Well here we are on 1st December! I’m so thrilled to have been able to share this 2025 Crochet Along with you all year. It genuinely doesn’t feel like long ago that I thought, during that time between Christmas and New Year, that I would like to host a monthly crochet along. I wondered whether I’d be able to sustain it, or whether anyone would be interested in and join in. I’m so glad I had a go and didn’t listen to my inner doubts as it’s been a lot of fun and it’s been so lovely to be able to share it with you.

Part 12, follows the same sort of pattern as the 11 preceding monthly squares with a circular pattern at its heart and a border to reflect the time of year. My December centre is a traditional Christmas wreath and my border this time is inspired by Christmas lights – particularly the loud, gaudy coloured ones we had on our tree when I was a child growing up in the late 70s and 80s.

The whole point of this 2025 CAL has been to create a fun way of stash busting to help you get rid of some of your odds and ends of yarn left over from previous projects. I am certainly using it for that purpose!

I have made my squares using my own stash of Stylecraft Special DK yarns and I will include the names and numbers of the shades I’ve used in case you want to replicate what I have done exactly, but you can use any yarn you like. The only thing you need to do is make sure it’s all the same weight, ie all DK or all Aran or whatever yarn you choose, and if you are making the whole project along with me, make sure all your squares are made using the same weight and the same size of crochet hook to make sure they all measure the same size so they can be joined together easily at the end.

In addition to the Stylecraft Special DK I also used some glittery gold coloured yarn from my stash which is called Sparkle by Claire in Glam Gold (003).

Here’s the pattern for my December Making Stitches 2025 CAL square!

December : Christmas Decorations

Using Stylecraft Special DK:

(A) Cypress (1824) 

(B) Green (1116)

(C) Poppy (2170)

(D) Gold yarn – Sparkle by Claire in Glam Gold (003)

(E) Black (1002)

(F) Citron (1263)

(G) Aster (1003)

(H) Jaffa (1256)

Size 4mm crochet hook

Scissors

Stitch Marker

Yarn Needle

A small amount of toy filling

Abbreviations (in UK terms): BBL = Bobble Stitch, blo = work in back loop only, ch = chain, dc = double crochet, dtr = double treble crochet, fyo = final yarn over, htr = half treble crochet, mc = magic circle / magic ring, rep = repeat, RS = right side, slst = slip stitch, st = stitch, tr = treble crochet.

To make a 5 Tr Bobble: Bobble coloured yarn over hook (eg Red for the first fairy light), insert hook into st, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, draw through 2 loops on hook – repeat this another 4 times so you have 6 loops on your hook and all are worked into the same st. Yarn over with Black yarn (Fairy lights wire colour) and pull through all of the Red loops to close the bobble. Chain 1 to lock the bobble closed. If the bobble is poking through the back of the work, gently poke it back through to the front. [When you come to work the next round, make sure you work into the first st (the one that was pulled through all the loops and leave the 1ch unworked.

To make the square:

Using Yarn A, make a MC.
Round 1 Ch2 (not counted as a st throughout), 12 tr into MC. Slst into top of ch2 to close the round. Pull the central yarn tail tight to close MC. (12tr)

Round 2 Ch2, 2tr into each st around. Slst into the top of the ch2. Put this stitch onto a stitch marker.  (24tr)

Round 3A Join Yarn B into flo of first st and working in the flo around this round, ch2, (2tr in first st, 1tr in next st), rep around.  Slst into top of Ch2 (36tr)

Round 4A Ch2, (2tr in first st, 1tr in next 2 sts) around. Slst into top of ch2. Fasten off and break yarn. (48tr)

Round 3B Remove the stitch marker at the end of Round 2, ch2 and working into blo of 1st st, ch2, (2htr in first st, 1htr in next st) rep around. Slst into top of ch2. (36 htr)

Round 4B Ch2, (2htr in first st, 1htr in next two sts) rep around. Slst into top of ch2. (48 htr)

Round 5 You will be joining the front wreath section (Round 4A) and background (Round 4B) together in this round, and you can add a small amount of toy filling between the layers to make the ring stand proud if you want to.

Continuing to work with Yarn A, ch1, work 2dc into the first sts of both Round 4A & 4B, then 1dc into next 3 sts, (2dc in first st, 1dc into next 3 sts) rep around, slst into the top of the ch1 to close the square. (60 dc)

Round 6 With Yarn A ch1, 1dc in next 3 sts, 1htr in next 2 sts, 1tr in next 2 sts, 1dtr + 2ch + 1dtr in next st, 1tr in next 2 sts, 1htr in next 2 sts, 1dc in next 6 sts, 1htr in next 2 sts, 1tr in next 2 sts, 1dtr + 2ch + 1dtr in next st, 1tr in next 2 sts, 1htr in next 2 sts, 1dc in next 3 sts changing to Yarn B in fyo of 3rd st, with Yarn B 1dc in next 3 sts, 1htr in next 2 sts, 1tr in next 2 sts, 1dtr + 2ch + 1dtr in next st, 1tr in next 2 sts, 1htr in next 2 sts, 1dc in next 6 sts, 1htr in next 2 sts, 1tr in next 2 sts, 1dtr + 2ch + 1dtr in next st, 1tr in next 2 sts, 1htr in next 2 st, 1dc in next 3 sts slst into top of ch1 to close round. Fasten off and break yarn. 

Make bow: With yarn C, Ch31, 1dc in 2nd ch from hook and work 1dc into the remain chains. (30dc) Turn, ch1 and work 1dc into each st. Fasten off and break yarn. Then ch9, 1dc in 2nd ch from hook, 1dc along the ch. Turn, ch1 and work 1dc into each st. Fasten off and break yarn. Arrange the longer strip to look like a bow with 2 loops, then wrap the shorter strip around the centre to look like the knot and stitch it into place securely. Then sew the bow to the wreath.

Round 7 Join Yarn D into any st. Work 1dc into every st around and 1dc ch2 1dc into every corner space. Slst to top of 1ch. Fasten off and break yarn. (72dc)

Round 8 With Yarn A, join into the blo of the final st of one of the sides of the square, ch2 & 1tr in the blo of that st, in corner space work 1tr + 2ch + 1tr, then working in the blo around, continue with (1dtr, 1tr, 1htr, 1dc, 1htr, 1tr,) and repeat to penultimate st of each side, work 1tr into final st, and 1tr +2ch +1tr into the corner space. Repeat around and slst into the top of the ch2 at the start of the round. Fasten of and break yarn. (80 sts)

Round 9 With Yarn E, join in the blo of the final st of one of the sides,  ch2 & 1dc into that st, 1dc + 2ch + 1dc into corner space, and work 1dc into first st of the next side. Make a 5tr bobble into the next st using Yarn C, change to Yarn E in fyo of BBL and close the bobble (see instructions above if you are unfamiliar with bobbles). Using Yarn E, work 1dc into blo of next 2 sts changing to Yarn F in fyo then work BBL into next st changing back to Yarn E in fyo of BBL, with Yarn E 1dc into blo of next 2 sts changing to Yarn G with fyo, BBL using Yarn G changing back to Yarn E in fyo of BBL, using Yarn E work 1dc into blo of next 2 sts changing to Yarn H in fyo, BBL into next st using Yarn H changing back to Yarn E with fyo. repeat this process across row until you have 7 BBLS of alternating colour and end with 1dc in blo of last st, 1dc + 2ch =1dc into corner space and repeat around following the colour sequence of the BBLs, slst into the top of the first st to close the round. Fasten off and break yarn. (60 dc & 28 bobbles).

Round 10 Join Yarn A into the last st of one of the sides. Ch2 1htr into same st, 1htr + 2ch + 1htr into corner space, 1htr into next st, (1htr in next st, 1dc in next st, 1htr in next st, 1tr in next st, 1dtr in next st, 1tr in next st) rep along that side, 1dc + 2ch + 1dc into the corner space. NB: You will be working the dc and dtr stitches into the top of the BBLs). Rep around, slst into the top of the first st to close the round. (96 dc)

Round 11 Join Yarn D in any st, ch1 and 1dc into that st, work 1dc into every st around and 1dc + 2ch + 1dc into every corner space. Fasten off and break yarn. (104 dc)

Round 12 Join Yarn A into any st, rep Round 11 but do not fasten off. (112 dc)

Round 13 Ch1, 1dc into every st around (1dc + 2ch + 1dc into corner spaces), slst into top of first st to close round. Fasten off and break yarn. (120 dc)

And that is your 12 Making Stitches 2025 CAL squares all finished. But I couldn’t just stop there…. in total I had designed 15 squares including the two July squares, the Bonus Birthday Square and the International Granny Square day bonus square. 15 doesn’t make for a nice shaped blanket though. I thought I’d like to make a blanket using all of my squares so that called out for an extra bonus square and I simply had to have one to mark the year we went on this yarny adventure together! So, the 2025 Bonus Square was born.

I look forward to sharing the Bonus 2025 square pattern with you next weekend along with details of how I have been joining all of my squares together using a sewing free method. I can’t wait to share this final instalment of the Making Stitches 2025 CAL with you next weekend! In the meantime, happy hooking, and I hope you enjoy making your December Christmas Decorations Square.

Lindsay x

PS If you do decide to make an December Christmas Decorations Square, please, if you share it online, I would love it if you could use the hashtag #MakingStitches2025CAL so I can see any squares when they appear!