Border Ideas Requested

[Chainone]

Hello,

I am currently working on a large bedspread. It is my first time working with granny squares, and the largest blanket I have attempted

I am soliciting some ideas for a border from you kind folks. Here is an example of one of the squares, they will all be identical.

If all goes to plan, the blanket will be 21 squares x 18 squares (90" x 77") (231cm x 198 cm) However, I may adjust the dimensions as I get enough squares together and it turns out it is too big or too small.

World and personal events have greatly increased the time it has taken me to do this project. Currently I am about a year into the project and I am nearly done with the 3rd round, the red circle shown in the image. That leaves just the last white square border. I estimate this will take me 3-6 months. After that, I will need a plan for a border.

I thought of doing a simple ripple, but maybe one of you creative folks has a better idea?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and please include images if you have them.

[Granny Square]

A suggestion before you get to a  final border - join these squares as you go, if you haven't planned that already.  I may be misinterpreting what you said, but it sounds like you are making 21x18=378 squares, one round at a time (378 white centers, then add round 2 to all of them, then round 3 to all of them, etc)?  So the last round of each square is also the joining-together step.

I would keep the border simple, since this is a simple geometric pattern you don't want a clashing frilly lace border for example. Since if they are all the same, once assembled they will already have a cream outline, make a round of orange, then red, then white again in plain sc or dc, OR treat the blanket like 1 giant granny square and make a 'granny round' in each of the colors all the way around. 

[Chainone]

3 hours ago, Granny Square said:

A suggestion before you get to a  final border - join these squares as you go, if you haven't planned that already.  I may be misinterpreting what you said, but it sounds like you are making 21x18=378 squares, one round at a time (378 white centers, then add round 2 to all of them, then round 3 to all of them, etc)?  So the last round of each square is also the joining-together step.

I would keep the border simple, since this is a simple geometric pattern you don't want a clashing frilly lace border for example. Since if they are all the same, once assembled they will already have a cream outline, make a round of orange, then red, then white again in plain sc or dc, OR treat the blanket like 1 giant granny square and make a 'granny round' in each of the colors all the way around. 

 

Your numbers are correct, I have a big bucket of 378 rounds

I am not sure what you meant about adding rounds to the squares. Did you mean to add additional rounds to each square or that I should add the rounds as a border around the entire blanket? Adding rounds to each granny square is not really an option since the blanket would get too big. But the idea of incorporating the stitches of the granny square pattern into the final border is interesting.

Do you have any images of blankets you have done with the type of pattern you mean?

Also, I had thought about joining as I go, but then I wondered if that might make repairs more difficult (I mean repairs in the future, years from now.) If the squares are sewn in rather than crocheted in, I can just pop out a defective square and replace it more easily, no? I agree that it would look better if crocheted in though.

Edited August 12, 2020 by Chainone

[Granny Square]

Holy cow, a big bucket of squares indeed. 

Sorry I wasn't clear, the join as you go method joins 1 square to the next as you complete the last round of the square (so not adding another round, just doing 2 things at once with the last round).  You are at the perfect spot to do this:  for JAYG you finish first square completely, which you have done.  The next square you complete to the next-to-the-last round, (which you have already done for the balance of the squares). Then, as you complete the last row of each subsequent square, you join to an already finished square, or squares.   In a nutshell, in the simplest form of join as you go, after 1 square is completed, is along the lines of: work on the last round of a the next square to a certain spot, chain 1, slip stitch into the corresponding spot of the finished square, chain 1, continue working around the first square, repeat.  For granny squares the 'certain spot' is into the gap between the groups of 3 stitches.  There are many variations on this, but this is the basic concept.

I remember the first time I did this (eons ago) it was a little disorienting.  Think of it as reaching over every few stitches and 'spot welding' to a completed square , then reaching back to complete the last round of the current square.

There are lots of videos out there, a picture is worth 1000 words so will make more sense than my short description.

 

[Chainone]

35 minutes ago, Granny Square said:

Holy cow, a big bucket of squares indeed.......

 

Ahh, OK sorry for the confusion. I thought you were describing a border idea.

[ReniC]

I love the Cosy Blanket Edging by Lucy at Attic24. I've used it on 4 different afghans and each has a different look. It is in British crochet terms which she includes the explanations.

[Chainone]

6 minutes ago, ReniC said:

I love the Cosy Blanket Edging by Lucy at Attic24. I've used it on 4 different afghans and each has a different look. It is in British crochet terms which she includes the explanations.

Thank you I will consider it!

[Granny Square]

The second paragraph of my first post, about 'keeping it simple', was referring to a border suggestion--"Since if they are all the same, once assembled they will already have a cream outline, make a round of orange, then red, then white again in plain sc or dc, OR treat the blanket like 1 giant granny square and make a 'granny round' in each of the colors all the way around. "