C2C Crochet (Corner to Corner). Complete guide. Tips and tricks

C2C Crochet

C2C is short for Corner to Corner, which means “from corner to corner” in English. With this exciting technique, we crochet squares diagonally, in an unusual direction: we start at one corner of the project and crochet diagonal rows until we reach the opposite corner.
It is an exciting technique that allows us to crochet and interpret thousands of pixelated or square patterns and create endless designs in our projects.
The result is beautiful! I love it, and it is ideal for drawing through crochet.

Here is a project I have in progress:

 

 

Examples of charts to crochet using C2C

 

We can crochet any grid chart, bearing in mind that the complexity of crocheting it will depend on:

• Number of squares (due to the size)
• Number of color changes (the more color changes, the more yarn balls we need to keep attached to and well organized in the project at the same time)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The possibilities of C2C

The possibilities for crocheting with this technique are endless. There are thousands and thousands of grid charts that we can crochet; we can also create our own charts on graph paper, or use any cross-stitch pattern and crochet it using C2C.
 

For example, we can draw:

• rows in different colors

• motif sequences

• images

 

Hook

For C2C, I recommend using the hook size recommended for the yarn you are going to use. Never use a larger one; if anything, use a smaller one, as we want the fabric to be dense, especially in the parts of the project where we hide another yarn while crocheting.

Yarn

As for the yarn to use, we can crochet with any material. However, keep these tips in mind for an ideal result:

 Combining yarns

It is very important that the yarns you combine in your project have the same thickness and texture. Use the same type of yarn in different colors. If we combine different materials in a project, the squares will not be uniform or the same size, and the finished project’s appearance will be seriously affected.

 Project size

Keep in mind that the size of your project will be determined by the combination of the number of squares and the thickness of your yarn. To achieve the dimensions you want, make a sample of several squares using yarn that you initially think might work well. Measure the resulting squares (your swatch) and calculate the final size by multiplying the number of squares. If your calculations show that it will be larger than you want, switch to a thinner yarn so that each square is smaller, and vice versa.

 Organize your yarn balls properly

If you use several colors in your project, we will see later that we will keep all the balls of yarn attached to the work (to minimize cutting and weaving in ends), so it is important to keep them untangled and well arranged at all times, because otherwise, a few rows later… Oh, what a mess! We will have knots and tangled yarn, and sorting it out will be very tedious.

How to read a chart

Once you have chosen the chart you are going to crochet, I recommend printing it first so you can cross off the rows as you go. We will consider each row to be the diagonal lines of the design, like this:

Keep in mind that you can start the chart from whichever corner you like. The result will be the same. I usually start from the bottom left, but the choice is yours.

Let’s crochet!

To work C2C, we will use chains, double crochet, and slip stitches. Check out our tutorials if you have any questions about how to make these stitches.

To illustrate this tutorial, we will work through this C2C chart:

First row

Our first row will be the first square in a corner:

1. Chain 6
2. In the fourth space from the hook, work 1 double crochet (leaving the usual 3 turning chains of a double crochet row free).
3. Work 1 double crochet in each of the remaining 2 chains, for a total of 3 double crochet stitches: our first square (3×3).

Increases. Our second row

Increases are necessary to grow by one square in width or length, as in the second row.

Our second row is one square wider and one square taller, so we need to increase both at the beginning and at the end of the row.

Our second row consists of two pink squares, so we need to change color. Basic color changes are made by closing the previous stitch with the new color.
In this case, we will close the double crochet of the first square (white) with yarn in the new color (pink).
Careful! Do not cut the white yarn.

1. INCREASE: Repeat the first square: Chain 6. In the fourth chain from the hook, work 1 double crochet. In each of the next 2 chains, work another double crochet (3 double crochet stitches total).
2. Join with a slip stitch to the first square, inserting the hook into the space formed by the last stitch of the previous square.
3. Chain 3, and inserting the hook into the same space where we made the slip stitch, work 3 double crochet stitches.

 

 

Row 3 (beginning)

The following increase rows (rows three and four) would be worked following the same steps explained for row two. Continuing the tutorial, we will illustrate step by step how to advance the project.

1) Our first square is pink, so continue with the same color, turn the work, and increase:

INCREASE: Chain 6. In the fourth chain from the hook, work a double crochet. Work another double crochet into each of the next two chains (3 double crochets total).

2) Join with a slip stitch to the square on its left by inserting the hook into the space formed by the double crochet of the previous square. But watch out! Since the next square will be white, close the slip stitch with the new color (white).. To do this, bring over the white strand we left loose earlier, attached to the work.

3) We make the white square (chain 3, and inserting the hook into the same space where we made the slip stitch, make 3 double crochets). As you work the double crochets, hide the white strand coming from the left along the bottom of the stitches (as we crochet using the tapestry technique). Do this as follows: when inserting the hook into the space, place the strand you want to hide on top of the hook.

Color changes

To change colors, we could cut the yarn with every change, but by the end of a project we would have countless ends to sew in and tidy up, which is very tedious. That is why we reuse the strands we left loose earlier to continue working.

Here are some tips to minimize cutting and weaving in ends when changing colors:

 Do not cut
For now, do not cut the strand when you change color. Leave it hanging, and on the next round you will see whether you can reuse it instead of cutting it. The more strands you reuse, the firmer the fabric will be, and the less work it will be for you to weave in all the cut ends at the end.

 Only reuse strands coming from your left
When you are crocheting a row and need to change color, reuse the strand from the previous row in that color only if it is on your left, so you can hide it as explained earlier using the tapestry technique. If you bring it from the right, you cannot hide it this way, and a strand will cross through the middle of the design.

 If you cannot reuse a previous strand
If we need to change color and have no strand to reuse from the previous row (of that color and on our left), start a new ball or cut off part of the ball in that color and make a new ball.

 Keep the balls organized
As you have seen, we may have several balls of the same color attached to the work, along with other balls in the remaining colors, so it is important to keep all the balls and strands well organized, in place, and untangled.

 Weave in the cut yarn ends
When you finish the piece, weave in all the cut yarn ends securely, tighten the knots, and use a yarn needle to sew in the fifteen centimeters of excess yarn from each cut strand. I hope these tips help keep finishing work to a minimum!

Row 3 (finish)

4) Work the white square, hiding the yarn tail as explained above.
5) Join with a slip stitch to the next square, closing it with yarn in the new color (pink), and work the pink square, closing the last double crochet with white because the first square of the next row will be white.

Row 4

Turn the work and work the entire fourth row in white in the same way.

1. Square of INCREASE: Chain 6. In the fourth chain from the hook, work a double crochet. Work another double crochet in each of the next two chains (3 double crochets in total). Join with a slip stitch.
2. Three basic squares (chain 3, then insert the hook into the same space where you made the slip stitch and work 3 double crochets). Join each square to the one on its left with a slip stitch (except the last one).

Decreases. Our fifth row

To decrease the width or length, do the following: work 3 slip stitches over the 3 stitches of the previous square (instead of working a square).

To make our fifth row, at the beginning we can see that we are no longer increasing the width; we are now working upward. So we will make a decrease.

1. Turn the work and make 3 slip stitches over the double crochet stitches of the last square in the previous row (close the last slip stitch in pink because the next square to be worked will be pink). You can see that we have worked the edge instead of a square.
2. Work a basic square in pink. Join with a slip stitch. Work a square in gray. Join with a slip stitch. Work a square in pink. Join with a slip stitch.
3. To decrease at the end of a row, we don’t need to do anything special. Simply, the last square is joined with a slip stitch instead of making an extra one as before, which we left unattached.

Row 6

We now know how to make our sixth row.

1. DECREASE: Three slip stitches.
2. Two basic squares in pink joined with a slip stitch to the one on their left.

 

Row 7

To make our seventh row (which is the last square):

1. DECREASE: three slip stitches (close the last one in white).
2. Basic square in white. Join with a slip stitch.
3. We cut the yarn and finish off the piece.

 

I hope you enjoyed and learned from this guide. Now put everything you’ve learned about corner-to-corner crochet into practice!