Granny square not straight

[Munuse13]

Good afternoon lovely ladies and gentleman.

I have currently decided to take on my biggest project yet- making a granny square cardigan.

I absolutely love granny squares however after completing my first square and loving the colour combo, I have realised that the square is not straight and sways to the right.

This is not my first time making a granny square however am surprised with the outcome and only realised as it started to grow.  I am putting in 1 chain between each clusters and 2 chain in the corners. My tension is quite tight however have overcome it by adding chains in between and increasing my hook size.

I have attached an image below of the square, if anyone can provide an explanation for why this is happening and advice on preventing it i would be extremely grateful.

Thank you.

[Granny Square]

It's not you, it's the nature of the beast (beast=crochet).  Crochet stitches have a bias to them, and this is a common problem with things in the round, which a granny square is.  If you look at 1 square giant granny blankets you will see a lot of them looking like this.  It's probably also why you see little granny squares joined together, because the skew isn't as obvious over a few rows.  I'm not sure why some people's blankets skew more than others.

The way to avoid this is to turn every round.  This solves 2 problems, or maybe better to say has 2 improved features: it makes the square reversible, and it counteracts the skew -- one row goes /, the next row goes \, so the slant is 'cancelled out'.

You aren't that far into it, I would rip back maybe 4 rounds (leave the center 6) and start turning with the newly made (and turned) round 6 and beyond. 

[Munuse13]

Thank you very much, you are a life saver. I was so worried I was doing something wrong. I definitely realise what you mean when you mentioned you can't see the swaying nature of the square when they are small. To be fair I have never made a square this big before. But thank you very much I will definitely start turning. 

So just to make sure i understand the concept of turning the work. When I'm starting the next round at chain3 I would would flip the work and continue the pattern. Is that correct?

Thank you.

[2MuchYarn]

By all means, try the advice already given, but also don't forget that blocking can help take care of some (but by no means all) of the "not straight" issues, too. So once you've redone this, you might try thoroughly wetting your block and pinning it out to size to see if that will fix any other wonkiness (if there is any).

And, yes, your concept about turning the block is correct--you work one round one way, flip your work over, and work the other round in the opposite direction.

Edited August 11, 2021 by 2MuchYarn

[Munuse13]

Thank you very much. I will definitely block once i complete.

[Munuse13]

24 minutes ago, 2MuchYarn said:

By all means, try the advice already given, but also don't forget that blocking can help take care of some (but by no means all) of the "not straight" issues, too. So once you've redone this, you might try thoroughly wetting your block and pinning it out to size to see if that will fix any other wonkiness (if there is any).

And, yes, your concept about turning the block is correct--you work one round one way, flip your work over, and work the other round in the opposite direction.

Because i will be changing colours would I flip the work before I add the new colour, or add the new colour, chain 3 then flip?

[2MuchYarn]

It seems to me that you could do it either way (although someone may disagree). It looks like from your picture, that your chain 3s are completely covered up by the stitches that are crocheted over them, so I don't think it matters too much what color they are. Personally, I would see what works best for you.

So here's what you need to figure out (and what you think looks best):

Is it easier to change color in the top of the last dc of a round, do a ch 3 and sl st to first dc, and then turn and work back over that ch 3?

OR

Is it easier to complete the last round with a ch 3 and a slip st to the first dc in same color, and then turn work and start the new color?

[Granny Square]

There are a lot of little quirks to the general granny square 'recipe', mostly re: how row-ups happen.  I'd experiment and see which way you like better, as long as you get the job done and it looks good to you.

Just make sure that all your ends are left long enough to weave in securely and you are probably good to go.

[Munuse13]

1 hour ago, Granny Square said:

There are a lot of little quirks to the general granny square 'recipe', mostly re: how row-ups happen.  I'd experiment and see which way you like better, as long as you get the job done and it looks good to you.

Just make sure that all your ends are left long enough to weave in securely and you are probably good to go.

Thank you so much. I used the twisting technique on another square and it is perfect. I can't thank you enough.

[Granny Square]

  Looks great, and you're welcome!