Yesterday when I had gotten done some of the things that needed doing, I settled in with my 4.0 mm hook and a pile of yarn and prepared to make granny squares. But before I was able to make any progress, I got it into my head to consult one of my many crochet books and read the directions for how to make a granny square.
After looking over my options, I settled on America’s Crochet Book by Gertrude Taylor. I selected her book from all the others on my shelf because my recollection was that she had very particular ideas about crochet (all left-handers, she asserts, should learn to crochet right handed) and I figured that the directions would be straight forward and without a whole lot of room for alternate interpretations.
I was not disappointed, and after six rounds, here is what I had:

As I was working on the square, I noticed that it seemed very tidy (and firm) as compared to the granny squares I have crocheted, and at my mother’s suggestion, I decided to do a bit of test run on different sets of directions to see what the variations looked and felt like.
After looking over the options on my bookcase, I settled on America’s Crochet Book by Gertrude Taylor, The Adventurous Crocheter by Delia Brock and Lorraine Bodger, The Woman’s Day Book of Granny Squares and Carry-Along Crochet, and Crochet Workshop by James Walters.
Using a 5.0 mm hook and drawing from my vast yarn stash, here are the books with the resulting squares:

and here is an overview of them:

The variations included the number of chains per corner (the directions I used had either one or two chains per corner, and if I had not been pressed for time, I would have included a third that had three chains per corner), as well as whether the “shell” part of the stitch was composed of the traditional 3 double crochet or a rather irreverent 2 double crochet, and lastly whether or not the shells were worked with or without a chain-one in between them.
When all was said and done, I was surprised to find that I liked the chain-one corner a lot better than I thought I would, and that while I have an appreciation for what the chain-one between shells does for the overall square, I found that omitting that chain-one had the effect of creating a more stable fabric — a feature I think would benefit any purses I might try to make.
So the next time you pick up your hook to make a granny square, grab the nearest stitch dictionary or peruse the online offerings to see if there is something that you haven’t tired yet. You just might like what you find.
Thank you for taking the time to research this topic. I have been crocheting 30+ years and have often wondered why there were so many different versions of the granny square but never took time to find out. I do agree the version with no chain in the corner is firmer, but it may be me, they draw up a bit. Thank you again Cassandra
Speaking strictly as a non-crocheter, I can see that each granny square has something to recommend it. While one might be preferred for a rug, another might drape more readily and make a softer Afghan, scarf, or other item of clothing. This was worth doing for future reference.
Im very happy you took your precious time as it was amazing to read. Ty.
I am a lefty and was taught to crochet right-handed by one of my students in Home Ec class. I have never regretted that teaching! I am trying to find a good crochet box stitch afghan pattern and am still looking.
Thank you for this information, Leslie!
Not so long ago I crocheted a granny shopper that consist of two big grannies. I was very annoyed by the fact that the grannies have a twist and have no idea what causes this.
I have seen big granny squares that look perfectly right.
So what am I doing wrong?
love your Granny Squares. My squares show where they are joined and where I slip stitch. How can I make mine better.
Thank you,Diane
This is https://www.google.com/search?site=&source=hp&q=crochet+box+stitch+afghan+pattern&oq=crochet+box+stitch+afghan+&gs_l=hp.1.1.0i22i30l4.2054.13996.0.21280.27.27.0.0.0.0.359.3981.7j12j5j2.26.0.msedr…0…1c.1.62.hp..2.25.3617.0.0ELStMGnPXAa Many Link to Box Stitch??