Filet Crochet Chart Generator
A filet crochet chart shows which squares are filled and which are open, but the stitches still have to be counted: how long the foundation chain is, whether row 1 starts with a block or a space, and whether each square sits over a block or a space in the row below, which changes where the hook goes. This works all of that out from a chart you type, press into shape, or spell in block letters, writes every row out, and then reads the written rows back stitch by stitch to rebuild the chart and confirm it matches.
What this generator does
Takes a chart of filled and open squares, adds an optional open border, counts the foundation chain for the way row 1 begins, and writes every row in working order with the stitches that depend on the square below. The cross-stitch chart maker charts pictures for embroidery; this writes crochet rows.
How to use this tool
- Pick a chart on the page, type a word to spell in block letters, or type your own chart with # for a filled square and . for an open one. Press squares in the preview to switch them.
- Choose how many open squares of border to add, and US or UK stitch names.
- If you have crocheted a swatch, tick the box and enter its squares and rows per 10 cm to get the finished size.
- Press Make the pattern, then read the foundation chain, the check line and the rows. Print the chart and rows together.
Understanding the controls
- Start from
- A chart drawn for this page (a heart, a band of diamonds, a window), words set in block capitals 7 squares high, or your own chart. Changing a square in the preview turns the chart into your own.
- Chart
- One line per row, top row first: # (or X) for a filled square, . (or -) for an open one. Every line must be the same width, from 3 to 80 squares, and the chart up to 150 rows with the border.
- Open border
- 0 to 3 open squares added all the way round, so a motif does not run to the edge of the work.
- Stitch names
- US terms (dc, skip) or UK terms (tr, miss). The stitch is the same; only the name differs.
- Swatch
- Squares and rows per 10 cm from a swatch in your own thread and hook. Without them no size is given, because filet size depends almost entirely on thread and tension.
Worked examples
- The heart chart with a 1-square open border, US terms
- 13 squares wide, 12 rows. Foundation chain 44 (3 × 13 + 5, because row 1 starts with a space). Every row is 40 stitches; 46 blocks and 110 spaces. Row 1: dc in 8th ch from hook, then [ch 2, skip 2 ch, dc in next ch] 12 times.
- Row 4 of the same chart
- Read left to right: 5 sp, 3 bl, 5 sp. Ch 3 (counts as the first dc), [ch 2, dc in next dc] 5 times, 2 dc in ch-2 sp, dc in next dc, dc in next 3 dc, 2 dc in ch-2 sp, dc in next dc, [ch 2, dc in next dc] 4 times, ch 2, dc in top of turning ch, turn. The middle block sits over the block below, so it is three stitches into stitches; the two beside it sit over spaces.
- The word HOME with a 1-square border
- 25 squares wide and 9 rows, foundation chain 80.
Common use cases
- Lettering a name or word for a filet panel, curtain or bookmark
- Turning a motif sketched on graph paper into written rows
- Checking the foundation chain before starting a large piece
- Following a chart row by row when reading the chart alone is hard
How this generator works
Each square is three stitches wide and shares its posts with its neighbours, so a row of W squares is W + 1 posts and 2W fillers, 3W + 1 stitches. A block is filled with two stitches and a space is bridged with ch 2. Row 1 is the bottom of the chart, worked from right to left into a foundation chain of 3W + 3 if it starts with a block (first stitch in the 4th chain from the hook) or 3W + 5 if it starts with a space (first stitch in the 8th chain). Each later row starts with ch 3 counting as the first post and is written square by square: a block over a block is three stitches into stitches, a block over a space puts two stitches into the ch-2 space, and a space is ch 2 with a skip over any stitches below. Runs of the same instruction are grouped. The check then reads the written rows as text, without the chart: it expands every bracket, turns each instruction into posts, fillers and chains, confirms every row is 3W + 1 stitches with a post every third stitch, rebuilds each row from its squares and, reversing alternate rows, rebuilds the chart, which must equal the one asked for.
Assumptions this tool makes
- Filet in the usual three-stitch square, with ch 3 counting as the first stitch of each row.
- Right-handed working, with row 1 read from right to left. Left-handed crocheters read each row in the other direction; the chart is the same.
Limitations and good to know
- Squares only: lacets, bars and other filet stitches are not charted.
- One counting convention. Some patterns count the turning chain differently or use ch 4 or ch 5; the result is the same fabric but different numbers.
- Letters are one block alphabet, 7 squares high, without lower case.
- No size without a swatch, and the preview is a chart, not a photograph of crochet. The written rows have been checked against the chart by software, not crocheted here.
Common mistakes
- Making the foundation chain for a block when row 1 starts with a space
- A space at the start of row 1 needs two more chains (3W + 5, not 3W + 3). The summary gives the right number for this chart.
- Putting the hook into the chain, not the space, over an open square
- A block over a space is worked as 2 stitches into the ch-2 space, then one into the next post. The row says which squares sit over spaces.
- Losing a stitch at the row ends
- Every row has the same number of stitches; count after the first few rows. The last stitch goes into the top of the turning chain.
Practical tips
- Mark every tenth row in the margin of the printed chart as you finish it.
- Block the finished piece pinned square; filet relaxes into shape when wet-blocked.
- An open border of one or two squares frames lettering and makes edging easier.
Privacy and your data
The chart is made in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere. Usage counts record only that a pattern was made.
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