Worked on the glider, counted out loud —
A two-color granny sun square you can work into a coaster or full square — about 2-3 hours, suited to intermediate crocheters.
This one's for you if you've got a quiet hour and a hankering to see color do something clever. The granny sun square starts the same way a hundred grannies do — a magic ring, a ring of double crochets — but by round three it opens into a bright little starburst that makes the extra concentration worth it. Make one and it's a coaster. Make nine, and you've got the start of something bigger.
The easiest change you can make is deciding where to stop. Finish after round three and you've got a tidy coaster with its sunburst centered on the 12 double crochets from round one. Keep going through the additional and final rounds and that same center grows into a full granny square, corners built up round after round until it's ready to join with others into a blanket. Play with your two colors too — keep the same pairing for every piece so a set of coasters reads as a matched family, or vary the second color each time so the center ring is the only thing that repeats. Because this calls for four-ply acrylic and a 2.5 mm hook, you can also size up to a heavier yarn and a larger hook for a bolder, faster square, though your increases and spacing may shift slightly from round to round. If you're making several, work round three in each before moving any piece further — it keeps your color sequence consistent across the whole batch. A handful of squares in one palette, a scatter of coasters in another.
The pleasure in this piece lives in round three. You build a magic ring and two plain rounds of double crochet like always, then round three asks you to hold several double crochets open on the hook at once, pull through all the loops together, and swap colors mid-sequence — that's what turns a flat circle into a sunburst with real dimension. It's the kind of stitch that looks complicated from across the room and feels perfectly logical once your hands know the rhythm. After that drama, the later rounds settle back into familiar double crochet with corner increases, letting you finish calmly once the hard part's behind you. Two colors, one hook size, and a technique that teaches your fingers something new by round three.
The rounds, in full
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Tap a round as you finish it. This device remembers where you stopped.
Everything this one takes, in the order you will reach for it.
Additional Rounds: Continue with patterns of double crochets, single crochets, half double crochets, and treble crochets as described, stepping up each round with increases at the corners to maintain the square shape; Each new round starts with chaining which counts as the first stitch (either double or treble crochet based on the round's requirement); Sides of the square increase uniformly, creating spaces where new intricate loops and color changes can be done; Finish each round by joining with a slip stitch and continue with the next round by changing colors if required.
Final Rounds: The last few rounds are typically a repetition of one double crochet on top of each stitch around, with increases at the corners to maintain the square shape; Complete the rounds as described, join with a slip stitch, and cut the yarn to finish.
Keep an eye on your tension through round three; those partially completed double crochets want to stay snug or the sunburst loses its crisp shape.
A 2.5 mm hook with four-ply acrylic gives a firm little fabric, which is exactly what you want for something destined to hold a mug.
Carry your yarn tails along the back of the work when you change colors rather than cutting and rejoining each time, to keep round three tidy on the wrong side.
the ones that come up on the glider
Yes — stop after round three and you'll have a self-contained sunburst circle sized for a mug or glass, with no further rounds needed.
No, standard four-ply acrylic in two colors and a 2.5 mm hook is all the pattern calls for, which keeps the fabric firm enough for a coaster.
Check that you're working two double crochets into each corner stitch on the plain rounds and starting each new round with the chain three that counts as your first stitch; missing either one will round off the corners.
Three rounds give you the coaster-sized sunburst circle; continuing through the additional and final rounds builds it out into a full granny square with straight sides and increased corners.
Yes, once you've worked through the final rounds each square has straight sides and crisp corners, making them easy to whip-stitch or slip-stitch together in a block.
Sunday evening, from the glider —
A pattern and a note from the glider, most weeks.
That was the last round. Would you like the letter when the next one goes up?