A great way to join granny squares is to do the “Join As You Go” method (JAYG). Start out with a 4-round granny square that you will be putting a contrasting color border onto. With the JAYG method, you will be adding the border to each individual square as well as joining them together at the same time!

Overall Look on the JAYG Method

Lay out all your suqares how you would like them to be for the finished blanket. I like to place a stitch marker along the bottom of the bottom right corner square, as this is the starting point. Here’s a photo of what each row will look like:

1. Start here by joining at the bottom right corner of the bottom right square (after you have arranged all your squares in the order you want them)
   1. Work up the side, across the top, down the next side and join to the next square.  Do this for each square in the row. When you get to the last square of the row, stop when you work across the top.
2. Start joining the second row by joining the top left corner of the current square you’re attached to, to the bottom left of the new square. Work across the bottom of the new square until you get to the next corner; join in the ch2 space of the corner below; pick up the next square you want to join and slip stitch it to the top left corner of the next square below it. Do this for all squares until you have reached your last square. Stop working when you reach the bottom right corner of the current square.
3. Now repeat rows 1 and 2 for the entire blanket until you reach your final row.
   1. Work the final row just like you would rows 2 and 1. You will join along the bottom first (row 2) and then work around the sides (row 1). When you reach the last square of the final row, continue working in normal granny square pattern all down the side, to the bottom of the blanket and across the bottom, where you will join up with the start point.

Got it? I thought it might be confusing…

The graphic above is great, but…. you need a lot more instruction!  Let’s break this down. (Click the link to get the free printable of this graphic! JAYG PRINTABLE )

Row 1

Let’s slow this down a bit, break the steps up a bit more. Below, I have placed another graphic for you to follow.  Use this with the grid graphic above, and you will do a lot better!

Row 2

This is the row where you will join along the top of the old row and the bottom of the new row, only. You will join the sides and new squares to each other in the next row.

Finishing

Once you have repeated rows 2 and 1 over and over, you will then finish your last row with row 1 instructions but instead of stopping at 3dc in the upper left corner of the last square, you will complete the corner as normal and start working down the left side:

Need a Video?

If photos and wordiness still isn’t quite enough (it wasn’t for me), then please see my video, here. This will take you to my YouTube channel, where you can save and watch the video over and over to learn this awesome technique. Also, while you’re there, please subscribe to my channel and hit the bell icon to be notified each time I upload a new video! I want to grow my channel to my first 5,000 subs as soon as I can!  It’s a major goal of mine and I need your help!

Thank you for coming to learn how to do the Join As You Go method for joining granny squares! I hope that all of the graphics and instruction I provided helped at least some, and that the video will further your education even more.

XOXO Sara