Reindeer C2C Crochet Square
Inspired by dreams of hearing reindeer on the rooftops as a kid, this C2C Christmas blanket square came to life. Stay warm and cozy this holiday season with the Nordic Afghan CAL, which features this C2C square as Square 9 of 12.
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Inspiration and Design for this C2C Christmas Blanket Square
When Erin of Juniper and Oakes asked for square designs for a Nordic themed C2C Christmas Blanket, I immediately thought of reindeer. Well, more specifically, I thought of a red and white Christmas sweater my old boss would wear during the holidays that featured Reindeer. It had little white reindeer marching across the sweater, lined by beautiful Nordic style stars and vines.
I loved reindeer when I was a kid and, when I was young enough to still believe in Santa, I used to lay as silent as I could in my bed to hopefully catch the sound of reindeer on our roof. Alas, I always fell asleep before Santa and his reindeer came… Surprise, surprise!
When deciding on an image for the C2C Christmas Blanket, I knew it had to be a reindeer. I wanted it to be cute, striking and, of course, feature hidden hearts as is often found in Nordic styles. You can see one of the hidden hearts in the space between the antlers and another, smaller one as the nose.
While I strayed a little bit from the Nordic theme (as usually the Reindeer are shown full bodied and from the side), I absolutely love the square and kept the heart and honor of Nordic Styles with the hidden hearts and the zig zagged border. It fits in perfectly with the other 11 squares of the Nordic C2C Christmas Blanket, I’m sure you’ll love all of them!
Nordic C2C Christmas Blanket CAL
The absolutely lovely Erin of Juniper and Oakes was the brains and leader behind this amazing CAL (crochet-a-long) that ran from October 4, 2021 through November 2021. 11 different designers, including Erin, teamed up to design one 25 x 25 blocks C2C square each to create a winter and Nordic themed afghan. There are 12 total squares that, when seamed together, create a beautiful Christmas blanket.
While this CAL has ended, don’t fret! You can still create your own beautiful C2C Christmas Blanket using the free square graphs the designers have posted or, you can purchase the eBook which has all 12 squares in one document and help support the designers who helped make this lovely Christmas blanket pattern possible.
Looking for a PDF of this C2C blanket square?
The PDF version of this C2C Christmas themed blanket square is only available in the CAL eBook.
The eBook for this Nordic themed C2C Christmas Blanket includes:
- all 12 square designs
- cheat sheets for working half double crochet C2C
- links to video tutorials
- written instructions
- how to join the squares
- the border
- information on each designer.
You can’t go wrong purchasing the eBook and that’s why I’ve decided to only release the PDF version of my C2C Christmas blanket square within it. You’ll receive so much more for your money by purchasing the entire eBook versus my pattern separately, you’ll have all the squares and information needed to finish your afghan and, you’ll help support the designers who made this free CAL possible!
All About the Yarn
Of course, what’s a crochet project without the yarn? Erin was lovely enough to arrange yarn support for all of the designers from We Crochet. A big thank you to We Crochet for providing us with the lovely Swish Worsted!
I actually used We Crochet’s Swish Bulky just prior to receiving the Swish Worsted as yarn support. I loved it immediately and was so happy to hear Erin ordered us Swish Worsted! This yarn is so soft and has a little bit of a “spring” to it, which makes it great for your stitches as they settle after being worked.
The best part about this yarn is that it is 100% Fine Superwash Merino Wool – which means it’s machine washable! I know! For things that need as much softness and as much washing as afghans, you can’t go wrong with We Crochet’s Swish.
We used colorways White and Serrano (red) for all of our designs. What colors would you use for your C2C Christmas Blanket?
To make one entire blanket following all of the squares in this CAL, you should use approximately 2000 yards in each color of yarn. This may be different depending on your tension, whether or not you carry yarn and for how long, how long your ends are when you trim your yarn, etc. Please be aware that this yarn usage requirement is approximate and there are many variables that can have you using more or less yarn.
These squares were designed using half double crochet C2C, which is a slightly smaller variation of the standard double crochet C2C most people know and love. You certainly can use the double crochet C2C version, but you will have a much larger blanket and you will use quite a bit more yarn than if you use the half double crochet version.
If you decide to substitute the yarn, I would recommend finding another washable yarn in a Medium (4) worsted range, such as Lion Brand Basic Stitch.
Tools and Notions
To crochet this C2C Christmas Blanket, you’ll of course need a crochet hook! I used my favorite 5mm Furls Crochet Hook.
Throughout the CAL you may see different designers using different hooks for their squares. Each designer chose a hook that felt best to them. You will want to choose one hook and stick with that size throughout all of the squares. Each designers specific tension and hook choice will not matter in terms of gauge, as they are all created using the same method and number of blocks. This means your chosen hook size and tension will be perfect for all the squares.
You will also want to have some yarn bobbins. I use these bobbins from We Crochet. They’re super sturdy and make working with several colors so much easier!
You will also need a tapestry needle to weave in your ends and some stitch markers, just in case!
What about Gauge?
Guess what? For this C2C Christmas Blanket CAL, YOUR gauge is what matters. Yep, I said it!
I would recommend testing out your yarn with a couple different hook sizes to see which creates the C2C stitch work the way that you feel looks best. Then, once you’ve done so, go ahead with that hook for all of your squares!
For reference, with my tension, a 5mm hook and Swish Worsted yarn, my square ended up being approximately 12 inches x 12 inches unblocked and without a border.
Pattern Notes
- This pattern is a C2C (corner to corner) graph. This is a stitch/construction technique that builds a square or rectangle starting from the corner, and builds off of itself in blocks.
- If you’re brand new to C2C, I highly recommend checking out this beginners tutorial by Marly Bird on Youtube.
- In this tutorial, she shows you how to C2C using half double crochets, which is what we’ve used in our blocks. She does use a chain 3 to begin each square. We used a chain 2.
- This pattern assumes you know how to work this technique as well as how to read a graph. There are no written instructions on this free pattern. If you’d like a version of the pattern that has written instructions as well as tutorials on how to C2C crochet, I recommend grabbing the eBook which has this design and 11 other crochet square designs.
- To increase, chain 5. Work 1 half double crochet in the 3rd chain from the hook and 1 half double crochet in the remaining 2 chains.
- To begin a new square in the row, chain 2 then work 3 half double crochets in the chain 2 from the block below.
Materials & Tools for this specific C2C Christmas Blanket Square
Yarn Usage
- Swish Worsted in colorway White: 2.8 oz/ 80g/ 176 yards (about 1.5 skeins)
- Swish Worsted in colorway Serrano (red): 1.7 oz/ 50g/ 117 yards (Just about used an entire skein)
Tools
- 5 mm hook – Check out my favorite crochet hooks!
- 3-4 yarn bobbins – I love these!
- Stitch markers
- Tapestry Needle
Reindeer Silhouette C2C Graph
Want all 12 C2C Christmas Blanket squares in one place?
I’d absolutely lose one of the patterns if left to my own devices! I’m also not the most patient when it comes to waiting to crochet something, so I love eBooks! If you’re like me, I highly recommend checking out the eBook. Here’s why:
The eBook is the only place you’ll find a PDF version of this pattern with the graph, written instructions, links to tutorials and all of the other C2C Christmas blanket squares. You’ll receive everything you need in one document. Easy peasy!
That’s it! I hope you love your Reindeer Silhouette C2C Square and I hope you love participating in the Nordic Afghan CAL by Juniper and Oakes. Happy Holidays!
Don’t forget to join my Facebook Group so we can chat all about your creations! We are a group for crocheters of all experiences, all interests and love to hang out together. Come join the fun!
Shannon | Designer & Editor
Shannon helps crocheters find their next project and build their skills with in depth tutorials and crochet patterns on her blog, theloopholefox.com.
With more than a decade of crochet experience, Shannon knows that understanding why we do something matters just as much as how we do it. She teaches new techniques and crochet stitches in depth so you can crochet with confidence.
Looking for more crochet blanket squares?
You can check out the Friendship Blanket CAL. While the crochet a long is over, the blanket squares are still available and they’re gorgeous!
You can also check out my Marguerite Square, which was an included square in the Charity Cozy Fall Blanket CAL.
