Crochet Glad Tidings Afghan Square
Create a beautiful square afghan using the art of crochet to bring joy and warmth to your home. This pattern, known as the Glad Tidings Afghan Square, is perfect for those who enjoy working with yarn and creating intricate designs. With its festive name, this square is sure to add a touch of cheer to any room it graces. Whether you are a seasoned crocheter or just starting out, this project is a great way to showcase your skills and spread some holiday spirit. Whether you choose to make a single square as a decorative accent or multiple squares to create a cozy blanket, this pattern is versatile and fun to work on. So grab your crochet hook, pick out your favorite yarn, and get ready to create a piece that will bring joy and warmth to your home for years to come.
MATERIALS & GUIDELINES
YARN
Cascade Yarns Anthem
A – Christmas Green
B – Cream
C – Brilliant Blue
WEIGHT – 4 / Worsted
SKILL LEVEL – Intermediate
HOOK – I / 5.5 mm
FINISHED SIZE – 12” X 12” Square
OTHER – Stitch Markers, Tapestry Needle, Scissors
ABBREVIATIONS
Beg = beginning
BL = back loop
Ch/s = chain/s
Dc = double crochet
Hdc = half double crochet
Hk = hook
Lp/s = loop/s
PM = place marker
Rep = repeat
RM = remove marker
Sc = single crochet
Sl st = slip stitch
SM = stitch marker
Sp/s = space/s
St/s = stitch/es
Tr = treble crochet
Yo = yarn over
SPECIAL STITCHES
Begpc (beginning popcorn): Ch 3, 4 dc in same st, drop lp from hk, insert hk from front to back through 3rd ch of beg ch-3, place dropped lp on hk and pull through.
Dc2tog (double crochet 2 sts together): [Yo, insert hk in next st, yo and pull up lp, yo and draw through 2 lps] twice, (3 lps on hk,) yo and draw through all 3 lps on hk.
Dc3tog (double crochet 3 sts together): [Yo, insert hk in st indicated, yo and pull up lp, yo and draw through 2 lps] 3 times, (4 lps on hk,) yo and draw through all 4 lps on hk.
Fphdc (front post half double crochet ): Yo and insert hk from front to back and to front again around post of st indicated, yo and pull up a lp, yo and draw through all 3 lps on hk.
Fpsc (front post single crochet): Insert hk from front to back and to front again around post of st indicated, yo and pull up a lp, complete as regular sc.
Fptr (front post treble crochet): Yo twice and insert hk from front to back and to front again around post of st indicated, yo and pull up a lp, complete as regular tr.
Pc (popcorn): Work 5 dc in same st, drop lp from hk, insert hk from front to back through top of first dc made, place dropped lp on hk and pull through st.
Puff St: Yo, insert hk into specified sp, yo and pull up a ½” tall lp (3 lps on hk), (yo, pull up long lp in same sp) 3 times, yo and draw through all 9 lps on hk.
Sc2tog (single crochet 2 sts together): [Insert hk in next st, yo and pull up lp] twice, yo and draw through all 3 lps on hk.
Tr3tog (treble crochet 3 sts together): [Yo twice, insert hk in next st, yo and pull up lp, (yo and draw through 2 lps) twice] 3 times, (4 lps on hk,) yo and draw through all 4 lps on hk.
Tr4tog (treble crochet 4 sts together): [Yo twice, insert hk in st indicated, yo and pull up lp, (yo and draw through 2 lps) twice] 4 times, (5 lps on hk,) yo and draw through all 5 lps on hk.
TrCl-2 (cluster using 2 sts): Keeping last lp of each tr on hk, work 2 tr in sp indicated (3 lps on hk), yo and draw through all 3 lps on hk.
INSTRUCTIONS
Rnd 1: With A ch 5, join to form a ring, or make a Magic Ring, Begpc in ring, ch 3, [pc in ring, ch 3] 5 times, join with sl st to top of Begpc. (6 pc, 6 ch-3)
Rnd 2: Sl st into next ch-3 sp, (Begpc, ch 3, pc) in same sp, ch 3, [(pc, ch 3, pc) in next ch-3 sp, ch 3] 5 times, join with sl st to top of Begpc. Finish off. (12 pc, 12 ch-3)
Rnd 3: Join B with sl st to any ch-3 sp, ch 1, 3 hdc in same sp, fphdc around top of next pc, [3 hdc in next ch-3 sp, fphdc around top of next pc] around, join with sl st to first hdc. Finish off. (12 fphdc, 36 hdc)
Rnd 4: Join C with sl st to any fphdc, ch 3, tr3tog over next 3 sts, ch 3, [tr4tog – placing 1st leg in same st as last tr, and 2nd, 3rd, and 4th legs in next 3 sts, ch 3] 15 times, placing last leg of last tr4tog in first sl st, join with sl st to top of beg tr3tog. Finish off. (16 tr4tog, 16 ch-3)
Rnd 5: Join B with sl st to any ch-3 sp, ch 1, 4 hdc in same sp, work 4 hdc in each ch-3 sp around, join with sl st to first hdc. Finish off. (64 hdc)
Rnd 6: Working in BL this Rnd, join A with sl st to join, ch 1, hdc in same and next 2 sts, 2 hdc in next st, [hdc in next 3 sts, 2 hdc in next st] around, join with sl st to first hdc. (80 hdc)
Rnd 7: Ch 1, hdc in same and each st around, join with sl st to first hdc. Finish off. (80 hdc)
Rnd 8: Join B with standing sc in the 2nd st after join, sc in next 4 sts, fptr around top of tr4tog directly below, [sc in next 5 sts – do not sk any sts, fptr around top of next tr4tog] around, join with sl st to first sc. (16 fptr, 80 sc)
Rnd 9: Ch 1, sc in same st, ch 1, sk next st, [sc in next st, ch 1, sk next st] around, join with sl st to first sc. Finish off. (48 sc, 48 ch-1)
Note: At end of Rnd 9, there should be a ch-1 sp above each fptr.
Rnd 10: Find a ch-1 sp above any fptr, join C with standing sc to the next ch-1 sp after fptr, sk next ch-1 sp, *[(TrCl-2, ch 3) 3 times, TrCl-2] in next ch-1 sp, sk next ch-1 sp, sc in next ch-1 sp, (ch 1, sc in next ch-1 sp) 8 times, sk next ch-1 sp, rep from * 4 times omitting last (ch 1, sc), join with sc to first sc to create a ch-1 sp. Finish off. (4 TrCl-2 groups, 36 sc, 32 ch-1)
Note: Find the Rnd 8 fptr directly below a TrCl-2 Group. Count counterclockwise and PM on the 2nd fptr. Rep from each TrCl-2 Group. (4 SM placed)
Rnd 11: Join A with standing sc to last sp just made, *ch 2, [(Puff St, ch 2) twice in next ch-3 sp] 3 times, sc in next ch-1 sp, (ch 1, sc in next ch-1 sp) 7 times, rep from * 4 times omitting last sc, join with sl st to first sc. Finish off. (24 Puff St, 28 ch-2, 32 sc, 28 ch-1)
Rnd 12: Join C with standing sc to the 4th ch-2 sp of any Puff St corner, (hdc, sc) in same sp, [(3 sc in next ch-2 sp) twice, sk next Puff St and ch-2, 2 tr in next ch-1 sp, (2 dc in next ch-1 sp) twice, 1 dc in next ch-1 sp, (2 dc in next ch-1 sp) twice, 2 tr in next ch-1 sp, sk next ch-2 and Puff St, (3 sc in next ch-2 sp) twice, (sc, hdc, sc) in next ch-2 sp] 4 times omitting last (sc, hdc, sc), join with sl st to first sc. Finish off. (112 sts)
Rnd 13: Join B with sl st to any corner hdc, ch 2, dc2tog over next 2 sts, (ch 2, dc3tog – placing 1st leg in same st as last dc, 2ndleg in next st and 3rd leg in next st) 5 times, ch 6, [fpsc around marked fptr below, RM, ch 6, sk next 3 sts, dc3tog over next 3 sts, (ch 2, dc3tog – placing 1st leg in same st as last dc, 2nd leg in next st and 3rd leg in next st) 5 times,* ch 3 for corner, (dc3tog – placing 1st leg in same st as last dc, 2nd leg in next st and 3rd leg in next st, ch 2) 6 times, work 4 more chs for a total of 6 chs] around ending last rep at * and placing 3rd leg of last dc3tog in same st as join, ch 3 for corner, join with sl st to top of first dc2tog. Finish off. (Per side: 2 ch-6, 12 dc3tog, 10 ch-2) (4 ch-3 for corners)
Rnd 14: Join A with sl st to any corner ch-3 sp, ch 4 (count as tr), tr in same sp, [3 dc in next ch-2 sp, 3 hdc in next ch-2 sp, 3 sc in next ch-2 sp, (3 hdc in next ch-2 sp) twice, on Rnd 12 work (2 tr in next sk st, 1 tr in next sk st, 2 tr in next sk st), returning to Rnd 13, (3 hdc in next ch-2 sp) twice, 3 sc in next ch-2 sp, 3 hdc in next ch-2 sp, 3 dc in next ch-2 sp, (2 tr, ch 2, 2 tr) in next ch-3 corner sp] around omitting last (2 tr, ch 2, 2 tr), 2 tr in first ch-3 sp, join with dc to top of beg ch-4 (counts as a ch-2 join). (39 sts per side, 4 ch-2 for corners)
Rnd 15: Ch 1, (hdc, sc) in same st, [sc in next 39 sts, (sc, hdc, sc) in next ch-2 sp] around omitting last (sc, hdc, sc), sc in first ch-2 sp to complete corner, join with sl st to first hdc. Finish off. (41 sc per side, 4 hdc for corners)