CrochetSketch

YOUR FIRST CHART

A small picture.
A project you can follow.

Start with a simple shape and a small swatch. This guide uses US single crochet in flat rows, worked right-handed.

Choose a picture with room to simplify

A flower, an initial or a clear animal silhouette is a useful first project. Crop close to your subject. When a face becomes only a handful of squares, important details can disappear. Try a wider chart, stronger contrast or a simpler image.

Choose your stitch count and colors

Upload a photo or open the example. In Chart, set the width in stitches and compare two, four or six colors. More stitches preserve more detail and mean more work. A 40 × 32 chart contains 1,280 stitches before any border.

In Colors, select a color to draw with or replace a color throughout the chart. Merge similar colors to simplify yarn changes. Zoom out occasionally to check that the subject is still recognizable.

Measure your gauge

Make a swatch in the same single crochet and colorwork method, using the yarn and hook intended for your project. Measure stitches and rows across the middle of a 10 cm area. If you plan to wash or block the finished piece, measure your prepared swatch in the same condition.

Enter both counts in Finished size. The studio uses the stitch proportions to choose a row count that keeps your image in proportion. Changing gauge can regenerate the grid, so save hand edits first.

Try a 40 × 32 chart

Estimated size: 20.0 × 20.0 cm

Follow one row at a time

  1. Prepare your yarn colors and label them A, B, C and so on, matching the chart legend. Choose physical yarn with clear contrast.
  2. For a chart W stitches wide, chain W + 1. Work the first single crochet into the second chain from the hook, then work across for W stitches.
  3. The chart shows the front of your piece. Row 1 is at the bottom and reads right to left. Row 2 reads left to right. Alternate direction as you turn the work.
  4. Chain 1 and turn at the end of each row. This turning chain does not count as a stitch.
  5. To change color, finish the last yarn-over of the preceding stitch with the new color. For separate color areas, prepare small bobbins and keep ends on the wrong side. Practice crossings and tension on a swatch first.
  6. Select Start crocheting to highlight the current row. A × 5 means five single crochet stitches in color A. Mark a row complete to move on.

Color handling affects the back, thickness and tension of the fabric. Ask an experienced crocheter to check your first colorwork swatch before committing to a large piece. The tool’s physical sample validation is in progress.

Keep a copy

Download a PNG for the chart, use Print / Save PDF for numbered sections and written rows, or download a project file to edit on another device. Browser storage keeps your current project on this device. A downloaded file is your portable backup.

Further reading

Check US terminology and basic pattern conventions in the Craft Yarn Council’s references.

Make your first chart →