This is such a great method to make beautiful joins, save yarn, and have less tails to weave in! When I shared the tutorial for the "Join-As-You-Go" stitch using the Love Knot, I was only creating strips with my squares. Here's a diagram to show you how to keep going for a full square or rectangular project:
(And by the way, you can use this with just about any stitch!)
*Gasp* That's it? Not a full page tutorial? No lengthy instructions?
You got it! That's all you need.
But... Here's some verbal instructions, for my non-English speaking friends using translating software: Begin where you see the green circle. The grey arrows indicate where to work a regular stitch. The black arrows indicate where to work a stitch, then join to the stitch on the opposite side. End where you see the red circle.
(I've had a few complaints about putting text on photos, because translators don't work on pictures. I hope that helps!)
Happy Crocheting!
(P.S. Find the free pattern for that square here - There's a tutorial included!)
I have looked at many diagrams for joining squares and this method is the easiest to follow. Thank you for providing it.
ReplyDeleteI'm confused by the instructions. Fairly new to crocheting. What do you mean by a stitch? What stitch type are you referring to?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the confusion! In this case the term "stitch" refers to whatever crochet stitch you are using in your pattern. When I joined these motifs I used the love knot stitch. If you were working a classic granny pattern, then you'd probably use the usual stitch multiple of 3 double crochet and then join between sets of 3.
DeleteAs long as the stitch count matches up, you could use single crochet stitches to join double crochet motifs. So if the motif pattern is (2 double crochet, chain 1), you could join using (2 single crochet, chain 1).
But you can't combine single and double crochet stitches while working the seam, such as (single crochet, double crochet, single crochet), because the difference in height will cause a pucker.
Thank you for sharing this! Now I won't be as reluctant to try such motif patterns (I have having to join/sew things together)
ReplyDeleteP.S. I used to follow you back in the Google Plus days.
Hey, it's good to hear from you!
DeleteI used to have a bad habit of finishing the last square of a project and thinking "done"... And then a box full of motifs sits neglected for a year. This method put a stop to that so I can go back to procrastinating on the regular things in life. :)
It can be frustrating because I sometimes work in the wrong direction without the map, but I've done the same when sewing squares together. It's so much easier to frog the working yarn than pick out sewn stiches!
I would recommend doing a test with a few squares and taking measurements first as this method does add width in between the squares.
ReplyDeleteI think I would start with a single crochet join, because the two single crochet stitches joined would equal the height of the hdc you're using in the squares. Join a few squares, measure the width of the seam, then multiply by the number of seams you'll have. That will tell you how much length/width the seams will add to your finished project. I hope that helps!
P.S. I once made a beautiful lacy cardigan and used this seam. Didn't plan for the stretch in my double crochet join and ended up with sleeves that went eight inches past my hands... test the stretching, too. :)