A corner-to-corner graph is just a grid of coloured squares, but crocheting one well depends on choices made before you pick up a hook: how many blocks wide, how many colours, and how many lonely single blocks you are prepared to tie in. This generator gives you control over all three and shows a realistic C2C block preview so you can judge the texture before committing.
How it works
- Add a photo. Choose, drop or paste a JPG, PNG, WebP or iPhone HEIC image. A sample illustration loads first so you can explore the controls straight away.
- Set the size in blocks. Anything from 10 to 200 blocks wide; 60 is the default and suits a throw or a large cushion.
- Choose your colours. Pick a maximum of 2 to 30 shades from the generic yarn palette (or DMC as a proxy). Colours are clustered from the photo, then snapped to the nearest shade in the palette.
- Download. The PDF holds the graph, a colour key with block counts and yarn estimates, and written diagonal rows. You can also export PNG, SVG, a CSV shopping list or a .cpat project file.
Tips for a great C2C graph from a photo
Think in bobbins, not pixels. Every time a colour appears in a diagonal, you need a separate strand of yarn for that section. Eight colours is the default for a reason: beyond about ten, most graphs become a tangle of bobbins. Start low and only add colours if a feature, such as an eye or a lettering edge, genuinely disappears.
Use confetti cleanup generously. A single isolated block means joining a new colour for three or four stitches and weaving in two ends. Medium or Strong cleanup merges those strays into their neighbours while keeping deliberate highlights. For a blanket that will be washed often, fewer ends also means fewer weak spots.
Simplify the subject. C2C blocks are chunky, so fine detail is lost at blanket sizes. Crop tightly around the subject and raise contrast a little. If the photo has a plain backdrop, the background skip option can drop it, and you can fill the empty area with one solid colour in the editor. A pet, a bold flower or a simple landscape silhouette translates far better than a group photo.
Check proportions against your swatch. C2C blocks are usually close to square, so the graph keeps the photo’s shape, but tension varies. If your blocks come out slightly taller than wide, the finished piece will stretch vertically. Measure a swatch of 10 × 10 blocks before deciding on the final width.
Leave dithering off. Ordered or diffusion dithering creates speckled mixes of colour that look lovely on screen but turn into hundreds of single blocks in yarn. Keep it at None for crochet unless you are making a small, deliberately textured piece.
Swap the palette to suit your stash. If you already own yarn for most of the project, pick colours afterwards in the editor with “nearest to” and replace any shade you cannot match, rather than buying a full new set.
After you download
Print the colour chart pages if you like ticking blocks off, or open the saved project in the stitch tracker on a tablet and highlight the current row as you go. If a few blocks still bother you, the C2C graph editor lets you repaint them before you print.
What you get
| Sizes | 10–200 blocks wide from a photo; editor up to 2,000 × 2,000 |
|---|---|
| Colours | 2–30, matched by CIEDE2000 colour difference |
| Palettes | Generic yarn, DMC (48 named yarn shades) |
| Downloads | PDF (cover, colour key, numbered chart pages, optional colour pages), PNG, SVG, shopping list CSV, .cpat project |
| Files accepted | JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, AVIF, iPhone HEIC; .cpat and OXS patterns; PDFs made by CraftPatterns |
| Privacy | Runs in your browser. Images are never uploaded. |
| Price | Free — no sign-up, no watermark |
How it compares with other free tools
What you can expect here, every time — no tiers, no trial.
| Free printable PDF | Yes, with no watermark |
|---|---|
| Sign-up needed | No |
| Image uploaded to a server | No — processed on your device |
| Editor | Yes — pencil, fill, line, rectangle, mirror, undo |
| Progress tracker | Yes — free, works offline |
| Switch the same pattern to another craft | Yes — one tap |
Frequently asked questions
How big will my C2C blanket be?
Multiply the graph width in blocks by the size of one of your blocks. The finished size shown in the tool assumes a 2.5 cm block, so the default 60-block width comes out at 150 cm. Real block size depends on your yarn, hook and tension, so crochet a small swatch and rescale the figure if your blocks are larger or smaller.
Where do the written rows start?
Row 1 is the single block in the bottom-right corner. Each following row is one diagonal, and the direction alternates, so you read the instructions back and forth exactly as you turn your work. The block counts per colour are listed for every diagonal.
How is the yarn amount worked out?
The tool multiplies the number of blocks in each colour by a "yarn per block" setting, which defaults to 0.9 m. That default is only a starting point. Crochet ten blocks, unravel them, measure the yarn and divide by ten, then enter your own figure for a much better estimate.
Are the yarn colour names real brands?
No. The default palette is 48 generic yarn shades with our own descriptive names, such as Pumpkin or Deep Teal, so you can match them to whatever yarn line you like. If you prefer a fixed numbering system, you can switch to DMC colours as a proxy and use the codes as a shopping reference.
Can I make a rectangular C2C graph rather than a square one?
Yes. The height follows your photo's proportions, or you can crop it first. Rectangular C2C is worked by increasing until you reach the shorter side, then continuing on one side while decreasing on the other, and the written diagonal rows already account for this.
What does the stitchability score mean for crochet?
It rates the graph from 0 to 100 based on how many scattered single blocks and colour changes it contains. A low score usually means lots of bobbins and cut ends. The tips under the score tell you which setting to change first, often fewer colours or a stronger confetti cleanup.
Can I turn the same picture into a knitting chart or a cross-stitch pattern?
Yes. One tap switches the pattern to another craft. The cells are kept, each colour is mapped to the nearest shade in the new craft's palette, and the material list is recalculated for that craft.
Last updated · About us