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

[Noni Florida USA]

Thanks for this post. It has been a while and I never used this way but it looks like a great idea.

[Della Jackson]

I can't get my squares to lay flat once I've joined them. I did block them first so they started off flat.Can anyone help please?

[Ruth]

Brilliant thankyou for sharing x

[Paula Wylie]

love your colours too!

[Hazel McFarland]

Thank you so much. Great having all the pictures & instructions. All very helpful for a beginner. Ready to give it a try, thank you. Hazel.

[Allison M Wiltshire]

Wow this is a great tutorial I have lots of squares to put together and now I can get started. Thank you

[Winifred]

Thanks for this Lucy.

[Vijayalakshmi]

Instead of stitching, this Slip stitch way of joining is easy...

[Jeanne Kahana]

Thank you for showing me how to join together the squares. It has been a long time since I have done this. I needed to give my brain a jog.

[Robyn]

Thanks for showing me a better way to join my squares. But I have one question: looking at the 4 squares, where the for corners meet can you there seems to be a gap can this be rectified? Lol....I hope you can understand my question. Thanks Robyn.

[M. Y. Bimrose]

Thank you. very easy to follow...I will be back for extra help...

[Precilla]

I would like to crochet a runner for my table. I have crochet blocks but am struggling to join them please help

[LITA CLARK]

I AM A BEGINNER...I LOVE THE WAY YOU EXPLAIN THINGS....IT MAKES SENSE!!!!!!!
THANK YOU!

[Cristina]

Hi Lucy

I adore your crochet.

Kisses

Cristina

[ΔΗΜΗΤΡΑ ΜΑΚΡΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ]

I am happy to meet you Mrs Lusy, thank you for all. Dimitra Makropoulou from Xilokastro, Greece.

[Emily]

How do you put the ends into the squares. That would be awesome!!

[Carol]

Hello Lucy,

I'm searching for help to join my squares!
I have squares with 3ch at the corners. i don't understand how i'm supposed to join the corners, the ch of the middle is questionning me....do i have to join 2 on a side and only 1 on the other?

[Jo]

Thank you soooo much for this .... I am a beginner trying to figure out how to join all the different squares together of my first ever crocheted blanket!... With your instructions I get it ..... & there isn't too many pics !

Thanks,
Jo

[Mary]

AT LAST! A pretty way to do it! Thanks for inspiration!

[Jean Butterworth]

Thank you so much for these instructions. I have been trying for some time to master joining the squares, but unsuccessful. Now I can.

[Vanessa McCarthy]

Really helpful pictures - reassuring to know that, as a beginner, I'm on thecright track

[Lisa]

My 9-year old daughter just finished her first blanket after making 600 granny squares. After trying different methods of sewing them together, we found your site and she quickly fell in love with your method and it was just what she was looking for. THANK YOU!!

[Christina Kvist]

Thank you so much... This is great❤️ from Christina, Denmark

[maypole]

You know when you go through the back loops only,whether you sew them or crochet them together. I have trouble when I come to the place where I have tied off the granny square, there's a knot and no loop. I don't know how to cope with that. Can you tell me please what you do? thank you x

[Judy]

I'm a leftie so I'd be starting at the left corner & continuing to the right across the row. What I'm confused about is adding the next granny after I finish putting two tog (using the slip stitch method) then how do I get the third one, forth one, etc. on? I'm putting together 12 squares for a lapgan & I just cut an end to work into the square when all the squares are attached. I know that's wrong but I didn't know what else to do. Help, please.