2027-02-13 · Techniques & Global Styles · Advanced
Bavarian Crochet: Adding Texture to Granny Squares
Bavarian crochet turns the flat granny square into a woven, textured motif using post stitches and clever colour placement. It's a fun next step once you've mastered the basics.
What makes Bavarian crochet different
A traditional granny square is built from clusters and chain spaces, but Bavarian crochet swaps some of those stitches for front post double crochets worked around stitches from previous rounds. The result is a raised, basket-woven texture that catches the light beautifully in variegated or high-contrast yarns.
Getting started
- Work your first two rounds like a standard granny square.
- From round three onward, work post stitches around the stitch, not into it, skipping the stitch behind.
- Keep tension slightly looser than usual so the post stitches don't pull the square out of shape.
Tips for success
Use a stitch marker on your starting stitch each round; it's easy to lose track once the texture builds up. Blocking matters more here than with a flat granny square, so pin your squares before joining to even out the weave.
Bavarian crochet is worth trying once you're comfortable with post stitches and reading a written pattern without a photo for every step. Start with a single square before committing to a full blanket, since the texture uses noticeably more yarn per round.