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laureth's avatar

What's the best way to attach small woven squares together? (See details.)

Asked by laureth (27199points) February 28th, 2009
11 responses
“Great Question” (0points)

Do any of you crafty folks ever use a handheld loom, such as a Hazel Rose loom or Weavette, which makes small squares in the 4-to-6 inch range?

I’m wondering how to connect them together. There are two ways I know: (1) to crochet around the edges and then stitch them together, and (2) to stitch them together without crocheting first. Both of these are aesthetically unpleasant to me. The crocheted border distorts the squares and just looks wrong to me somehow. Just plain stitching them looks better, but stands out like a surgical suture if the yarn isn’t the same color (and it never is, on patchwork).

Do you know a better way? Am I missing the “trick” to doing it easily and beautifully? I’d really like to know how the person who made the “Tumbling Blocks” throw on this page connected them so neatly.

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Answers

lollipop's avatar

I am interested in hearing the suggestions you get from this also as I have knitted squares that I want to attach and don’t want to crochet and I don’t like to crochet either so Hope you get some good info!

laureth's avatar

@lollipop: I’ve attached knitted squares together just by simple stitching. A knit piece is loftier than a woven square, and the “puff factor” hid the stitches pretty well! I made a while sweater that way, from rectangles knitted from bits and pieces of homespun, and it looks faboo! I bet that would work for yours.

lollipop's avatar

@laureth Are you talking about using the yarn to sew them together or ? I would think you would have to use the yarn instead of ‘sewing thread’. It might take a long time if you made a good size ‘quilt or comforter’ all the squares together that is.

laureth's avatar

Mostly I use yarn. When I made the sweater from knit rectangles, I just left a long “tail” of yarn on each one and that was enough to attach one to its neighbor.

lollipop's avatar

Do you do like a ‘whip stitch’ type of thing? OR something else….you got me to thinking maybe I can finish all the squares I have knitted and be able to assemble them into a blanket…possibly.

I took a class and wasn’t able to go all the way through the class so I am missing some of the squares, but then the teacher had said to ‘crochet’ them together when we done and I am NOT good at doing that so I was going to donate it some place and just ‘forget the whole thing’!

cyndyh's avatar

Below the throw on the page you linked to there’s an example of single die-looking block. You can sort of see how they’ve done that one with a darning needle and the same color yarn. When you get to working with multiple colors on one block and joining that to another you need to pick a color and go with it.

When you’re doing finishing seams for knitted projects you have some options depending on the type of seam you want. For a blind seam I like the mattress stitch shown here. Scroll down to “Finishing” and they show several types of simple seam techniques there. Which one you pick depends a bit on what type of stitch you’re trying to join to which type of stitch.

laureth's avatar

@lollipop – I’ve mostly used something like an overcast stitch

@cyndyh – thanks! I did see that block you’re talking about, and I guess if I use the same color yarn as one of the blocks that it borders, things will be okay. I was hoping there was something more elegant out there, though.

cyndyh's avatar

I’ve done very little weaving and a lot more knitting and crocheting. If there is a more elegant join for weaving I don’t know what it is.

I will say that a lot of people who don’t like the crocheted joins tend to use a hook that’s too big or too small so their tension isn’t right for the pieces they’re trying to join. If you get a bunching or a curling on your edge when you try the crocheted joining that’s what’s happening to your work. Cheers!

augustlan's avatar

You could try a ‘fishing line’ type of thread. It’s often used in sewing the rows of braids together in braided rugs.

laureth's avatar

Oooh, that’s sneaky! :D Thanks!

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