How to Join Afghan Squares with Different Stitch Counts + Border Options
With the end of the 2024 New Year New Stitch Crochet Along coming to a close, it’s time to join those crochet afghan squares together. With it being a sampler style blanket, the stitch counts don’t align, so how do we join them together?
There are a few possibilities! But first, let’s review the CAL!
The New Year New Stitch Crochet Along was all about learning new crochet stitches: one for each month of the year.
To make learning these stitches a little more fun, we made them 15″ squares that could be sewn together at the end of the year for an easy peasy throw blanket.
We also had monthly additional patterns to practice the stitch.
2024 Crochet Stitches
For January we had the Herringbone Stitch. This one is by far my favorite. I love the texture and the finished look equally. I also love the project versatility! With this stitch being worked over a multiple of 6 + 2, it yields an odd stitch count.
So far I have designed three patterns using this stitch: Herringbone Hat, Herringbone Pumpkin, and Herringbone Stitch Pillows.
For February we had the Forked Cluster Stitch. This crochet stitch is a dense, textured stitch with a beautiful, reversible finish. It’s worked over a multiple of 1 + 2.
For this stitch I designed the Forked Cluster Towel Hangers.
For March we had the Trinity Stitch, which is aptly named because it is worked over three stitches! This beautiful stitch creates a flower or starburst look. It is another thick, textured, and reversible stitch that is worked in an odd stitch count.
For this stitch I designed the Trinity Stitch Potholders, which are one of my top favorite projects from this event.
For April we had the Feather Stitch, a beautiful and dense stitch that resembles a feather, which makes it a fun stitch to learn and use for your projects! This pattern is worked in an odd multiple stitch count as well, but if you check the gauge, you’ll see that this stitch gets 12 rows to 4″, opposed to the Herringbone Stitch, which gets 20 rows to 4.5″. This means the finished row count will be much different and therefore the edging on the side will be much different.
For this stitch I designed the Feather Stitch Coasters and the Braided Crochet Pumpkins. This is another top favorite of the stitch from this year.
For May we did the Polish Star Stitch. Since stars & stripes are a big deal this time of year in America, I thought it was fitting to hold this stitch until May, but boy was it hard, because this stitch is so unique, I couldn’t wait to share it! This stitch is worked over a multiple of 8 + 2, with a row count of 6 to 4″, so as you can see, there are significantly less rows compared to previous stitches.
For the Polish Star Stitch, I designed the Star Struck Earwarmer, which is actually a much older pattern from my shops.
For June we had the Suzette Stitch, which is a versatile and easy-to-learn pattern that combines the simplicity of single and double crochets, making this a confident beginner friendly tutorial.
For this crochet stitch, I designed the Suzette Stitch Jar Cozy.
For July we had the Star Stitch, also known as the marguerite stitch, which is a beautiful decorative stitch that forms a pattern resembling a series of small stars or flowers.
For this stitch I designed the Feeling Crabby Lovey Blanket. The blanket portion is made from stripes of the Star Stitch, with a stuffed crab on top of the blanket.
For August we had the Harlequin Stitch, which was the most requested stitch to add to this crochet along. I completely understand the requests, because it is such a beautiful crochet stitch!
For this stitch I designed the Harlequin Stitch Crochet Pumpkin, which is a cute mini pumpkin.
For September we had the Granite Stitch, which also goes by Linen Stitch and Moss Stitch, and it was another well requested stitch. It’s probably one of the most popular stitches used in crochet designs. I had personally already worked with the granite stitch many times, but wanted to make sure to add it for those that wanted to learn. Because I had already worked with the Granite Stitch, I already had a square as well, so this stitch pattern includes instructions for a 5″ square and a 15″ square.
For this stitch we have the Granite Stitch Hat & Cowl set to practice with.
For October we had the Spider Stitch, which just felt fitting, because October is Halloween and Halloween means spider decor. This stitch creates a unique, textured pattern with small clusters resembling tiny spiders.
For this stitch I designed the Road Trip Beanie, which is another pattern that ended up shooting to the top of my favorites list.
For November we had the Falling Leaves Stitch is worked by alternating single crochet rows and double crochet rows with some front post stitchwork to create a pattern that resembles leaves falling through the sky.
For this stitch I designed the Jingle Juice Bottle Bag, which is perfect for this time of year, because it makes a great gift wrap!
For December we had the Sedge Stitch, which is a versatile and beginner-friendly stitch that creates a beautifully textured fabric with a subtle wave-like pattern.
Unfortunately for this stitch, I never got to make an additional pattern, though I’m sure there will be some in the future, because I ended up adoring the stitch.
Each of the afghan squares were completed with a round of single crochet around the outer edge, to give it a clean finish.
If you click the links to each stitch and read their instructions, you will see that they are all a bit different, which means a different stitch and row count and therefore the stitch count on the edging will be off.
This is significant when joining the squares together, because the single crochet edging will not match up, making it more difficult to do traditional joins like single crochets or slip stitches.
So, what are the joining options?
I personally used the whip stitch! I held each square right sides together, and sewed from the wrong side to join them. I worked in rows by joining the squares together in sets of 3, then I sewed those strips together by also holding them right sides together and sewing from the wrong side.
Another great option is the mattress stitch in the back loops only. This gives a nice clean finish where you can hardly see the seams.
The mattress stitch was my original plan, but in the end I needed the whip stitch, because a few of my squares needed a little extra stretch to match up the sizes.
Plus, the whip stitch is the easiest option when stitch counts don’t match up, because you can easily skip over some stitches from one square when joining.
What about borders?
Well, referring back to the single crochet edging we put on each square: this helps replace the need for a border, because there is one built in!
But I know some crocheters loves a good decorative border too, so once you get all your squares attached, you will need to count all of the single crochets from the outside of the blanket.
From here you have more options: find a border pattern with a stitch count multiple that matches the amount of single crochet you have OR you can find a border you love first and add another round of single crochets around the outside increasing the stitch count to match the border stitch count. You will want to make sure some of those increases go into each corner and otherwise are evenly spaced around the straight edges.
More Finishing Options
If you’re not looking for a decorative border, but want a little something extra, this is the perfect blanket for adding fringe to the top and bottom edges!
Since we have the single crochet edges already in place around the edges, it’s easy to place the fringe!
This afghan is also set up perfectly for adding tassels to the corners!
I loved this crochet along so much, it was such a blast to learn new stitches, and I really hope you enjoyed it too!
If you’re interested in learning Tunisian Crochet, join me for the 2025 New Year New Stitch crochet along, where we will be learning 12 new Tunisian Crochet Stitches, from beginner stitches to more intricate stitches by the end of the year!
Happy Crocheting!
Written pattern and photographs © 2024 Sonya Blackstone of Blackstone Designs. Do not sell, share, or modify this pattern, but instead share the link to where the pattern can be found. You may sell items you make with this pattern. This pattern, as with all Blackstone Designs/Sonya Blackstone patterns, are not for educational use without written permission from the designer. All rights reserved.
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