‘Join as you go’ for Granny Squares’
The two questions I get asked most often are ‘How do you make your granny squares? and ‘How do you join granny squares together?’
In my last post I showed you my technique for making Granny squares with only one tail so sew in, no matter how many rounds you do. If you missed that post you can read it here. If you are put off making granny square because of the squillions of ends to sew in, then you really should give this a try. It’s just as safe and secure as sewing in ends and no more likely to unravel, even if your blankets get a lot of love like mine do! That post also gives you all the details of the yarn and shades I am using.
This time I will be answering the question about how I join my squares. I use various methods, but more often than not ‘Join as you go’ is the technique that I will choose. It’s quick to do, no sewing involved and gives a neat, robust join that will withstand the rigours of life. I also like the texture it creates and enjoy seeing my blankets grow as I make each square.
Here are some other projects where I’ve used join as you go. It’s very versatile and can be used for other shapes as well.
The blanket I am currently working on is called Vintage Vibes and I’m using ’ join as you go’ (you may also see this referred to as JAYG).
I generated the pattern using the Crochet Studio App. In just a few taps you can create yarn palettes and turn them into unique printable pdf patterns with all the information you need to make your blanket. It will calculate the yarn quantities required and you can customise so it uses UK or US crochet terms. You can find out more about that here, or just download it and discover for yourself. The many tools and features are very intuitive to use and give endless possibilities for creating your own stripe or square patterns. It’s free and available for both iPhone and Android. Just search Crochet Studio where you get your apps or use the links below.
Crochet Studio for iPhone
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/crochet-studio/id1619485014
Crochet Studio for Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mycraftlife.crochetstudio
So let’s get joining! In the video I will tell you everything you need to know to use JAYG.
I just need to get going and finish my blanket now! In the final part of this series, I will show you tips and tricks to add perfectly flat and even borders to your granny square blankets.
Have fun with JAYG!
Anita x
