Design & Make Your Own Granny Square Sweater

“Design & Make a Granny Square Sweater Course” is a 6 week, hands on, in-depth masterclass, spread over 9 weeks, which allows plenty of time to create a unique garment. This is the 8th run of my flagship course that I have been developing & honing since 2021. I will take you through my step by step process to create your very own, Granny Square sweater.

The course covers:

• Sizing.
• Swatching.
• Blocking.
• Layout.
• Neck, hem & cuff options.
• Limitations.
• Calculating yardage.
• Which joining method to use.
• Colour placement.
• Finishing techniques.

Design your sweater using the classic granny square pattern. Using either DK or 4ply/fingering weight yarn, you’ll learn how to get the right fit – whether you’re making the sweater for yourself or someone else.

Skill Level

You must be confident with basic crochet stitches & joining techniques.

Course Locations

IMPORTANT: Due to limited availability of the Riverhouse during December, please note that 2 of the classes for this course will be held at St. Erconwald’s in Walton-on-Thames.

Riverhouse Barn Art Centre (weeks 1, 2, 5 & 6)
Studio (in courtyard at the back of the Riverhouse)
Manor Road
Walton-on-Thames
Surrey KT12 2PF

St. Erconwald’s Church Hall (weeks 3 & 4)
22 Esher Avenue,
Walton-On-Thames
KT12 2TA

Course Dates

This is a 6 week course, running on Tuesday evenings.

Week 1: Tuesday 18th November 2025, 7:30-9:30pm
Week 2: Tuesday 25th November 2025, 7:30-9:30pm
Week 3: Tuesday 2nd December 2025, 7:30-9:30pm
Week 4: Tuesday 9th December 2025, 7:30-9:30pm
Week 5: NO CLASS – CHRISTMAS HOLS.
Week 6: NO CLASS – CHRISTMAS HOLS.
Week 7: NO CLASS – CHRISTMAS HOLS.
Week 8: Tuesday 6th Jan 2026, 7:30-9:30pm
Week 9: Tuesday 13th Jan 2026, 7:30-9:30pm

Cost

• £180

What’s Included?

• 6x 2 hour in-person sessions.
• Class notes/photo tutorials for generic instructions.
• Exclusive & extensive online resources, including detailed videos and/or photo tutorials.
• Your design is checked & signed-off by the tutor before you start to help ensure a successful result.
• Tutor support throughout the 9 weeks via a private community group.
• Additional support via the community group for another 2 weeks after the course has finished.

Please note : the cost of materials are not included in the course fees.

Expectations & Student Requirements

The purpose of the course is to teach you how to plan out and implement the design, getting you started with the project, as well as cover some of the other key elements of making a granny square sweater. It is up to you whether you go at your own pace or attempt to complete the sweater over the 9 week time span. It goes without saying, that you will need to spend time outside of the classes making the motifs and other elements of the sweater.
You will need to have a way to access the online content for this course, either via a computer or tablet this is because:

• We use Google Sheets to store all designs/layouts on a private Google Drive so that I can easily check all students work from one location. Do not worry if you are unfamiliar with Google Sheets or Google Drive, it’s very easy and I will provide support.
• There are so many variables to the sweater designs for which I have created a large amount of video & photo tutorials, it is not possible to provide print outs of everything for each student. For content unique to your design, you will need to be able to access the class notes through the learning platform.

Curriculum

Here is a rough guide to the curriculum, this may change depending on how quickly we get through things and how much help people need for their individual designs.

Week 1 : Introduction and overview of the types of sweater you can make. Choosing a joining technique. How to create a suitable fabric and how to swatch.

Week 2 : Using your swatch & measurements to plan your sweater layout & approximate yardage.

Week 3 : Tutor will check and sign off your design. Finalize colour sequencing, neck shape, hems & cuffs. Start yoke/neck.

3 Weeks over Christmas: no classes – you’ll be using this time to make the bulk of your motifs & joins. Tutor support is provided via the community forum.

Week 4 : Neck shaping & seaming.

Week 5 : Cuffs and hems.

Week 6: Finishing techniques.

Materials Required

How much yarn will I need? – Unfortunately, it is a bit of a chicken and egg situation. If you already know what yarn you’re using, please bring it to the first class. If not, the first class will help you decide. During weeks 2/3 we work out the precise quantities.
Example: I am a size 12, for a regular granny square sweater, I usually need just under 6 x100g skeins of 4ply, that’s roughly 2000m or 2190 yds.

How many colours? – I recommend at least 5 colours, but you can use more or less depending on your personal preference.

Yarn thickness – my preferred yarn thickness for these kinds of sweaters is 4ply/fingering or sock weight yarn because they are very wearable and have good drape. However, you can use DK weight yarn but please be aware that this will create a reasonably bulky and very warm garment. I do not recommend yarn thicker than DK as it makes a very bulky, boiling hot sweater that may not drape well.

Yarn composition – I would strongly recommend natural yarns such as merino wool or cotton or blends thereof. Or at least yarns with less than 20% nylon/synthetic material. Acrylic yarns do not work very well in these types of garments because the yarn has no stitch memory and poor drape. Additionally, I try to discourage the use of acrylic since it’s a product of the petro-chemical industry, is toxic to manufacture and leaches microplastics in to the environment. Recent research also shows that microplastics from synthetic fibres are also absorbed into our bodies when worn next to the skin.

What to bring to the first class? – A couple of weeks before the course starts, you’ll receive more information about what’s required on the first session.

Hooks – You’ll need the correct hook size for your yarn. This will range from 2.5mm to 4mm depending on your yarn choice, personal gauge and again, this is discussed in the pre-course email and the first class.

Course Size

Currently the course size is limited to a maximum of 10/12 students depending on the mix of new and alumni students.

Student Resources

I have a dedicated student resource page with a login (which you’ll receive once you’ve signed up) where you’ll find all the class notes and an extensive collection of useful videos to watch at your leisure.