Crochet Chart Maker
A crochet stitch is not square, so a chart drawn on square graph paper comes out stretched in the fabric — circles turn into eggs. This one draws cells at your stitch's real aspect, picks actual DMC floss numbers you can buy, and prints a legend with symbols so the chart still reads in black and white.
Finished piece
- Stitches × rows
- 0 × 0
- Total stitches
- 2,500
- Foundation chain
- 51 (0 + 1 turning)
- One stitch
- 0.80 × 0.88 cm
- Finished size
- 40 × 44 cm
- Cell aspect
- 1 : 1.10
Why the cells are not square
Charting software borrowed its grid from cross-stitch, where one stitch really is one square. Crochet stitches are not: a single crochet is roughly as wide as it is tall but usually a little taller, a double crochet is clearly wider than tall, and a treble is wider still. Draw a circle on square graph paper, work it in double crochet, and the finished circle is squashed — the chart promised something the fabric cannot deliver.
The fix is to draw each cell at the shape of the stitch, then derive the row count from the photo's proportions rather than copying its pixel dimensions. That is why changing the stitch here changes the number of rows even though the stitch count across stays put. If you have worked a swatch, enter its numbers — a measured gauge beats every nominal table, because ratio depends on your hands and your yarn.
Real floss numbers, and honest limits
Colours are chosen from the published DMC six-strand range and reported with their numbers, because a hex value is useless when you are standing in a shop. Selection runs in a perceptual colour space and picks each thread for how much it reduces the remaining error, which stops the palette filling up with near-duplicates of the same pink.
There is a limit worth stating plainly: dyed cotton cannot reach the most saturated colours a screen can show. Vivid logo blues and neon greens have no floss anywhere near them, and no amount of palette juggling changes that. The page reports how much of your image falls outside what thread can do, so you can decide whether to accept the shift or pick a different picture.
Questions
Why did my row count change when I switched stitch?
Because rows are derived from the finished proportions. Double crochet cells are short and wide, so more rows are needed to keep the picture from squashing. The stitch count across is the number you set; the rows follow from it.
Do I have to enter a gauge?
No, and the nominal ratio for each stitch is a reasonable start. But ratio varies with tension, hook and yarn, so a blocked swatch measured in the middle is the only way to get the finished size right.
Are the DMC colours exact?
No. DMC does not publish official RGB or CMYK values, so every chart on the web — including this one — uses approximations. Treat the numbers as a shortlist and confirm on a physical shade card.
What does dithering do to a crochet chart?
It scatters the quantisation error into neighbouring stitches so gradients read as a blend rather than hard bands. It also adds colour changes, which costs time and yarn in tapestry — turn it off for graphic designs with flat areas.
Why are symbols in the cells?
So the chart survives a black and white printer and so two similar shades stay distinguishable. Colour alone fails on both counts.
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. Decoding, palette selection and chart drawing all happen in your browser.