc	double crochet
tr	treble crochet
st(s)	stitch(es)
sp	space
ch-sp	chain space, the gap under a chain
rnd	round
yo	yarn over

Puff stitch: [yo, insert the hook in the stitch, yo and pull up a loop to the height of a dc] 3 times in the same stitch. There are now 7 loops on the hook. Yo and pull through all 7 loops. The ch 1 that follows in the pattern locks the puff closed.

3-dc cluster: [yo, insert the hook in the space, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops] 3 times in the same space. There are now 4 loops on the hook. Yo and pull through all 4 loops.

Beginning cluster: ch 2, then [yo, insert the hook in the same space, yo and pull up a loop, yo and pull through 2 loops] 2 times (3 loops on the hook), yo and pull through all 3 loops. It counts as a 3-dc cluster.

Treble crochet: yo twice, insert the hook, yo and pull up a loop (4 loops on the hook), then [yo and pull through 2 loops] 3 times.

Stitches in parentheses go into one space. A sequence in square brackets is repeated the number of times given after it.

Sunburst Granny Square Pattern

Work with the right side facing and do not turn. Each round is fastened off and the next color is joined with a sl st; the guide to changing colors in a granny square shows the join in detail.

Round 1: Center (Color A)

1. Make a magic ring, or ch 5 and sl st into the first chain to form a ring.
2. Ch 3 (counts as the first dc), then work 15 dc into the ring.
3. Join with a sl st to the top of the beginning ch 3. Fasten off A.

Count: 16 dc.

Round 2: Puffs (Color B)

1. Join B with a sl st in any stitch. Ch 2 (does not count as a stitch) and work a puff stitch in the same stitch, ch 1.
2. [Puff stitch in the next stitch, ch 1] 15 times.
3. Join with a sl st to the top of the first puff. Fasten off B.

Count: 16 puffs and 16 ch-1 spaces.

Round 3: Clusters (Color C)

1. Join C with a sl st in any ch-1 space. Work a beginning cluster in the same space, ch 2.
2. [3-dc cluster in the next ch-1 space, ch 2] 15 times.
3. Join with a sl st to the top of the beginning cluster. Fasten off C.

Count: 16 clusters and 16 ch-2 spaces.

Round 4: Squaring Off (Color D)

The 16 spaces of round 3 are divided into 4 corner spaces with 3 side spaces between each pair of corners.

1. Join D with a sl st in any ch-2 space. (Ch 4 [counts as the first tr], 2 tr, ch 2, 3 tr) in the same space. This is the first corner.
2. [3 dc in each of the next 3 ch-2 spaces, (3 tr, ch 2, 3 tr) in the next ch-2 space] 3 times.
3. 3 dc in each of the last 3 ch-2 spaces.
4. Join with a sl st to the top of the beginning ch 4. Fasten off D.

Count: 60 stitches (24 tr and 36 dc) and 4 ch-2 corner spaces. Each side has 15 stitches: 3 tr, 9 dc, 3 tr. The round uses all 16 spaces: 4 corners and 12 side spaces.

Finishing

Four colors mean eight tails. Thread each one onto a yarn needle and run it through the backs of stitches of its own color, changing direction once; there is more detail in the guide to weaving in ends on granny squares. A circle forced into a square often has slightly soft corners straight off the hook, and blocking the square with a pin in each corner sharpens them. Avoid pressing puffs flat with heat.

If the Square Does Not Lie Flat

• The circle ruffles after round 3: the ch 2 between clusters is too generous for your tension. Try ch 1 between clusters instead; the stitch counts for round 4 stay the same.
• The circle cups: the puffs or chains are tight. Pull the loops taller or go up one hook size for round 2.
• The corners look rounded: check that each corner has 3 tr on both sides of the ch 2, and that exactly 3 spaces lie between corners.

Color and Size Variations

For a classic sun, use yellow for A, orange for B and a deeper orange or red for C, with white or sky blue as the frame. Using one frame color for every square and changing only the three center colors makes a blanket look planned even when the centers are scraps.

To make the square larger, add plain rounds in color D: 1 dc in every stitch and (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in each corner space. Every such round adds 4 stitches per side, so the first added round has 19 stitches per side and 76 in total. The same circle-then-frame idea, with petals in place of puffs, is used for the flower granny square.