Crocodile Pocket Granny Jacket Free Crochet Pattern

Crocodile Pocket Granny Jacket — Free Beginner Crochet Pattern

Introduction

If you have ever looked at a crocheted jacket and thought "that looks way too hard for me," this is the pattern that will change your mind. The Crocodile Pocket Granny Jacket is built from simple 4-inch granny squares — the very first thing most crocheters ever learn — joined into a straight tube, so there is no shaping, no decreasing, and no complicated math to worry about. The only showstopper detail is a pair of flat, dimensional crocodile-stitch pockets on the chest, and even those are worked as a plain rectangle you can practice on a swatch first. The finished jacket is boxy and hip-length, with alternating apricot and peach stripes that feel warm and a little dark-academia, and the bamboo-cotton yarn gives it a soft, slightly lustrous drape that feels cool against the skin. It is perfect for teens and total beginners who want a real wearable they will actually reach for.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted-weight (CYC 4) bamboo-cotton blend, approx. 60% bamboo / 40% cotton, 197 yds (180 m) per 100 g skein.
  • Color A (Apricot): 4 (5, 6) skeins
  • Color B (Peach): 4 (5, 6) skeins
• Main hook: 5.0 mm (US H-8) crochet hook, or whatever size gets you the gauge below.
• Pocket hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6) crochet hook (used only for the crocodile-stitch pockets).
• Stitch markers: at least 8 (or use scrap yarn loops).
• Tapestry needle: a blunt-tipped yarn needle for seaming and weaving in ends.
• Scissors for cutting yarn.
• Closures: 3 hook-and-eye closures or 3 small buttons (about ½ inch / 12 mm).
• Measuring tape and a few rust-proof pins for blocking.

Finished size: Teen S (M, L). Finished bust 36 (40, 44) in [91 (102, 112) cm]. Body length 20 (21, 22) in [51 (53, 56) cm]. Sleeve length from shoulder 22 (23, 24) in [56 (58, 61) cm]. Sample shown in size S.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• ch — chain. Make a loop of yarn on the hook, wrap yarn over the hook, and pull it through the loop. That is one chain.
• sl st — slip stitch. Insert the hook into the stitch, wrap yarn over, and pull it straight through both the stitch and the loop on your hook. It makes an almost invisible join.
• sc — single crochet. Insert hook into stitch, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), wrap yarn over, pull through both loops. One loop remains.
• dc — double crochet. Wrap yarn over hook first, insert into stitch, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), wrap yarn over, pull through 2 loops, wrap yarn over, pull through last 2 loops.
• tr — treble crochet (listed for reference; not used in this pattern). Wrap yarn over twice before inserting the hook, then pull through 2 loops three times.
• sp — space. The little gap created by a chain (for example a "ch-2 sp" is the hole made by 2 chains).
• beg — beginning. "Beg ch-3" means the chain-3 you made at the start of the round, which counts as your first double crochet.
• st / sts — stitch / stitches.
• rnd — round. A circle of stitches worked around and joined back to the start.
• tog — together.
• rep — repeat.
• post of a stitch — the vertical body of the stitch itself (not the top "V"). In the crocodile stitch you wrap your double crochets around this vertical bar.
• scale — one finished crocodile-stitch "leaf," made of 5 dc down one post and 5 dc up the next post.
• fasten off — cut the yarn a few inches from the work and pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it.
• weave in ends — thread a yarn tail onto a tapestry needle and run it back and forth through the back of the fabric so it disappears.

Gauge

Main gauge: One granny square (4 rounds, 5.0 mm hook) = 4 x 4 in (10 x 10 cm).

Pocket gauge: Crocodile stitch with 4.0 mm hook — 2 pattern repeats (2 scales wide) = 2 in (5 cm); 3 scale rows = 2 in (5 cm) tall.

Why gauge matters: Gauge is simply how big your stitches come out. If your square is 4½ inches instead of 4, a 9-square body becomes 40½ inches around instead of 36 — a whole size bigger. Because this jacket is built from squares, gauge is easy: crochet one complete square, measure it, and adjust your hook. Too big? Go down one hook size. Too small? Go up one. Do the same for the pocket: work Rows 1–4 and measure the width of your scales before committing to the full pocket.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Make all your squares first, then join. Squares are portable and forgiving. Pile them up and check that they all measure 4 inches before seaming anything.
• Do not pull your yarn tight. Bamboo cotton has little stretch; tight tension makes stiff, curling squares. Let the yarn flow and keep your loops relaxed.
• Use stitch markers to mark the four corner spaces of each square as you work Round 2, and to mark the front-center opening when you join the body. They save you from counting.
• Keep colors organized. Store apricot and peach squares in two separate bags and count them before joining — 14 (15, 16) apricot and 13 (15, 17) peach.
• Practice the crocodile stitch on a scrap first. Work the Set-up Row and Rows 1–2 once on spare yarn. Once you have made one scale, the rest is repetition.
• Always count your clusters. Every granny round should have 3-dc groups in every space — if a corner looks lumpy, you probably missed a chain space.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Part 1: Granny Squares (make 27 [30, 33] total)

Work 14 (15, 16) squares in Color A and 13 (15, 17) squares in Color B. Each square is worked in a single solid color.

Rnd 1: With 5.0 mm hook, ch 4, join with sl st to first ch to form a ring. Ch 3 (counts as first dc), 2 dc in ring, [ch 2, 3 dc in ring] 3 times, ch 2, join with sl st to top of beg ch-3. (12 dc, 4 ch-2 sps)

Rnd 2: Sl st in next 2 dc and into first ch-2 sp. Ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp (corner made), *ch 1, [3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in next ch-2 sp; rep from * 2 more times, ch 1, join with sl st to top of beg ch-3. (24 dc, 4 ch-1 sps, 4 corners)

Rnd 3: Sl st to first corner sp. Ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp, *ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, [3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in next corner sp; rep from * 2 more times, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1, join with sl st to top of beg ch-3. (36 dc)

Rnd 4: Sl st to first corner sp. Ch 3, 2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp, *[ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp] twice, ch 1, [3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in next corner sp; rep from * 2 more times, [ch 1, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp] twice, ch 1, join with sl st to top of beg ch-3. Fasten off, weave in ends. Square measures 4 x 4 in.

Part 2: Joining the Body

Arrange your squares in a grid: 9 (10, 11) squares around the body x 5 squares tall, alternating colors by row — Row 1 Apricot, Row 2 Peach, Row 3 Apricot, Row 4 Peach, Row 5 Apricot. This creates the alternating apricot/peach stripe effect.

Join with an sc seam: hold two squares wrong sides together, insert the hook through both layers, and work sc through both layers along one edge, matching stitch for stitch (about 12 sc per 4-in edge).

Join all vertical seams first to form a tube, then all horizontal seams. Important: leave the top row open at the front center for the neckline — do not join the two front-center squares of Row 5 to each other. Join them to the side squares only, creating a 4-in front neck opening.

Part 3: Sleeves

Make 3 squares per sleeve in alternating colors (Apricot, Peach, Apricot). Join 3 squares into a ring (12 in circumference), then join 5 rings end to end for sleeve length (20 in). Make 2 sleeves.

Seam each sleeve into the armhole opening at the top sides of the body. The armhole is 8 in, spanning 2 squares wide x 2 squares tall. Ease the sleeve ring to fit, distributing the fabric evenly, and work an sc seam all the way around.

Part 4: Crocodile Stitch Pockets (make 2)

Worked flat as a rectangle with the 4.0 mm hook, in Color B (Peach) for contrast against the apricot body rows. Pocket measures 4 in wide x 4.5 in tall.

Set-up Row: Ch 18. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across. (17 sc)

Row 1 (foundation for scales): Ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in next st, *ch 2, skip 2 sts, dc in next 3 sts; rep from * to end, turn. (3 groups of 3 dc separated by ch-2 sps)

Row 2 (first scale row): Ch 1, turn. Working down the first dc of the first 3-dc group: 5 dc around the post of that dc, ch 1, then working up the post of the third dc of the same group: 5 dc around the post, sl st in the ch-2 sp. This completes one scale. Repeat for each 3-dc group across. (3 scales)

Row 3: Ch 3, turn. Dc in same st, ch 2, dc in center of each scale from previous row (work into the sl st joining point between scales), ch 2, dc in last st. Turn.

Row 4: Repeat Row 2. (3 scales)

Row 5: Repeat Row 3.

Row 6: Repeat Row 2. (3 scales)

Row 7: Repeat Row 3.

Row 8: Repeat Row 2. (3 scales)

Final Row: Ch 1, turn. Sc evenly across the top of the last scale row, working 1 sc in each dc and 1 sc in each ch-2 sp. (17 sc) Fasten off, leaving a 24-in tail for seaming.

Part 5: Attaching Pockets

Block pockets lightly so the scales lie flat. Pin one pocket to the front of the jacket, centered on the chest: top edge 6 in below the shoulder seam, centered horizontally on each front panel (approx. 2 in from the front center opening). Whipstitch or sc the pocket to the body along the two side edges and bottom edge only, leaving the top open. Repeat for the second pocket.

Part 6: Edging and Finishing

Neckline and Front Opening: With 5.0 mm hook and Color A, join yarn at bottom right front corner. Work sc evenly up the right front edge, around the neckline, and down the left front edge, working 1 sc per st or row. Ch 1, turn, work 1 more row of sc. Fasten off.

Hem: With Color A, join at side seam, sc evenly around bottom edge (approx. 1 sc per st). Fasten off.

Cuffs: With Color A, join at sleeve seam, sc evenly around sleeve opening (approx. 36 sc), work 3 rounds sc. Fasten off. Repeat for second sleeve.

Closure: Sew 3 hook-and-eye closures or 3 small buttons with crocheted loops along the front opening, spaced 4 in apart, starting 2 in below the neckline.

Assembly and Finishing

Seaming: Use the sc seam described in Part 2 for all square joins — it is strong, tidy, and hides the raw edges. Hold squares wrong sides together so the seam ridge sits inside the garment. Work with a relaxed hand; a tight seam will pucker the squares.

Weaving in ends: Thread each tail onto the tapestry needle and run it through the back of the fabric for about 2 inches, changing direction once so it cannot work loose. Trim close to the fabric.

Blocking: Lay the jacket flat on a towel or blocking mat, pin to the finished measurements (bust 36/40/44 in, length 20/21/22 in), mist lightly with water, and let it dry completely. Steam gently — hold the iron an inch above the fabric rather than pressing it down — to relax the bamboo cotton and let the crocodile scales sit up nicely. Never press the scales flat.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Color play: Swap the stripe order (Peach, Apricot, Peach, Apricot, Peach) for a warmer overall look, or work the pockets in Color A so they blend into the body for a subtler texture.
• Size adjustments: Each square is 4 in, so add or remove one square around the body to change the bust by 4 in. For extra length, add a sixth row of squares and lengthen the sleeves by one ring.
• Yarn substitution: Any worsted-weight (CYC 4) yarn works — acrylic gives a bouncier, easier-care jacket, while a cotton-linen blend gives a crisper, more summery drape. Always re-check your square gauge.
• Pocket variation: Make the pockets taller (add two more scale rows) for a deeper patch pocket, or work just one large crocodile pocket centered on one front panel for an asymmetric statement.