How to Read a C2C Crochet Graph (Corner to Corner)

What each square means

In corner-to-corner crochet, often shortened to C2C, the blanket is built from small blocks called tiles. A graph shows one square for each tile, and its color tells you which yarn to use. A common tile is chain 3 and 3 double crochet, though patterns differ, so check yours.

Patterns using US terms write double crochet as dc and chain as ch. The Craft Yarn Council lists standard abbreviations if you meet one you do not know.

Start in one corner

You begin at a single corner, usually the bottom right or top left of the graph. The first tile is a single square. Every row after that adds one more tile than the one before, building a triangle that grows along the diagonal.

Diagonal rows: increasing, then decreasing

Rows run on the diagonal, not across. Row 1 has one tile, row 2 has two, row 3 has three, and so on. You increase by adding a tile at the end of each row until the piece reaches the full width of the project.

Once one side reaches the full width, you stop adding at that edge and begin decreasing, working the rows back down until the last tile sits in the opposite corner. On a rectangle, there is a stretch in the middle where the row length stays the same.

Color changes

A color change happens where the graph changes color. Finish the tile, then switch yarn on the last step so the new color starts the next tile. You can carry yarn behind for a single tile, but long gaps are better handled with separate balls or bobbins.

• Read each diagonal in the order you work it.
• Count the tiles of each color in a row before you start it.
• Mark finished rows on a printed copy.

Written instructions and blocking

Many patterns also give written row-by-row instructions, such as “Row 5: 2 tiles blue, 1 tile white, 2 tiles blue”. Treat them as a different way of showing the same graph, and check them against the picture if something looks off.

When the piece is done, weave in the ends and block it by wetting or steaming it lightly, shaping it flat and letting it dry. Blocking evens out the tiles and straightens the edges. Follow the care instructions on your yarn label.