12 Days of Christmas: Day 1

I thought it'd be fun to try and create another "CAL" leading up to christmas! Through the next 12 days I'll be posting one colorwork crochet square everyday. This means, for 12 days there will be a new square and a new graph everyday!

My goal with these squares was to keep them on the simpler side (though some do have more color changes than others) but overall, I'd say they're simple enough. Each square is 21 stitches wide and 20 rows tall (slightly rectangular). For these squares I will only be posting the graph, not step by step instructions, but if there is enough interest in this, I can create a step by step pattern for next year.

Now, what you do with your squares at the end is entirely up to you. Personally, I think I'm going to make a nice chunky scarf out of all of mine (which of course I'll post for all of you to see), but the possibilities are endless.

For today, day 1, we have a tree! Not a christmas tree, just a pine tree, so, christmasy enough, right?

Graph/Pattern:

Below is the graph I created and used for the tree.

After I finished with the graph, I did not fasten off. I crocheted around the 3 remaining sides of the square to give it more of a finished look on the sides (shown below highlighted in red). I did not crochet across the top of the square again (just a personal preference, as I felt the top already looked neat, but you can crochet across if you wish to). Feel free to skip this step, but I do think it helps the square look more neat.

And that's it for Day 1. Come back tomorrow for the next square!