Seasonalsanta claus granny square

Santa Claus Granny Square

October 4, 202613 min read

Free pattern · Step by stepJump to the crochet steps

Santa Claus granny square crochet pattern: a red and white crochet granny square with Santa's face in the center, black eyes, a round nose, a white mustache and a curly two-layer white beard, under a red hat with a white brim and a fluffy white pompom on its folded tip, lying on an oatmeal linen cloth over a plain red and white granny square, next to a blush pink mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows and a sprig of pine

This free Santa Claus granny square crochet pattern makes a 6-inch square with Santa's face in the middle: rosy skin, a curly white beard, a little mustache and a floppy red hat with a pompom. The square itself is a white circle-to-square with a solid red border. Santa is made in small pieces that you sew on top. You'll need about 77 yards of worsted yarn, a 4 mm hook and 3 to 4 hours.

Key Takeaways

The base is a circle that turns into a square, in white, framed by three red rounds.

Santa is sewn on top: face, beard, mustache, nose, hat and pompom.

The beard is worked right onto the face in two layers of shells, so it curls.

About 77 yd (70 m) of worsted #4: 38 yd white, 33 yd red, 6 yd skin tone.

Why I love this Santa square

Every Christmas I want one project that makes people say "oh!" when they see it. This square does it every time: Santa's curly beard pops right off the surface. One square makes a sweet pot holder, ornament or card insert. Nine of them, with plain squares in between, make a cozy Christmas blanket or pillow.

The construction keeps it relaxed. The square is a simple circle-to-square, so it ends up perfectly flat and the same size as your other worsted granny squares. Santa is made separately, which means you can make the faces while watching a Christmas movie and sew them on later.

The beard is the fun part. You work it straight onto the edge of the face, in two rows of shells. The second row of bigger shells sits on the first, so the beard looks curly and full. Who could resist a square like that?

Skill level. Easy-intermediate. You need a magic ring, sc, hdc, dc and tr, shells, simple decreases, and some sewing.

What you'll need

Yarn: worsted #4 acrylic, such as Red Heart Super Saver or Lion Brand Basic Stitch. Acrylic keeps its bright red and survives the washing machine.

Color	Used for	Amount
White	Square base, beard, mustache, hat brim, pompom	about 38 yd
Red	Border and hat	about 33 yd
Skin tone (light peach or tan)	Face and nose	about 6 yd

I worked those amounts out from the stitch counts, plus about a yard of each color for sewing.

Hook and notions

4 mm (US G-6) hook.
6 mm black safety eyes, or black yarn to embroider them.
A tiny pinch of polyester fiberfill (or yarn scraps) for the pompom.
Optional: a little pink blush or pink yarn for rosy cheeks. Skip it if you don't have any.
A tapestry needle, pins and scissors.

Gauge and finished size

Gauge: the white circle after Rnd 4 (48 dc) should measure about 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across. If yours is bigger, go down to a 3.75 mm hook. If it's smaller, go up to 4.5 mm.

Finished square: about 6 in (15 cm) on each side. Blocking evens it out, so measure your first one before you plan a blanket.

Abbreviations (US crochet terms)

ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch
sc = single crochet
hdc = half double crochet
dc = double crochet
tr = treble crochet
sc2tog = single crochet two together
sc3tog = single crochet three together
sp = space
MR = magic ring
st(s) = stitch(es)
rnd(s) = round(s)

UK crocheters: this pattern uses US terms. US single crochet = UK double crochet, US dc = UK treble, and US tr = UK double treble.

The beginning ch 3 counts as a dc, and the beginning ch 4 counts as a tr, in every round of the square.

The pieces at a glance

Piece	Color	Make
Square base and border	White, then red	1
Face with beard	Skin tone, then white	1
Nose	Skin tone	1
Mustache	White	1
Hat with brim	Red, then white	1
Pompom	White	1

The pattern — step by step

Part 1 — The square base

The white circle. Join every round with a sl st to the top of the beginning ch.

Rnd 1: With white, MR, ch 3, 11 dc in the ring. Join. (12 dc)
Rnd 2: Ch 3, dc in the same st, 2 dc in each st around. Join. (24 dc)
Rnd 3: Ch 3, 2 dc in the next st, (dc, 2 dc in the next st) × 11. Join. (36 dc)
Rnd 4: Ch 3, dc in the next st, 2 dc in the next st, (2 dc, 2 dc in the next st) × 11. Join. (48 dc)

Square it up (white). The 48 sts make four sides of 12 sts. Each side starts with a corner st.

Rnd 5: Ch 4, (tr, ch 2, 2 tr) in the same st as the join (first corner). Then, along the side: tr, dc, dc, hdc, sc, sc, sc, hdc, dc, dc, tr, one in each of the next 11 sts. (2 tr, ch 2, 2 tr) in the next st (corner), then repeat the side sequence over the next 11 sts. Repeat from * to * twice more. Join to the top of the beginning ch 4. (15 sts per side, plus 4 corner ch-2 sps)

Fasten off white and weave in the end. The circle is now a square with a smooth white center.

The red border.

Rnd 6: Join red in any corner ch-2 sp. Ch 3, (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same sp. Dc in each st to the next corner, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the corner sp. Repeat around and join. (19 dc per side)
Rnd 7: Sl st to the corner sp. Ch 3, (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same sp. Dc in each st to the next corner, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the corner sp. Repeat around and join. (23 dc per side)
Rnd 8: Sl st to the corner sp. Ch 1, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the same sp. Sc in each st to the next corner, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the corner sp. Repeat around and join. (25 sc per side)

Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Step 1 of the Santa Claus granny square crochet pattern: a white magic ring of 12 double crochet on a 4 mm hook, a flat white circle of 48 double crochet, the circle squared up with treble crochet corners, the first red double crochet round, and the finished red and white square base

Part 2 — The face, beard, nose and mustache

Face (skin tone). A small flat circle.

Rnd 1: MR, ch 3, 11 dc in the ring. Join. (12 dc)
Rnd 2: Ch 3, dc in the same st, 2 dc in each st around. Join. (24 dc)

Fasten off, leaving a 12-in tail. The face is about 2.25 in (5.5 cm) across.

Eyes. Hold the face with the join at the top. Insert the safety eyes between Rnds 1 and 2, in the upper half, with 4 sts of Rnd 2 between them. Fix the backs on now. The top of the face will be covered by the hat brim, so keep the eyes just above the center.

Beard (white), worked onto the face. Keep the eyes at the top. The beard goes around the lower half of the face, from the stitch at 3 o'clock to the stitch at 9 o'clock: that's 13 sts of Rnd 2.

Row 1: Join white in the st at 3 o'clock. Ch 1, sc in the same st, 2 sc in each of the next 11 sts, 2 sc in the st at 9 o'clock. (25 sc)
Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first sc, (skip 1 sc, 5 dc in the next sc, skip 1 sc, sc in the next sc) × 6. (6 small shells)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc in the first sc, (skip 2 dc, 7 dc in the center dc of the shell, skip 2 dc, sc in the next sc) × 6. (6 big shells)

Fasten off, leaving a 12-in tail. The big shells fan out below the small ones, like curls.

Nose (skin tone). MR, 6 sc in the ring. Pull the ring tight and fasten off, leaving an 8-in tail. The little disc cups into a round button.

Mustache (white). Ch 9. Working from the 2nd ch from the hook: sl st, hdc, 3 dc in the next ch, hdc, sl st (center), hdc, 3 dc in the next ch, hdc. Fasten off, leaving an 8-in tail. You have two curls joined at the center.

Put the face together. Sew the nose to the center of the face, over the magic ring. Sew the mustache right under the nose, with its center sl st in the middle and a curl on each side, overlapping the top of the beard a little. If you like, brush a little pink blush under each eye.

Step 2 of the Santa Claus granny square crochet pattern: a small skin-tone circle of double crochet, black safety eyes in the upper half, a white beard worked onto the lower half of the face in a row of single crochet, a row of small shells and a row of big shells, a round nose button and a curly white mustache sewn under the nose

Part 3 — The hat, pompom and assembly

Hat (red), worked in rows. The foundation chain is the bottom edge of the hat, where the white brim goes. The last row is the tip.

Ch 12.
Row 1: Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (11)
Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog, sc to the last 2 sts, sc2tog. (9)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (9)
Rows 4–9: Repeat Rows 2 and 3 three more times. (7, 7, 5, 5, 3, 3)
Row 10: Ch 1, turn. Sc3tog. (1)

Fasten off, leaving a 12-in tail at the tip.

Brim (white). Turn the hat upside down so the foundation chain is on top.

Row 1: Join white in the first free loop of the foundation chain. Ch 1, sc in each free loop across. (11)
Rows 2–3: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (11)

Fasten off, leaving a 12-in tail.

Pompom (white).

Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc in the ring. (6)
Rnd 2: Inc (2 sc) in each st around. (12)
Rnd 3: Sc in each st around. (12)
Rnd 4: Sc2tog × 6. (6)

Stuff it with a pinch of fiberfill or yarn scraps. Fasten off, leaving an 8-in tail, and pull the last round closed.

Step 3 of the Santa Claus granny square crochet pattern: a flat red triangle hat worked in rows of single crochet from a 12-chain base, three rows of white single crochet along its bottom edge for the brim, and a small round white crochet pompom sewn to the tip

Assembly

Pompom on the hat. Sew the pompom to the tip of the hat.
Face on the square. Lay the square flat. Pin the face in the white center, a little below the middle, so there's room for the hat above. Sew around the edge of the face with the skin-tone tail. Then sew the top edge of the beard rows to the square with the white tail, leaving the big shells loose so they curl.
Hat on the face. Lay the hat over the top of the face, with the white brim covering the top edge of the face, just above the eyes. Sew along the bottom edge of the brim and the two lower corners.
Floppy tip. Fold the top third of the hat over to one side, so the pompom rests next to the face. Tack the pompom and the fold to the square with a few stitches.
Weave in all the ends on the back.

Block it. Pin the square to 6 × 6 in (15 × 15 cm), mist the border with water, and let it dry. Don't press Santa: you want the beard to stay curly.

Safety and care. Safety eyes aren't safe for children under 3, so for a baby blanket, embroider the eyes with black yarn instead. Acrylic squares can go in the washing machine on a gentle cycle, in a mesh bag, and lie flat to dry.

Make it yours — quick variations

Variation	Change from base pattern
Christmas blanket	Join 9 Santa squares with plain red and white granny squares in a checkerboard.
Pillow	Sew a Santa square to the front of a red pillow cover, or join 4 for a 12-in pillow.
Ornament	Skip Rnds 7 and 8 and add a 6-in ribbon loop at one corner.
Mrs. Claus	Skip the beard and mustache, add rosy cheeks, and sew on a tiny white bun with a red bow.
Cream Santa	Work the square base in cream instead of white, for a softer, vintage look.

Troubleshooting the three things that go wrong

The square isn't flat

Your Rnd 5 corners are too tight, or your circle is too big. Check that each side has exactly 11 sts plus the corners, and that the circle measures about 3.75 in before you square it up.

The beard doesn't curl

The shells are too small or too tight. Make sure Row 3 has 7 dc in the center of each small shell, and work it a little looser. Don't sew the big shells down: they need to stay free to curl.

The hat covers the eyes

The face sits too high. Move it lower in the white center before you sew it. The brim should sit just above the eyes, covering only the top of the face.

Frequently asked questions

How long does one Santa square take? About 3 to 4 hours. The square base takes about an hour and a half. The face and beard take about an hour, and the hat, pompom and sewing take about another hour.

How much yarn do I need? About 77 yd (70 m) of worsted #4 yarn per square: about 38 yd of white, 33 yd of red and 6 yd of skin tone.

How many squares do I need for a blanket? At 6 in each, a 7 × 9 layout makes a throw of about 42 × 54 in (107 × 137 cm) before the border. Mix in plain squares so you don't have to make 63 Santas.

Can I make it without safety eyes? Yes. Embroider each eye as a small black oval, about 1 st wide, between Rnds 1 and 2 of the face, 4 sts apart. That's also the safest option for a baby blanket.

Can I sell Santa squares made from this pattern? Yes, you're welcome to sell finished squares, blankets or pillows made from this free pattern at markets, on Etsy or as gifts. Please credit "Pattern by Wavode" in your listing and link back to this page. What you can't do is republish this write-up or my photos as your own pattern.