granny square tutorial part 5: joining squares of different sizes

In this tutorial, I'm going to show you an easy way to join squares of different sizes with a 3dc "granny" border. This is the method I came up with when I made my Granny Square Sampler Afghan since the pattern in the book is really vague about how to join it all together.

If you haven't already, you should first familiarize yourself with my tutorial for how to join squares of the same size. This is really just a slight variation on that concept. Once you join a few squares this way, you'll know how to add any square to your sampler afghan! If I can do anything to clarify any of the information that follows, please email me at adaiha@gmail.com.

If you can make a basic granny square, you can do this! To get started, you just need a bunch of squares in assorted sizes. This will go much more quickly if you add a 3dc border to each square before beginning to put them together. It isn't entirely necessarily, but it makes crocheting the final joining round easier. I like to make a big basic granny in a single color to measure each square against to see how many 3dc groups should go on each side to help keep everything even, but I didn't discover this trick until after I made my sampler afghan. It still looks fine! :)

In the photo below, I am trying to join a larger square to an afghan-in-progress. I had already begun to add a new round of 3 dc groups to the square. On the edge where the bottom square will attach to the bigger piece, in the corner work [3dc, ch 1, sl st to the spot where you wish to join the square, ch 1, 3dc]. Continue working 3dc in the next space on the bottom square and slip stitch into the next space on the top piece.

Hint: If you want to make the left edges square up in a situation like this and don't know where to make your first join, here's how to figure it out. The square I am joining has nine spaces along each side, so there will be nine 3 dc groups along each side in my final round here. The starting point on the larger piece above will need to be after the ninth cluster in the tenth space. You'll always want to count one extra space on the part you are joining to. You do not have to make the outside edges of your piece line up because you can fill in any gaps with rows later.

When you get to a place on the larger piece where two corners meet (like below where the green and pink meet), you need to slip stitch together both of the corners. Begin by inserting your hook into the space on the first corner and draw up a loop; next, insert your hook into the second corner, draw up another loop and pull it through the other two on your hook.

Continue working 3 dc in the next space, sl st in the next space of the larger piece , 3 dc until you get to the next corner of your joining square. Corners that meet up with existing corners are worked just like in the previous tutorial (*3dc, ch1, sl st into joining space on the larger piece, ch 1, 3dc* OR *3dc, ch 3, 3dc* if the corner of your square extends beyond the edge of the larger piece).

Sometimes you will not want to go all the way around the corner. The edges you'll get when you work in rows will look like this:

Joining a bunch of odd sized squares will leave you with a few (or even lots!) of gaps to fill in as you can see in the "before" part shown below. You can fill these in with more squares, or you can use rows like I've done here. This is a perfect use for smaller scraps of yarn! The secret to doing this is that for every vertical stripe of 3dc, you will need to work 2 rows to fill in the gap.

I could explain how to add these rows all day, but I think that showing you will be much clearer. Follow the steps below! Because there are three "clusters" on the pink edge that still need coverage, I had to work six rows (three repeats of the steps below) to fill in the gap. I have tried to make these steps as simple to follow as possible, but if you have any trouble, please let me know!

Keep adding rows until you are even with the top row of the adjacent square. If you make sure to add these rows in twos, you will find that the opposite sides of your afghan will have the same number of spaces when you're done.

Once your afghan is the size you want and you have filled in all of the gaps, you are ready to work a round all the way around your blanket.

On the parts that are made of rows, you will treat each chain space along the edge as you would a space between 3dc groups.

Here are some photos of my completed Granny Square Sampler Afghan which I joined entirely with this technique!

124::365 falling star & some tips on blocking

Pattern: "Falling Star" by Melinda Miller.

This was an easy pattern, but it is a great example of a square that needs to be blocked to straighten out the edges. If I were to make this square again, I would decrease the number of sc stitches in the corners of the third round that I worked in white. And I'd probably try corners in the last two rounds of 1 dc, ch 2, 1 dc.

Yikes:

This is how I block my squares when necessary. Instead of a fancy (and expensive) blocking board, I use a sheet of 1/4" thick white craft foam. The sheets are sold in 18" x 24" pieces, so you can fit several smaller squares at once. I start by stretching out one side until it seems to lie flat without much distortion, then I pin the two corners down to the foam.

Then I fill it in along the side with enough pins to keep the side straight. Start in the middle of the side or you'll find that it pulls to one corner! By this I mean that you need to pull the middle of the side (check out the one below to the right) down to the middle of your straight line and pin it in place, then even out the rest of the side and pin in place.

I straighten out each side in this manner, then spray with water from a bottle I keep handy. If I'm super patient, I wait for it to dry naturally. If not, I lay a towel over it and soak up the water and pretty much immediately unpin the square.

Note: my initial idea for using the foam for a blocking board was to adhere two sheets of it together for a 1/2" thickness, but I haven't done that yet and although the holes don't really heal themselves, the two pieces of foam I bought over a year ago have lasted through hundreds of squares! If you do it my way, just make sure you aren't ruining your good tabletop with pins that may poke through a little.

granny square tutorial part 3: joining squares of the same size

Today I'm going to show you my favorite method of joining granny squares. I learned this join-as-you-go method from the super-talented Sarah London, but I had never seen anyone attempt to use it for anything other than the 3 dc cluster "normal" granny square. (And "cluster" probably isn't the right term for this, but that's what I'm going to call the groups of 3 dc worked into a stitch or space for the rest of this tutorial.)

My method will work for squares that are the same size (later I'll show you how to join different sized squares) but have different types of outer rounds. It works best if you make your corners with a chain space.

The flower squares in the photo below were the same size as the granny squares until I added one more round to the grannies. (I forgot to take a picture when they were actually the same size!)

To make them the same size, you can see that I just need to add one more round to the flowers. You will want the same number of 3dc clusters around the squares, so you'll need to do a little bit of math to figure out where to place your clusters. The grannies have five clusters along each side, so we have to have five along each side of the flowers.

Note: This method will work for granny squares of any size, not just the 4.5" square I'm using. Depending on the size of your squares, you may have to use more or fewer clusters on the last round. If you're having trouble figuring out how many clusters to work around the edge, crochet a basic granny square to match the size of all of your other squares then add one more round. Count the number of clusters along each side of your sample granny square. This is how many clusters you'll need to make on the final round of every square.

The formula I use to figure out how to evenly place the clusters is this:

(y-x) / (x + 1) = z

x = the number of clusters you need along one side minus two (for the two that will simply go in the corner spaces).

y = the number of stitches along the side of your square.

z = the number of stitches you will skip between each cluster.

In the example shown:

(15 - 3) / (3 + 1) = 12 / 4 = 3 stitches skipped between each cluster.

Okay, so if you're not exactly a math nerd, you can break out some stitch markers and move them around until they look even. Like I've said before, crochet is very forgiving.

Occasionally you won't be able to skip an even number of stitches between each cluster. If I just have one left over, I like to skip an extra stitch for the very first cluster. If I have two left over, I'll usually skip an extra stitch both on the first cluster and the last.

The arrows in the photo below are pointing at the stitches I am going to work the 3 dc clusters into. See how there are three stitches skipped between each one?

Attach your yarn color of choice to a corner space to get started. Chain 3, 2dc, ch 3, 3 dc in the corner:

Now work your way across the side of the square making 3 dc in each space you determined with the formula (or your stitch markers) and making a chain stitch between each dc cluster. When you get to the next corner, work 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc:

Continue around your square in this manner and finish off with a slip stitch in the 3rd stitch of the beginning chain. Now the squares are the same size, and we're all set to join them together:

We are going to add a single round to each square all the while joining them to one another. Below I have already added to the brown & yellow granny square to begin.

Now we're going to connect the next square to the first as we add the extra round. Begin by attaching your yarn to the corner space of the next square. Ch 3, 2 dc, ch 1, then insert your hook from front to back through the corner space of the first granny square (as indicated by the arrow):

Draw up a loop and pull it through the first loop on your hook to make a slip stitch:

Chain 1 and then work 3 dc into the same corner of your second square. Do not chain 1 between clusters along the edge that you are joining. You are instead going to slip stitch into the next space along the edge of your first granny square (see the arrow):

Again, insert your hook from front to back through the next space in the first square, draw up a loop, and pull it through:

Continue along the side working a cluster in each space of your second square and a slip stitch in the next space of the first square:

When you get to the corner, 3 dc into corner of the second square, ch 1, sl st in the corner of the first square, ch 1, 3 dc into corner of the second square again:

Now work your way around the rest of the second square with 3 dc in each space along the sides with a chain stitch in between. The remaining corners are 3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc:

Join the third square in exactly the same manner:

Filling in this corner with the fourth square is going to be slightly different, but only where the corners of the squares come together in the middle. Begin joining where indicated by the arrow at the bottom right in the photo below. You're going to join two sides for this square (until you get to the next arrow in the upper left of the photo):

Attach your yarn to a corner space of the fourth square. Just as before, ch 3, 2 dc into the corner, ch 1, sl st into the corner indicated by the lower right arrow in the photo above, ch 1, 3 dc in the same corner of the fourth square.

Continue along the side working 3 dc into each corner of the fourth square and a sl st in each open space in the other square until you get to the corner (well, the middle!). Chain 1:

Slip stitch into the corner of the square to the right, then slip stitch into the corner of the square above the fourth square (it is the corner diagonal to the one you just slip stitched into):

Chain 1, work 3 dc in the same corner of the fourth square and keep working across the edge like you have been with a sl st in each space of the square above and 3 dc in each space of the fourth square:

When you get to the final corner to join, ch 1, sl st in the corner, ch 1, 3 dc into the same corner.

Of course, along the outer edges be sure to ch 1 between each cluster. Now you can join any squares as you go!

Note: Slight variations of size and structure in your different squares will be mostly hidden with a single round of the "granny" border, but it will look even more perfect if you plan for two rows of the border around each square.

Now that you know how to join a bunch of different squares together, you should sign up for A Square A Day In May with Melissa over at Hooked on Handmade!

If you have any trouble understanding any part of this tutorial, please let me know! :) And check out the previous tutorials in the series.

granny square tutorial part 1: basic granny square

granny square tutorial part 2: how to adjust the size of your granny squares