How to Add Border to Granny Square Afghan
Learn how to add a seamless border to a granny square Afghan with this step-by-step tutorial for beginners and experts. Tutor shares tips on starting the border not at the corners, explaining that people often scrutinize these areas closely. Using the same color for cohesion, she demonstrates chaining and single crocheting techniques, offering advice to maintain even tension.
The tutorial is designed to equip viewers with the skills to create a beautiful, flat-laying crochet Afghan.
Detailed Summary of the Crochet Border Tutorial
The focus of the video is learning how to add a transitional border to a granny square Afghan sample. Miranda emphasizes the importance of specific techniques to ensure the Afghan looks seamless and professional.
Choosing Colors for the Border
- Miranda opts to use the same color as Row 5 of the granny square project where the “join-as-you-go” method was applied.
- She states that using Row 5’s color makes the transition to the border seamless.
- However, viewers are encouraged to experiment with their preferred colors to create a vibrant and personalized look.
Starting the Border
- The process begins with the creation of a slip knot to join the yarn onto the Afghan.
- Miranda avoids starting at the corner to prevent scrutiny at the edges, as imperfections in corners are common points of inspection.
- Instead, she starts slightly back from the corner, attaching the yarn with a slip stitch.
Preparing for the Border Design
- Miranda creates a transitional chain space instead of continuing directly with granny squares to ensure the project does not appear repetitive.
- She establishes chain spaces intermittently with single crochet stitches, maintaining loose tension to allow space for the border shells later.
- Special adjustments are made for corners, including using larger chain spaces to accommodate corner shells.
Handling Joins Between Squares
- Miranda encounters a slight irregularity at the joining points between granny squares, where the chain spaces align differently.
- To address these irregularities, she adjusts the chain counts slightly, ensuring the Afghan lays flat.
- She advises against inserting single crochets directly into the joining spaces, as this would disrupt the Afghan’s alignment and appearance.
Adding the Shell Border
- Once the prep row is complete, Miranda switches to a contrasting border color, carefully chosen to complement the existing design.
- The shell border is created using a sequence of single and double crochet stitches into the designated chain spaces.
- More double crochets are added to the corners to ensure smooth curves and maintain the project’s flat appearance.
Tips for Corner Adjustments
- Miranda emphasizes the importance of ensuring corner shells lay flat rather than curling.
- She gives advice for adjusting the stitch count if needed, allowing viewers to customize the design based on their tension, yarn thickness, and chain length.
Reaching the Final Corner
- As viewers advance along the edges, Miranda ensures consistent placement and spacing for the shell pattern.
- Special attention is given to joining spaces to maintain uniformity across the border design.
Completing the Afghan
- Miranda finishes the sample border row by slip stitching into the starting point, tightening the tail, and clipping the yarn.
- She highlights the importance of hiding yarn tails beneath stitches for a clean finish.
- The final Afghan border is showcased, and viewers are congratulated for learning all the necessary techniques to complete an Afghan project.
Conclusion
- Miranda expresses encouragement to viewers who might use this tutorial to craft Afghans of any size or color.
- She invites engagement in the comments section and offers help with any crochet-related queries.
- Instructions for sewing in yarn tails are briefly revisited, as these steps have been explained in previous videos.
- The video concludes with the completed granny square Afghan laid out and admired for its beauty and functionality.
