We’ve made it to the final step of our Navigator Lapghan journey—joining all four panels together! 🎉 In this tutorial, we’ll be using the Crab Stitch Join, also known as the Reverse Single Crochet Stitch, to give our lapghan a beautiful, decorative edge with a sturdy finish. This technique adds a polished, textured border that truly makes the project feel complete!
Yarn & Materials
For the joining process, I used LoveCrafts Paintbox Yarn Simply Aran in Deep Sea Blue. This rich, deep shade beautifully contrasts the panels and adds a bold, finished look to the lapghan.
Supplies Needed:
Yarn: Paintbox Yarn Simply Aran - Deep Sea Blue
Crochet Hook: 5.0mm (H) or 5.5mm (I) (whichever you’ve been using for the project)
Scissors: Find a great pair here
Tapestry Needle: For weaving in ends Get one here
Measuring Tape: Useful for checking your joins are even Grab one here
What is the Crab Stitch?
The Crab Stitch, or Reverse Single Crochet Stitch, is exactly what it sounds like—a single crochet worked in reverse! Instead of crocheting from right to left (for right-handed crocheters), you’ll be working from left to right, which gives the stitches a twisted, rope-like effect. This technique is fantastic for adding structure and a polished edge to any crochet project!
A great stitch substitution is the Twisted Single Crochet Stitch where you twist your crochet hook like a helicopter. The stitches look the same but the Twisted Sc is worked forward not backward and might be a little easier.
Tips for a Smooth Join
✔️ Take Your Time: Working in reverse can feel awkward at first, but once you get the rhythm, it
becomes second nature.
✔️ Keep Tension Consistent: Too tight, and your seams may pucker; too loose, and they won’t hold well. ✔️ Practice First: If this is your first time using the Crab Stitch, try a small practice swatch before joining
your panels.
✔️ Block Your Lapghan: Blocking helps even out the seams and gives the lapghan a smooth, professional
finish.
Stitch Abbreviations
ch / Chain
st(s)/ Stitch(es)
sl st/ Slip Stitch
*. / Asterisk means repeat everything
after until you reach the next asterisk
Instructions For Joining The Panels Together
First thing you’re going to want to do is lay the panels out the way you think they will look best.
The order I’m choosing is:
Bonnie’s - Arrow Panel
My - Sc Cross Stitch Panel
Bonnie’s - Wavy Panel
My - Textured Stitch Panel
The second thing you will want to do is count the number of stitches that are along each side of the panels you will be joining together. This will help us to figure out if we need to make any decrease stitches and on which side we will want to make the decrease on.
To count, looking at the bottom corner of the arrow panel, you will not count the turning stitch of the corner. Look for the very first stitch along this side of the panel. Start counting. I’m going to be placing stitch markers every so many stitches to help me stay on track with my counting. It’s a huge bummer when you get off count and have to start all over again.
Counting stitches along the sc cross stitch panel. The corner has 3 sc. Only count the first st of that corner! Then begin your count! Use those stitch markers if they help!
Here is my stitch count for both sides I will be joining together. Let’s move to the next.
For the Wavy Stitch Panel, again, the corner has a chain 1, find the first sc st for this side and begin your count.
Last panel has 3 sc in the corner. Find the first st made in that corner and start your count.
Here’s the stitch count I got for the bottom of the sc cross stitch panel and the top of the wavy st panel. If you have a different stitch count than please go off of what you counted.
AND here’s the stitch count I got for the bottom of the wavy st panel and the top of the textured st panel. Again, if you got a different number of stitches please you the number You counted.
Now, let’s find out how many stitches we will need to decrease along each join.
Between the arrow panel and the sc cross st panel, I will need to decrease 9 stitches along the sc cross st panel to make it even.
Between the sc cross st panel and the wavy st panel. I will need to decrease 11 stitches along the top sc cross st panel to make it even.
And then lastly, I will need to decrease 6 stitches along the wavy st panel side to make it even.
Now that I know how many stitches I will need to decrease on which panel side I will remove all of the stitch markers I used to count my stitches and re-use those stitch markers to evenly place indicators where I will make my decreases. By evenly spreading out your decreases the work can lay smoothly. Grouping decreases will result in bunching or even warping.
I’m going to start joining my bottom 2 panels first. Using the same color yarn you used to make a border around each panel. In my case that’s the Deep Sea Blue color, and we are going to use the same crochet hook we used to make the panels.
Begin by slip stitching into the turning stitch of the bottom most panel just to attach the yarn to the project.
Next, insert your crochet hook under both loops of the next stitch from front to back. Find the first stitch (NOT the turning st) on the other panel. Insert your crochet hook from the back to the front under both loops. Yarn Over, pull all the way through. With 2 loops on your crochet hook, yarn over and pull through both loops. Walla, the crab st/reverse sc st. Repeat.
Once you get to that first decrease indicator, if the indicator is located on the top panel, here’s what your gonna do. Insert your crochet hook under both loops front to back of the first panel.
Insert crochet hook under both loops back to front of the next st on the top panel. Yarn over, only pull through the st of the top panel. Insert crochet hook under both loops back to front of the next st on the top panel. Yarn over, pull through, you will now pull 2 loops through the stitch of panel 1. This will leave you with 3 loops on your crochet hook. Yarn over, pull through all 3 loops on your crochet hook to complete this decrease stitch.
To end the join, we will make our last crab st in the last stitches along the sides make sure not to add any stitches in the middle turning st of the corner.
Next Join! Slip st into the corner middle turn st on the bottom panel to attach the yarn to the project. Make your crab stitch in the first stitch along both panels. Everything we do here will be the exact same as we did to join the first two panels together. Notice! The decrease indicators are again located in the top panel! Which means! When we reach the indicator, make that decrease crab stitch exactly the same way we did when joining panel 1 and panel 2 together.
To join Panel 3 and Panel 4 together the decrease indicators are located on the bottom panel here and the decrease stitch will be worked differently. Remember, the point of a decrease stitch is to make 2 stitch spaces into 1. As if you were deleting one stitch. Again, we will start by slip stitching into the corner turning st to attach the yarn to the project. Start working the join as normal.
When making your decrease crab st on the bottom panel, insert your crochet hook in the next stitch on panel one under both loops front to back. Insert crochet hook into the next st of panel 2 from back to front. Yarn over, pull yarn all the way through, yarn over and close stitch. Now, insert your crochet hook in the next stitch front to back. But what you will do differently here is insert your crochet hook back to front in the same st you just worked in on panel 2. Yarn over, pull yarn all the way through, Yarn over and close stitch. Now the two stitches on the bottom panel only used one stitch on the top panel. Let’s show that again.
Wrapping up our last join working this crab stitch in the last stitches on both panels. Look how clean that is! Loving this crab stitch join. I hope you are too.
Last thing we need to do is weave in all of our ends before jumping into the blanket border!
Where to Watch the Video Tutorial
Want to crochet along with me? You can watch the full step-by-step tutorial for the Crab Stitch Joining on my YouTube channel! Click the link below to get started:
Want The Left-Handed Version?
↓ Check this video out ↓
Check Out Bonnie's Videos
Right-Handed Version: https://youtu.be/QrKjPZdrkBU?si=tIMk88t2qGDSwPfy
Left-Handed Version: https://youtu.be/tL8c-QDiCU8?si=HZfOfSO6UbakPYj_
Where to Get the Pattern
You can find the full pattern for The Navigator Lapghan on my website! Click the link below to access it:
Share Your Finished Lapghan!
I’d LOVE to see how your Navigator Lapghan turned out! 🧶✨ Share your finished project on social media using #NavigatorLapghan and tag me @CrochetWithTiffany and Bonnie @BonnieBayCrochet so we can admire your hard work!
This has been such a rewarding collaboration, and I hope you’ve enjoyed making this lapghan as much as I have. Thank you for being part of this journey!
Happy Crocheting! 💙
—Tiffany
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