Free Pattern: Sun Center Granny Square
Designed by Sandi Marshall

This sun center granny square is 10 inches in width. I used a bright multicolor yarn for the sun in the example. I have included some additional photos below, with closer looks at the granny square and at the sun rays of the center.

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Materials Used In This Example
Caron Simply Soft (a light worsted weight yarn)
1 oz. Color A - Embroidery Print, color 9811
2 oz. Color B - Black, color 9727
US size G hook

Finished Size: 10 inches x 10 inches

Abbreviations:
ch = chain
ea = each
rnd = round
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch
tr = treble
dtr = double treble

How To Slip Stitch (sl st) = Insert hook in stitch, wrap yarn over hook, pull yarn through the stitch and through the loop on the hook, at the same time. A slip stitch does not add any height and is used to join a chain or stitch to another place in the crochet piece. It can also be used to add a decorative ridge to an edge.

Sun Center:
To Begin: With color A, Chain 5, slip stitch in first chain, to join into a ring.
Rnd 1: ch 1, 8 sc in ring. Sl st in first sc, to join.
Rnd 2: ch 1, 2 sc in ea sc around. Sl st in back loop only of first sc, to join. (16 sc)
Rnd 3: (ch 5, skip 3 sc, sc in back loop only of next sc) 3 times, ch 5, sl st in beginning st of this round. Note: The loops just made will be used later when making the granny square rounds.
Rnd 4: Keeping the rnd 3 loops behind the stitches that you will make in this round, work this round in the round 2 stitches. ch 1, (sc in front loop only of next sc, 2 sc in front loop only of next sc) around. Sl st in first sc, to join. (24 sc)
Rnd 5: ch 1, (sc in ea of next 2 sc, 2 sc in next sc) around. Sl st in first sc, to join. (32 sc)
Rnd 6: (Each sun ray is worked over an area of 4 stitches.) Sun Ray: * ch 4, tr in next sc, ch 1, dtr in same sc, ch 6, sl st in 4th ch from hook, dtr in next sc, ch 1, tr in same sc, ch 4, sl st in ea of the next 2 sc **, repeat the directions that are between * to ** 6 more times. Then: ch 4, tr in next sc, ch 1, dtr in same sc, ch 6, sl st in 4th ch from hook, dtr in next sc, ch 1, tr in same sc, ch 4, sl st in next sc.

End off. Weave in ends.

Note: The sun rays overlap a little at the bottom of each ray. On the finished piece, I pulled forward on the right hand side of the lower part of each ray so that it was in front of the ray beside it. This gives a swirl effect to the sun rays round.

Closer look at the stitches in
the rays of the sun center:

Granny Square Rounds
Granny Square Rnd 1: (Worked in the loops that were made in Rnd 3 of the sun center). Note: You may need to fold the sun piece forward while crocheting the first granny square round. Attach Color B in any chain-5 space of round 3 of sun center. With right side of the sun center facing you (so that the granny square rounds that you make will have the right side facing the same way as the right side of the sun center), ch 3 (counts as first dc), (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in same ch-5 sp, *ch 2, (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in next ch-5 sp **, repeat directions between * and ** twice more, then ch 2, sl st in first dc of this rnd.
Rnd 2: sl st in ea of next 2 dc, sl st in ch-3 sp, ch 3 (counts as first dc), (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in same ch-3 sp, *ch 2, skip 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 2, skip next 3 dc, (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in next ch-3 sp **, repeat directions between * and ** twice more, then ch 2, skip 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 2, sl st in first dc of this rnd.
Rnd 3: sl st in ea of next 2 dc, sl st in ch-3 sp, ch 3 (counts as first dc), (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in same ch-3 sp, *(ch 2, skip 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp) twice, ch 2, skip next 3 dc, (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in next ch-3 sp **, repeat directions between * and ** twice more, then (ch 2, skip 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp) twice, ch 2, sl st in first dc of this rnd.
Rnd 4: sl st in ea of next 2 dc, sl st in ch-3 sp, ch 3 (counts as first dc), (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in same ch-3 sp, *(ch 2, skip 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp) 3 times, ch 2, skip next 3 dc, (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in next ch-3 sp **, repeat directions between * and ** twice more, then (ch 2, skip 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp) 3 times, ch 2, sl st in first dc of this rnd.
Rnd 5: sl st in ea of next 2 dc, sl st in ch-3 sp, ch 3 (counts as first dc), (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in same ch-3 sp, *(ch 2, skip 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp) 4 times, ch 2, skip next 3 dc, (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in next ch-3 sp **, repeat directions between * and ** twice more, then (ch 2, skip 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp) 4 times, ch 2, sl st in first dc of this rnd.
Rnd 6: sl st in ea of next 2 dc, sl st in ch-3 sp, ch 3 (counts as first dc), (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in same ch-3 sp, *(ch 2, skip 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp) 5 times, ch 2, skip next 3 dc, (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in next ch-3 sp **, repeat directions between * and ** twice more, then (ch 2, skip 3 dc, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp) 5 times, ch 2, sl st in first dc of this rnd.
Rnd 7: ch 1, sc in each dc, 1 sc in each ch-2 sp and in each corner ch-3 sp work: (2sc, ch 2, 2 sc). At end of round, sl st in first sc, to join.
Rnd 8: Attach Color A. ch 1, sc in each sc and in each corner ch-2 sp work: (sc, ch 2, sc). At end of round, sl st in first sc, to join. End off Color A.
Rnd 9: With Color B: ch 1, sc in each sc and in each corner ch-2 sp work: (sc, ch 2, sc). At end of round, sl st in first sc, to join.
Rnd 10: With Color B: ch 1, sc in each sc and in each corner ch-2 sp work: (sc, ch 2, sc). At end of round, sl st in first sc, to join.
Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Sun Center Granny Square pattern designed by Sandi Marshall. My stitch example photos and the instructions on this page are copyright 2005 by Sandi Marshall, licensed to About.com, Inc. Free for your own personal use only. Patterns that a designer chooses to place on the Internet as free patterns are under the same copyright protection as patterns that are purchased. You are welcome to link to this page but, per copyright law, do not place the actual content of this page on another website; do not redistribute in any form (even for free)! If others would like to have the instructions, please give them the URL of this page, so that they may come here for themselves. Thank you! Copyright Myths Explained, U.S. Government Copyright Office - http://www.loc.gov/copyright

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