Colorwork Chart Maker
One colorwork chart maker for both crafts — tapestry and intarsia crochet, fair isle and stranded knitting, all from the same photo.
Colorwork is colorwork whether you hold a hook or needles: the chart behind it is a grid where each square is one stitch and each color is one yarn. Many chart tools are built for a single craft — a knitting colorwork chart maker that forgets crocheters, or a crochet app that forgets knitters. This one doesn't. The same generated chart works for tapestry crochet, intarsia crochet, fair isle, and duplicate stitch, because all of them read the same square grid.
Upload a photo, set the grid width in stitches, cap the palette, and get a chart with exact stitch counts per color. Crocheters follow it single crochet by single crochet; knitters knit it row by row like any published fair isle chart.
What you get
One chart, two crafts
The square grid behind crochet colorwork and knitting colorwork is the same grid. Generate once — stitch it or knit it.
Palette discipline
Cap the chart at 2–16 colors. Fair isle wants 2 per row; tapestry crochet is happiest carrying 2–4. The slider enforces it before you start.
Stitch counts per color
Every shade gets an exact count, which doubles as the yarn-shopping list for both crafts.
Sized 20–120 stitches
Motif charts for hats and yokes to full blanket panels — set the width, and the height follows your photo.
Quality score
Colorwork can't render gradients. The score warns when a photo's detail won't survive the grid, before you cast on.
Free PNG download
Print the chart and mark rows as you go. Free with a small watermark, no account needed.
How to make a colorwork chart
Upload a bold image
Flat color areas, clear shapes, high contrast. Logos, folk motifs, and simple portraits convert best.
Set size and colors
Choose 20–120 stitches wide and cap the palette — 2–4 colors for classic colorwork, more for pictorial panels.
Generate and work the chart
Crochet one single crochet per square, or knit one stitch per square. Odd rows read right-to-left; the legend counts every color.
Chart maker vs. charting colorwork by hand
| Colorwork chart maker | Graph paper and pencils | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting the motif onto a grid | Pixels map to stitch squares automatically | Trace or redraw every square by hand |
| Crochet and knitting | One chart serves both crafts | Drawn twice if you both knit and crochet |
| Palette control | Hard cap on colors, set before generation | Discover the eighth shade mid-yoke |
| Stitch counts per color | Exact, computed from the chart | Tally colored squares with a pencil |
| Trying another size | One slider, instant re-render | Start over on a fresh sheet |
Frequently asked questions
What is a colorwork chart?
A grid where each square is one stitch and each color is one yarn. Crochet colorwork (tapestry, intarsia) and knitting colorwork (fair isle, stranded) both read the same grid, which is why one chart maker can serve both crafts.
Can I use this as a knitting colorwork chart maker?
Yes — a fair isle chart is the same square grid as a crochet graph: one square per stitch, read right-to-left on right-side rows. Generate the chart here and knit it exactly like a chart from any knitting pattern book. Keep the palette at 2 colors per row for classic stranded work.
Can the same chart work for both crochet and knitting?
Yes, with one caveat about proportions. Single crochet stitches are roughly square, so the chart's proportions carry straight through. Stockinette stitches are wider than they are tall (about 4:5), so knitters get a slightly wider result — traditional fair isle ignores this and looks fine.
How many colors should a colorwork chart have?
For stranded knitting, 2 colors per row is the classic limit — more means long, snag-prone floats. Tapestry crochet is comfortable carrying 2–3 colors, 4 at most. Pictorial intarsia panels can go higher because each section gets its own yarn source. The color-cap slider keeps you inside whichever range you choose.
What's the difference between tapestry crochet charts and fair isle charts?
The chart is identical — same grid, same one-square-per-stitch reading. What differs is the fabric: tapestry crochet carries unused yarn inside dense single crochet, while fair isle strands it loosely across the back of stockinette. The technique changes; the chart doesn't.
What size should my colorwork chart be?
Match the chart width to the project: 20–40 stitches for hat and yoke motifs, 40–60 for bags and pillows, 90–120 for blanket panels. Then check it against your gauge — the chart sets the stitch count, your swatch sets the centimeters.
Is this colorwork chart maker free?
Yes — generate and download charts free with a small watermark, no account, nothing to install. The same engine powers the crochet and knitting chart tools across this site.