Wednesday Grannies - Square Joining Tutorial

Hello hello! Wednesday is back for a new granny installment! Today, I thought I'd finally share with you a photo tutorial that has been lurking in my hard drive for a few weeks: how to join granny squares.

This one comes directly in the wake of the sunburst granny square tutorial I posted a couple of weeks ago and replicates the joining I used for my Blanket. Except it uses only 4 squares instead of 182 - much more manageable, in my humble opinion ;)

Please note that this joining technique results in visible, raised joining rows.

Stitches used are UK terminology: double crochet (dc), chain (ch)

Of course, you'll first need your squares:

Organise them the way you want so that they form a square or rectangle. The idea is to join them first horizontally (from right to left if you are right-handed) and then vertically (from top to bottom), or vice-versa, of course! This is demonstrated in the picture below with the white arrows. If you have a large number of squares, don't forget to take pictures of the arrangement and/or number the various rows with sticky notes or similar, unless of course you want to go completely random.

0. Take the first squares of each of the rows you want to start joining and put them wrong sides together:

1. You are going to join the squares with a row of double crochets. Make a slip knot on your crochet hook. I chose a contrasting yarn here for the sake of visibility, but you can of course use any colour you want.

2. Insert your hook into the back loops of the stitches facing each other at one corner of the squares and wrap the yarn over the hook:

3. Pull yarn through both back loops:

4. Yarn over:

5. Pull yarn through both loops on your hook. That's your first dc done:

6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 in the next back loops. You have a second dc:

7. Continue making dc stitches in the back loops until you've reached the end of the next corner. That's it, you've joined two squares together! Do not cut yarn.

8. Take the next squares of the rows you want to join together, and hold them wrong sides together, right next to the squares you have just joined. Insert your hook through the first back loops facing each other at the corner of the squares, and yarn over:

9. Pull yarn through both back loops, pulling firmly on the tail in order to keep both groups of squares together:

10. Yarn over:

11. Pull yarn through both loops on your hook. You have one dc:

12. Repeat steps 2-5 into each group of back loops until you've reached the second corner, and that's it, you've joined four square together!

13. For additional squares, repeat steps 8-12 until you've reached the end of your first two rows. Fasten off.

14. For additional rows, repeat steps 0-12, adding the squares of a new row to the previous one and joining them parallel to the others. Here is a picture of my Blanket after I'd joined three vertical rows together:

Once you've added all your rows, fasten off. 

15. So once you've attached all the rows in one direction, you simply have to join them the other way. Fold the first two rows wrong sides together:

16. Repeat steps 1-7. You should reach the perpendicular joining row:

17. Skipping the perpendicular joining row, insert hook through back loops at the corner of the next two squares:

18. Yarn over:

19. Pull yarn through both back loops:

20. Yarn over:

21. Pull through both loops on hook, and you have a new dc:

22. Continue making dc stitches in the back loops until you reach another intersection. This is not pictured in this tutorial, as there are only 2x2 rows, but you get an idea in this pic of the Blanket, bottom right:

23. Repeat steps 17-22 until you've reached the last squares of the rows.

24. Repeat steps 15-23 for as many rows as needed, do not fasten off. That's it, you've joined your squares both ways!

25. Now all you have left to do is carry on the joining all around your project, so as to neaten the outer sides. Chain 1:

26. Insert your hook in the back loop at the corner of the square on the left of the joining row (or right, if you are left-handed):

27. Make a dc into the same back loop:

28. Work a dc in each back loop until you've reached the next corner/the last but one stitch before an intersection between two squares. 

29. If you're at a corner, chain 2. If you are at an intersection, please see steps 31-36 below.

30. Repeat steps 26-27:

30. Repeat step 28 until you've reached a corner/last but one stitch before an intersection. To turn a corner, see step 29.

31. At an intersection, you will need to made a dc2tog to stop the piece from ruffling. Insert your hook into the back loop of the last stitch before the intersection:

32. Yarn over:

33. Pull yarn through back loop:

34. Skip joining row, insert hook in back loop of first stitch of next square, and yarn over:

35. Pull yarn through back loop:

36. Yarn over and pull through all three loops on hook. That's it, you've made a dc2tog!

37. Work a dc in the back loop of the next stitch:

38. Repeat steps 28-29 all around your project until you've reached your starting point again:

39. Join with slip stitch to chain 1 from step 25. Fasten off.

And you're done!

Here's an idea of what it looked like on the Blanket:

Phew, that was one looooong tutorial, I hope you've survived it! Please let me know if there are any mistakes or anything unclear. Next up, the border. Watch this space!

And don't forget, more granny square love at Jijihook's :)