C2C Graph Maker

How to make it

1. Add a picture and size itUpload an image and set the width in blocks, or enter your measured tile size and the blanket width you want, then press Set the blocks.
2. Choose colorsLimit the palette to the number of yarn colors you plan to use. Fewer colors mean fewer bobbins and far fewer ends to weave in.
3. Print graph and rowsDownload a PDF with the block graph, a color key with block counts and yardage, and the written row-by-row instructions.

How a C2C graph works

In corner-to-corner crochet, each square on the graph is one tile, usually a chain of three followed by three double crochets worked into it. You begin with a single tile in one corner and build diagonal rows outward, adding one tile per row until the piece reaches its full width, then decreasing until you finish in the opposite corner.

That means rows on a C2C graph are diagonals, not horizontal lines. A graph 60 blocks wide and 80 tall has 139 diagonal rows (60 plus 80, minus 1). The first row has 1 block, the second has 2, and so on. On a rectangle, rows stop growing once they reach the shorter side, and for a stretch you increase on one edge while decreasing on the other.

Reading diagonals off a printed grid is where most people lose their place, which is why this maker writes the rows out for you.

Reading the written rows

Every row is listed in the order you work it, starting from the bottom right corner, which is the usual convention. Odd rows travel one way and even rows the other, matching how the fabric turns. Each line gives the row number, its direction, how many blocks it holds, whether you are increasing or decreasing, and the color runs.

A line such as "Row 12 (down, 12 blocks, increase): 3 A, 2 B, 4 A, 3 C" tells you to work three tiles in color A, switch to B for two, back to A for four and finish with three of C. Letters match the color key, and the counts always add up to the row's block total, which makes a quick check if you suspect a missed tile.

Mark off each line with a pencil or highlighter as you finish it. If you put the work down mid-row, a sticky note with the run you stopped at saves recounting.

Color changes without the tangle

Most crocheters switch color on the final pull-through of the tile before the new color starts, so the new shade sits cleanly from its first chain. When a color appears in two separate places on the same row, give each area its own bobbin or small ball rather than carrying yarn across the back, which shows through the open C2C texture.

The written rows make planning bobbins easier: count how many separate runs of each color a row contains, and that is how many strands of that color you need hanging from the work at that point. Untwist them every few rows by turning the blanket the opposite way. For colorwork you knit rather than crochet, the knitting chart maker sizes each cell to your gauge.

Blanket size from your block size

Finished size depends entirely on your tile. Crochet ten tiles in a small square with your yarn and hook, measure across, and divide. Worsted weight yarn on a 5 mm hook often gives tiles near one inch; DK on a 4 mm hook is closer to three quarters of an inch, but tension varies from person to person, so measure your own.

Enter that measurement and the maker shows the finished width and height in inches and centimeters. Working the other way, type the blanket width you want in inches or centimeters and press Set the blocks: the maker divides it by your tile size, so a 36-inch lap blanket with 0.75-inch tiles gets 48 blocks across, and the height follows the proportions of your picture. The graph can be 10 to 200 blocks wide. Here is how standard sizes translate:

Estimating yarn

Yarn use is estimated per block. The default is half a yard per tile, and you can change it. For a good number, crochet ten tiles, pull them out, measure the yarn and divide by ten. Thicker yarn, a looser hand and a larger hook all use more.

The key multiplies each color's block count by that figure, so you can see that a baby blanket needs, for example, 300 yards of cream and only 40 of red. Treat the numbers as estimates: color changes, weaving in and borders all add length, so buy at least one extra ball of each main shade, all from one dye lot.

Pictures that work as graphghans

C2C blocks are large, so pictures need to be bold. A blanket around 60 blocks wide reads best with simple shapes, a few strong colors and clear contrast, like a fox head, a single flower, initials or a geometric pattern. Busy photos with many soft shades turn into speckled noise.

Keep the palette small. Every color switch on a row means another bobbin or another cut end, and five or six colors already feel like plenty in practice. Single isolated blocks are cleaned toward a neighboring color so you are not changing yarn for one tile.

For ready-made ideas, browse the free C2C crochet graphs, or start from a design built for another craft: any of the perler bead patterns use the same square grid and often make charming small C2C pillows.

Same picture, other crafts

If you would rather work in rows of single crochet with color changes, use the crochet chart maker, which handles colorwork in straight rows. For a knitted version, the knitting chart maker shapes its grid to knit stitch proportions. Graphs made here can also be saved under My patterns and backed up as a .stitch file to move between devices.