{tutorial} Simple Joining Square Technique

Tutorial Simple Joining Square Technique – it’s very easy and fun πŸ˜€

I love to make blankets, especially those with motifs and shapes. The only thing that I hate is to join them >.< I know…it won’t be a blanket if I don’t join all the squares or other shapes.

I checked so many times, and I found lots of beautiful joining techniques, and I tried all of them already, but none is materialized lol! It means, I tried them, and I frogged them, because simply it’s taking too much time or the final looks giving me a raise eyebrow; it’s just simply too much for the whole design, meaning, a big distraction from the actual squares motif/design.

I decided to find a shortcut, to join the squares with a simplest joining method, single crochet (sc), chain (ch) and slip stitch (ss). This technique might look like a flat braid technique, but much more simple than flat braid technique.

I’ll show you now πŸ˜€

For the squares, I’m using Destany’s Victorian Lattice Square, a rich and elegant square in solid color for each square and lot of colors πŸ˜€

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This square is very elegant by itself, and when I was making these beauties, I was asking myself, what kind of joining method that I should use. My first thought was Flat Braid joining, simple and beautiful, but I have no patience on hook off/on. I wanted something simple and continuous without hook off and go to another loop.

So, this is what I’m doing with my blanket – I know there must be others who thinks the same or using the same techniques. It’s basic technique with basic stitches and I’m doing this documentation for the purpose of spreading the Love (and to remind myself – short term memory, like cats :D)

Please bear in mind, I’m using Victorian Lattice square and if you’re trying to use this method on other squares, you need to adjust the counting.

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In the every corner, hook sc, ch4, sc

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then, ch2, skip 1 stitch, sc in the next

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continue it around, until you reach the beginning, ch2, slip stitch (ss) in the first sc, fasten off – this will be the base square joining.

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Take the second square, in the corner, sc, ch2, slip stitch on the first square’s corner, ch2, sc in the second corner

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then, let’s the zig zag begins. After the last sc in the second square’s corner, ch1, ss in the first square ch-2 space (the one beside the corner), ch1, then, skip 1 stitch of the second square, sc in the next stitch of the second square.

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Sounds very complicated, but actually no. All position of sc along the sides of both squares are identical or at the same positions – as it’s facing each other.

The third square, is a bit tricky. Start it with the third square’s corner, sc, ch2, ss under the 2 strands that the second square’s ss did. Here is the illustration:

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When connecting second square to the first square with slip stitch, you will have 2 strands (the yellow yarn). The position of the hook with 2 strands above is where you need to attach the third square.

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This will create a nice round shape in the middle, when the fourth square is attached (in the same 2 strands)

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This is how it looks with 4 squares assembled

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It took me 2 days to join 48 Victorian squares. I didn’t take any measurement yet, as I still need to convince myself to start whipping the tails >.<

I love how it turned out, the joining lines are visible, zig zag, neat, and simple enough not to distract the attention to the squares, in fact, this joining method enhancing the beauty of the squares. I haven’t manage to take proper picture, but hey…here it is πŸ™‚

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I fall in love πŸ™‚

Happy trying and forgive my English, sometimes I have difficulty of expressing pattern in written language…I’m a fan of diagram pattern πŸ˜€

enJOY! x

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72 Comments

  1. Lynne on August 15, 2023 at 03:42

    Oh my goodness this is perfect! I’ve been searching for the best join method and now I found your version! Yay for you! I cannot wait to start joining my square!

    • kuroneko on August 27, 2023 at 10:41

      thank you πŸ™‚

  2. Arianne on November 16, 2022 at 03:24

    I’m kind of confused on how to join the second and first square, like after the ss and ch2 do you sc into the corner same corner as where you started in the second square or the next corner in the first? Also after that do you make sc,ch2 and ss and sc in each skipped sc? Sorry I’m much more of a video visual learner.

    • Aurelia Vie on November 23, 2022 at 13:47

      hi, the idea of joining squares is always zigzag so as to connect both squares.
      Take the second square (new square to be joined), in the corner, sc, ch2, slip stitch on the first square’s corner (base square), ch2, sc in the second corner
      So, the idea is to start with the new square, then we have to connect the new and the base square. Once in the new square, you add sc, ch2, then you will need to slip stitch to the base square, ch2, sc in the new square, this way it will secure the join.

      hope this helps, and I’m sorry that i’m not so much of a video maker

  3. Amanda on September 25, 2020 at 16:06

    I feel very stupid. I have used your join before, but I think I made a mistake when joining 3rd square. Do I start in the corner with a sc and then do 2 chains and then attach to “the yellow strands” with a ss, 2 chains again and a sc in corner?

    • Aurelia Vie on September 26, 2020 at 08:53

      Hi, joining the third square is a bit tricky actually. You will need to start with the 3rd square itself, sc, ch2, and slip stitch to the “yellow strand”, then ch 2 and sc in the same corner, then, ch2, skip 1 stitch, sc in the next.

      So the rule in the corner remains the same (but instead of doing ch 4 by itself, you split into 2, ch 2, ss to the other order, ch2 and sc in the same corner) as you want to create an arch so that you can attach the fourth square to create a nice flower-like shape in the middle

      Hope this helps πŸ™‚

      • Amanda on September 26, 2020 at 10:30

        Thank you. I was actually right. Don’t know why I thought it was wrong. Thank you so much. I do appreciate your creativity

        • Aurelia Vie on September 26, 2020 at 11:56

          ^^ you’re most welcome πŸ™‚

  4. Jo on May 17, 2020 at 12:08

    Thank you, this is perfect for the blanket that I’m making as it a nice flat join. πŸ™‚

    • Aurelia Vie on May 21, 2020 at 20:56

      ^^ thank you

  5. Heather Ob on January 20, 2020 at 06:12

    Thank you for this joining tutorial! I’m looking forward to trying it out. And I completely understand about weaving in the ends…. that’s the worst part! It can take me weeks just to get that dreaded bit done.

    • Aurelia Vie on May 16, 2020 at 08:55

      Thank you πŸ™‚ have fun trying

  6. Christine on October 17, 2019 at 15:45

    I don’t understand the connection for the 3rd square at all. What’s the yellow yarn for? I don’t see it. I’m confused and feeling a little dumb as an intermediate crocheter. Could someone make a video for this? Help! πŸ™

    • Aurelia Vie on November 7, 2019 at 10:06

      The yellow yarn is just to show how to do 3rd joining.

  7. Vanette Hawke on September 21, 2019 at 10:24

    Beautiful and simple
    Thank you

    • Aurelia Vie on September 23, 2019 at 08:41

      Thank you so much, hope you enjoy it πŸ™‚

  8. Rose2x2 on July 5, 2019 at 00:27

    I love this joining. Thank you.

    • Aurelia Vie on July 5, 2019 at 16:41

      Thank you so much <3

  9. Kathryn on January 2, 2019 at 16:54

    This is brilliant – I love this method of joining. I normally don’t make squares because I don’t like joining but this is great!

    • Aurelia Vie on July 5, 2019 at 16:42

      Thank you πŸ™‚

  10. Susan Muir on July 28, 2017 at 06:54

    Thank your for this. I was looking for something like this couple of years ago. Going to use this next time. Hope I can pull it off.

    • Aurelia Vie on August 14, 2017 at 13:25

      Thank you! Please let me know if you need anything πŸ™‚

  11. Sophia-Jane on June 24, 2017 at 12:04

    Wonderful! Im going to try it. Thanks for sharing this!

    • Aurelia Vie on July 10, 2017 at 19:23

      Thank you, please let me know if you need any help. Enjoy!

  12. Marilyn Deibel on February 1, 2017 at 20:33

    I need help in understanding how to join the 3rd square. What stitch do I put the slip stitch in when I have two corners?

    • Aurelia Vie on February 19, 2017 at 15:04

      Still the same for corner: sc, ch 4, sc. πŸ™‚

  13. Stephanie on November 25, 2016 at 21:53

    When joining the second square, what is the zigzag pattern?

    • Aurelia Vie on December 3, 2016 at 13:11

      Hi, I apologize for the late reply. Just got back from holiday.
      Zigzag pattern means connecting from each square alternatively.

  14. Lisa on October 8, 2016 at 22:15

    Thank you for this tutorial. It is very well written. I will be trying it on my next project.

    • Aurelia Vie on October 10, 2016 at 18:32

      Thank you! πŸ™‚

  15. pam on April 3, 2016 at 04:39

    i’m going to use this joining method. it looks fairly easy and that’s what i need as a beginner. thank you!!

    • Aurelia Vie on April 3, 2016 at 09:28

      Thank you πŸ™‚ Hope you enjoy it, it’s very easy indeed πŸ™‚

  16. Dustie on September 2, 2015 at 01:46

    my squares are all done and they are beautiful! My question is, is the foundation square for joining to be used in the center or corner of the blanket? Thank you!

    • Aurelia Vie on September 2, 2015 at 12:04

      Thank you!! You can start either from center or corner πŸ˜€

  17. isabel freeman on July 20, 2015 at 21:15

    This I really like! I don’t like wide borders like you say as i don’t want to detract from the patterned squares. I also don’t like a raised border so this looks ideal. I have just finished my third blanket so am having a short break from doing another but will definitely be trying to do this . I appreciate the photographs too as I am quite a new crocheter. πŸ™‚ thank you.

    • Aurelia Vie on July 21, 2015 at 09:02

      ^^ So glad to hear that you like it πŸ˜€ Happy trying! πŸ˜€

  18. D Anne Robinson on July 20, 2015 at 06:23

    Thank you. I love both the square and the join instructions. Very pretty.

    • Aurelia Vie on July 20, 2015 at 08:19

      Thank you!! I’m glad you like it πŸ˜€

  19. Kelley on July 20, 2015 at 03:56

    Will you be doing a video tutorial? I love this look but I’m new and I’m not understanding how to do it.

    • Aurelia Vie on July 20, 2015 at 08:18

      Hi Kelley! I dont have any plan with video, as I will be all cranky! The joining tutorial is very basic (only single crochet, slip stitch and chaining), and you dont have to use the same square, you can use any square you want, make sure to count the stitch before you start as different square may result different count of skipping stitch πŸ™‚

  20. Janice Beltz on July 14, 2015 at 18:20

    I love your joining method, do you have the pattern for the square. The combination is beautiful. Thank you.

    • Aurelia Vie on July 14, 2015 at 18:30

      Thank you! When you click “Destany’s Victorian Lattice” in the post, it will take you directly to Destany’s free Ravelry pattern πŸ™‚

      • Janice Beltz on July 14, 2015 at 18:56

        Thanks, found it!

        • Aurelia Vie on July 14, 2015 at 19:05

          You’re welcome πŸ˜€ Happy crocheting x

  21. Viola on July 12, 2015 at 19:22

    This is such a beautiful method to join granny squares! I love your blanket very much. What a beauty! Thanks for sharing the pattern. Viola

    • Aurelia Vie on July 12, 2015 at 19:45

      Thank you so much!!! Im glad you like it πŸ˜€

  22. Jill on July 11, 2015 at 09:52

    Aurelia,

    It’s absolutely delicate and beautiful… Thank you for sharing!

    • Aurelia Vie on July 11, 2015 at 15:40

      Thank you πŸ˜€

  23. Gigi on July 8, 2015 at 20:53

    Love this method, your blanket is beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing.

    • Aurelia Vie on July 8, 2015 at 21:42

      Thank you!! Im glad you like it

  24. Laraine on July 8, 2015 at 17:41

    Thank you Aurelia! I want to make this join and your pictures and instructions help a lot! <3

    • Aurelia Vie on July 8, 2015 at 21:42

      Thank you! Im glad that you found it useful

  25. Lidia on July 8, 2015 at 16:54

    Hello, it looks beautiful. I also prefer the diagram pattern. Do you have it, please?
    Thank you so much.

    • Aurelia Vie on July 8, 2015 at 21:41

      Thank you! Unfortunately i dont have the diagram pattern now as i dont know how to make one im sorry!!

  26. Kelly on June 20, 2015 at 19:10

    Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have been looking for a simple, beautiful join technique to make a blanket for oh…….. 12 years. I have hundreds of squares that I have made to use up bits of yarn and finally have the technique. I`m soooooooo grateful. Thanks so much!

    • aurelia on June 20, 2015 at 19:14

      Thank you!!! I’m glad you like it

  27. Sakeenah on June 17, 2015 at 16:33

    This join is very elegant and goes so well with the squares. Love it! I will save this and share it.

    • aurelia on June 17, 2015 at 17:08

      thank you πŸ˜€

  28. Virginia on November 10, 2014 at 22:24

    Thanks I like the way you joined the squares. Love the squares too. The pattern is unusal.

    • aurelia on November 11, 2014 at 09:35

      Thank you πŸ˜€

  29. Debbie Chadwick-Vazque. on October 28, 2014 at 20:59

    Simply beautiful!! Thank you for the tutorial I have been looking for one to to do for my new shabby chic bedroom and this is it!!!! God bless you I seriously have been looking for 8 months more or less!!!! Thank you thank you Thank you!!!!!!

    • aurelia on October 28, 2014 at 22:20

      Ohh Im glad that you found it useful πŸ™‚ Happy crocheting and connecting, dear πŸ™‚

  30. Linda on October 22, 2014 at 17:14

    I like the looks of this joining. I usually do a JAYG but with the square I’m working on now it isn’t working at all. I think this joining is exactly what I’m looking for. Thanks so much for sharing and the picture tutorial is very helpful.

    • aurelia on October 22, 2014 at 17:18

      Thank you! Hopefully I don’t confused you with my way of explaining >.< I'm bad in writing pattern ^^

  31. Susan of Felted Button on October 22, 2014 at 15:23

    I love this method! Your blanket is simply gorgeous!

    • aurelia on October 22, 2014 at 15:27

      Thank you πŸ˜€

      Ladies, you made my day πŸ˜€ xxx

  32. Stella Lee on October 22, 2014 at 14:56

    I’m trying this technique on my current project – it’s just lovely. Pinned

    • aurelia on October 22, 2014 at 15:26

      Thank you! πŸ™‚

  33. Pat on October 22, 2014 at 09:44

    A very beautiful blanket, your joining method is lovely and delicate and suits the squares!

    • aurelia on October 22, 2014 at 15:25

      Thank you πŸ™‚

  34. Daphne on October 22, 2014 at 09:40

    Joining the squares like this is beautiful! Thank you for sharing the pattern.

    • aurelia on October 22, 2014 at 15:25

      Thank you πŸ™‚

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