Struggling to Create Crochet Charts?
Have you ever used a crochet pattern and admired the beautifully designed crochet charts that you used? They can make a crochet pattern stand out by helping makers visualise the placement of stitches.
If you’re a crochet designer and interested in selling patterns, it’s in everyone’s best interest to add a crochet chart into the mix. Some people are visual learners and written descriptions can sometimes be confusing. A helpful chart will lead to many happy crocheters.
Below, I share two different resources for creating crochet charts so you can give them a go too. Let me know what you think!
Stitch Fiddle For Crochet Charts
I will always have a soft spot for Stitch Fiddle, I learned a lot by experimenting with the free version. I currently pay around £27 a year for the premium version which gives you access to more functions. The paid version means you can create as many charts as you want and opens up a lot of other options too, which is great.
Stitch Fiddle can be used for simple, freehand charts (with a little help from aligning tools) and I taught myself to use it quite easily. One of its advantages is that it’s pretty intuitive.
It’s main strength lies in C2C crochet charts. They are so easy to create. With the premium version you can also download a written, a row by row colour order from the C2C charts you create, which is useful if someone likes the reassurance of a written version. I will probably use Stitch Fiddle forever to create C2C charts.
Above is one of my charts for a subtly festive pattern, I share the whole chart on my free crochet pattern for a C2C Christmas sweater.
But Stitch Fiddle has limitations that can be frustrating for bigger, more complex crochet charts. The two things that I can’t do and really want it to do are: group crochet symbols together to rotate them all as one, and group to then mirror a sequence of stitches, which I always thought would be a major time saver. I know that one day, these may well become part of the software as the guy behind Stitch Fiddle listens and has frequently acted upon requests for system updates. I just know that his schedule is probably huge and much like the rest of us, he can’t do all the things all at once.
Help With Learning Crochet Charts
A month or so ago, I was incredibly frustrated and struggling to create a detailed chart of ripple stitches. It was just not within my skill set and a little bit beyond what was easy in Stitch Fiddle. I aired my upset on Instagram and received some excellent feedback from many makers. Everyone agreed that charts were useful and that often, they were an essential part of a good crochet pattern. I knew there was no way to bury my head in the sand about this. I had to get good at crochet charts!
Create Crochet Charts Like a Pro
Christina Crochet Coach, aka Christina Hadderingh of a Spoonful of Yarn, sensed my despair and sent a message to offer me a chance to try her Masterclass, Create Crochet Charts Like a Pro. Of course, I said yes as I was very much in a position where I needed help. Sometimes, it’s OK to acknowledge that you can’t do it all on your lonesome.
This crochet chart course was a game changer for me! It helps you go through how to use a free program called Crochet Charts Stitch Works Software. There is a detailed, step by step video class and some additional, very useful, documents too. All of which meant that I learned how to build crochet charts within an afternoon. Wow! I wouldn’t have been able to do this so speedily without the course. Could I have muddled my way through without it? Eventually, sure, but I certainly don’t have the time to fanny about in my usual confused way. I needed a knowledgeable hand to hold whilst I dove in. It made a world of difference.
Christina is kindly offering you 20% off her crochet charts course with the code CHARTS20. The full price is only 37 Euros so it’s a bargain even without the discount.
Crochet Charts By Stitchworks
The chart on the left was created using Stitch Fiddle. The chart of the right, Stitch Works (without a couple of the details because A: I was rushing and B: I only “drew” the second pic for this blog post). Hopefully, you can tell the difference between the two. Symbols are just a bit tidier for the chart on the right. And it took me a fraction of the time to create.
My FAVOURITE things about Crochet Charts by Stitch Works Software
- I can change the colour of the stitches after I’ve placed them (you cannot yet do this with Stitch Fiddle and that’s a big disadvantage. It’s such a relief to be able to do this.
- To create a new chart, I can select the number of stitches, and what kind of stitches I want and it’ll pop them all on my screen, evenly in formation, at the click of a button. I’ve done this for rows (squares) and in the round (circular).
- Highlight the stitches you’re interested in and rotate them all together. Bliss!
- And then mirror them precisely, all in one click. This function and the one above, can’t be done on StitchFiddle yet, although I gather it might be on their wish list at some point.
- I can use a square, circle or triangle grid if I want and stitches cling to it – this I haven’t explored much because it’s glitchy.
- Charts are so tidy!
- I’ve had no problem saving charts or losing my work.
My Not So Favourite Things…
A couple of things to note about my not so favourite things. The glitch I mentioned… Each time I open a new chart and select a grid to use, the program crashes. I tried several times and nope! No joy. However, I can click on an already saved chart and then select a grid without the system crashing. I don’t know the reason for this but at least I know I can use them with this little hack.
When I revisited the software a couple of days later, I couldn’t find it on my PC. I was searching for the wrong thing. Don’t search for Stitch Works, search for “Crochet Charts.”
It doesn’t have an exhaustive list of stitch symbols so you may have to substitute one stitch for another. As I understand it, you can import a font called Stitchin Crochet Pro to the software. I do actually have Stitchin Crochet Pro font downloaded somewhere on my computer. I was going to use it for another thing. Perhaps I ought to try it for Stitch Works one day. But that font isn’t exhaustive either sooooo….
Lastly, it’s quite old and I don’t know if it’s maintained anymore. To be honest, I am not going to worry about that as it does what I need it to in its current form.
Playing With Crochet Charts
Here are a couple of pictures of when I was playing around with crochet charts on Stitch Works. Initially, I asked it for lots of UK trebles (US dc) and then I decided to change them to pre-programmed picots (cos, why not?!). After that, I selected a few to become UK dc stitches (US sc). Then I messed about with changing colour and deleting chosen stitches. All of this took mere seconds. Brilliant!
Illustrator and Inkscape Charts
This is out of my league (in terms of cost and skill) but if you’re versed in Adobe Suite, then Illustrator will likely be your choice for crochet charts. From my understanding it’s a very hard learning curve but once you’ve mastered the skills, it can do anything you want.
I don’t think I’ll ever be in a position to use this but you never know. With the help of the husband, we once created a garment schematic on a creeky, old free version but even that was bamboozling. For schematics, I just use Google Drawing and insert into a pattern document. Slight corner-cutting but it does the job.
Out of the two, I’d explore Inkscape first as it’s free.
Panic Over, I now have Crochet Chart Confidence!
After weeks, if not, months of a “woe is me attitude” I finally have the confidence to tackle bigger, better crochet charts. I am not perfect at it but I now have the resources to help build my skills in a very speedy way. I am so grateful that fellow designers put tools together like this to help others. Thank you, Christina!
One of the first things Christina says at the beginning of the course is that overwhelm is a choice. It stopped me in my tracks somewhat and will sit with me for a long time. I am a classic worrier and get overwhelmed very easily. It’s not often that I stop to take a deep breath and aim to take it one step at a time. Not only was this a great lesson in creating crochet charts, but it was also a lesson in not getting into a flap just because something is new and scary! I chose to accept help and it’s been exactly what I needed. Phew!
BTW, whatever you choose to create crochet charts, it’s important to do your own research and make sure you’re happy to install the software or program that’s right for you.
If you liked this blog post, check out some of my Crochet Tips & Tricks.