How to Corner to Corner (C2C) in Half Double Crochet (HDC) – Photo Tutorial

How to Corner to Corner (C2C) in Half Double Crochet (HDC) with photo tutorial – an easy crochet stitch pattern suitable for a confident beginner.

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When I first hopped on the Corner to Corner (C2C) train, I kept to working in double crochet, but last year, I received a lot of requests for washcloths worked in half double crochet, which makes for a more functional washcloth, so I started working on some projects. I’m going to show you a little further C2C in double crochet versus half double crochet.

For this tutorial, I am using Lily Sugar n Cream in Hot Green, and an H8/5mm hook, and I will be working a rectangle that is 7 boxes wide by 9 boxes in length.

My nails are Color Street in Oslo and Steady.

I am not creating anything new here, but I did take the time to take the photos, edit them, and put this tutorial together, so please respect my work. Do not pin or share any of the tutorial images – just the main photo. Provide the link for others to find my page (help out me and my blog with the traffic). Do not copy and paste my work anywhere. Thank you!

What is Corner to Corner?

Corner to Corner (abbreviated as C2C) is a pattern built on boxes that are worked diagonally, and stacked on top of each other. You begin with the far bottom corner, and one box, then the next row is worked diagonally on top of that with two boxes, then the next row is worked diagonally on top of that with three boxes, and so on until the desired size is reached, then you work less boxes in the same manner to decrease back down to one box, ending at the opposite corner of where you started.

A box is comprised of three half double crochet’s (when working in half double crochet).

There are two ways you can C2C with boxes – 1.) in Double Crochet; 2.) in Half Double Crochet. In this tutorial, we will be covering the double crochet version – all you need to know to work this stitch pattern is How to Chain (Photo Tutorial), and How to Half Double Crochet (Photo Tutorial). If you want to learn to C2C in Double Crochet, check out my photo tutorial HERE.

C2C in HDC Versus C2C in DC

This is my C2C Enamored Heart Washcloth, and this free crochet pattern has 4 patterns in one – two worked in half double crochet, and two worked in double crochet. The hearts on both of these washcloths you see are the same exact number of boxes. You can see how many more boxes were needed on the left to equal the same size as the right.

Why does this matter? As a washcloth, C2C can sometimes become saggy because of the spaces in the boxes, and by spaces, I really just mean like a slit from the beginning chain that all the stitches are worked onto. I use my washcloths either for decorative purposes, or just to dry things up – not to wash anything with because of this, but an easy fix for a more functional washcloth is to work the C2C in half double crochet.

How to Start in C2C in HDC:

If you’ve haven’t yet, make a slip knot (photo tutorial), then work a foundation chain (photo tutorial) of 4.

If this was an actual pattern, you would see it written like this: “Chain 4” OR “Ch 4”.

It mostly likely will not tell you to make the slip knot, but you always start with one.

I want to point out real quick, that I begin this box differently than you may see in other patterns. Other patterns may say to HDC into the 3rd counting the skipped chains as the 1st HDC – when working in half double crochet, this is the norm, but I modified this to work into the 2nd chain to better mimic the other boxes we will build onto it.

Next, we will half double crochet across the chain. Together, this will read in one of these ways:

• Chain 4, HDC into the 2nd chain from the hook, and each chain across.
• Ch 4, HDC into the 2nd ch from the hk, and ea ch across.
• OR Make 1 box.

I want to just touch on that last way to read really quickly – some patterns assume you already know how to corner to corner, and will not break it down. Instead, they will just say how many boxes to work and/or the color.

HDC into the next two chains, and we have one completed box.

How to C2C Row 2 and Above for Increasing:

Row 2 could be written as follows:

• Chain 4, and turn. HDC into the 2nd chain, and into each of the next 2, skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the next HDC. Chain 1, 2 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, HDC into the top of the last stitch. (2 Boxes)
• OR Make 2 Boxes.

In each row that you want to increase, you will begin with a chain 4…

…then HDC into the 2nd chain from the hook, and across to complete the first box of Row 2.

Now you have a weird looking shape right now – it looks weird, but it’s correct.

Turn the bottom box towards you…

… until it’s mirrored…

… skipping the first two HDC from the 1st box…

… insert hook into the last HDC, yarn over, and pull through both the HDC and loop on the hook to complete a slip stitch.

We have the first box of Row 2 completed.

To make the next box, begin with a chain 1 (which does NOT count as a stitch), yarn over, and take note the “space” that we will be working into. In my patterns, I call this “the space under the same chain joined to”. What it actually is is the space in between the first half double crochet of that box and the skipped chain from the beginning chain 4 from the same box.

… insert hook into this space, yarn over, and complete the half double crochet – this is our 1st half double crochet from this box.

Work one more HDC into this space.

For the last half double crochet, I recommend working it into the foundation chain on the end (this chain belongs to the 3rd HDC of the 1st box from Row 1, and I continue to refer to it as the top of the last stitch). By working into this chain, it gives your work a clean edge.

There are two alternatives to this that you may see in other tutorials/patterns:

• Work the last half double crochet into the same space as the other stitches, but it leaves a weird gap along the outside edge of the fabric.
• Work the last half double crochet into the chain just above where I am recommending, which actually belongs to the chain that we are working around. I don’t like the look as much, plus it takes more effort to work the stitch into this chain because it’s tighter.

Now we have two boxes completed!

We continue to work in this same manner until we reach our desired size. In this tutorial, I will work until I have seven boxes, and I would write it as follows in pattern:

Row 3: Chain 4, and turn. HDC into the 2nd chain, and into each of the next 2, skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the 3rd HDC;
Chain 1, work 3 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the 3rd HDC;
Chain 1, work 2 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, HDC into the top of the last stitch. (3 Boxes)

Row 4: (I) Chain 4, and turn. HDC into the 2nd chain, and into each of the next 2, skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the 3rd HDC;
(II) [Chain 1, work 3 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the 3rd HDC] 2x;
(III) Chain 1, work 2 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, HDC into the top of the last stitch. (4 Boxes)

Rows 5 – 7: Using Row 4 as a base, you will continue working in the same manner repeating (II) one extra time each row to increase the number of boxes by one each row. At the end of Row 7, you will have 7 Boxes.

If you wanted to work more than 7 rows of increases, you would just work more repeats in the section I have labeled as (II) in Row 4.

You may also see this written as “increase to 7 boxes”.

I have a tip for you (shown with photos from my Corner to Corner in DC tutorial)! Sometimes as you work, it’s easy to accidentally catch the yarn of the box above you with your crochet hook.

To avoid this, I just fold the fabric down…

… and hold it in place as I work.

And here is 7 rows completed. Remember they are read diagonally. Row 7 has 7 boxes.

How to Keep the Same Number of Boxes without Increasing or Decreasing:

Once we reach our desired width – in this case 7 boxes wide, we stop increasing in the width.

Remember before that I said I would be working a rectangle that is 7 boxes wide by 9 boxes in length. To achieve this, we will not increase the width, but we will increase the length, and I will show you how!

If you were making a square, you would skip this part, and begin decreasing.

We are not increasing the width anymore, so chain 1…

… and turn.

Skip the first stitch, slip stitch into the 2nd (shown by the arrow)…

… and 3rd stitches.

Now we’re in place to begin the first box of Row 8. Chain 1, HDC into the space under the same chain joined to…

… 2 more HDC into the same stitch, skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the 3rd HDC,
(chain 1, work 3 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the 3rd HDC) 5x,
Chain 1, work 2 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, HDC into the top of the last stitch. (7 Boxes)

Remember we want 9 boxes in the length, and we now have 8, so to continue to increase the length, we will begin with a chain 4…

As we follow in pattern, make sure you are only working 7 boxes in total for this row (we aren’t increasing the width anymore).

Now take notice that we have reached 9 boxes in length. Next, we will decrease down to close up that gap.

If you wanted to make it longer, you would continue repeating the last two rows, one beginning with a slip stitch over, and one beginning with a chain 4.

How to Decrease in C2C:

Now, we want to decrease by one box in each row back down to 1 box, so we will start every row with a slip stitch over, and end each row in line with the 9th box.

Row 10: Turn. Slip stitch into the 2nd and 3rd stitches. Chain 1, work 3 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the 3rd HDC,
(IV) (chain 1, work 3 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the 3rd HDC), 4x
Chain 1, work 2 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, HDC into the top of the last stitch. (8 Boxes)

You will continue working in the same manner repeating (IV) one less time each row to decrease the number of boxes by one each row.

Row 14: Turn. Slip stitch into the 2nd and 3rd stitches. Chain 1, work 3 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the 3rd HDC, chain 1, work 3 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to, HDC into the top of the last stitch. (2 Boxes)

Row 15: Turn. Slip stitch into the 2nd and 3rd stiches. Chain 1, work 3 HDC into the space under the same chain joined to. Skip the next 2 HDC, slip stitch into the top of the last stitch. (1 Box)

Fasten off, weave in your ends, and you have a finished rectangle!

If you would rather C2C in DC, check out THIS photo tutorial, and stay tuned for a tutorial showing how to add a border to your C2C projects.

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