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Diagonals for Days C2C Crochet Top

by | All Designs, Crochet, Garments, Spring, Summer

In tech, there’s this idea of dog-fooding, or eating your own dog food. As strangely disgusting as it sounds, it just means that you are willing and use your own products. In the crochet world, I’ve always said that I want to make things that are beautiful and functional. That also means designing and creating clothes that I would wear, day to day. I’m so proud to bring you my Diagonal for Days C2C Crochet Top! It’s a design that I’ve made twice, and have worn both to the office and around the house, getting compliments each time. I hope you hear those same compliments when you wear your own!

This corner to corner, or c2c crochet top uses stripes to make chevrons and makes a striking addition to any wardrobe! | www.1dogwoof.com

I received Shiny Happy Cotton from Wool and the Gang for this project, but the design and all content is 100% my own.

If you look at the art of crochet, or of knitting, the basic idea is that you create fabric with yarn. It’s also why I love this art form so much; that you can create swaths of fabric from something as loose and raw as yarn, with your own two hands. When I step back to that basic concept of creating fabric, I think about the textures and shapes that I like. Call me square, but I like even textures and simple shapes, free of lace and shells and flowers.

I’ve made several c2c blankets now, some small and some ridiculously large, and I love the flat, evenly textured fabric that it creates. The next obvious step was for me to turn that fabric into a shirt, somehow. Similar in concept to my Summer Diamonds Kimono Cardigan, and really to any cardigan in general, this c2c crochet top is 2 long strips of c2c fabric seamed together to create a shirt. Add some edging and you’ve got yourself a modern, simple t-shirt.

corner to corner crochet short sleeve shirt

The best part about the c2c design is that it allows you to create chevron stripes on your garment. If you crochet or knit in rows or rounds, you’re a little bit stuck with straight stripes unless you get into more complicated colorwork. With a c2c design, the stitching itself is on a slant, so chevrons come naturally. The only hang up is with the ends, which I assume you’d get anytime you do anything with color. I tried to avoid the many yarn ends by carrying my color as I worked my rows, but as you can see below, it creates a rough edge on the fabric. This causes some difficulties when you’re seaming pieces together and you have to be really careful in hiding the wrong colors in your stitching.

corner to corner striping

The pattern I’ve provided below is set to my size, which is a Small. The exact directions for other sizes are available in an inexpensive, paid PDF which you can find on my Etsy shop or on Ravelry.

In case you’d like to try sizing things yourself, here’s the basic design concepts.

Using corner to corner crochet, work up 2 identical pieces for the body – left and right – so that the total width is what you want for a shirt. If you’re unfamiliar with c2c crochet, check out my corner-to-corner pictorial for a rundown of basic stitches and methods, or watch my c2c video tutorials, available at this post, or on YouTube. You can even see me go through a simple project from beginning to end! Remember that you’ll lose some material in seaming, so make sure your body pieces are both wide and long enough.

Once your two body pieces are complete, line them up so that the front is 2 squares shorter than the back. If you happen to have colored stripes, this should align your stripes on the side seam. Use the mattress stitch to seam up the front center to wherever you want your v-neck to start, the back center, and the side seams, leaving space for arm holes.

back view of c2c crochet top

I chose to knit a ribbing because I like the look of knit ribbing, but you can always work up a piece of crochet ribbing instead by working into the back loops of half double crochets. I approximated 3 knit stitches per c2c square to help with consistency and seaming. If you use a crochet ribbing, you’ll need to create enough to cross the entire width of the shirt. Attach a strip of ribbing to the front, and one to the back.

I left 16 squares along the side of each body piece open for the sleeves, which is ~14.25 inches. Then I worked 3 double crochet stitches in each c2c square, for a total of 48 double crochet stitches in my round. Then I just kept adding rounds until the sleeve was where I wanted it to be. On the white speckled shirt, I worked a round of dc and a round of sc. On the blue and white chevron shirt, I worked a few alternating colored rounds before fastening off. It’s up to you!

stunning stripes in a c2c crochet top

Again, the pattern here is for a Small. Other sizes are available in a paid PDF from my Etsy and Ravelry shops.

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Buy the PDF from Etsy

Buy the PDF from Ravelry

Add to your Ravelry queue!

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Supplies

Abbreviations

  • ch – chain stitch
  • sts – stitches
  • sc – single crochet
  • dc – double crochet
  • sl st – slip stitch
  • k2 – knit 2 sts
  • p2 – purl 2 sts

Pattern Notes

  • Skill level Easy.
  • The basic construction consists of 2 long pieces draped vertically over each shoulder, then joined with 4 seams – center front, center back, and the 2 sides. Attach a knit ribbing to the bottoms of both the front and back, and crochet a finishing edge for the sleeves.
  • 17.75 (19.5, 21.25, 23, 25) in wide at chest
  • 35.5 (39, 42.5, 46, 50) in total chest circumference
  • Neckline to lower front edge 16.75 in.
  • Back collar to back edge is 20.25 in.
  • Total length is 25 in.
  • Gauge for c2c body is ~4.5 squares in 4 in.
  • Gauge for ribbing: 14 sts / 18 rows for 4 in.

Diagonals for Days C2C Crochet Top Pattern

CORNER TO CORNER PATTERN

Increase Section

Row 1: Ch 6, dc in fourth ch from hk and next 2 chs (1 block made), turn – 1 block.

Row 2: Ch 6, dc in fourth ch from hk and next 2 chs (1 block made), sl st in last ch of ch 6 from previous row, 3 dc in side of ch-3 from previous row (1 block made), turn – 2 blocks.

Row 3: Ch 6, dc in fourth ch from hk and next 2 chs (1 block made), [sl st in last ch of ch 6 from previous row, 3 dc in side of ch-3 from previous row (1 block made)] 2 times, turn – 3 blocks.

Row 4: Ch 6, dc in fourth ch from hk and next 2 chs (1 block made), [sl st in last ch of ch 6 from previous row, 3 dc in side of ch-3 from previous row (1 block made)] 3 times, turn – 4 blocks.

Rows 5-11: Ch 6, dc in fourth ch from hk and next 2 chs (1 block made), [sl st in last ch of ch 6 from previous row, 3 dc in side of ch-3 from previous row (1 block made)] across, turn – 11 blocks.

Even Section

Row 1: Sl st in next 3 dc, [sl st in next ch, ch 3, 3 dc in side of ch-3 from previous row (1 block made)] across, turn – 11 blocks.

Row 2: Ch 6, dc in fourth ch from hk and next 2 chs (1 block made), [sl st in last ch of ch 6 from previous row, 3 dc in side of ch-3 from previous row (1 block made)] to next to last block, turn, leaving last ch-3 from previous block unworked – 11 blocks.

Repeat Rows 1 & 2 until your panel is 46 blocks high.

Decrease Section

Row 1: Sl st in next 3 dc, [sl st in next ch, ch 3, 3 dc in side of ch-3 from previous row (1 block made)] to next to last block, turn, leaving last ch-3 from previous block unworked – 10 blocks remain.

Row 2: Sl st in next 3 dc, [sl st in next ch, ch 3, 3 dc in side of ch-3 from previous row (1 block made)] to next to last block, turn, leaving last ch-3 from previous block unworked – 9 blocks remain.

Rows 3-10: Cont to rep Rows 1 & 2, decreasing 1 block each row. Fasten off.

Crochet two (2) identical pieces using corner to corner crochet, each 11 squares x 46 squares, or approximately 9.75 in x 41 in.

Assembly

  • Take each of the corner to corner body pieces, and fold with the front edge being shorter than the back by 2 squares.
  • Seam up the sides for 14 squares, or approximately 12.5in, using the mattress stitch.
  • Align the bottom edges of the left and right body pieces.
  • Seam up the front center for 15 squares, or approximately 13.5in.
  • Seam up the back center for 19 squares, or approximately 17in.

aligning stripes into a chevron

Ribbing

Gauge for ribbing: 14 sts / 18 rows for 4 in.

  • Knit two (2) identical ribbed pieces.
  • Cast on 68.
  • [K2, p2] across the row. Turn.
  • Repeat for 13 more rows.
  • Bind off.

Attach the knit ribbing along the bottom edge of both front and back, using the mattress stitch. To align it evenly, there are approximately 3 knit stitches per c2c square, with an extra stitch on each side.

adding a border

Sleeves

Armhole is 16 squares around, or approximately 14.25 in.

  • Starting with a standing double crochet, work 48 dc evenly around the armhole (3 dc per c2c square). Join to first dc with slip st.
  • Ch 1. Work 1 sc in each stitch around. Join to first sc with slip st.
  • Fasten off and weave in ends.

Repeat for other sleeve.

Weave in all ends, and you’re done!

This corner to corner, or c2c, crochet top makes a striking addition to any wardrobe! | www.1dogwoof.com

I am really happy with how this shirt came out and how different it is from others I’ve seen. Using the cotton makes it cool and comfortable too! I hope you enjoy this pattern and are able to add a fun modern piece to your wardrobe!

If you make this shirt, whether it’s in a solid color, or in stripes, please share it with me on Facebook (One Dog Woof) or Instagram (@1dogwoof)! Remember to tag your post with #1dogwoof!

Check out my pattern shops on Ravelry and Etsy where you can purchase printable PDFs of my latest crochet patterns. These PDFs are formatted without comments or ads, and have instructional photos at the bottom for optional printing.

I sometimes include affiliate links in my supply lists. Purchasing from these merchants earns me a small commission with no extra cost to you, and goes towards supporting One Dog Woof.

Please be respectful and do not sell or distribute this pattern in any way, especially as your own. Instead, share the original blog post link! You can sell finished products made from this pattern by giving credit to One Dog Woof as the pattern designer and linking to the blog post. If you have any questions regarding distribution or translation of this pattern, please see my Terms of Use. Thank you for your consideration!

9 Comments

  1. Mary Jo Burke

    This is just the pattern I’ve been looking for–something simple–both to make and to wear. It also gives me a chance to practice the C2C technique for more complicated patterns.

  2. Emily

    Beautiful colors and design. I am in love with the C2C stitch and will have try this!

  3. Sybille

    Hi Beautifull top can i crochet it in worsted weight yarn too?and do i Need the same 6 mm hook?thanks in advance

  4. Sangeetha Prabhu

    Lovely pattern! I have made many c2c blankets and to now use it in a top is such a wonderful idea. Thank you for the pattern. Have a nice day.

  5. Robin

    Having problem with the tee. The inst. and your video aren’t the same. Can do the stitch but the inst. don’t make any since. I am confused starting the even rows. Not sure about row 2 when it says to stop, and not work in the last stitch. And do you chain 6 each time you continue up the row?.

  6. Kathy

    I’m having a problem picturing this pattern. If it ends on the decrease how do you put them together? Or maybe make four sections but that’s not how the pattern is written. I’m having a difficult time finding contact info for you. And you don’t seem to answer these comments.

  7. Kathy

    Nevermind. I’m an idiot. Note to self: Read the pattern carefully.

  8. Adrian

    If you don’t knit can do the ribbing with a fbp and BBP ?

  9. ChiWei

    Hi Adrian,
    You can substitute the knit ribbing with any crochet version you’d like!

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