Joining Strips with Single Crochet

A very simple way to join hairpin lace strips is with a single crochet stitch.  Our tutorial below shows a single crochet stitch joining one untwisted loop of each strip, however this could be varied to incorporate twisted loops or groups of loops to achieve an entirely different fabric.   (see Twisting the Loops and Working Groups of Loops).

To review crochet stitches:  Crochet Tutorial

Before starting this tutorial please review:  Positioning the Strips for Joining

For clarity, a different color yarn is used for joining strips in this tutorial.

	Attach yarn by inserting hook first through first loop on lower strip, then through first loop on upper strip.
	Draw the loop on the hook through the 2 hairpin lace loops. Ch 1.
	Insert hook through next lower loop then through next upper loop, keeping yarn behind strips.
	Sc through these loops.
	Repeat inserting the hook through the next set of loops and single crocheting them together, making sure to be consistent in the order in which loops are placed.  In the case of this example, the lower loop is always placed on the hook before the upper loop.  Each time you join a strip, you will need to make a determination on which strip will have its loops place on the hook first.  To learn about how to make this decision, read our discussion on Joining More than One Strip to Create a Fabric.
	Tie off after the last set of loops.  If you find that your strips are of slightly different length, see our tutorial   When Your Strips Aren't the Same Length.  Once all loops on the strip are secured, cut and remove the guide line - only remove the guide line once the loops from both sides of the fabric have been worked with an edge or a join.
	Notice that there is a definite difference between the side of the fabric where you worked the join and the opposite side.  Many patterns specify the right side of the fabric to be the side opposite the side where the join was worked.  (Picture shows join in middle with single crochet edging. See Edging Strips with Single Crochet for information on this technique.)

If you are joining more than 2 strips together to form a fabric, please review our tutorial:  Joining More than One Strip to Create a Fabric