Join-as-you-go: Hexagon

I love this way of joining hexagons together and I loved using it to make my Hettie Hexagon Blanket. It completely did away with any fear of ending up with a massive pile of hexagons, and no will left to join them together. The blanket grew as and when the hexagons were made, a much more relaxed way of doing things.
  

For the purposes of this tutorial I have used the hexagons that make up my Hettie Hexagon Blanket. You can find a separate tutorial showing you how to make them here.
 
You will need:
Hexagons to join together
 Crochet hook
Scissors
Darning needle
 
Stitches used (UK Terms):
ch - chain
dc - double crochet
tr3tog - treble three together (or three-treble cluster)
(for a more detailed explanation of how to tr3tog, see my Granny Hexagon Tutorial)

Here's how to do it....

Your first hexagon needs to be completed to the size you wish all your finished hexagons to be. Mine are finished after five rounds. The second, and subsequent hexagons, need to be finished up to one round less than this, for me this is round four. The fifth (last) round of these hexagons will be completed and the hexagons joined together at the same time.
 
 
Start with your incomplete hexagon...
 
 
Complete the first side of the fifth (or last) round of your hexagon, it should look like this:
 
 
Ch3, then work (tr3tog, ch1) into the corner.
 
 
 
Take your completed hexagon and place it wrong side down, in front of the hexagon you are working from. 
 

Above is a visual guide to show how the hexagons will be joined. Working from right to left, starting with the 2dc into the corner of the completed hexagon, and working from one hexagon to the other. You can see how the ch3 in between each tr3tog of the final round of the hexagon is replaced by a 3dc into the hexagon you are joining to.
 
We'll go through it step by step too!...
 
2dc into the corner of your completed hexagon.
 
 
 
tr3tog into the corner space of the incomplete hexagon.
 
 
 
3dc into the next space along in your completed hexagon.
 
 
tr3tog into the next space along in your incomplete hexagon.
 
 
 
3dc into the next space along in your completed hexagon.
 
 
tr3tog into the next space along in your incomplete hexagon.
 
 
3dc into the next space along in your completed hexagon.
 
 
 
Work your way along in this fashion, alternating between hexagons, until the next space you need to work into is the corner space of your incomplete hexagon.
  
 
tr3tog into this space.
 
 
2dc into the corner space of your completed hexagon.
 
 
Then ch1.
 
 
Your hexagons are now joined!
 
 
Continue round the hexagon that needs completing, start by working a tr3tog into the corner space.
 
 
Then continue round in pattern.
 
 
Join with a ss to your first tr2tog, fasten off and admire your lovely, flat, neat, easy join.
 
 
When joining hexagons to your growing blanket, most of the time you will have to join more than one side, meaning you will need to turn a corner.
 
 
Complete and join the first side as above, working from right to left.
 
 
When you reach the corner, you will notice there are two spaces to be worked into. To keep things simple, I always work 2dc into each space. Work the first 2dc into this space here:
 
 
And the second here:
 
 
Continue joining the next side, starting with a tr3tog into the corner space of your incomplete hexagon.
 
 
And working along the sides of both hexagons as above.
 
 
Once joined, complete your hexagon as before.
 
 
The front of your hexagons should have a lovely, neat, flat join.
 
 
And the reverse, a neat ridge formed by the double crochet stitches.
 
 
Then carry on joining....
 
xx

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