Crochet Graph Maker

Turn a photo or your own drawing into a crochet graph, free and with no sign-up. Choose corner to corner (C2C) or tapestry crochet, set the size, and pick up to 12 colours from the picture or use your own yarn colours. For C2C you get every diagonal row written out in the order you read it, like “Row 12 (WS, read left to right, 12 tiles, increase): 4 A, 3 B, 5 A”, with even rows read one way and odd rows the other, for a bottom right or bottom left start, right-handed or left-handed. For tapestry crochet, enter your gauge and the graph takes the shape of your stitches, so a round face stays round instead of coming out squashed. A row tracker follows you through the pattern, and the PDF has the graph, the colour key, the yarn estimate and a tick box for every row.

100% private — everything runs in your browser. Your picture and your graph stay in your browser; the PDF, PNG, CSV and TXT files are made on your device.

How to make a crochet graph

1. Choose C2C or tapestry, then pick a project size or type the width and height in squares.
2. Add a picture and choose how many colours you want, or draw on the grid with the pen and fill tools.
3. Enter your own tile size or stitch gauge from a swatch, so the size and yarn amounts match your work.
4. For C2C, check the start corner and hand. A red dot marks the start corner on the graph.
5. Read the written rows below the graph, or press Next row and let the tracker highlight each row for you.
6. Download the PDF with the graph and rows, or a PNG or CSV, and tick off rows as you go.

What you can use it for

• Turn a pet photo, a family photo or a logo you own into a C2C blanket
• Draw a name or simple picture for a tapestry crochet bag or cushion
• Work out how many tiles and how much yarn a graphghan will take
• Write out C2C colour counts instead of counting squares on a chart
• Plan a blanket in the yarn colours you already have
• Print a graph with big squares across several pages for a large project

Worked example: a 4 × 3 C2C graph

This small graph has 12 tiles, starts at the bottom right and has 6 diagonal rows. The top row of the graph is A A B C, the middle row is B B C C and the bottom row is C A B A.

Row	Side	Read	Tiles	Shaping	Colours in order
1	RS	right to left	1	increase	1 A
2	WS	left to right	2	increase	1 B, 1 C
3	RS	right to left	3	increase	2 C, 1 A
4	WS	left to right	3	even	1 C, 2 B
5	RS	right to left	2	decrease	1 A, 1 B
6	WS	left to right	1	decrease	1 A

Notice rows 2 and 4: they start from the bottom edge of the graph. The row length stays at 3 tiles in row 4, because that is where one edge starts to decrease while the other keeps increasing.

C2C graph sizes

Graph	Diagonal rows	Tiles	Longest row	Size at 2 cm per tile	Yarn at 45 cm per tile, plus 10%
20 × 20	39	400	20	40 × 40 cm	198 m (217 yd)
30 × 24	53	720	24	60 × 48 cm	357 m (390 yd)
40 × 40	79	1,600	40	80 × 80 cm	792 m (867 yd)
50 × 65	114	3,250	50	100 × 130 cm	1,609 m (1,760 yd)
60 × 75	134	4,500	60	120 × 150 cm	2,228 m (2,437 yd)
100 × 100	199	10,000	100	200 × 200 cm	4,951 m (5,414 yd)

These are starting estimates for worsted-weight yarn on a 5 mm hook. Measure your own swatch before you buy yarn.

C2C or tapestry: which graph do you need?

	C2C	Tapestry crochet
One square on the graph	One tile (ch 3 + 3 dc)	One stitch, usually single crochet
Worked	Diagonally, corner to corner	Back and forth, or in rounds
Unused colours	Usually a separate bobbin for each colour section	Carried inside the stitches
Square shape	Close to square	Usually a little wider than tall, so use your gauge
Good for	Blankets and big pictures	Bags, baskets, cushions and small detail

Tips for a better crochet graph

• Crop the picture close to the subject first and use a plain background: the graph has far fewer squares than a photo has pixels.
• Start at about 60 to 100 squares wide for a face and 30 to 50 for a simple shape. To reduce or sample colours first, try the Pixel Art Converter or the Image Color Picker.
• For a hand-drawn plan on paper, print the Graph Paper. For filet crochet, use the Crochet Chart Maker.
• Working in another craft? See the Knitting Chart Maker, the Cross Stitch Pattern Maker and the Quilt Pattern Maker.
• Only use photos and logos you own or have permission to use.

Frequently asked questions

What is a crochet graph?

A chart on a grid where each square is one unit of crochet in one colour. On a C2C graph a square is one tile; on a tapestry graph a square is one stitch. You follow the squares to make the picture.

How do you read a C2C graph?

Most C2C graphs start at the bottom right corner and finish at the top left. Rows run diagonally. Odd rows are right-side rows, read right to left, and even rows are wrong-side rows, read left to right. Row 2 starts at the tile on the bottom edge and row 3 starts at the tile on the right edge. The written rows here are already in that order.

How do written C2C colour counts work?

Each row lists the tiles in the order you make them. “Row 3 (RS, read right to left, 3 tiles, increase): 2 C, 1 A” means two tiles of colour C, then one of colour A. Letters match the colour key, and the tiles in a row always add up to the number shown.

When do I switch from increasing to decreasing in C2C?

On a square graph, increase until the middle row and then decrease on both edges. On a rectangle, one edge reaches its corner first: decrease on that edge and keep increasing on the other, so the row length stays the same, and decrease on both once you pass the second corner. The written rows say increase, even or decrease for each row.

How many rows does a C2C graph have?

Width plus height minus one. A 30 × 24 graph has 53 diagonal rows, and the longest row has 24 tiles, the shorter side.

Can left-handed crocheters use this graph?

Yes. Choose Left-handed and pick your start corner. Left-handed crocheters often start at the bottom left, which mirrors the usual way of working, and the written rows change to match.

What is the difference between a crochet graph and a crochet chart?

Makers use the words loosely. This page is built around turning a picture into a graph sized for your stitches, with a row tracker and yarn amounts. The Crochet Chart Maker is a simpler grid that also does filet crochet.

Why does my tapestry picture look squashed?

Crochet stitches are not square. Single crochet is usually a little wider than it is tall, so a picture on square cells comes out stretched. Enter the stitches and rows in 10 cm from your swatch and the graph adds the rows needed to keep the picture in proportion.

How big will my C2C blanket be, and how much yarn will it take?

Multiply the tiles by the size of one tile. The starting estimates here are 2 cm per tile and 45 cm of yarn per tile, for worsted-weight yarn on a 5 mm hook, based on a published blanket pattern. Crochet ten tiles, measure them and enter your own numbers, as your yarn and tension will differ.

How many colours should I use?

Fewer colours mean fewer yarn ends and clearer pictures. Four to eight suit most photos. Faces usually need more, so try 8 to 12. The tool counts your colour changes, so you can compare versions.

What does Tidy stray single squares do?

A photo often leaves lone squares of a colour, each of which would need its own colour change. This option swaps each lone square for the colour around it, so the picture stays clear with fewer changes.

Is my photo uploaded?

No. The picture is read and converted in your browser and never leaves your device.