How to C2C Crochet - FREE resources

I've been selling c2c, or corner to corner patterns for over a year now. Everything started when I designed my first corner to corner blanket and listed the pattern on Etsy. I had a few sales rolling in, and then as the pattern got picked up by other websites, it started to skyrocket! I loved c2c blankets and decided then and there to expand my inventory of designs and have now (Aug 2019) published over 30 patterns available on my Etsy!
However, my C2C blanket patterns all assume that you have a basic knowledge of how c2c patterns are written. Occasionally, I get a private message from a buyer saying "I don't understand the pattern!" or "the pattern doesn't say what stitch is used!". And I wanted to have a central location to answer those questions and help those attempting some of my more difficult designs.

The first thing you should know...

Is that c2c is NOT difficult to learn!!! It is a simple technique that you apply color changes to make fancy designs. The technique is done by starting from one corner, working diagonally, and increases and decreases form the rectangle shape of the blanket.

Here are some fantastic resources to help you learn the technique:

These two videos (both by The Crochet Crowd) are fantastic resources covering most aspects of C2C




Here is a great video resource for changing colors:



Here is a great video for how to carry your yarn (Saves time weaving in 100's of tails at the end)



How to read the free graphs and paid written instructions:


Having trouble getting past the corner in the written pattern?

The way the patterns are written makes it difficult to place the "corner" text, since you could be creating the corner at the end of that row, or at the beginning of the row, depending on the direction of the specific row you are working on.
In general, I highly recommend you use the graph to help you see whether you are beginning the row with the corner, or ending the row with the corner.
HOWEVER, I have found that if the "corner" appears after an EVEN ROW NUMBER, the actual corner block was formed at the beginning of that EVEN row #. This means you will begin decreasing on that edge once you GET BACK to that same corner at the end of the next row.
If the "corner" appears after an ODD ROW NUMBER, the actual corner is formed at the end of THAT ROW, and you begin decreasing on that same corner immediately after you complete that ODD row #.

I know that might seem tricky, but I promise you can make it through if you follow the graph along with the written instructions.

Any other questions?

I hope that this resource guide has been helpful. If you think of other questions, please feel free to shoot me an email at LivingTheCraftLife (at) Gmail (dot) com or send me a DM on Instagram,  Facebook, or ETSY!

Blanket Edging

I got a request from a nice local lady to put a crochet edge on her fleece blankets. She just wanted something simple, but cute. This is what I came up with!

When she came to pick it up, she loved it so much that she gave me three MORE blankets to do!

They all looked so cute with the same variegated yarn, it matched all three fabrics perfectly!

Pattern:
First row:
Create a foundation row through the blanket. I did (sc, ch1) all the way around. You can add more chains depending on how close you want your blanket stitches to be. sl st with first ch.
Second row:
Ch 1 and sc in same st. 1sc in next 2 sts, *ch 3, sk 2, 1 sc in next 5 sts, repeat from * around. sl st with first sc. Ending this row can be difficult because you never really know how many stitches you made around the entire blanket. What I found to be effective is, once you get to the last 15 or so stitches, see how close you are to making the join perfectly even (that is, having the pattern of 5sc, sk 2, finish off evenly), and if you need to make some adjustments, the best one I found is to do 4sc instead of 5sc for as many of those 5sc groups it takes to work out evenly.
Third row:
ch 1 and sc in same st. *7 dc in ch3-space, sk 2 sc, 1sc in next st (this should be the middle of the 5sc), repeat from * around. Fasten off. If you had to make some 4sc instead of 5sc groups, just alternate placing the 1sc in the 2nd and 3rd sc of the 5sc group. It should look fine!

Seamless Stripes in Double Crochet

Okay, so I was working on a project and noticed the huge gaps that exposed where my seam was. I knew there had to be a way around this ugly mess, so I went and tested out various methods to hide the double crochet seam, especially when doing stripes, or continual color changes. I came across this tutorial:
http://sarahlondon.wordpress.com/2009/08/10/seamless-symmetrical/
Which explained very nicely how to hide your seams by cutting and starting over. However, with my method, you do not need to cut, and your seam will be completely invisible. Not convinced? Check out the following photos:

The left photo shows the exposed seam. See how the gaping holes kind of curve around the project? It's hideous! You can see exactly where I joined!

So I searched online forums and tutorials on how to join. I tried a few of the suggestions...

1. Don't count the starting chain as a stitch. In essence, you chain 2, then double crochet in the same stitch (but not through the slip stitch), and form the first double crochet that way. This is the result:

Yes, the holes are mostly gone, but there is still an ugly line from the slip stitches. the seam is still visible!!!

2. Slip stitch through the back loop only. I came across this one looking through "how to join rows" instructions. They say you should slip stitch through the back loop  and top of the chain before it. I know it may sound confusing, and it kind of is:

I'm still making progress, the gap is hardly visible, but you can still see the slip stitches and only doing it through the back loop made horizontal bumps from the left over loop. And the chain looks a little mangled.

3. Take out the crochet hook and pull the loop that was on the hook through the stitch you want to join. I didn't find any tutorials on how to do this, especially with changing colors, so I made it up as I went:

Check out that seam.... Or can you?

I feel like I've struck gold!!! No more hideous seams!!

Here's how to do it.

Lesson in Diagonals

So, I have a lot of projects in the works right now, one of which involves using a diagonal edge (or triangle shape). I understood the concept, decrease at the beginning and end of each row, but it just didn't look right at all:

The edges are very bumpy and not a nice clean diagonal.

So I went to work, reinventing the diagonal.

I searched online and could not find a tutorial of any kind on how to make a diagonal in double crochet. I found one in single crochet, but let's face it, single crochet takes too long!

I then discovered a simple trick to make a nice clean straight diagonal line working in rows:

Here is the BIG secret:

At the beginning of the row, you ch 1 (instead of 2). Then you double crochet across the entire row, except the last two, which you do a double crochet decrease.

That's all there is to it! and you just repeat that and it gives you a NICE looking diagonal!