Drunken Granny Chaos Blanket CAL: Free Printables & Stitch Guide!

Drunken Granny Chaos Blanket: Eight Stitches to Mix and Match

You don't have to decide what your whole crochet blanket will look like before you start. This drunken granny square blanket is worked in rows, not assembled from separate squares. With the drunken granny chaos blanket crochet pattern, I pick a mystery stitch and color for each crochet session, then roll dice to decide how many rows to make. The surprise is part of the fun.

I use eight easy-to-remember stitches and straighten the top edge between sections so the next one has a clean place to begin. You can follow the video as you work, jumping to the chapter for whichever stitch you picked.

Key Takeaways

• The Drunken Granny Chaos Blanket is crocheted in rows rather than assembled from individual granny squares, and its stitch and color order is chosen as you go.
• The pattern mixes eight stitches: Guzzling, Beached, Tipsy, Wandering, Sober, Drunken, Dirty, and Speedy Granny. Each has a memorable repeat to help you keep track.
• Choose a color and stitch for each crochet session, then use dice or the printable picks to decide how many rows to make.
• Finish each stitch section with its specific straightening row to create a level edge and prepare for the next section.

How the Drunken Granny Chaos Blanket Works

Unlike a traditional granny square design made by joining individual blanket squares, this drunken granny square blanket is worked in rows. I'm mixing eight stitches from my Drunken Granny collection: Guzzling, Beached, Tipsy, Wandering, Sober, Drunken, Dirty, and Speedy Granny. Each has a little visual cue that helps me remember the repeat. Dirty Granny, for instance, has martini "glasses" and "olives."

For each session, I choose a color and a stitch separately. Then I roll one or two dice for the number of rows. You can use the printable paper picks instead of dice if you prefer. The tutorial shows all eight stitches in one blanket so you can see how they join, but your picks decide the order as your blanket grows.

My blanket pattern is a crochet pattern you can follow if you like reading along. I also have a 26-page printable PDF pattern with the stitch instructions and the finishing rows that flatten each section before the next begins. Its pages are arranged for double-sided printing.

Prepare the color and stitch picks

I use two teapots, one for colors and one for stitches. Cut the free printable picks along the lines, fold each piece in half and in half again, and put the folded picks into their containers. A mug works, too. The printable has choices for up to 16 colors, though you can use as many as you like. It’s a handy way to use leftover yarn or scrap yarn from your yarn stash. It also includes paper picks for the number of rows if you don't want to roll dice.

Make a master color sheet

To keep track of which yarn belongs to each color pick, I make the printable color sheet into a firmer card. Cut it out, fold along its lines so the printed instructions end up inside, and glue the folded layers together. Then punch a hole for each color and attach a strand of yarn.

I chose eight colors for mine. I start with color one, pull its strand through the card, and use that length as a guide for the other strands. Once they're attached, I cut the loops and sort and stash yarn by color so the strands stay easy to identify. Now I can look at the card whenever I draw a color.

Start with a neat single-crochet foundation

Unlike an individual granny square, this blanket begins with a row of single crochet. You can make it with foundation single crochet, or start with a chain and work into its back loops. For a closer look at the first option, this foundation single crochet tutorial shows the technique.

When I chain, I keep my hands relaxed rather than tugging each new chain smaller. I divide the chain into groups with stitch markers to make it easier to check my place. After adding the turning chain, I turn the work and put one single crochet into each back loop. The turning chain doesn't count as a stitch.

Working into those back loops gives the blanket a tidy starting edge. Once the foundation row is complete, I check it, remove the markers, and begin the first stitch section.

Guzzling Granny: fans and valleys

For the first Guzzling Granny row, I make a single crochet at the edge. Then I skip three stitches and work seven double crochets into the fourth stitch to form a fan. After skipping three more, I pin that fan down with one single crochet in the next stitch. I alternate fans and single crochets across the row.

On the following row, the fans move into the valleys and a single crochet goes at the top of each hill. The middle of the row stays the same as I continue, but the edges alternate: one row begins and ends with single crochet; the other begins with a partial fan and ends with four double crochets. This gives Guzzling Granny its bumpy texture.

Straighten the scalloped edge

The finishing pass depends on where your last row ends. If you end at a single crochet, I use taller stitches in the valleys and shorter ones across the hills: three double crochets in a valley, a half double crochet on the slope, and three single crochets across the top. I repeat that shaping along the row.

If you end with a partial fan at the edge, begin with the shorter stitches there before filling the valley with double crochets. The goal is the same in either case: a level row ready for the next mystery stitch.

Beached Granny: put V's into trees

My Beached Granny V is one double crochet, chain one, and one double crochet worked into the same stitch. On the setup row, I make pairs of V's in adjacent stitches, skipping four stitches before the next pair. At the far edge, I work the last V into the chain.

After turning, I look for the two straight, upright stitches in each group. I call them trees. Each tree gets a V, so the reminder for this stitch is "V's into trees." I keep working into those upright stitches on every repeat row. If you'd rather watch the placement, the Beached Granny chapter shows exactly which stitches I mean.

To flatten this section, I single crochet into the chain spaces and the two center stitches of each group. Where two groups touch, I put one half double crochet into each of those two joining stitches. At the edge, I also work into the last chain space; it's easy to miss when checking the finished row.

Tipsy Granny: V's and threes

Tipsy Granny uses a different V: double crochet, chain two, double crochet in the same stitch. On the first row, I work a V after skipping three stitches, then make one double crochet in each of the next three stitches. I keep repeating that sequence across.

For the following rows, the placement shifts. I make the new V in the last double crochet of the V below, then work three separate double crochets. That's my reminder: "V's and threes." At either end of the row, there are two double crochets rather than a full group of three, with the beginning chain counting as one edge stitch.

When I've made the rows I picked, I flatten the section with half double crochets in the stitches and two single crochets in each chain-two space. At the beginning, I also use a single crochet and a taller stitch to shape the edge. I finish by working into the edge chain rather than leaving it out.

Wandering Granny: build hills over hills

Wandering Granny alternates two shapes. A hill is two double crochets, chain two, and two more double crochets, all in one stitch. A valley is three double crochets, each in its own stitch. On the setup row, I skip two stitches between groups, alternating hill and valley.

The next rows are especially easy to read. I put a new hill into the chain space at the center of each hill below. Then I work three double crochets across each valley. I check the first row before continuing because I've accidentally placed two hills or two valleys together before.

To level the top, I work a half double crochet into each stitch on both sides of a hill and a single crochet into its center space. Across the valley, I use three double crochets. At the very end, I join the last stitch and edge chain in a double-crochet decrease so the next section starts with the right count.

Sober Granny: blocks in the spaces

Sober Granny's block is one single crochet, chain two, and four double crochets worked into the same place. For the setup row, I skip three stitches and build a block in the fourth, repeating across.

On the next row, I turn, work two double crochets at the edge, and put each new block into a chain-two space. Once those spaces are there, I don't have to search through the stitches to find where the next block goes. I continue that row repeat for the number of rows I've chosen.

For the straightening row, I skip a stitch, then work a double crochet, a half double crochet, a single crochet, and a single crochet in the chain space. I repeat that shaping across the blocks and finish with double crochets into the final stitches and edge chain.

Drunken Granny: shells built in chain spaces

The Drunken Granny crochet stitch uses a shell of four double crochets, chain two, and one double crochet. On the setup row, I skip four stitches between shells and build each shell into the next stitch. The beginning edge includes its chain, and I finish the far edge with a double crochet into the chain.

After that, the row repeat is simple: I put a complete shell into each chain-two space. Working into those large spaces makes this section quick. If you'd like to try it on its own before adding it to your chaos blanket, my Drunken Granny stitch guide walks you through the one-row repeat.

To make a flat top, I work a half double crochet into the shell's chain space, then a single crochet, a half double crochet, and double crochets across its stitches. The first shell has slightly different edge shaping because of the starting chain. At the far end, I put the last double crochet into the chain to keep that side straight.

Dirty Granny: glasses and olives

Dirty Granny gets its name from a dirty martini. A glass is two double crochets, chain two, and two double crochets in one stitch. An olive is five double crochets in one stitch. On the first row, I skip three stitches between groups and alternate a glass with an olive.

For every repeat row, glasses get glasses in their center chain spaces, while olives get olives in their center stitches. Before I move too far past the setup row, I look back and check the order. Two olives or two glasses together are easy to overlook while crocheting.

The straightening row brings each shape down to four stitches. I use a half double crochet, two single crochets, and another half double crochet across each group, skipping the last stitch as shown in the tutorial. Near the far edge, I join two half double crochets in a small decrease, then finish into the chain.

Speedy Granny: before, under, and after

Speedy Granny starts with groups of three double crochets. Between groups, I chain one and skip one stitch. On the repeat rows, that chain space tells me where the next group belongs.

I work a double crochet into the stitch before the space, another into the stitch under the space on the row below, and a third into the stitch after the space. Then I chain one, skip the center stitch of the next group, and repeat. "Before, under, and after" keeps me on track.

The dropped double crochet beneath each space covers the gap, giving this stitch its no-hole texture. For the last row, I single crochet into each stitch and work a half double crochet into the stitch beneath each space. A small decrease near the end brings the row back to the count needed for another section.

Change colors and keep the sections lined up

Before starting a section, check your yarn stock so you don't run out of yarn partway through. I change colors while finishing the last stitch of a straightening row. Before completing that stitch, I put a loop of the new yarn on my hook and pull it through the remaining loops. I hold both tails along the back as I begin the next row, then leave enough length to sew them in with a needle later.

The straightening rows matter because each stitch leaves a different shape at the top. Depending on your last row, you might have a hill, valley, shell, or chain space at the edge. I follow the finishing instructions for that stitch before drawing the next one, then check the top edge and stitch count.

If you're following along left-handed, I also have a left-handed version of this blanket tutorial.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Drunken Granny Chaos Blanket made from separate squares?

No. The blanket is worked in rows, so you don't need to crochet and join individual squares. The different granny stitches are mixed into sections as the blanket grows.

How do I choose the stitch, color, and number of rows?

Choose a stitch and color separately for each session. Roll one or two dice to decide how many rows to make, or use the printable paper picks instead.

Why does each stitch section need a straightening row?

The different stitches leave different shapes along the top edge, such as hills, valleys, shells, or chain spaces. The straightening row levels that edge so the next section has a clean place to begin.

Can I use leftover yarn for this blanket?

Yes. The color picks can help you organize yarn from your stash, including leftovers and scraps. The printable color sheet lets you match each pick to a strand of yarn.

Keep the mystery going

With the foundation and first section done, I can draw a stitch and color, then choose rows for this crochet project. This drunken granny square blanket grows in rows, not joined squares. Each repeat has its own rhythm, and the straightening row lets me mix all eight stitches throughout the blanket project.

I'd love to see the combinations you draw. Share your blanket in progress with @secretyarnery on Instagram or on my YouTube community page. Stay hooked!

About the author

Christa Patel is the founder of The Secret Yarnery, where she shares crochet patterns and video tutorials in plain English. She designed and demonstrates the eight stitches in this Drunken Granny chaos blanket, including the straightening rows that let you mix them in one project. Her tutorials support both right-handed and left-handed crocheters.