Chocolate Checkerboard Square Free Crochet Pattern
Introduction
This Chocolate Checkerboard Square is a sweet little project for anyone who has just learned single crochet and wants a finished piece to show for it. It's made from four plain squares — two chocolate, two caramel — joined in a bold checkerboard grid with chocolate seams, so it looks far more complicated than it really is. The fabric is flat, firm, and slightly textured, with a neat chocolate border framing the whole thing. At 6 inches square it works up in an evening, and it's perfect for blankets, bags, coasters, or a first afghan square.
Materials Needed
- Yarn: Worsted weight (4) acrylic yarn — approximately 30 yards of chocolate brown and 30 yards of caramel.
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook.
- Notions: Tapestry needle for weaving in ends, scissors, and a few stitch markers (optional).
- Finished size: 6 inches x 6 inches (15 cm x 15 cm), made of four 3-inch squares.
Abbreviations
- ch — chain: make a loop of yarn and pull it through the loop on your hook.
- sc — single crochet: insert hook in stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through both loops.
- sl st — slip stitch: insert hook in stitch, yarn over, pull through both the stitch and the loop on your hook.
- st(s) — stitch(es).
Gauge
4 sc x 4 rows = 1 inch (2.5 cm). Work a small swatch in single crochet and measure a 1-inch section; if you have more stitches than 4, go up a hook size, and if you have fewer, go down.
Tips Before You Start
- Keep your single crochet tension even and slightly firm — loose squares will ripple when joined.
- Count your 12 stitches at the end of every row; it's the easiest way to keep all four squares the same size.
- Make all four squares before you begin joining so you can check they match in size.
- Leave 6-inch yarn tails when fastening off — they make weaving in much easier later.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Square A (Chocolate) — make 2
Row 1: With chocolate, ch 13, sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across (12 sc).
Rows 2-12: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across (12 sc).
Fasten off. Each square measures about 3 inches x 3 inches.
Square B (Caramel) — make 2
With caramel, work same as Square A: ch 13, then repeat Rows 1-12 (12 sc per row). Fasten off.
Assembly
Arrange the four squares in a checkerboard: top row A B, bottom row B A.
Seam 1: With chocolate, place two squares right sides together and sc through both layers along one edge (12 sc). Fasten off.
Seams 2-4: Repeat the same joining method for the remaining three seams, working 12 sc along each, until all four squares are joined in the checkerboard grid. Fasten off.
Edging
Rnd 1: With chocolate, join yarn at any corner, ch 1, sc evenly around the entire square, working 3 sc in each corner. Join with sl st to first sc. Fasten off.
Assembly and Finishing
All seaming is done during Assembly with single crochet through both layers, so there is no separate sewing step. After the edging, weave in all ends on the wrong side with your tapestry needle, working each tail back and forth through a few stitches so it stays put. Block the square lightly by misting it with water, pinning it to a 6-inch square, and letting it dry flat — this smooths the seams and squares up the corners.
Pro Tips and Variations
- Swap the colors for any two contrasting shades — cream and berry, or sage and charcoal — for a different look.
- Make a stack of squares and join them into a blanket, alternating the checkerboard direction for a woven effect.
- Add a second edging round in caramel (sc in each st, 3 sc in each corner) for a two-tone border.
