Over the years I have made some tweaks and changes when I use A Better Granny Rectangle. I thought it was time to share those changes in a new post. There are 2 versions included here.
Continue reading “A Better Granny Rectangle Revisited”
Category: Tutorials
Step by step crochet directions and photo tutorials.
Join As You Go
I have made all my Log Cabin squares and am now starting to join them together so I decided to do a quick tutorial on my favorite way of joining granny squares (of course, it took much more time than I had hoped!). I am hoping to be clear and keep it simple, as it really isn’t that complicated, but it is often easy to make things sound more complicated than they are.
My squares are going to be bordered with two rounds of gray, and I held off on that until I was ready to start joining, so the first thing to do is complete the border on the first square in order to have one to join to. The rest I will join as I am doing the second (last) round of the gray border. (The photos show more than that joined together already). To help make it easier to see, I am doing the last round on this demonstration one in pink instead of gray.
I begin the joining in the corner, so crochet your last round up to the corner ch3 space, 3dc in the ch3 space as usual and then ch2 (I normally ch3 for each corner, this is one less ch, my attaching stitch will count as the 3rd).
Now you are going to sc into the ch3 corner space of the square you are joining to. Make sure you have the wrong sides together (in other words, the right sides are outward and the wrong sides are inward). Once you have attached to the other square with the sc, continue on crocheting 3dc in the corner of the square you are crocheting the border of. Continue reading “Join As You Go”
Log Cabin Granny Square
Here is a quick tutorial on how I am going about my Log Cabin squares, it is just a variation of a typical granny square (please let me know if you see any mistakes in the directions)…
Update (and update corrected): post with pics of the finished Gray Area Log Cabin Blanket which shows what I did with the border, for an estimate of the yarn used, go to the Log Cabin Blanket post.
Start with a sliding ring, and make a 1 round granny square. To do that, in the sliding ring you ch3 (counts as 1st dc) 2dc in the ring, [ch3, 3dc in the ring]3 times.
End with a ch3, tighten the loop, slpst into the top of the first ch3. End off.
Sliding Ring in Photos
Some have asked for directions on how to do a sliding loop, perhaps because I keep mentioning starting with one : ) There is more than one way to do these. I have tried several ways from various directions on the web and in books, and this is the one I like the best and find easiest to do. That’s just me, you may find a different way easier.
Here we go….
A Better Granny Rectangle
Well, I think it is better : ) As I said before, in my other Granny Rectangle post (I think this one is better), I have always been unsatisfied with how the center of granny rectangles line up in the middle, instead of alternating like it does in the rest of the fabric. It seems weaker and is not as pleasing to me, I just don’t like it : ) Don’t know why I didn’t do it this way the first time I got the idea, but at least I thought of it now.
A Better Granny Rectangle (or a variation) has been used to make:
Granny Rectangle Dog Mat (has a longer starting center)
Granny Rectangle Throw
Updates
2/9/17: I have a new post A Better Granny Rectangle Revisited. I have made some tweaks to how I do them since I first posted this and thought it deserved a new post. I include another version for doing them with 3dc, ch1.
1/17/17: I have added a Granny Rectangle V2.0 diagram (at the end of this article). This one has ch2 corners and ch1 in between the 3dc’s, to show that version of granny squares.
2/25/16: I have added another diagram that shows another round added so you can see how I continue on in the same color, it is near the end of the article.
For the size I did in the example:
Ch 22 Ch 21 (corrected 8-24-13)
In the 6th chain from the hook, 3dc.
Skip 2 stitches, 3dc in same stitch.
Continue across, skipping 2 and doing 3dc in the same stitch. When you reach the last ch, 1dc. Ch3 (counts as a dc)
In the space on the end created by the dc and foundation ch; 2dc, ch3, 3dc, ch3, 3dc. 2 corners on the end made.
3dc in each space between across…
At the next end; in the ch 5 space 3dc, ch3, 3dc, ch3, 3dc to make the corners on the other end.
Now, go across the other side, making 3dc in each space between…
Slpst into the top of the beginning ch3 and there you have it!
I find diagrams so helpful (pretend you don’t notice that I forgot the ending slpst in the diagram):
and another, to help with the maths of the repeats in case you want a different size…
Updated 2/25/16: Here is a diagram with another round of crochet added. To continue on, you would repeat as in the 2 rounds shown. Update: you can do ch2 in the corners if you find ch3’s are too much. Ch3 works fine for smaller projects, but ch2 would be better for larger items.
Update 1/17/17
This is A Better Granny Rectangle v2.0. The difference is ch2 on the corners and ch1 in between the 3dc’s. For those times you are using this to make a blanket and want to make your grannies with the ch1 between clusters. To change the size, adjust by 4 ch’s.
I am feeling that the added space in the starting chain in this 2.0 version is too much, not working as neat and tidy as I would like. Looks like this will be evolving even more, stay tuned!
Mitered Granny Square
Updates:
1/21/17: A new version that is done with ch2 corners and a ch1 between the 3dc clusters, diagram for Mitered Granny Square 2.1.
Diagram for Modern Mitered Granny Square.
Helpful links:
Link to Sliding ring tutorial, if you would like to start your squares the way I do.
Link to Join As You Go tutorial, if you would like to check out how I like to join granny squares.
These are the directions for the blanket I first showed in the Crochet in Progress post, here is a better photo (the colors look a bit washed out, the sun was bright):
And a closer look, remember it is posed on a chair, instead of lying flat so the squares look less than square. Continue reading “Mitered Granny Square”
Standing Stitch
When I returned to crochet I was very excited to learn new techniques. One of my favorites was learning to attach a new color with a standing stitch, rather than a slip stitch and chaining (I don’t remember where I first saw it). Except I didn’t love that the slip knot was there at the top of the stitch.
After playing around with it for a while, I came up with this way to start off with a standing stitch without a slip knot and chains.
This shows attaching with a dc, you can do it with other stitches too. Start by draping your yarn over your hook, so the short end is in the back.
Wrap the yarn twice over, and hold it on the hook with your finger. These are more loops than you need to make your stitch, but I find it easier to keep them on if there are extra. Keep your finger on top of them to keep them on the hook.
Insert hook where you want to attach, and draw up a loop (it’s a bit ackward until you get used to it).
Now, this part takes a bit of practice, with your yarn hand (the one holding your work, not the hook) hold the tail end of the yarn on the hook to the back of the fabric. That holds the loops on the hook so you can use it and not have to keep your finger on top of the loops. Yarn over the hook like normal…
and draw through 2 loops like a normal dc.
Yarn over again, and pull through 2 more loops. Remember there is extra, don’t pull through more than you need for doing the dc normally (as you get the hang of this, you may not need to do an extra yo).
Now here is how it looks when you add more stitches…
The first stitch looks a bit smaller at the top, but it doesn’t have a stitch on both sides to come out of. The yarn stays in place well enough without the slipknot once you do another stitch, and even better once you weave in the end.
Crochet Again 