If summer had an official uniform, mine would be crochet granny square shorts — a handful of happy little squares, joined with love and worn with absolutely everything. They are the ultimate stash-busting garment: every square is a tiny canvas for colour, the construction is cheerful geometry, and the finished shorts carry an unmistakable handmade charm. Over swimwear at the beach, with a slouchy tee at a festival, or dressed up with a crisp white shirt, they just work.
So here are twenty of my favourite designs for you, and I have been honest about what each one really is: most are complete written patterns, free on the page, and where the written pool ran thin I have included a few designers' free video tutorials instead — each one clearly labelled "(Video Tutorial)" in its heading. There are wrap shorts, daisy squares, giant basketball panels and top-down granny stitch. Pick your palette, raid the cotton stash, and let's make your new favourite shorts.
1. The Wrap-Around Pair That Ties at the Side
We are starting with the cleverest construction on this list: The Snugglery's wrap-around shorts, built from just four large granny squares and two small six-inch ones. Instead of sewing a fixed tube, the squares wrap around your hips and fasten with tie straps, so the fit adjusts every single time you wear them — no elastic maths, no waistband regrets. Her sizing method is beautifully simple: measure your hips, subtract ten inches, divide by two, and that is the width of each large square. The full step-by-step pattern, with the square recipe, trim and assembly all written out, is free on the page. She works hers in a DK cotton with a 4.5 mm hook, which keeps them light and breathable. Over a swimsuit with a linen shirt knotted at the waist, these are pure beach-club energy.
Pattern: Wrap-Around Granny Square Shorts by The Snugglery — Get the free pattern
2. Linen Stitch Squares You Can Wear Anywhere
The same designer solves granny shorts' one big problem — those open, see-through gaps — with her Linen Stitch Granny Square Shorts. The linen stitch worked into each square creates a dense, woven-looking fabric with no big holes, so these are genuine everyday shorts rather than just a swim cover-up. The shaping is quietly brilliant: alongside the squares she adds a hexagon motif and a triangle to make everything sit properly at the hip, and a wide elastic waistband keeps the fit smooth and secure. The complete written pattern is free on her blog, sized from XS to 2XL with the square size adjusted per size. Her sample "harvests" the colours from a single variegated cake yarn into little bobbins, changing colour every two rounds — thrifty and gorgeous. With a plain tee and trainers, nobody will guess they started as granny squares.
Pattern: Linen Stitch Granny Square Shorts by The Snugglery — Get the free pattern
3. Twenty-Four Classic Squares in Two Neat Panels
If you want the definitive patchwork method, LaDenser Crochets' design is the one to learn from: twenty-four classic granny squares, arranged as two panels of twelve — three rows of four for each leg. Each square gets a final black border round that doubles as the joining round, worked with slip stitches in a flat join, so the garment grows together with crisp dark outlines between every colour. The written step-by-step on the page then walks you through seaming the inseams, joining the legs at the crotch, extending the waist with extra cluster rows and finishing with five rows of front-post and back-post ribbing plus a long drawstring. It is written for DK yarn and a 3.5 mm hook, and the same method stretches into full-length pants if you add rows. Rainbow squares with black joining is the iconic festival look — and this is exactly how to build it.
Pattern: Granny Square Shorts by LaDenser Crochets — Get the free pattern
4. Join-As-You-Go Loops, Almost No Seaming
Marie Made It's handmade granny square shorts skip the part everyone dreads — sewing dozens of squares together — by joining everything as you go. Her sizing starts with one honest measurement: take your adjusted hip measurement and divide by eight, and that is your square size. The first row of eight squares is joined into a loop, the second row attaches diagonally as you crochet it, and then four extra squares on each side fold down into the legs. The waistband is a round of single crochet followed by alternating front-post and back-post double crochets for a proper ribbed finish. The full written walkthrough is free on the page, worked in worsted yarn with a 4.5 mm hook. Because the join-as-you-go method keeps the fabric slightly stretchy, these sit comfortably without a drawstring. Try them in tonal creams and caramels for a softer, grown-up take on patchwork.
Pattern: Handmade Granny Square Shorts by MarieMadeIt__ (Marie Made It) — Get the free pattern
5. Just Four Big Squares and a Crotch Panel
Lovely Liyah's easy and customizable design proves you do not need a mountain of motifs: for a size Small you crochet only four generously sized granny squares, and a separate double-crochet rectangle forms the crotch panel that turns the joined squares into real shorts. The free written pattern on the page includes her size chart covering XS to 3X, with the square rounds and panel measurements adjusted for each size, so bigger squares do the sizing work for you. Assembly is done with single crochet seams through the back loops for a flat finish, then a front-post/back-post ribbed waistband and a two-strand drawstring complete the pair. Four squares means four chances to play with colour — one bold colour per square is striking, or keep all four tonal and let the drawstring pop. A brilliant first garment.
Pattern: Easy and Customizable Granny Square Shorts by Lovely Liyah — Get the free pattern
6. Two Giant Squares Become Basketball Shorts
Creative Hands by SHAY went completely the other way: instead of many small squares, her basketball shorts are made from just two enormous granny squares — twenty-three rounds each — folded in half to form the legs. The result is a relaxed, sporty silhouette with bold stripes of white, orange and black worked into the rounds, finished with a ribbed waistband and a drawstring with tassels. The complete written pattern is free on the page. One honest note before you start: the tutorial's sample pair is worked in a child's size, with panels around twenty-two inches, so treat it as a method rather than a fixed size — simply keep adding rounds until each folded square matches your own thigh and hip measurements, exactly as the pattern's tips suggest. Scaled up in your team's colours, these are the comfiest statement shorts you will ever lounge in.
Pattern: Granny Square Basketball Shorts by Creative Hands by SHAY — Get the free pattern
7. Granny Stitch Worked Top-Down From the Band
BRcrochet's granny shorts skip squares entirely and build the whole garment top-down in the round — and yes, they still belong here, because every row below the hips is pure, classic granny stitch. You start with a slim double-crochet waistband strip worked to three inches less than your waist, join it into a ring, then flare gently over the hips with half-double-crochet increases before settling into five rows of granny clusters. The free written pattern on the page even gives you an optional colour plan — four rows of a second colour and two of a third — and finishes by dividing for the crotch with a simple chain bridge. Worked with a 4 mm hook, the fabric is light, drapey and completely seamless, and since the front and back panels are identical, the shorts are reversible. In a single soft colour these read almost like lace — lovely over swimwear.
Pattern: Crochet Granny Shorts by BRcrochet — Get the free pattern
8. A Ribbed Band First, Then Easy Granny Rounds
FTK Crochet's beginner-friendly granny stitch shorts begin with the part that makes them fit like a dream: a snug waistband worked sideways in single crochet through the back loop only, which creates that lovely stretchy ribbing — one hundred and eleven rows of it in the sample, but you simply work until it wraps your hips. Join the band, add a round of single crochet, and then it is smooth sailing: round after round of easy granny clusters until the body measures about eight inches below the band, finished with a chain-twenty-one bridge to divide the legs. The full step-by-step is written out free on the page, in cheerful yellow and cream with a 4 mm hook. Because the band does all the fitting, there is no drawstring to fuss with. If you have never crocheted a garment, this gentle, measurement-based approach is a wonderful place to start.
Pattern: Beginner-Friendly Granny Stitch Shorts by FTK Crochet — Get the free pattern
9. Daisy Squares With Scalloped Lace Edges
WildxDandi Crochets turned the humble granny square into a flower garden: each square is a daisy, with a sunny yellow centre of twelve double crochets, a round of white cluster petals, and a black border round that squares the flower off. Join twenty of them for a size Small — the free written pattern on the page includes the counts for XS through XL — using a flat slip-stitch join with little chain loops that keep the fabric airy. Then comes the pretty part: scalloped lace borders around both leg openings and the waist, and a drawstring finished with tassels. The black outlines make every daisy pop like stained glass, and the whole effect is pure retro summer. Wear them with a plain white vest and let the flowers do all the talking.
Pattern: Granny Square Flower Shorts by WildxDandi Crochets — Get the free pattern
10. A Join-As-You-Go Tube With a Wavy Hem
This chic design shared at WoolPattern starts its squares with a neat twelve-double-crochet circle, then grows them into classic grannies that are joined as you go, forming a continuous tube — so there is barely any seaming at all. The sizing is refreshingly mathematical: measure your hips, divide by your square's size, round up, and that is how many squares go around; the pattern even builds in a proper try-on checkpoint before you commit to the waistband. Above the squares sits a stretchy square-stitch waistband section, and the whole garment finishes with a playful wave-stitch row along the hem. The complete written pattern is free on the page. Because the tube is seamless, these sit especially smoothly under tops. Worked all in white or cream they look genuinely boutique; in mixed brights they are holiday-ready. that wavy little hem is the detail everyone notices.
Pattern: Chic Granny Square Shorts by WoolPattern — Get the free pattern
11. The Red Heart Classic in Self-Patterning Yarn
Red Heart's official granny shorts pattern has a genius shortcut built in: pair plain Super Saver with their All in One Granny Square yarn and the motifs colour-pattern themselves as you crochet — no bobbins, no planning, no weaving in a rainbow of ends. You make ten to sixteen motifs depending on size, join them into two strips with a flat slip-stitch seam, seam the back, and then mark the centre front to sew the leg openings into shape. A shaped waistband and a drawstring finish the pair properly. The full official pattern text is free on the page, written for sizes XS/S up to 2/3XL — hips from thirty to fifty-four inches, one of the widest size ranges on this list. In the black-based colourway the shorts look sleek and modern; in brights they are pure granny joy. A big-name pattern that absolutely earns its place.
Pattern: Crochet Granny Shorts by Red Heart Design Team — Get the free pattern
12. Eight Squares and a No-Fuss Method
CyCrochet's guide strips granny shorts down to their simplest honest form: eight matching squares, four joined for the front panel and four for the back, then side and crotch seams and a half-double-crochet round to finish the waist. What makes this one worth your time is everything around the construction — the page works like a friendly method guide, covering yarn and hook choices (worsted with a 5.5 mm hook is their pick), how to check square consistency before joining, and the common faults that make shorts pucker or twist. It is free to read in full, and because the method is measurement-led rather than count-led, it adapts to any body and any square size you like. Simple, solid, wearable.
Pattern: Granny Square Shorts by CyCrochet — Get the free pattern
13. Two Big Rasta Panels in Fine Yarn
BYAOKO's approach grows each half of the shorts as one single centre-out granny panel: you keep working rounds until the panel measures half your hip size, make a second one exactly the same, and join them into shorts with a neat shell-stitch waistband on top. The written step-by-step is free on the page, and the sample uses fine fingering yarn with a tiny 2.5 mm hook, which gives the big squares an almost lacy delicacy you do not get from chunkier versions. Her four-colour Rasta palette — greens, golds, reds and black — makes the pair instantly festival-famous, but the same construction in soft neutrals would be quietly elegant. Because there are only two pieces, this is also the least seaming of any square-based pair here: one join up each side, the crotch, the waistband, done. A drawstring or a strip of elastic can be threaded through if you like extra security.
Pattern: Granny Square Shorts by BYAOKO — Get the free pattern
14. Top-Down Granny Clusters, No Seaming at All
Full honesty, as always: despite the name on its page, this vibrant design is not built from sewn squares at all — it is worked top-down in the round in rows of three-double-crochet granny clusters, which is exactly why I have included it in a granny collection. The clusters give you the same beloved texture and the same endless colour-play — the sample stacks bright stripes that shift as the rounds grow — but with zero joining and zero seaming, and a drawstring waist to finish. The complete step-by-step is written out free on the page. If you love the granny look but your heart sinks at sewing twenty squares together, this is your shortcut to the same summery effect. Worked in cotton it breathes beautifully, and since it grows in the round you can try it on as you go and stop at exactly your perfect length.
Pattern: Vibrant Crochet Shorts by Yarn Items — Get the free pattern
15. A Maker's 26-Square Set, Documented Step by Step
This one is a little different, and I want to be upfront about it: it is not a polished designer pattern but a maker's own detailed project write-up — and it is genuinely useful, because Philomen Ob shows her real working, measurements and all. Her shorts use twenty-six multicoloured squares: eight across the front and eight across the back for the body, four more on each side to form the legs, and two extra squares creating the crotch. After joining, she works two rows of double crochet with decreases to shape the waist, then adds a single-crochet ribbed waistband, decreasing as she joins it for a properly cinched fit. The write-up is free to read on her Hive blog, where the shorts appear as half of a matching halter-top set in six joyful colours. If you enjoy learning from how a real maker solved the fit, this behind-the-scenes pair is a treat.
Pattern: Multicoloured Granny Square Shorts by Philomen Ob — Get the free pattern
16. Striped Granny Yorts (Video Tutorial)
This item is a (Video Tutorial): Yarn and Stix's famous striped "yorts" — her playful name for crochet yoga shorts — are taught in full, free, on her YouTube channel. The design grows in the round with bold stripes, changing colour every two or three rounds, and she shares her hard-won tips as she goes, including how to keep the stripe joins tidy and why a quick gauge swatch saves the whole project. One disclosure so there are no surprises: a long written version of this design exists separately as a paid pattern, but the free video itself is a complete tutorial that crocheters have made these shorts from many times over — and it is the one linked here. The finished yorts are stretchy, cheerful and made for movement. Pick two high-contrast colours and lean all the way into the stripes.
Pattern: Granny Stripe Yorts (Video Tutorial) by Yarn and Stix — Get the free pattern
17. Every Size, Square by Square (Video Tutorial)
This item is a (Video Tutorial): Nirvana Crochet's granny square shorts lesson is one of the most size-inclusive tutorials I found, walking you through the square, the joining and the waistband in tidy chapters so you can jump straight to the step you need. She works with roughly two hundred and fifty grams of yarn, and the whole construction is based on your own measurements, which is why the same tutorial genuinely covers all sizes. A note for my English-only friends: the channel is Spanish-language with an English description, but crochet is a visual language — her hands, the on-screen stitch counts and the chapter markers make it easy to follow regardless. The finished shorts are classic colourful patchwork with a proper waistband finish. If you learn best by watching every stitch land, bookmark this one and crochet along in real time.
Pattern: Granny Square Shorts All Sizes (Video Tutorial) by Nirvana Crochet — Get the free pattern
18. Mustard-and-Cream Granny Stitch Jorts (Video Tutorial)
This item is a (Video Tutorial): seven_made's granny stitch shorts lean longer and cooler — proper jorts energy. The construction starts with a foundation chain sized to your hips (one hundred and eighteen stitches in her sample), then builds the body in soothing cream bands broken with single rows of mustard, so the colourwork is as simple as it gets while looking completely intentional. Alternating front-post and back-post double crochets give the waistband its firm ribbed texture, and a chained drawstring finishes the waist. She works with a fine 3 mm hook and about two hundred grams of yarn, which keeps the fabric light and the drape lovely. The free video tutorial is beginner-friendly and calm to follow. In cream and mustard these have a real seventies warmth; swap in denim blue and white and they read as classic summer Americana. Either way, dreamy with a tucked-in tee.
Pattern: Granny Stitch Jorts (Video Tutorial) by seven_made — Get the free pattern
19. The Dream Crochet Method (Video Tutorial)
This item is a (Video Tutorial): The Dream Crochet's shorts tutorial is a beloved classic she originally shared on her old crochet blog and later edited for YouTube, and it teaches the square-joining method she is known for. She works in trusty Red Heart Super Saver across five colours with a 5 mm hook, building classic granny squares and assembling them into shorts with clearly defined leg openings — and she points out that the very same construction, minus the leg shaping, becomes a skirt, so one method gives you two garments. The free video walks through the construction at a friendly pace, with her materials list in the description. Make the shorts first; the matching skirt can be next summer's project.
Pattern: Granny Square Shorts (Video Tutorial) by The Dream Crochet — Get the free pattern
20. One Method for Pants or Shorts (Video Tutorial)
This item is a (Video Tutorial), and I am labelling its one quirk clearly: Crochet With Lala's tutorial demonstrates the long pants version, in Romanian, but the method she teaches is measurement-first — she shows you how to calculate your square size, how many squares you need, how to assemble the strips and form the legs — and you simply stop at shorts length to make the pair this collection is about. The video is timestamped into clear chapters, and because every step is shown close-up, the language barrier barely matters; crochet hands speak fluently in every country. It is free on her channel and genuinely beginner-friendly. She works her full-length version in Red Heart Detroit and Alize yarns, but any worsted cotton behaves beautifully for shorts. Learn it once as shorts, and by autumn you will be making the trousers too.
Pattern: Granny Square Pants and Shorts (Video Tutorial) by Crochet With Lala — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty ways to turn a pile of little squares into the hardest-working garment of your summer — wrap ties and elastic waists, daisies and basketball panels, self-patterning yarn and two-square wonders, plus a handful of wonderful video teachers for those of us who learn stitch-by-stitch on screen. My honest advice: if it is your first pair, start with the four-square Lovely Liyah design or FTK's band-first shorts; if you want the full patchwork experience, the twenty-four-square classic will teach you everything. Cotton or a cotton blend is your best friend here — it holds the square shapes and breathes in the heat.
Now tell me — are you team rainbow patchwork or team one-colour elegance, and which of these twenty is going on your hook first? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your makes!
