Welcome, fellow makers, to a delightful crochet project that’s perfect for warm weather and adds a touch of floral charm to your wardrobe! The Hepatica Granny Top, a quick-to-make halterneck design, begins with a beautiful row of granny squares. The intricate blue ‘flowers’ within the squares were inspired by Anemone hepatica, a common spring flower in Sweden and Northern Europe, giving this design its unique name. This pattern uses US crochet terminology and is designed to be approachable yet rewarding. Get ready to hook up your next favorite spring accessory!

Info

This pattern is entirely free for your enjoyment. If you share photos of your completed project on social media, the original designer would love for you to tag them so they can see your beautiful creations! You can find them on Instagram: @hooked_by_anna and use the hashtags #hepaticatop #hepaticagrannytop. You can also link up your project page to the pattern on Ravelry. Happy hooking!

Gauge

One granny square = 4×4 inches (10×10 cm)
14 single crochet x 18 rows = 4×4 inches (10×10 cm)

Sizes

S/M: Chest measurement up to 35 inches (90 cm)
M/L: Chest measurement approximately 37-41 inches (95-105 cm)

The final size of your top depends on the number of granny squares you begin with. For reference, the original sample top is about a size S/M (chest measuring 33.5 inches / 85 cm) and starts with a strip of 7 granny squares, each measuring approximately 4×4 inches (10×10 cm).

This top offers good elasticity and is adjusted with ties at the back, allowing one size to comfortably fit various body shapes. The solid single crochet top section measures about 8 inches (20 cm) high in the S/M sample (from neck down to under the bust). If you start with a strip of 8 squares (M/L), the solid top part will be approximately 10 inches (25 cm) high. Feel free to experiment with fewer or more granny squares to achieve smaller or larger sizes as desired.

Materials

4.5 mm / US size 7 hook
Darning needle
Scissors
Approximately 300 meters of worsted weight cotton yarn. The original design used Julie from Falkgarn: 3 skeins in color 10 ecru, one skein each of 14 blue, and 15 green.

Abbreviations

st: stitch
slst: slip stitch
sc: single crochet
ch: chain
ch-sp: chain-space
dc: double crochet
sk: skip
n: next
2sc tog: 2 single crochet together (decrease)
2dc tog: 2 double crochet together (decrease)

The Granny Squares

Round 1: (White yarn) Start with a magic ring, or chain 4 and join with a slip stitch to form a ring. Chain 2, double crochet into the ring (counts as the first 2dc tog), chain 1, [2dc tog, chain 1] 7 times into the ring. Close with a slip stitch in the first stitch. Now you should have 8 ‘petals’ (=2dc tog), each separated by 1 chain. Fasten off.

Round 2: (Blue/green yarn) Insert hook into the chain-space in-between two ‘petals’ and pull up a loop, chain 3 (counts as first dc), 2 double crochet in the same chain-space, chain 1, [3 double crochet in next chain-space, chain 1] 7 times, close with a slip stitch in the first double crochet. Now you should have 8 double crochet groups, each separated by 1 chain. Fasten off.

Round 3: (White yarn) Insert hook into the chain-space in-between two ’petals’ (dc-groups) and pull up a loop, chain 5 (counts as first dc + 2 ch), 3 double crochet in the same chain-space, chain 1, 3 double crochet in next chain-space, chain 1, [3 double crochet, chain 2, 3 double crochet, chain 1] in next chain-space, repeat from 2 more times, 3 double crochet in next chain-space, chain 1, 2 double crochet in next chain-space (where you started), close with a slip stitch in the first double crochet. Now your circle will have become a square with 2 double crochet groups in each corner, and one double crochet group on each side of the square.

Round 4: (White yarn) Slip stitch to the next corner chain-space, chain 3 (counts as the first double crochet), [double crochet, chain 2, 3 double crochet, chain 1] in the same chain-space, 3 double crochet in next chain-space, chain 1, 3 double crochet in next chain-space, chain 1, [3 double crochet, chain 2, 3 double crochet, chain 1] in next corner chain-space, repeat from 2 more times, 3 double crochet in next chain-space, chain 1, 3 double crochet in next chain-space, chain 1, double crochet in next chain-space (where you started), close with a slip stitch in the first double crochet. Fasten off.

Make 7 squares for size S/M, and 8 squares for M/L.

Sew or crochet together the squares to form a long strip. There are countless ways to join granny squares, so feel free to explore! You can find many tips and inspiration online, or by searching YouTube tutorials for various joining methods.

The Top Part

Row 1: Now we’re going to work a row of single crochet along the long edge of your granny strip. Put the strip horizontally in front of you, right side up, insert hook in the top right corner chain-space (top left if you’re left handed), pull up a loop, chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), 2 single crochet in the same chain-space, now single crochet into each double crochet along the edge, plus 1 single crochet into each of the joins in-between the squares. (Skip the chain-spaces in-between the double crochet-groups.) In the final corner chain-space in the top left corner of the granny strip, work 1 single crochet if your strip has 7 squares; work 2 single crochet if your strip has 8 squares. Turn. (Total of 93 single crochet for 7-square-strip; 107 single crochet for 8-square-strip: exact stitch count is not as important as long as you end up with an uneven number of stitches.)

Row 2: Chain 4 (counts as double crochet + chain 1), skip next stitch, [double crochet in next stitch, chain 1, skip next stitch] repeat to end of row, finish with a double crochet in the last stitch, turn.

Row 3: Chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), single crochet in each stitch (double crochets as well as chain-spaces) across, turn.

Row 4: Now we’ll start decreasing: Chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), skip first stitch, single crochet in next stitch and in each stitch across up to the final 2 stitches, 2 single crochet together into the final 2 stitches, turn.

Repeat Row 4 approximately 35 times, or until the row has shrunk to about 5-6 inches (12-15 cm). Make sure to have an uneven number of stitches before continuing to the finishing rows.

Finishing Row 1: Chain 4 (counts as double crochet + chain 1), skip next stitch, [double crochet in next stitch, chain 1, skip next stitch] repeat to end of row, finish with a double crochet in the last stitch, turn.

Finishing Row 2: Chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), single crochet in each stitch (double crochets as well as chain-spaces) across. Fasten off.

Edging Row & Ties

Work a 35 inches (90 cm) long chain, single crochet into the last stitch of Row 4, single crochet into the side of each row of the top part, working towards the top corner, work a 18 inches (45 cm) long chain, turn, slip stitch into each chain all the way back to the corner, slip stitch into each stitch along the top edge, work another 18 inches (45 cm) long chain, turn, slip stitch into each chain back to the corner, single crochet into the side of each row of the top part, working your way down along the edge, finishing in the first stitch from Row 4, work a second 35 inches (90 cm) long chain. Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Thread the long chain ties through the stitches at the back to create the desired look and fit.

After washing and blocking your top, your beautiful Hepatica Granny Top is complete!

We hope you enjoyed creating your very own Hepatica Granny Top! There’s nothing quite like wearing a handmade garment, especially one with such a charming story. We’d love to see your finished projects and hear about your crafting journey. Share your photos on social media and tag @Crochetto to become part of our vibrant community of makers. Happy hooking, and we can’t wait to see what you create next!