Checkerboard: C2C Graphgan Generator

Checks made from groups of blocks

This eight-by-eight graph makes sixteen larger checks by grouping C2C blocks into two-by-two color regions. The finished drawing therefore has four checks across and four down, while the actual working rectangle has eight blocks in each direction. The distinction is the purpose of the study. Counting the large visual checks as single crochet blocks would reduce the graph to the wrong size and lose the intended working route.

Verify the repeat budget

There are eight navy checks and eight cream checks. Each contains four blocks, giving thirty-two blocks of each yarn and sixty-four in total. Along a horizontal graph row, colors change after two cells, but along a diagonal their run lengths follow the route rather than a universal instruction to change yarn every second block. Fifteen diagonals cover the complete rectangle, and sixty-four blocks contain 192 worked dc posts. Joining slip stitches and lifting chains do not become additional checks.

Plan bobbins for diagonal work

Choose similarly weighted yarns with distinct values and test their behavior together. A diagonal can cross several separate checks of the same color, so using one long carried strand is not automatically the cleanest method. Arrange small supplies to match the current color regions and turn the work consistently to avoid twisting them into a rope. Check the written coordinate order before changing yarn; the next displayed screen cell is not always the next worked block.

Build the square without drifting

Begin at the lower-left cell and follow the seed instruction. As the early diagonals increase, compare their block totals with the sequence rising toward eight. After the widest diagonal, the totals decrease toward one. Do not repeat an increase start simply because a color check continues into another row of the picture. Work all cream cells as fabric. The two-by-two group boundaries are color boundaries, not places to leave holes or join separately made squares.

Evaluate the physical checks

Wash and finish a small trial before deciding that each large check will be square in centimeters. The two-block width and two-block height use the same digital count but inherit the actual proportions of your C2C blocks. Count the complete panel edge before adding a border or joining it to a different stitch fabric. Fasten and weave ends through matching areas without cinching their corners. The graph supplies the counted center only; it does not include a material estimate or an outside edging.

Frequently asked questions and mistakes

Why is my repeat four checks rather than eight?

The picture has four grouped checks across, and each check is two C2C blocks wide. Both numbers are correct when their units are stated.

Should I change color every two working blocks?

Not necessarily. That rule describes horizontal graph rows. Read the actual diagonal coordinates and color runs to preserve the checker arrangement.

How do I find a shifted check?

Compare the source matrix from the last correct grouped corner and locate the first wrong block. Fix that local color or edge error before continuing the remaining diagonals.

Actual parameters and yarn budget

Use 8 blocks across and 8 high in US terms. The exact palette is yarn 1: #1B2949 (32 blocks); yarn 2: #EFE8D8 (32 blocks). These block totals describe the saved drawing, not yarn meters. A compatible block swatch is needed before estimating physical dimensions or material consumption.

Exact source and complete working instructions

Download this original graph as JSON and restore it in the C2C Graphgan Generator. Start with ch 6 and dc in the fourth, fifth and sixth chains from the hook. Each later block uses the written chain space, ch 3 and 3 dc; follow its coordinate and edge phase. In UK terminology these dc posts are tr. Read the chart-reading guide if the displayed picture and working route are unfamiliar.

Reverse the working direction once between successive diagonals. For an increase start, turn before making the new chain-six block. For a decrease start, the listed instruction already includes the turn; do not turn a second time. Follow the starting-edge action even when successive diagonals have equal block counts.

1. Diagonal 1: (1,1) color 2. Ch 6; dc in fourth, fifth and sixth chains from hook. Stop after 1 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [1 blocks]
2. Diagonal 2: (2,1) color 2 → (1,2) color 2. Increase at the starting edge: ch 6, dc in fourth through sixth chains to make the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 2 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [2 blocks]
3. Diagonal 3: (1,3) color 1 → (2,2) color 2 → (3,1) color 1. Increase at the starting edge: ch 6, dc in fourth through sixth chains to make the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 3 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [3 blocks]
4. Diagonal 4: (4,1) color 1 → (3,2) color 1 → (2,3) color 1 → (1,4) color 1. Increase at the starting edge: ch 6, dc in fourth through sixth chains to make the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 4 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [4 blocks]
5. Diagonal 5: (1,5) color 2 → (2,4) color 1 → (3,3) color 2 → (4,2) color 1 → (5,1) color 2. Increase at the starting edge: ch 6, dc in fourth through sixth chains to make the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 5 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [5 blocks]
6. Diagonal 6: (6,1) color 2 → (5,2) color 2 → (4,3) color 2 → (3,4) color 2 → (2,5) color 2 → (1,6) color 2. Increase at the starting edge: ch 6, dc in fourth through sixth chains to make the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 6 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [6 blocks]
7. Diagonal 7: (1,7) color 1 → (2,6) color 2 → (3,5) color 1 → (4,4) color 2 → (5,3) color 1 → (6,2) color 2 → (7,1) color 1. Increase at the starting edge: ch 6, dc in fourth through sixth chains to make the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 7 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [7 blocks]
8. Diagonal 8: (8,1) color 1 → (7,2) color 1 → (6,3) color 1 → (5,4) color 1 → (4,5) color 1 → (3,6) color 1 → (2,7) color 1 → (1,8) color 1. Increase at the starting edge: ch 6, dc in fourth through sixth chains to make the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 8 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [8 blocks]
9. Diagonal 9: (2,8) color 1 → (3,7) color 2 → (4,6) color 1 → (5,5) color 2 → (6,4) color 1 → (7,3) color 2 → (8,2) color 1. Decrease at the starting edge: turn, slip stitch across 3 dc and into the ch-3 space; ch 3 and 3 dc in that space for the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 7 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [7 blocks]
10. Diagonal 10: (8,3) color 2 → (7,4) color 2 → (6,5) color 2 → (5,6) color 2 → (4,7) color 2 → (3,8) color 2. Decrease at the starting edge: turn, slip stitch across 3 dc and into the ch-3 space; ch 3 and 3 dc in that space for the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 6 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [6 blocks]
11. Diagonal 11: (4,8) color 2 → (5,7) color 1 → (6,6) color 2 → (7,5) color 1 → (8,4) color 2. Decrease at the starting edge: turn, slip stitch across 3 dc and into the ch-3 space; ch 3 and 3 dc in that space for the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 5 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [5 blocks]
12. Diagonal 12: (8,5) color 1 → (7,6) color 1 → (6,7) color 1 → (5,8) color 1. Decrease at the starting edge: turn, slip stitch across 3 dc and into the ch-3 space; ch 3 and 3 dc in that space for the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 4 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [4 blocks]
13. Diagonal 13: (6,8) color 1 → (7,7) color 2 → (8,6) color 1. Decrease at the starting edge: turn, slip stitch across 3 dc and into the ch-3 space; ch 3 and 3 dc in that space for the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 3 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [3 blocks]
14. Diagonal 14: (8,7) color 2 → (7,8) color 2. Decrease at the starting edge: turn, slip stitch across 3 dc and into the ch-3 space; ch 3 and 3 dc in that space for the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 2 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [2 blocks]
15. Diagonal 15: (8,8) color 2. Decrease at the starting edge: turn, slip stitch across 3 dc and into the ch-3 space; ch 3 and 3 dc in that space for the first block. For each remaining listed block: sl st into the next ch-3 space, ch 3, 3 dc in that space. Stop after 1 blocks; do not extend beyond the grid. Change yarn on the last pull-through before each new color. [1 blocks]