Free Stellar Evolution Granny Square Released as Part of 12-Week CAL

Kim Guzman's "Stellar Evolution Granny Square" is now live and free on Make It Crochet, released March 8 as the latest installment in the You've Got Options Crochet Along. The intermediate-level pattern brings a burst of color and post-stitch texture to a classic granny square format, and it lands with just two Monday releases left before the CAL wraps on March 23.

The You've Got Options CAL has been rolling out one free square pattern every Monday since January 5, with CAL Central Crochet coordinating all 12 releases across a Facebook group and a Ravelry group where participants can chat and share progress. The end-of-CAL giveaway featuring six different prizes is still open, with entries closing Sunday, March 29 at 11:59 pm Eastern through Underground Crafter.

Stellar Evolution finishes at 12 inches square and is rated Intermediate, using Regular Crochet technique. The pattern offers four stopping points: 2 1/2 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches, or the full 12-inch finished size. Guzman's construction notes explain the design logic directly: "This square is designed from the center and is worked in joined rounds. For convenience, the unused color of each round is dropped after use and then picked up when needed further up. For texture, there are post stitches worked in several different ways. Forming the 'starburst' is the basis for the name, Stellar Evolution."

The written pattern is free on the Make It Crochet blog; a printable PDF is available for purchase for those who prefer a downloadable version.

Community participation runs through multiple channels. The CAL Central Facebook and Ravelry groups are the main gathering spots for the You've Got Options event. Juniper & Oakes also invites anyone crocheting along to share WIPs and finished squares in the Juniper & Oakes Crochet Community, tag @juniperandoakes, and use the hashtag #MosaicGrannies. For those without Facebook, Juniper & Oakes notes that participating solo is entirely viable: "If you don't have Facebook, you can still participate in the CAL by creating your blanket on your own." The free blog access is supported by ads; a Crochet Collective membership offers a premium, ad-free experience for those who want it.

With the March 23 final pattern release approaching and the giveaway deadline a week after that, anyone who has been collecting squares since January is in the home stretch of what has shaped up to be a dense, texture-rich sampler run.