How to make a filet crochet chart from a photo
- Upload a photo. In the studio, drop it on Start with your image (PNG, JPG or WebP, up to 20 MB). The conversion runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
- Set the width. Pattern width is the number of filet squares across, from 20 to 300. The number of rows follows the photo's shape and your gauge.
- Adjust the threshold. Filet has two states, so the photo is split by brightness. Move the Threshold slider until the subject reads clearly. Swap filled and open inverts the chart, for example to make a dark subject in open mesh on a filled background.
- Clean up. Clean up stray stitches removes single squares that differ from all their neighbors. Use the pencil to fix edges, eyes and thin lines.
- Enter your gauge. Fill in Squares in 4 in (10 cm) and Rows in 4 in (10 cm) from your own swatch. The default of 10 × 10 is an example, not a standard.
- Pick a thread color for the preview. Filet is usually one color, so the preview uses one thread color on a plain background.
- Download. The PDF has the chart with row numbers, the foundation chain count and the written rows. Written instructions (.txt) gives the rows alone.
Filled blocks and open squares
Filet crochet is a grid of double crochet walls with either chains or stitches between them. Doris Chan explains the standard version in Interweave (Interweave): an open block is "(dc for the grid wall, ch 2 for the space, dc for the grid wall)" and a filled block is "(dc for the grid wall, 2 dc for the fill, dc for the grid wall)".
Neighboring blocks share their walls, so each block adds three stitches. In Chan's words, "the number of blocks times three, plus one extra edge stitch that closes up the last block." A row of 20 squares is 61 stitches whichever squares are open or filled.
The foundation chain
The studio works out the foundation chain for you and prints it on the PDF. It follows Chan's method:
- Row 1 starts with a filled block: 3 chains per square, plus 1 for the edge stitch, plus 3 for the height of the first dc. That is 3 × squares + 4.
- Row 1 starts with an open square: the same, plus 2 chains for the first space. That is 3 × squares + 6.
Row 1 is worked from right to left, so the square that decides which formula to use is the bottom right square of the chart.
| Squares across | Chain if row 1 starts filled | Chain if row 1 starts open |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 64 | 66 |
| 30 | 94 | 96 |
| 50 | 154 | 156 |
| 80 | 244 | 246 |
| 100 | 304 | 306 |
How to read a filet chart
Yarnspirations: "Row 1 is at the bottom… Odd-numbered rows are worked from right to left" (Yarnspirations). Even rows come back from left to right. If you work filet in the round, WeCrochet says to "read all rows from right to left" (WeCrochet); the studio writes filet rows for flat work.
Here is a chart 9 squares wide, printed as you see it (■ filled, □ open), with the rows the studio writes:
| Row | Chart (left to right as printed) | Written row |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | □□■■■■■□□ | Row 3 (right to left): 2 open, 5 filled, 2 open |
| 2 | ■□□□□□□□■ | Row 2 (left to right): 1 filled, 7 open, 1 filled |
| 1 | □■■■■■■■■ | Row 1 (right to left): 8 filled, 1 open |
Row 1 starts at the bottom right square, which is filled, so the foundation chain is 3 × 9 + 4 = 31. The written rows assume right-handed working. Interweave notes that left-handed crocheters start the same chart on the left (Interweave), so read each written row in reverse.
Square or rectangular squares
A filet chart is drawn with square boxes, but your crochet may not come out square. Kathryn White writes in Interweave: "Most people tend to have rather short double crochet stitches, which produce rectangular filet crochet pieces instead of square." She recommends the extended double crochet if your squares come out short (Interweave).
The studio handles this with the two gauge fields. Crochet a swatch in filet mesh, count the squares and the rows in 4 inches, and enter both. If the numbers differ, the photo is converted with more or fewer rows so the finished piece keeps the photo's proportions, and the finished size is shown in inches and centimeters.
Choosing a size and a photo
Finished size is squares divided by your gauge. This table uses the example gauge of 10 squares and 10 rows to 4 inches; thread, hook and tension will change it, so treat it as arithmetic, not a forecast.
| Squares across | Width at 10 squares = 4 in | Rows for a square design |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 12 in (30 cm) | 30 |
| 50 | 20 in (51 cm) | 50 |
| 80 | 32 in (81 cm) | 80 |
| 100 | 40 in (102 cm) | 100 |
Because every square is either filled or open, the photo is reduced to two tones. Silhouettes, logos, single animals, flowers and bold lettering keep their shape. Photos that depend on shading, such as a face in soft light, lose most of their detail. Crop tight before uploading, and try the threshold at a few positions before you clean up by hand.
For a design with several colors, use the crochet pattern generator instead: it makes single crochet graphs and C2C charts in as many colors as you need.
What you get
- A printable PDF: the chart with row numbers, the foundation chain count, and written rows such as "Row 3 (right to left): 2 open, 5 filled, 2 open".
- Written instructions (.txt): every row in working order.
- A chart image (PNG), a count list (CSV) of filled and open squares, and an editable project file.
No watermark, no account, and no premium tier.
Honest limits. The chart has filled blocks and open squares only: no lacets or bars. There is no text or alphabet tool yet, so letters and names have to be drawn with the pencil. The two-tone split is by brightness alone. Charts go up to 300 × 300 squares. Only convert photos you have the right to use. The method is explained on how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Is the filet crochet pattern generator free?
Yes. Every chart and every export is free, with no watermark and no account. There is no premium tier.
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The photo is converted inside your browser on your own device and never sent anywhere.
How do I work out the foundation chain for filet crochet?
Multiply the number of squares across by 3 and add 4 if row 1 starts with a filled block, or 6 if it starts with an open square. The studio prints the number for your chart.
Why is my filet piece longer or shorter than the chart?
Because your squares are not square. Short double crochets make rectangular squares, as Kathryn White describes in Interweave. Enter your real squares and rows per 4 inches and the chart is redrawn to match.
Can I make filet crochet letters or names?
Not with a text tool yet. You can draw letters on the chart with the pencil, or upload an image of the lettering in a bold font.
What are the UK terms?
The filet walls and fill are US double crochet, which is a treble in UK terms (Craft Yarn Council). The chart and the counts are the same either way.