Crochet guide
Turning a circle into a square
To turn a crochet circle into a square, work one round in which the stitches change height. Mark four corners, evenly spaced. Work the middle of each side in the shortest stitch and let the stitches grow taller toward the corners. At each corner, work a group of tall stitches with a chain in the middle. A large circle takes more than one round.
On this page 8 parts
The idea
A flat circle and a square differ most at four places, the corners. Halfway along each side, the square is no wider than the circle. At the corners it reaches further out. So the round that squares a circle adds little height in the middle of each side and a lot at the corners.
Stitch names on this page are United States terms, with the United Kingdom name in brackets.
That round has two parts, repeated four times:
- A side. The shortest stitches sit in the middle, usually single crochet (UK double crochet). Half double crochet (UK half treble crochet) comes next on each side of them. Double crochet (UK treble crochet) comes last, beside the corners.
- A corner. A group of the tallest stitches goes into one stitch, with a chain or two in the middle of the group.
Crochet shapes sets this beside the rules for other flat shapes.
The sum: corners and sides
- Count the stitches in the last round of the circle. The sum is simplest when that number divides by four.
- Take away four stitches, one for each corner.
- Divide what is left by four. That is the number of stitches along each side.
- Mark the four corner stitches with stitch markers, the same number of stitches apart.
A circle of 24 stitches leaves 20 after the corners, which is 5 stitches on each side. A circle of 48 leaves 44, which is 11 on each side. Flat circle and the circle stitch count chart give the count of each round of a circle.
Sharing out the stitches on a side
Work from the middle of the side outward. An odd number of stitches has one stitch in the middle, and an even number has two. Give both halves of the side the same stitches in the same numbers, so that the side is even.
There is no single right answer. Published examples share the stitches out like this, and each row is one source's own choice:
| Stitches on a side | From one corner to the next |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1 double, 1 half double, 1 single, 1 half double, 1 double crochet |
| 8 | 1 double, 2 half double, 2 single, 2 half double, 1 double crochet |
| 11 | 1 double, 3 half double, 3 single, 3 half double, 1 double crochet |
| 21 | 4 double, 4 half double, 5 single, 4 half double, 4 double crochet |
Try it, look at the piece, and change it if the edge is not straight. Sources say plainly that this takes trial and error.
The corners
Work the corner into the marked stitch. A usual corner is two double crochet, a chain or two, and two more double crochet, all in the same stitch. If the stitches beside the corner are taller than double crochet, make the corner stitches that tall as well.
The chain makes a corner space. On the next round the new corner goes into that space.
A larger circle
A big circle is harder to square than a small one, because each side is longer. Sources use three ways, alone or together:
- More of each stitch. Several single crochet, then several half double, then several double, as in the last row of the table. The result is not always a true square.
- Taller stitches toward the corners. After double crochet, go on to treble crochet (UK double treble crochet) and taller.
- More than one round. Square the circle a little in one round, then do the same again in the next. One published account took about 3 rounds for a circle of 160 stitches and 5 rounds for one of 292.
Lay the piece down often to see that it stays flat. If it buckles, undo the round and share the stitches out another way.
A circle made of groups
Some circles are made of groups of three double crochet with a chain space between them, like a granny square. These are squared through the spaces and not the stitches. In the published examples the circle has twelve spaces. Every third space is a corner and takes two groups with chains between them. Each of the two spaces between takes one group.
Two of those examples work the corner groups in treble crochet and the side groups in double crochet, because the taller stitch pushes the corner out. Another uses double crochet throughout.
After the squaring round
From here the piece is an ordinary square worked in rounds. Work one stitch in each stitch along the sides and a corner in each corner space. A round blanket can be squared off in the same way and then made larger with straight rounds.
Where to go next
- Crochet shapes for how circles, squares and other flat shapes are made.
- The math of crochet for the counts behind a flat circle.
- Joining squares for sewing or crocheting the squares together.
- Using stitch markers for marking the corners.