A Hello Kitty blanket square is one of the friendliest ways to try character crochet. Each square is small and quick to finish, and you can stitch one or seventy without changing the recipe. This tutorial builds a solid granny square as the base, then adds a simple white face, ears, whiskers, and a red bow. You’ll also find size math for turning the squares into a full blanket.
What Makes This Crochet Project Special
The Hello Kitty blanket square mixes two things crocheters already love: the comfort of a granny square and the charm of a kawaii character. The design is simple by nature. Hello Kitty is recognizable from a few basic shapes (a round white face, two small ears, dot eyes, whiskers, and a bow), so you don’t need advanced colorwork to get a good result.
Working in squares also makes the project flexible. You can make one for a pillow or wall hanging, a few for a lap blanket, or enough for a full throw. Because the squares are portable, they’re good for travel, gifting, and using up stash yarn.
Materials You May Need
Exact yarn and hook choices depend on the look you want, so treat these as starting points.
- Yarn: Soft worsted-weight (medium) yarn in a background color, plus white, red, black, and a small amount of yellow. A machine-washable acrylic or cotton blend is practical for blankets.
- Hook: A size that gives a dense, sturdy fabric with your yarn, often around 5 mm for worsted weight. Check the yarn label for guidance.
- Tools: Yarn needle, scissors, stitch markers, and pins for positioning the face.
- Optional: Felt or embroidery floss for the eyes and nose if you prefer not to embroider with yarn.
How to Make a Hello Kitty Blanket Square
Stitches are in US terms: ch (chain), sl st (slip stitch), sc (single crochet), dc (double crochet), inc (two sc in one stitch), sc2tog (single crochet two together).
Step 1: Crochet the Solid Granny Square Base
In your background color, chain 4 and join with a sl st to form a ring.
Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as a dc). Work 2 dc into the ring, ch 2. Work 3 dc into the ring, ch 2. Repeat 2 more times. Join to the top of the beginning ch-3. You now have four groups of 3 dc and four corner spaces (12 dc).
Round 2: Sl st across to the first corner space. Ch 3, then work (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in that corner. Dc in each of the next 3 stitches. In the next corner, work (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc), then dc in each of the next 3 stitches. Repeat around, and join (36 dc).
Round 3 and beyond: Repeat Round 2, working a dc in every stitch along each side and (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in every corner. Each side gains 6 stitches per round. Side counts are 3, 9, 15, 21, and so on. Total dc is 12, 36, 60, 84, and so on.
Stop when the square is the size you want. With worsted yarn and a medium hook, four to five rounds often lands around 5 to 7 inches, but a swatch will tell you for sure.
Step 2: Make the Face
Use white yarn and work in continuous rounds.
Round 1: Magic ring, 6 sc (6).
Round 2: Inc in each stitch (12).
Round 3: Sc, inc, repeat 6 times (18).
Round 4: 2 sc, inc, repeat 6 times (24).
Round 5: 3 sc, inc, repeat 6 times (30).
Sl st, fasten off, and leave a tail for sewing. The circle will be slightly rounder than the character’s wider face. Gently stretch it sideways when you pin it, or make it a bit wider by adding a stitch or two per side.
Step 3: Make the Ears
Make two. In white, ch 5.
Row 1: Sc in the second ch from the hook and in each ch across (4).
Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog twice (2).
Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc2tog (1).
Fasten off, leaving a tail.
Step 4: Make the Bow
In red, ch 11. Sc in the second ch from the hook and across (10). Work 9 more rows of 10 sc, chaining 1 and turning each time. Fasten off. Wrap a short red strand tightly around the middle of the rectangle to pinch it into a bow, and secure it on the back. The finished size will vary with your yarn and tension.
