Crochet Pattern Maker & Generator
From Any Photo

A square photo at 60 stitches wide in single crochet gives a chart about 70 rows tall: single crochet is a little wider than tall, so the generator adds rows to keep the face from looking squashed. At a gauge of 16 SC per 10 cm that is a pillow front about 37 cm square, roughly 4,200 stitches.

With 6 colors, the yarn legend counts each color's stitches at 12 cm of worsted yarn per single crochet plus a 15% buffer: about 580 m for the whole front, a little over three 180 m skeins, though you buy at least one of each color. Colors scattered in small patches get extra for the starts and stops. At 90 stitches an hour it is about 47 hours of crochet.

The same photo in half double crochet needs fewer rows (HDC is taller than wide) and about 30% more yarn per stitch; in double crochet the grid stays square and each stitch takes about 60% more yarn. The preview shows these numbers before you download anything.

Crocheters call the same thing a chart, a graph or a grid: squares in rows, one square per stitch, one color in each. This maker gives you that grid from a photo — sized in stitches for your gauge, with every color counted — or as an empty grid you fill in yourself.

Start from an empty grid to draw a motif, lettering or a border square by square, with a pencil, a fill tool and straight lines, and undo as you go. Or upload a picture and change any square the generator chose. Either way you can print the graph or work from the rows written out color by color.

Tapestry crochet carries multiple yarns inside the stitches, creating a thick, reversible fabric. For tapestry, use SC stitch type, 8-12 colors maximum, and Heavy confetti reduction. The carried yarns mean every isolated color change adds bulk — our filter keeps your fabric even.

Corner-to-corner (C2C) uses DC clusters as pixels. Each C2C tile is larger than SC, so use a smaller grid (40-60 wide). Enable dithering for photos — the stippled effect looks beautiful in C2C because adjacent tiles blend at a distance. For a standard throw (120×160cm), you need about 200×260 stitches at 16 SC/10cm gauge.

Graphghans are typically SC with 2-3 colors per row. The row/column numbers every 10 stitches help you keep count on long rows. Pro tip: print the B&W symbol chart and use a ruler to track your current row while referencing the color chart for yarn selection.

A blanket, a tote panel, a wall hanging and a pillow front do not want the same chart. Each has its own scale and its own tolerance for complexity, and that decision — made before you upload anything — is what sets the right stitch, the right grid size, and the right number of colors. A chart that reads beautifully as a pillow can be badly under-detailed once it is stretched to blanket size.

Pick the image against the object. High-contrast pet portraits, logos, simple florals, and graphic landscapes convert well; crowded photos with lots of small detail usually do not. A useful test: if the subject only holds together when you zoom in, it needs a much bigger chart or a different craft. Crochet rewards images that stay recognizable at reduced detail.

Stitch choice follows from the same decision. Single crochet behaves most like a compact pixel and keeps portraits, motifs, and lettering clearest, at the cost of speed. Half double sits in the middle for medium-detail work. Double crochet is fastest and best for large blankets and bold motifs, but it shifts the chart's proportions the most — which is exactly why it is worth choosing before generating rather than after.