Joining Granny Squares

When I join my Granny Squares together I always choose to crochet them rather than stitch them. Its just the way that appeals to me, although many of my hooking buddies prefer the stitching method. I guess it's a personal preference.

And as many of you have asked me to supply this information, here you have it :: my take on joining the Grannies, in usual Attic24 style with waaaaay too many pictures I suspect. But hey, I want you to get it and not struggle with it, and I think pictures do the job better than words.

 

Ok, firstly put your two squares together, Right Sides together. See how you can see the "v" of each stitch? When crocheting the squares together, you will need to work under the OUTSIDE LOOPS only, the part of the V on the outside as you look down on the stitches from above. This is important....for a long while I was working through the inside loops when I realised I was doing it wrong. It makes a big difference.

So your hook goes through the outside loop of the square nearest to you....

...then through the outside loop of the square farthest away. Does that make sense??? Good-o, lets begin then.............

 

Start at the right hand corner, you are working right to left.

Put hook through OUTSIDE LOOPS of the corner stitches, and hook your yarn through both loops.

(Note :: I am using a contrasting red yarn here to join so you can see it easily, but best to use a matching colour. Obvious yes)

You will be making a SLIP STITCH.

So insert the hook through the next two outside loops of the V stitches and yarn over the hook. Then pull the yarn back through both blue loops and then through the red loop stitch already on the hook...

You end up making a little slip stitch chain, pictured above.

Work your way along, working slip stitches into each of the stitches, remembering to check you are going through the outside loops.

Again in words :: Insert hook through two blue stitches, yarn over hook, pull yarn back through two blue stitches and then  through red stitch on hook. It's only Slip stitching folks, its a doddle, it has it's own rhythm...HONEST!!!

When you reach the end of the row, if you are joining more than 2 squares together, DO NOT FASTEN OFF, you will be carrying on!

You should have a neat little ridge of chain stitches which will be on the WRONG SIDE of the work (above picture)...

...the RIGHT SIDE (above) should look nice and neat, the Granny Squares sitting beautifully flat and happy together. You should only see the stitches if you pull the squares apart.

If you are joining more than two squares together, you will work along in rows, making all the horizontal joins first, then all the vertical joins.

So after joining the first two squares, simply move on to the next two. Put them right sides toegther as before and simply carry on the slip stitch chain :; insert the hook through the corner stitches (outside loops only, remember?)....

 

...and make your slip stitch, as above.

Keep going, working right to left, making your chain of slip stitches.

Now, for this tutorial, I'm only working on joining four squares...I'll explain about joining more at the end.

You have just worked the horizontal row, so now you will need to spin the squares round 90 degrees and work the vertical row in exactly the same way. Fold the crochet so that the squares to be worked are sitting right sides together and begin at the right hand corner.

Work slip stitches exactly as before, making sure that when you get to the centre, you work right into the very last stitch on each side of the first chain ridge you made (as above). You might just like to check from the right side that you haven't left a "hole", that you've slip stitched every stitch.

Your second chain ridge will be made across the top of your first chain ridge (as above)

And there you have it...the above picture shows the WRONG SIDE, the picture below the RIGHT SIDE.

Now say you were making a square cushion cover and you have 25 squares total (5 x 5).

The way to join them is to make all the horizontal joins first. So line up 10 squares ready and think of it as joining up rows 1 and 2. Follow instructions as above and keep going, moving on through 5 pairs of squares placed right sides together. You will only have two tails to darn in then at each end of the long row.

Then move down and join in your 3rd row to the bottom of the 2nd row, working horizontally from right to left. Then your 4th row then your 5th row.

Then you can spin the whole lot through 90 degrees and do the same thing again, working in four long rows.

Its hard to explain this in words and I couldn't photograph to show you as I only had 4 squares available and not 25!! But hopefully it makes sense. For my Granny blanket, I had 88 squares altogether in a 8 x 11 formation, so I was joining veeeeeeeery long rows. But it means that you don't have to keep joining tail ends of yarn in the middle of your blanket, and the less joins the better really. 

If you are giving this a go and you get stuck in any way, please do leave me a comment on here and I will do my very best to help you out.

Good luck, and happy hooking!

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Comments

[Nancy]

My afghan I am making for my grandbaby is almost done thanks to your wonderful tutorial. BTW, I love the colors in your work, so bright and cheery!

Muchas Gracias,
Nancy in South Texas

[Goldiepel]

Oh wow, thanks so much for putting this method up. I have such a difficult time joining squares and I love to make them. Now I can make the squares and join them instead of sending them off to someone else. Yea!!!

[Gea]

o i see how Joining Granny Squares

sorry for the questen
but i love too hook!!!

[Tena aka Metaleather]

Fantastic tutorial, and the pictures were very helpful in illustrating your method.

I'm assuming this method can be fairly easily adapted to joining one, or more, square(s) to an already existing project... not in rows etc.

Perhaps you could illustrate that technique some time.

Thanks again for all the great information.

[Eva]

Great, Lucy! Thank you so much for sharing this. For sure this will be part of my next pieces. I am used to join squares hooking both loops, not only the outside. Works, but the result is terrible.
Regards from Brazil.

[Stephanie]

You are sooo tallented! Your work is amazing and your blog is ,bea,utiful aswell x

Stephanie x

http://asprinklingofsweetpeas.blogspot.com/

[illahee]

oh, i think i am going to try this out! thanks!

[C Godwin]

Thanks so much I wish I had seen this before I put my daughters blanket together, but since I did something wrong the stitching holding it together i n areas came out so I am going to take it apart and join them like this tonight, then maybe it willl withstand more than three washings. It broke her little heart and mine to see it coming apart hers because it is her blanket mommy made because of all the work I put into it to get it ready before Last christmas.

[Shelly]

Thanks so much for the great instructions---I just scored 58 granny squares at an estate sale and can't wait to make them into an afghan.

Thanks again!

[Sarah]

Your crochet instructions are wonderful
and the colour scheme out of this world.
Will be having a go in the next few days.
Thank you!

[Anita]

I am a beginner...and this is a great tutorial! Thanks!

[Andrea Ostle]

Hi Lucy,

I am not sure whether you got my last comment as I can't see it on here? I have tried your tutorial on joining Granny Squares and they have seamed to gether quite well, however! the squares semm to have puckered..what am I doing wrong? maybe they were too tight to begin with? is there something I can do to sort it out? sorry to bombard you with so many questions, I am new to all this and this is my first attempt at making anything! hope you are well, would so appreciate any crochet wisdom you can offer if you have a minute. Thank you! Andrea.x.

[Ruby]

Lucy, thank you so much for your delightful blog - but especially the detailed, pictorial instructions! I have thoroughly enjoyed perusing your lovely, home-y posts, and now that I'm nearing the end of a granny-square afghan I'm pleased to find your instructions on joining the squares. Many thanks!
~Ruby in Oregon

P.S. One day I hope to return to England. Your pictures bring back such lovely memories for me. :-)

[Dyann]

Thanks so much for adding the pictures with the written instructions. It makes so much more sense to me when I can look at the pictures also. This is my first time making granny aquares and with your instructions I'm sure I'll do more... THANKS SO MUCH

[Fay]

I've stumbled across your blog tonight and firstly can I say how wonderfully full of colour it is, so cheery on these grey days. I happened to spot your granny square tutorial also, which is perfect as only today I have been stitching granny squares together for the very first time and was very disappointed with the results. Shall unpick them and try your method. Thanks so much.

[sue]

Thank you for this post! I had no idea how to join them. Does it matter if some are smaller than others? I put down the project for months and picked it back up using a size larger needle and crocheted about 20 more squares that are slightly bigger than the first 50 or so. Thanks!

[Pascale]

Lucy, I discovered your blog earlier this week when I saw this marvellous little blanket on the blog of Mamoiselle K. I asked her whether she had the tuto and she referred me to your blog which is wonderful ! So fresh and full of colours and just what I feel like doing at the moment... So tonight I tried the Summer flowers granny square. I made two and joined them, all so easy. Your explanations are crystal clear;and I'm not even an English speaker, I realize ;-) There I am then, ready to make a little blanket for the future baby of my friend Eva ! I'll buy the wool tomorrow (mmmh, lovely colours in alpaga, I'll dream of them tonight). Thank you for sharing your secrets and being so generou s ! Pascale from Belgium

[Doreen Brooks]

Thanks so much for your blog and sharing your work with us.
I have never made a ripple before and need to for my husbands daughter you made it easy. Wonder do you have the V stitch afghan? I have been searching for that.

[Doreen Brooks]

was wondering do you have a pattern for a v stitch afghan? been searching all over and can't find it anywhere.

I love your work I plan on using your joining method with my flower afghan that I am makng

[Pati]

I've just made my first ever 4 squares and am planning to do a blanket for my girls. I will definitely try this method. You explained it so well, Lucy. Thanks a lot for sharing it. Your blog is always a pleasure to read. Enjoy the weekend! Pati from London xx

[Mandy]

Gee you make this stuff look easy! Thank heavens! I like this method as opposed to sewing them together. Glad I looked at your method first. Now I just need to do it! Terrific tute!

[TracyMB]

Thanks so much for all of the pictures and your great descriptions. It REALLY helps! Off to stitch together my pillow top!! :) :) :)

[Cazza of North Queensland, Australia]

Thanks so much for this. Your tutorials are always so easy to understand - very user-friendly. :-) Thanks for sharing.

[somecookie]

What a wonderful blog, really beautiful. My mother used to crochet her squares together, she said it was a stonger join. My grandmother sewed her squares together and some of her blankets have had to be mended and none of my mothers have. Whenever I had squares to put together my mom would do that for me. Now I am having to do it myself and didn't know how until now. Thanks you so much.

[Kate]

This is the most helpful site I have found on Joining! the pictures are great! I am making squares, but as a beginner I am overwhelmed trying to figure out all the ways to join them. Other instructions read like algebra to me. This seems clear and easy compared to the other options I have been reading up on. thanks! I can do this!!!