It's time for our final instalment of our Yarn Me Calm Community's Calming Corona Crochet and Knit Along!

This last part is focussed on joining our squares and choosing our border!

A quick refresher on how our CKAL worked...

• Every week I drew two of our CKAL contributors names to choose a stitch for us all to play with randomly.
• It was one crochet stitch and one knitted stitch for the week (and possibly a Tunisian stitch too)
• No one was expected to create the stitches but they needed to identify where and who it came from to ensure you credit the designer etc. appropriately.
• ensure that the directions are lovely and clear for everyone to follow. Upload videos etc of the stitch if that makes it easier!
• choose to do either a crochet or knitted stitch for the week or both!
• we created squares with our stitches that measured 15cm x 15cm.
• Use any yarn weight you like! 
• We didn't include paid stitches, this is so our CKAL is accessible for everyone regardless of their circumstances.
• The joining stitches were part of our CKAL
• Everyone was free to invite others to the group to join in!
• Stay kind, have fun and hopefully learn something new!

I used a yummy Bobbel Boxx from Garnmanufaktur for my CCCKAL and made just the crochet version.  It is a lovely throw rug size using all 16 squares.  You could make 2 of each square or add a plain square between the textured ones to increase the size of your finished blanket.

For the joining and border we did things a little bit differently to our previous weeks of the CKAL.

Three of our fabulous community members chose a joining method and participants could choose to use the method that they preferred and that best suited their squares.  Ali, Donna and Helen were responsible for choosing and they chose the following:

Flat Braid Join - The Patchwork Heart

2. The Second Join is the single crochet join.  This is definitely the simplest of the three options.  This method is simply putting your squares together and crocheting them using a single crochet (double crochet in UK terms) to join.  There is a fabulous tutorial here from Bella Coco.

I used this method on my own blanket, however instead of putting the two right sides together and crocheting through the back, I did the reverse!  I put the two wrong sides together and single crocheted (UK double crochet) through the front.  This meant that I had a lovely raised texture on the join with complimented the other textures!

 If you prefer a written pattern, you can it find it here.

As mentioned I chose a simple single crochet join.  Once joined I completed two rows of single crochet (UK double crochet) to give me a neat finish before deciding on my final border!

For our border I asked our participants to suggest borders and then we would vote for the top three options!.

The options chosen were:

1. Pom Pom Border, this is one of my patterns and I absolutely love it!  I love the textural element that it provides and it is a bit of fun!  I have a short video tutorial available for the simple version or read below for the extended version that I added to my blanket!

2. Wavy Shell Stitch Border, this is from Naztazia and is another super fun and quirky border!

3. Treble Scallop Edging.  Last but definitely not least!  This beautiful border pattern is from Rachele Carmona of Cypress Textiles and is absolutely beautiful!

Treble Scallop Edging.

As mentioned above I chose to add a Pom Pom Border to my blanket.  However I ended up doing three rows of Pom Poms (Bobble Stitch) rather than the one that I normally do.

UK terms:

Round One:

• Join with a standing double crochet in any corner, chain 2, 1 double crochet.
• 1 double crochet in the next 4 stitches.
• *5 double treble cluster in the next stitch and close with chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), 1 double crochet in the next 4 stitches* repeat until the end of the row, finishing with 1 double crochet in the last 4 stitches (you may have less than this depending on your overall stitch count on each side but it doesn't impact on the finished look).
• 1 double crochet, chain 2, 1 double crochet in the corner space.
• Repeat for each side and join with a slip stitch to the first standing double crochet.

Round Two:

• Join new colour with a standing double crochet in any corner, chain 2, 1 double crochet.
• 1 double crochet in the next 2 stitches.
• *5 double treble cluster in the next stitch and close with chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), 1 double crochet in the next 4 stitches* repeat until the end of the row, finishing with 1 double crochet in the last 2 stitches (you may have less than this depending on your overall stitch count on each side but it doesn't impact on the finished look).  The 'Pom Pom's' on this round should sit in between those from the previous round.
• 1 double crochet, chain 2, 1 double crochet in the corner space.
• Repeat for each side and join with a slip stitch to the first standing double crochet.

Round Three:

• Join new colour with a standing double crochet in any corner, chain 2, 1 double crochet.
• 1 double crochet in the next 4 stitches.
• *5 double treble cluster in the next stitch and close with chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), 1 double crochet in the next 4 stitches* repeat until the end of the row, finishing with 1 double crochet in the last 4 stitches (you may have less than this depending on your overall stitch count on each side but it doesn't impact on the finished look).  The 'Pom Pom's' on this round should sit in between those from the previous round.
• 1 double crochet, chain 2, 1 double crochet in the corner space.
• Repeat for each side and join with a slip stitch to the first standing double crochet.

Round Four:

• Join new colour with a standing double crochet in any corner, chain 2, 1 double crochet.
• 1 double in each stitch,
• 1 double crochet, chain 2, 1 double crochet in the corner space.
• Repeat for each side and join with a slip stitch to the first standing double crochet.  Finish off and weave in ends.

US terms:

Round One:

• Join with a standing single crochet in any corner, chain 2, 1 single crochet.
• 1 single crochet in the next 4 stitches.
• *5  treble cluster in the next stitch and close with chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), 1 single crochet in the next 4 stitches* repeat until the end of the row, finishing with 1 single crochet in the last 4 stitches (you may have less than this depending on your overall stitch count on each side but it doesn't impact on the finished look).
• 1 single crochet, chain 2, 1 single crochet in the corner space.
• Repeat for each side and join with a slip stitch to the first standing single crochet.

Round Two:

• Join new colour with a standing single crochet in any corner, chain 2, 1 single crochet.
• 1 single crochet in the next 2 stitches.
• *5 treble cluster in the next stitch and close with chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), 1 single crochet in the next 4 stitches* repeat until the end of the row, finishing with 1 single crochet in the last 2 stitches (you may have less than this depending on your overall stitch count on each side but it doesn't impact on the finished look).  The 'Pom Pom's' on this round should sit in between those from the previous round.
• 1 single crochet, chain 2, 1 single crochet in the corner space.
• Repeat for each side and join with a slip stitch to the first standing single crochet.

Round Three:

• Join new colour with a standing single crochet in any corner, chain 2, 1 single crochet.
• 1 single crochet in the next 4 stitches.
• *5 treble cluster in the next stitch and close with chain 1 (does not count as a stitch), 1 single crochet in the next 4 stitches* repeat until the end of the row, finishing with 1 single crochet in the last 4 stitches (you may have less than this depending on your overall stitch count on each side but it doesn't impact on the finished look).  The 'Pom Pom's' on this round should sit in between those from the previous round.
• 1 single crochet, chain 2, 1 single crochet in the corner space.
• Repeat for each side and join with a slip stitch to the first standing single crochet.

Round Four:

• Join new colour with a standing single crochet in any corner, chain 2, 1 single crochet.
• 1 single in each stitch,
• 1 single crochet, chain 2, 1 single crochet in the corner space.
• Repeat for each side and join with a slip stitch to the first standing single crochet.  Finish off and weave in ends.

I hope you have enjoyed our Yarn Me Calm Community Calming Corona Crochet and Knit Along .

You are welcome to share the pattern and stitches, however please acknowledge that the overall design belongs to Yarn Me Calm Community!  Please also acknowledge the individual designers and makers as noted in this blog!

If you have questions, please contact me at andrea@yarnmecalm.com.au

Andrea x