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Resurrection Afghan - Part IV

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Granny Square Repair!
A Step-by-Step Tutorial

If you have been following the Resurrection Afghan, you have learned how to match yarn in Part II and how to repair seams in Part III.  The next step is repairing the 132 squares.  Most of the grannies are still intact, however, there are a few that have lost their centers or are literally hanging on by a thread.

Squares like the one pictured below still have all of their stitches and yarn in place.  They only need to be strengthened to keep them together for the next family generation.  For these I simply ran a strand of yarn through the top of the stitches to give them extra support.  If you look closely, you can see the support strand in the second round.



More challenging are the squares that are missing the entire center.  Here is how I repaired even the most deteriorated squares.
(Note: the following instruction is based on right-handed crochet.  If you are left-handed, you will need to complete the steps in the opposite direction.) 

1. The first step is remove the damaged stitches and choose the yarn you will use to create the new ones.
2. Using a yarn needle, run the new yarn in the opposite direction of the new stitches (if you crochet right to left the yarn goes in left to right) through the bottom openings of the previous round.
3. Make a granny square insert in the proper yarn and hook for the project.  We found in Part II that this project uses a size F hook and size 2 yarn.  The insert should be on round short of the total rounds needed for the repair.  The squares in this blanket were made with ch1 spaces on the sides of the square and ch2 spaces in the corners.

4. Crocheting with the end of the yarn strand, slip stitch to the first corner of your insert.  Ch 3, 2 dc, in the same space.  Ch 1 and remove hook from the ch.  Insert the hook from the left into the bottom of the previous row stitches.  Pick up the dropped stitch and pull through as shown below.
 5. Continue to crochet the granny square, pulling the ch spaces through the previous row as shown above.  You will need to continuously feed the yarn through the unworked stitches as you crochet around the square.  When making the corners, be sure to pull the ch2 through all six dc of the previous round (see above).


 6. When you have reached the beginning of the round, pull the last ch 2 through the last corner and join with a slip stitch to complete the repaired round.

All done!  This technique creates a seamless repair that will last for many years to come.  Even better, when done in the right yarn and gauge, no one will even know it was not original :)

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