If you celebrate Christmas, and you'd like to crochet a cozy Christmas afghan, here's some inspiration and a pattern recipe you are welcome to use. The photo above shows an example of an afghan you can make using my mix and match afghan squares. I've crocheted my sample afghan using several different techniques:
- Tapestry Crochet: This is a crochet technique for doing mid-row color changes. I've used this technique in all the afghan squares you see pictured.
- Cross Stitch on Crochet: I've used this technique to create the red backgrounds behind the Christmas trees in the Christmas tree squares pictured. Click here to see a work-in-progress photo.
- Surface Crochet: I've used this technique to finish the Christmas tree squares; there are surface crochet outlines around the Christmas trees, and also around the red cross-stitched background areas. Click here to see a work-in-progress picture of the surface crochet.
Basic Afghan Instructions:
Decide on the size you want to make your afghan. If you aren't sure how big to make it, you can do this by measuring a favorite blanket that's the right size; you could also measure your mattress, being sure to add a bit if you want the blanket to hang over the sides.
If you use the same gauge I did, each of your squares will measure 6.5 inches. With that in mind, divide your ideal blanket width by 6.5 inches; if the result is a fraction, round up or down to the nearest whole number. Write down the number.
Divide the length by 6.5 inches; if the result is a fraction, you'll have to round up or down to the next whole number. If you round up, the blanket will be somewhat bigger than your ideal measurement; if you round down, it will turn out somewhat smaller. Write down the number.
Multiply the two numbers together. Assuming your finished afghan squares all end up being 6.5 inches, this number will be an estimate of the total number of squares you need to crochet.
Double check what your actual finished measurements would be; do this by multiplying 6.5 by the number of rows in your afghan, and 6.5 by the number of columns in your afghan. If your afghan would turn out too big or too small, adjust the number of rows and / or columns as necessary.
If you would rather make your squares a different gauge, that's fine; just measure your first square and use that measurement as the basis for your calculations, instead of the 6.5 inches I've suggested above.
If you want to add an edging to your finished afghan, keep in mind that it will make the afghan a bit wider and longer. The additional length / width depends on the edging you choose.
Choose the squares you want to use, and crochet them using our free patterns and charts.
The photo above gives you one possible idea for how your afghan could look, but there are so many different possibilities. I've designed many different coordinating squares, all of which are the same size; you could make the same squares pictured above, but if you'd rather choose others, you could design your own patchwork afghan that's completely original and one of a kind.
Here are links to the charts and patterns I used for the squares above:
- Free crochet pattern for the Christmas tree afghan square (written instructions and photo.)
- Christmas tree afghan square colorwork chart
- Christmas tree afghan square cross stitch chart chart
- Chart for crocheting a Christmas checkerboard afghan square -- gold, green and red version; click here to see a picture of the finished checkerboard square.
- Chart for crocheting a Christmas checkerboard afghan square -- gold, red and green version; it's similar to the square linked above, but the red and green color positions are switched. I'm using these squares in alternate rows. Click here to see a picture of the finished checkerboard square.
Finishing the Christmas Afghan:
Whip stitch your squares together.
Choose an edging that will work well with your chosen design. I recommend using a simple edging to keep the design from getting too busy.
My edging is as basic as it gets; I worked three rounds of single crochet around the outer edge of my afghan; there are three single crochet stitches in each corner.
Share Pictures of Your Finished Afghan!
If you crochet this afghan, or for that matter, any of the free crochet patterns on our website, please join us in the crochet forum to share pictures of how it turned out! We'd love to see your work.
