Free Nordic Winter Afghan C2C CAL | Crochet Christmas Blanket Crochet Along
Join the fun as we make a beautiful C2C crochet Christmas blanket! This afghan will become an heirloom that your family will cherish, year after year.
As a child, I remember my mom pulling out the Christmas decorations each winter. My eyes would fill with such wonder as ornaments, Santa figurines, the Nativity set, and comfy crocheted holiday blankets were pulled out of boxes that had been hidden away during the year. My siblings and I would fight over who got to set up the Nativity scene and who would get to hide the little elf dolls on the tree— you know, those Elf on a Shelf elves that were around BEFORE the now mainstream Elf came to the scene. Many of these Christmas decorations had belonged to my mother for her whole adult life, and some were even passed down to her from her mother. I get nostalgic thinking about those memories and heirlooms.
Now as an adult, I am realizing that I want my kids to have those same feelings when I pull out my Christmas decoration. I want them to stand in awe at the heirlooms and special pieces year after year. And in order to do that, I need to curate my decorations, collect the heirlooms that have been passed down and even create my OWN heirlooms that they will one day feel nostalgic about each Christmas.
Enter, the Nordic Winter Afghan C2C CAL. I dreamed up the idea for this C2C crochet Christmas blanket in the middle of the night when I was nursing my newborn baby. I wanted to collaborate with different crochet designers to create a holiday heirloom. I couldn’t shake the idea, and I am SO excited to be presenting it to my crochet community this winter! Thank you for joining.
What is a Crochet Along?
Perhaps you have never participated in a Crochet Along before and you may be wondering what in the world I am talking about. A Crochet Along (CAL) is essentially an event where you crochet along with other people creating the same project. A each part of the pattern is released bit by bit, and you work at the same pace as other participants.
How it will work.
For this CAL, I have partnered with 10 other crochet designers to create the pattern for this C2C crochet Christmas blanket. Each square in the CAL will be released each on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday throughout the month of November. The first week in December will be devoted to assembly and borders, etc.
I will send out an email to the CAL participants to announce the release of each new design, or you can simply come to this page, scroll to the bottom, and click on the new design. You will be directed to that designer’s blog in blog hop fashion and you will have access to the FREE chart for that square.
After grabbing each new chart, make sure you hop on over to the Juniper & Oakes Crochet Community. You can ask questions, post pictures of your WIPs and finished squares, and enter to win the giveaway prize. It will be a lot of fun! If you don’t have Facebook, you can still participate in the CAL by creating your squares on your own. Definitely post pictures and share about the CAL on any social media you have. Be sure to tag me @juniperandoakes (& tag the designer of that particular square too) and use #NordicWinterC2CCAL so we can see your progress.
If you would prefer to have the written instructions you can purchase the full ebook with includes all the charts and written instructions for each square in the C2C crochet Christmas blanket. An added benefit of purchasing the ebook is you have the pattern for the whole blanket all at once and do not have to wait for the new design to be released.
Don’t miss an update.
I will be sending out an email each time a new design is released. Even if you receive my normal email newsletter, be sure you sign up below to receive the CAL emails so you don’t miss out on anything new! You will be the first to be notified of the next part of the CAL or any other news. Sign up now!
The Designers
I have teamed up with 10 other designers to bring you 12 different square to complete this C2C crochet Christmas blanket. The other designers are Helen from Sunflower Cottage Crochet, Miranda from Hecka Tesdal, Tasha from Stardust Gold Crochet, Joanna from High Desert Yarn, Christina from Creative Snugglies Designs, Claire from E’Claire Makery, Shannon from The Loophole Fox, Raffaella from Raffamusa Designs, Veronica from Blue Star Crochet, and Lisa Fox from Green Fox Farms Designs. I am so excited to be working with these designers. If you aren’t familiar with their work, go ahead and get to know them by browsing their website and social media. Be sure to show them some love and follow them on all their platforms.
Inspiration from Your Fellow Crocheters
Did you know that this is the second time we’re running the Nordic Winter Afghan CAL? We had so much fun back in 2021 that we’re doing it again! Here you can see several of the beautiful C2C crochet Christmas blankets completed the first time around. I love seeing all the different ways people interpreted this pattern!
The Schedule
Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in November a new C2C crochet square will be released. In the first week in December, we’ll border and join the squares, then add a border to the blanket. This project is a bit time consuming, but there will be time to catch up over the weekends. Here is the plan for all of you detailed planners out there.
- November 4 – Nordic Star by Juniper & Oakes
- November 6 – Christmas Tree by Sunflower Cottage Crochet
- November 8 – Snowflake by Hecka Tesdal
- November 11 – Nordic Vines by Stardust Gold Crochet
- November 13 – Skadi Pattern by High Desert Yarn
- November 15 – Nordic House by Juniper & Oakes
- November 18 – Angel by Creative Snugglies Designs
- November 20 – Reindeer Silhouette by E’Claire Makery
- November 22 – Reindeer Head by the Loophole Fox
- November 25 – Christmas Bells by Raffamusa Designs
- November 27 – Nordic Bird by Blue Star Crochet
- November 29 – Nordic Snowfall by Green Fox Farms Designs
- December 2 – Border Around Squares
- December 4 – Joining Squares
- December 6 – Blanket Border
The blanket does not have to be assembled in the order the squares were created. Feel free to mix up the order so the blanket looks how you’d like.
If you don’t want to wait for the next part of the CAL to be released and you want all the parts RIGHT NOW, you can purchase the ebook. Not only will you have instant access to all of the charts for each blanket square, you will also get the written instructions as well. I don’t know about you, but I think it is easier and faster to follow the written instructions.
You can use the coupon code REVAMP2024 to get 20% off the eBook through Dec 31, 2024. If you want the eBook, make sure to grab that deal now!
How big will my blanket be?
Such a good question! The answer will depend on many factors: yarn, hook, tension, etc.
FYI, each design is 25×25 boxes, and the final blanket will be 75×100 boxes.
You can get a good estimate at the size of your blanket by using this C2C calculator by Tasha at Stardust Gold Crochet. All you have to do a crochet a swatch of four rows of C2C stitches using your yarn and hook of choice. Then fill out the calculator at the bottom of that linked page and it’ll tell you how big your blanket will be.
The Yarn: Worsted
WeCrochet Swish Worsted (110y, 50g, 100% wool) or other light worsted yarn in two colors
Main Color: White
Contrast Color: Serrano
Swish is 100% Fine Superwash Merino Wool. It is so soft and squishy and I know it will make such a cozy blanket that I’ll keep grabbing every winter. I am also excited that it is machine washable and dryer-friendly! The main color is White, and the contrast color is Serrano, a bright, festive, holiday red.
Get All the yarn You Need in a Bundle!
This yarn is also available in a bundle from WeCrochet! The bundle includes all of the yarn (36 skeins of Swish Worsted in total) needed to complete the C2C Nordic Winter Afghan in the same yarn and colors as mine.
The Hook: 5mm
I used a H/5.00 mm Red & Nickel Odyssey hook from Furls Crochet to make my blanket. Furls sent me this hook for me to use for my holiday projects. It helps me feel festive as I work up my squares. This hook feels so good in my hands and the yarn slides easily across the nickel. Unfortunately this specific hook is no longer being made, but you can shop similar.
You don’t have to use an H hook. I usually use a J, but wanted to try something smaller for this blanket so my finished project wouldn’t get too large! Be sure to make a swatch using the yarn and hook of your choice, and use the calculator above so you are not surprised by the size of your blanket.
What is C2C?
I have written this whole post with the assumption that you all know what C2C means. C2C stands for “Corner to Corner.” It is a crochet technique were you work diagonally creating tiny squares or pixels.
Click here for my youtube playlist on C2C basics.
The traditional C2C stitch consists of a ch 2 + 3 dc to form one C2C pixel, and each increase is ch 6 + 3 dc. To make my blanket a more manageable size, I used ch 2 and 3 hdc for each pixel, where each increase was ch 5 + 3 hdc.
Watch my video on C2C using half-double crochet
Crochet Colorwork with C2C can be a bit complicated, so watch this video for some tips
Pattern for the nordic c2C Crochet Christmas Blanket
As mentioned earlier, the free charts for each blanket square will be released slowly over the next couple months, but if you would like the complete blanket pattern today, purchase the ebook now! The ebook includes charts AND written instructions for each square, plus pictures and video tutorials on C2C crochet, instructions on joining the squares, and how to add a border.
Click on each of the images of the blanket squares below to access the free chart.
Square 1
Nordic Star by Juniper & Oakes
Square 2
Nordic Christmas Tree by Sunflower Cottage Crochet
Square 3
Snowflake by Hecka Tesdal
Square 4
Nordic Vines by Stardust Crochet
Square 5
Skadi Pattern by High Desert Yarn
Square 6
Nordic House by Juniper & Oakes
Square 7
Angel by Creative Snugglies Designs
Square 8
Reindeer Crossing by E’Claire Makery
Square 9
Reindeer Silhouette by The Loophole Fox
Square 10
Christmas Bells by Raffamusa Designs
Square 11
Nordic Bird by Blue Star Crochet
Square 12
Nordic Snowfall by Green Fox Farms Designs
Border around Squares
Crochet a hdc border around each square
Joining Squares
Slip Stitch Crochet Blanket Join
Border
Bobble Border for Crochet Blanket
Ready, Set…
OK! Now that you know the plan and all the details, go get your yarn and your hook ready, because the fun will start on November 4!
Action Items:
Subscribe to the CAL newsletter
Gather your yarn and hook
Get excited for the CAL to begin on Nov 4!
The Fine Print
This pattern and its images are the property of Juniper and Oakes ©2021. The pattern is for your personal use only. Please do not copy/paste, distribute, or alter and claim as your own. You may sell products made by this pattern, but please credit @juniperandoakes and remember to link back to juniperandoakes.com or credit Juniper & Oakes on the craft fair tag.
If you make this pattern, please email a picture to [email protected] and I will include it in a gallery on my website.You may post pictures on social media and tag @juniperandoakes and use the hashtag #juniperandoakes and #jaocozycabledbeanie and #jaocables. You can also post pictures on my Facebook Page, or in the Juniper + Oakes Crochet Community Facebook Group.
Let me know if you run into a problem. I respond quickly and will help any way I can to clarify any confusion or challenging stitches.
looking forward to this!
Thank you for being part of the CAL!
Hi,
I purchased the ebook for the C2C Nordic crochet pattern on Nov 4th but I can’t find a link to open and save it, so would be so glad if you would email me a link.
Thank you,
Ann
Hi Ann, Thank you for your purchase. I see that you’ve gotten access to the CAL. Please email me at [email protected] if you continue having any issues. Happy Crocheting!
Hi I can’t find the reindeer head free chart as per your email today!
Please help!