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A Christmas blanket sounds like a huge project until you break it into squares. One square is an evening of knitting, it travels in your bag, and a stack of them quietly becomes a throw, a cushion or a set of coasters by December.
These 12 easy Christmas square knitting patterns cover the classic motifs: snowflakes, stars, reindeer, hearts and a simple raised tree, in techniques from stranded colorwork to plain knit and purl texture.
Keep every square the same size by casting on the same stitch count in the same yarn, and block each one as you finish. Your future self, seaming on a December evening, will be very grateful.
The first three are full builds with materials and original pattern notes. The rest are ideas with a short supply list, including advent squares, charity squares and a whole 144 square heirloom.
Quick Picks
- The Snowflake Square (featured build in idea 5’s blanket): Best classic motif. One bold snowflake in white on deep red.
- The Nordic Blanket Squares (idea 2): Best heirloom project. Red and white squares seamed into a lap blanket.
- The Raised Tree Square (idea 12): Fastest finish. Knit and purl only, in super bulky yarn.
1. Fair Isle Star Squares in Red and Green
Classic Fair Isle stars in red and cream, with a green and gold partner square. Stranded colorwork looks impressive but a single star motif is a gentle first chart: only two colors in any row and short floats at the back.
Stranded colorworkTwo colors per rowBlanket or cushion
Materials Needed
- DK or worsted yarn in red, cream and green
- 4 mm or 4.5 mm knitting needles
- A printed chart or graph paper to draw your own star
- Tapestry needle for seaming
- Stitch markers
How to Make It
- Cast on your chosen stitch count in the main color and work a few rows of garter stitch for a flat border.
- Join the contrast color and follow your star chart in stocking stitch, stranding the unused color loosely across the back. Keep floats relaxed so the square does not pucker.
- Work garter borders at the sides as you go, or pick up and knit them afterwards.
- Finish with garter rows at the top, cast off, and block the square firmly to size. Fair Isle relaxes beautifully after blocking.
Tip: Weave in floats every four or five stitches on long stretches. It keeps the back tidy and stops fingers catching when the blanket is used.
2. Nordic Motif Squares for a Lap Blanket
A whole Christmas lap blanket built from red and white Nordic squares: hearts, reindeer, snowflakes and geometric bands. Knit the squares through autumn, then seam them in columns and rows with mattress stitch and finish with a garter border.
Full blanket projectMattress stitch seamsGarter border finish
Materials Needed
- Worsted yarn in deep red and warm white
- Interchangeable knitting needle set (4 mm tips for the squares)
- Tapestry needle for mattress stitch
- Blocking mat and pins
- Graph paper for planning motifs
How to Make It
- Plan your grid: decide how many squares wide and long your lap blanket will be, and assign each square a motif or a simple geometric band.
- Knit each square in stocking stitch with stranded motifs from charts you draw on graph paper, keeping every square to the same stitch and row count.
- Block all squares to one exact size. This is the step that makes the seaming easy.
- Join columns vertically with mattress stitch, then join the rows horizontally. Pick up stitches around the edge and knit a garter stitch border to finish.
Tip: Photograph your layout before seaming and number the squares on the back with safety pins. One swapped square is charming; five are a headache.
3. Tree Display of Plain Green Squares
Proof that easy can still be festive: six plain green garter squares arranged in a tree shape, one at the top, two in the middle and three at the base. Use it as a table display, a photo backdrop for your other makes, or the cheerful start of a green blanket.
🛠 Beginner friendlyOne colorDisplay or blanket start
Materials Needed
- Green worsted yarn (this 30 skein acrylic set covers every shade you need)
- 5 mm knitting needles
- Tapestry needle
- Optional: red yarn to embroider baubles on each square
How to Make It
- Cast on 25 to 30 stitches and work garter stitch (knit every row) until the piece measures square. Use a row counter or measure against a finished square.
- Repeat until you have six squares, blocking them lightly so the edges sit flat.
- Arrange them in the tree formation on the table and photograph your display.
- If you are growing it into a blanket, seam the squares and add a border in a contrast color.
Tip: Garter stitch squares are the friendliest first project in knitting: no purling, no curling edges and mistakes are easy to spot and fix.
4. Mini Mitered Scrap Squares
Mitered squares shrink toward the corner with a center decrease, and in mini size they eat yarn scraps beautifully. Knit them in reds, greens and creams for Christmas, join as you go, and a blanket grows without a single seam.
You’ll need: Scrap DK or fingering yarn in Christmas colors, small needles (2.5 mm for minis), a row counter
Best for: Scrap busting between big projects
5. Cable Square in Sage Green
From the same Christmas blanket as our featured snowflake square: a soft sage square with a single rope cable down the middle. Texture squares like this rest the eye between bold colorwork motifs and are pure knit and purl comfort.
You’ll need: Worsted yarn in sage or cream, 4.5 mm needles, a cable needle, blocking pins
Best for: Texture breaks in a motif blanket
6. Advent Square Ornament with Heart Motif
An advent project square in dark green with a white heart and tree colorwork design, finished as a hanging ornament for the tree. Knit one square a day through advent and hang each as you go, or join all 24 into a calendar blanket next year.
You’ll need: Chunky or worsted yarn in dark green and white, needles to match, ribbon or twine loops for hanging
Best for: Advent knitting projects
7. Fair Isle Squares Blanket in Bright Colors
Sixteen squares of Fair Isle and Nordic patterns in navy, red, pink and sage, joined into one joyful blanket. A flannel backing, as this maker plans, turns knitted squares into an extra warm winter lap blanket.
You’ll need: Worsted yarn in assorted colors (mini skeins like this 40 skein set are ideal), 4.5 mm needles, flannel for backing (optional)
Best for: A colorful winter lap blanket
8. The 144 Square Heirloom Blanket
The long game: 144 small colorwork squares, each one different, joined into a four foot heirloom blanket. It is the ultimate advent or year long project, and every square is a small victory. Start this December and finish next Christmas.
You’ll need: A basket of worsted yarn in many colors, one consistent needle size (an interchangeable needle set keeps sizes handy), a notebook to track squares
Best for: Year long heirloom projects
9. Charity Squares in Happy Colors
Knitted squares are a charity knitting staple: groups collect them and join them into blankets for people who need warmth. Bright patchwork squares like these are quick, portable and genuinely useful, at Christmas and all year.
You’ll need: Any washable worsted yarn, needles to match, your local charity group’s size requirements
Best for: Knitting for a good cause
10. Textured Sampler Squares Blanket
Twenty five squares, each in a different stitch pattern: seed stitch, cables, checks and lace, in quiet muted tones. A sampler blanket teaches you a library of stitches while it grows, and in Christmas colors it would glow.
You’ll need: Worsted yarn in a coordinated palette, needles plus a cable needle, a stitch dictionary or notebook
Best for: Learning new stitches
11. Little Squares Throw in Jewel Tones
Small squares in jewel tones joined with a soft gray, draped over a chair and ready for cold evenings. Worked in a tweedy yarn, the simplest garter and stocking squares look rich and woven.
You’ll need: Tweedy DK yarn in jewel tones and gray, 4 mm needles, tapestry needle for seaming
Best for: A cozy reading chair throw
12. Raised Tree Square in Super Bulky Yarn
A Christmas tree that appears from knit and purl stitches alone, in olive super bulky yarn. No color changes, no chart stress, and it works up in under an hour. Make one as a mug rug, or twelve as the fastest Christmas blanket ever.
You’ll need: Super bulky yarn in green, 10 mm needles, a simple knit purl chart you draw on squared paper
Best for: Mug rugs and fast blankets
Frequently Asked Questions
What size should Christmas knitting squares be?
Any size, as long as they all match. Six inch squares are popular for blankets (36 makes a good lap throw), and four inch squares suit coasters and ornaments. Pick your size from your yarn and needle gauge, then block every square to it.
How do I stop my squares curling at the edges?
Stocking stitch curls by nature. Add a garter stitch or seed stitch border of four to six stitches on every side, and block finished squares under pins until dry. The border also gives you a neat edge for seaming.
What is the easiest motif for a beginner?
A knit and purl texture motif like the raised tree (idea 12). You only use one yarn, and the picture appears from the stitch pattern. Save stranded colorwork stars for your second or third square, and keep floats loose when you try it.
How do I join knitted squares neatly?
Mattress stitch on the right side gives an almost invisible seam on stocking stitch. Join squares into columns first, then join the columns. Block the whole blanket once more after seaming to settle everything flat.
How many squares do I need for a Christmas blanket?
For a lap blanket around 36 by 48 inches with six inch squares, plan on 48 squares. A cushion needs 2 to 4, a table runner 6 to 8 in a row, and coasters are simply single squares with a felt backing.
Can I mix yarn brands in one blanket?
Yes, if the yarns share the same weight and fiber care. Wash a test square first: yarns that shrink differently will fight in the wash. Acrylic squares are the most forgiving for mixed stash blankets that need easy care.
Final Thoughts on Easy Christmas Square Knitting Patterns
Easy Christmas square knitting patterns turn one big dream blanket into a pile of small, satisfying evenings. Cast on a snowflake, block it, and start the stack.
By the time December arrives, your squares will seam into the blanket everyone fights over on the sofa. Start with one square tonight.
