C2C Crochet Pattern Maker
Draw a graph or convert a photo, and get the thing you actually work from: row-by-row written instructions in US terms, with the block counts to check yourself against. Plus a printable PDF and a yarn key. Free, in your browser.
The written rows, not just the graph
C2C is worked on the diagonal, so nobody crochets straight off the graph — you work from rows. Every row of your pattern is written out in working order, computed from the graph you drew:
→ Row 58 [WS]: (Cream) x 12, (Teal) x 46 (58 blocks) ← Row 59 [RS]: (Cream) x 11, (Teal) x 48 (59 blocks) → Row 60 [WS]: (Cream) x 11, (Teal) x 49 (60 blocks) ← Row 61 [RS]: (Cream) x 11, (Teal) x 48 (59 blocks) — Corner: start decreasing on RS Total: (Cream) x 1284, (Teal) x 2316
The arrow is the working direction, which reverses every row. [RS] and [WS] tell you which side is facing you. Each run is a color and how many blocks of it, in the order you work them. The count in brackets at the end is that row's block total, so you can check yourself before you turn. And the corner note lands on the one row where the shaping changes, instead of leaving you to spot it.
Everything is in US terms, and a block means the usual chain-3 plus 3 double crochet cluster. We print block rather than square because in crochet a square is a granny square, and the yarn key counts blocks too — instructions that disagree with the key are how a pattern gets frogged.
In the PDF you print
The written rows are a section of the exported PDF, paginated with continuous row numbering, sitting between the yarn key and the graph pages.
As a plain .txt file
File → Export → Text Instructions downloads the rows on their own, ready to read on a phone or paste wherever you keep your project notes.
On screen while you work
The same rows open in the editor, as color names or as color chips with counts. Tap a row to mark where you are.
Set up how you read it
Choose the starting corner, and turn the RS/WS markers, the direction arrows, and color-name-versus-swatch off or on. The three surfaces stay in step.
We checked the instructions against a real 398-row pattern
A C2C blanket is 40 to 120 hours of work. A written pattern with a wrong row count isn't a small bug — it's a frogged afghan. So before shipping this we took a real 200 × 199 graph and its real 398-row written pattern, fed the graph through our own row builder, and compared the output line by line: the number of rows, the RS and WS markers, the direction arrows, every run of color in order, every run count, every per-row block total, and the grand total. All 398 rows matched.
That test runs on every change we make, so it stays true. It's the reason we'll say plainly that the rows are computed from your graph rather than approximated from it — and it's checkable, which is the only kind of claim worth making about a pattern you're going to spend a month on.
Everything you need to design a graphghan
Most graph tools convert an image once and hand you a grid. This is an editor — you draw, fix, and refine the design block by block before anything gets printed.
A real editor
Brush, fill, line, and shape tools with unlimited undo. Start from a blank graph, or clean up a photo conversion block by block until it reads the way you want in yarn.
Sized in blocks
Dimensions are blocks wide × blocks tall, and a worsted block on a 5 mm (H-8) hook is roughly an inch — so a 50-block-wide graph is about a 50 inch blanket before the border.
Three worsted yarn palettes
Red Heart Super Saver (72 colors), Caron One Pound (46), and Bernat Super Value (60), with the shade names on the label. Close matches sampled from product photos, not official values.
Block counts and yarn estimates
The yarn key totals blocks per color and turns that into estimated yardage and skeins, rounded up with a margin. Estimates, not promises — buy a spare skein in the dye lot.
Photo conversion you can edit
Upload a photo and it's matched to your yarn palette by color, deterministically — no AI writing your pattern. The result is a graph you own and edit, not a black box.
Free, in your browser
No download, no signup. Open the editor and start placing blocks — it runs entirely in your browser.
Progress Tracker
Press F and the chart becomes a checklist: mark blocks as you work, highlight one color, and see how many evenings are left. Free, on any device, and it syncs across devices.
How to make a C2C crochet pattern
Set the size in blocks
Choose "C2C crochet" as the craft and set blocks wide × blocks tall. That decides both the finished size and the row count: a graph W wide by H tall is worked as W + H − 1 diagonal rows.
Draw it, or convert a photo
Place colors with brush, fill, line, and shape tools — or convert a photo to your palette and tidy it up. Fewer colors and bigger shapes mean fewer ends to weave in later.
Pick your yarn
Work in Red Heart Super Saver, Caron One Pound, or Bernat Super Value. The yarn key fills in with blocks per color and an estimate of yardage and skeins.
Export and start hooking
Export the PDF — graph pages, yarn key, and the row-by-row written instructions — or grab the rows on their own as a .txt. Then start in the corner and work the diagonal.
Working a different technique? The crochet pattern maker covers charts for single crochet, tapestry, filet and mosaic graphghans too — written row instructions are C2C only.
Graphs for any grid-worked crochet — written rows for C2C
A graphghan is any chart-worked blanket, and C2C is one technique for making one. Single crochet, tapestry, filet and mosaic all read the same colored grid, so the editor and the printable graph work for all of them: draw the grid, count your colors, print it, work it in whatever technique you prefer. Starting from a picture? The photo to crochet pattern page covers cropping, color count, and what each technique gets from the graph.
The written row-by-row instructions are C2C only. Straight-row techniques — single crochet graphghans and tapestry crochet — need their own row builder and we haven't shipped it. For those, the graph is the deliverable and you count stitches off the grid the way you always have. We'd rather say that here than have you find out at row 40.
Not sure which technique your project wants? C2C vs single crochet vs tapestry lays out how each one reads a graph, what each does to the fabric, and which to pick.
How Stitchmate compares
Plenty of graph tools are single-purpose converters: upload an image, get a grid, done. If the result has stray colors or a mangled outline, you start over. An editor lets you fix it, and a pattern you're going to spend a month on deserves the fix.
| Feature | Stitchmate | Typical online graph makers |
|---|---|---|
| Draw a graph from scratch | Yes | Often convert only |
| Edit after converting a photo | Yes — full editor | Varies |
| C2C written row instructions | Yes — PDF section and .txt | Varies |
| Written rows for straight-row graphghans | Not yet — graph only | Varies |
| Sized in blocks, not pixels | Yes | Rarely |
| Real worsted yarn palettes | Three, with shade names | Varies |
| Blocks per color, plus yarn estimate | Yes | Sometimes |
| Printable multi-page PDF | Yes — graph, key, and rows | Often image-only |
| Free to use, no signup | Yes | Varies |
Free C2C crochet tools and guides
Matching a shade or planning a palette? There is a color chart per yarn line — Red Heart Super Saver (72 shades), Caron One Pound (46), and Bernat Super Value (60).
New to graphs? How to read a C2C graph covers the diagonal, the row count, and how a colored grid turns into written rows. Working out where the shaping turns? C2C increases and decreases has the arithmetic for squares and rectangles, and what actually happens at each corner. Picking a technique? Graphghan techniques compared puts C2C next to single crochet, tapestry and block stitch. Blanket finished? C2C borders and edging deals with the stepped edge and the round that makes everything after it sit flat.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a C2C crochet pattern?
Choose 'C2C crochet' when creating a new pattern, set the size in blocks wide × blocks tall, then place colors with the brush, fill, line, and shape tools — or convert a photo and edit the result. When the graph looks right, export the PDF: graph pages, a yarn key with per-color block counts, and row-by-row written instructions. The written rows also download as a plain .txt file.
Does it write the row-by-row instructions, or just the graph?
Both, for C2C. Every row is written out in working order — direction arrow, RS or WS, each run of color with its block count, and the row's block total — computed from your graph, in US terms. For single crochet, tapestry, filet or mosaic graphghans the graph itself is the deliverable: those are worked in straight rows and we don't generate straight-row written instructions yet.
How many rows will my blanket be?
A graph that is W blocks wide by H blocks tall is worked as W + H − 1 diagonal rows. A 60 × 60 graph is 119 rows, widest at row 60. The pattern prints the row count for you, and marks the row where the shaping turns.
Which yarn colors can I work in?
Three worsted-weight palettes are built in: Red Heart Super Saver (72 colors), Caron One Pound (46), and Bernat Super Value (60). The colors are close matches sampled from official product photos, not official values — no yarn company publishes hex codes, and dye lots vary between runs. Always check a physical color card or a skein before buying for a big blanket.
Do you say how much yarn I need?
The yarn key estimates yardage and skeins per color from your block counts, at roughly 2.5 yards per worsted block with a 10% margin, always rounded up. To size the blanket and buy yarn before the graph exists, use the <a href='/tools/crochet-blanket-calculator'>crochet blanket calculator</a>. It's an estimate: yardage per block moves with your hook, your tension, and the yarn itself. Buy a spare skein in the same dye lot.
Does it support mini C2C?
Not yet. Blocks are worked as the standard chain-3 plus 3 double crochet cluster, sized for worsted weight on a 5 mm (H-8) hook. Mini C2C — half double crochet blocks — is a size variant we haven't shipped, so the block counts and finished sizes assume the standard block.
Is this C2C crochet pattern maker free?
Yes. It runs entirely in your browser with no signup and no download. Create, edit, and export patterns for free. Paid tiers unlock watermark-free PDF exports.
Can I convert a photo instead of drawing?
Yes. Upload a photo and it's matched to your chosen yarn palette block by block — the same deterministic conversion the other crafts use, not an AI that invents a pattern. You land in the editor with an editable graph and can fix every block before anything prints. Use images you own or have the right to use.
Made a graphghan with Stitchmate? Tell others how it went.
Ready to graph your first blanket?
No download, no account required. Draw the graph, get the rows.