Connecting Granny Squares

[raine]

I worked on a granny square baby blanket and initially crocheted them together, but I don't like that one side is raised. Can I sew it together using a yarn needle?

 

someone help...

 

please.

[Suebee42]

Yup! You can whip stitch them together.

 

www.jpfun.com/reference/joining.shtml

 

(just found that quickly on google)

 

Sometimes I crochet them together, but mostly I whip stitch.

 

When I am making a bag, though, and attaching the gusset to the front and back of the bag, I always single crochet on the outside to make a ridge on purpose. Finishes the bag nicely.

[Julie]

I always whipstitch mine together. It's easy, mindless quick activity and I love it. )

[tazluvr]

I whip stitch mine too, but the only complaint I have is that you have to cut the yarn, and then keep cutting more....so you are tucking a bunch of ends everywhere...unless there is another way????

 

I kinda taught myself to do it that way, so I could be doing it all wrong!

[Julie]

I usually lay all the squares out on the floor as they will be placed in the finished afghan. Then I cut 3 or 4 inch lengths of a contrasting color of yarn and tie them together on each side. One tie to each partner. Then you can CAREFULLY pick up the entire afghan as a very loose whole, without having to join squares as you go. I use the needle and yarn whipstitch method, which is a no-brainer for me and very fast. I cut a length of yarn a little bit longer than the afghan. Horizontal or vertical it doesn't matter. I usually start in the middle to give it some strength in a hurry. Fold the afghan in half on your lap, hold your squares together and start whipstitching. You can remove the yarn ties as you go, the contrasting color makes them easy to see. Because I use one long length of yarn to stitch them together with, I never worry about each row falling apart.

 

I hope this makes sense. I think tying them together before you start joining them is a huge timesaver. You can make sure you've got all the squares facing the proper direction and make last minute changes before you start stitching. If you did it one at a time you would be stuck with what you've got. No way to know you have a problem until you reach it.

[MommaChelle]

My method of joining granny squares together is with crocheting them together, not sewing or whipstitching. What I do is first single crochet a trim around each square in the same color Im joining the squares in, making sure each square has the same number of stitches (an odd number) on each side so they line up easily when joining.

 

Joining: hold two squares together with wrong sides facing eachother (right sides facing out), join yarn with a sc in the corner of one square, ch 1, sc in the corner stitch of the second square, (ch 1, skip one stitch on first square, sc in next stitch, ch 1, skip one stitch on second square, sc in next stitch) across. Being there's an odd number of stitches, you should end with your last stitches in the opposite corner stitch. Fasten off. I do this to join each square to make strips, then when I have my strips, I just join the strips together the same way.

 

I think crocheting squares together is easier than sewing them together and trying to pre-determine the length of yarn needed. It also gives a nice border around the squares and makes your project bigger too.