by Carrie Schutrick

Created on: June 18, 2010

A lot of people like to do their crochet projects as motifs-small shapes, usually all the same, that are assembled to make a larger piece.  This has the advantage of portability, since one motif doesn't take up too much space, but it means that you've got to get all the motifs together somehow when you're finished.  Luckily, there are all sorts of ways to accomplish that goal.

If your motif is pointy-a star, for example, or an octagon that's only supposed to touch its neighbors at the corners-the way to go is probably attaching each motif as you make it.  Everything goes as normal through the completion of the first motif, and up to the last round of the second.  If your motifs connect with each other at one point, keep going until there's only one left, if they connect at two, leave two.  When you get to the pointiest part of the point, instead of working whatever stitch you'd usually do there, slip stitch to the corresponding point of the first motif and then continue to the end of the round (or the next point, as needed).  Each motif can be completed this way, always working until there are as many points to go as you need to fasten to the motifs that will be adjacent to the one you're working on.  Of course, you can fasten with the first few points instead of the last, but waiting as late as possible maintains the portability of each individual motif that little bit longer.

When the motifs you want to join have long, flat edges, crocheting them together after they're all done will keep your project easy to carry around right up until the very last step.  Decide whether you want to have the "seam" on the front of the work or the back.  If you want it on the front, hold the motifs lined up with their backs together; if you'd rather it was on the back, put them fronts together.  In either case, work a line of slip stitches by inserting your needle through one stitch from the edge of each motif; you can use both strands, or only the strands that are closest to each other, as you prefer.  The motifs should each have the same number of stitches on their edges, so just work across to fasten.

There are some other options for joining crochet motifs, of course, but they're hard to explain without pictures.  For example, for a lacy effect you could work a short chain-two or three stitches-from one motif to the next, zig-zagging between them along the edge that needs joining.  Or you could work double crochets along one motif's edge and catch stitches from the other edge as you go.  With a little ingenuity, you're sure to come up with a method that suits you and looks great!

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