Unlike the slip stitch join, the single crochet join is symmetrical; this means that you could use it on the right side of the work if you want to. When used to join multiple granny squares to create an afghan, the look reminds me of a grid. This effect is the technique’s major advantage. This join is particularly nice for use on otherwise plain and simple squares; it could add quite a bit of visual interest to a design. It can add visual interest on a granny square afghan where the squares and the edging are all one color. Here’s how to do it: You can, however, use a different color (or colors) if you like; in some cases, you may wish to use a contrasting color, and in others you might want to use a closely-matching color. This tutorial uses yarn that contrasts with the outer rounds of the squares, which are dark, but is a color that was used in the squares. In the photo at left, you can see how the finished join looks. If you’d like to take a closer look at the picture or any of the pictures in this tutorial, you can click on it to see it enlarged. As is true with most crochet stitches, you can achieve slightly different looks by varying which loops you work through. In this case, the most obvious choices are as follows:
You could work through the inner loops, meaning the back loop of the square closest to you and the front loop of the square furthest from you. This is the method demonstrated in this tutorial. You could work through the outer loops, meaning the front loop of the square closest to you and the back loop of the square furthest from you. You could work through all four loops, meaning the front loops and back loops on both squares. This creates an exceptionally bulky join.
You might also enjoy the free granny square patterns.
