Guides & articles
In-depth guides that walk through a whole topic, plus focused articles on the math and how-to behind a specific tool — gauge, shaping, yarn estimation, colorwork charts, and turning a photo into a stitchable pattern. Each one pairs with a free calculator that does the arithmetic.
Guides
In-depth guides that walk through a whole topic, with the calculators woven in.
- Guide Gauge The only number in knitting, crochet, and cross-stitch that really matters. What gauge is, how to measure it without lying to yourself, why blocking changes everything, and how it differs across the three crafts.
- Guide Project Workflow Guide The 5-step shape every knit or crochet project follows: gauge → measurements → cast-on → shaping → yardage. Decision trees per project type and recovery patterns for when a step does not close cleanly.
- Guide Crochet Pattern Maths The maths layer behind designing a crochet pattern from scratch. Why crochet diverges from knit at stitch height and aspect ratio, foundation chain counts, and the per-technique design rules for tapestry, mosaic, c2c, and graphgan.
- Guide Knitting Maths Knitting maths made simple: learn gauge, stitch counts, shaping increases and decreases, sizing, and yarn quantity, with free calculators that do the work.
- Guide Sweater Pattern Resizing How to resize a knitting pattern: use gauge and stitch counts to rescale a sweater to a new size or gauge, with a fully worked example and free calculators.
- Guide Raglan Top-Down vs Bottom-Up Raglan knitting top-down vs bottom-up: how both constructions share the same 8-stitches-per-round maths, how the four seam lines grow, and which to choose.
- Guide Colorwork Yarn Estimation Per-color yarn maths for tapestry, mosaic, fair isle, c2c, graphgan, and cross-stitch — with formulas, buffers, worked examples, and recovery patterns when the maths goes sideways.
- Guide Tapestry Crochet Patterns Learn to read, find, and design tapestry crochet patterns. Free charts, a beginner how-to, and a pattern maker that auto-corrects stitch aspect ratio.
- Guide Mosaic vs Tapestry Crochet Mosaic vs tapestry crochet: how overlay/inset mosaic differs from carried-yarn tapestry, when to choose each, how to read the charts, and per-color yarn planning.
Browse by topic
Focused articles on a single tool or technique, grouped by craft.
Knitting calculators
Gauge, cast-on, shaping, and yardage — the numbers that make a knit fit before you cast on.
- Cast-On & Raglan Calculator Use a knitting cast on calculator to turn gauge and width into an exact stitch count, plus top-down raglan and sock sizing maths that makes any project fit.
- Free Knitting Calculator Use our free knitting calculator suite to get gauge, cast-on numbers, even increases and decreases, raglan shaping, and yarn yardage right the first time.
- Increase & Decrease Calculator Use this decrease calculator knitting tool to space increases and decreases evenly across a row. Free knitting decrease calculator for sleeves and hats.
- Knitting Gauge Calculator Use this free knitting gauge calculator to measure your swatch, adjust pattern stitch counts to your tension, and convert between 4-inch and 10-cm gauges.
Yarn maths & knitting charts
Estimate yarn, substitute one yarn for another, and chart colorwork in true stitch proportions.
- Knitting Chart Maker & Pattern Generator Use our free knitting chart maker to design colorwork and stitch charts in true gauge proportions, then export printable charts and written instructions.
- Yarn Substitution Calculator Use this yarn substitution calculator to swap one yarn for another safely: match weight and grist, recheck gauge, and recalculate the skeins you need.
- Yarn Yardage Calculator Use a yarn yardage calculator to estimate exactly how much yarn your project needs by size, gauge, or swatch weight, so you never run short or overbuy.
Crochet chart & graph makers
Turn ideas, grids, or photos into accurate, printable crochet charts.
- Crochet Chart Maker Use a free online crochet chart maker to build symbol, filet, and color charts. Design accurate, printable crochet patterns in true stitch proportions.
- Crochet Graph Maker Use our free crochet graph maker to build grid and pixel charts that match your real stitches. Design colorwork, plan yarn per color, and print clean charts.
- Crochet Pattern Maker Use a free crochet pattern maker to turn ideas, sketches, or photos into accurate, printable crochet charts with true stitch proportions and yarn estimates.
- Picture to Crochet Pattern Turn any picture to crochet pattern free with StitchSums. Learn how image pixels map to stitches, reduce colors to a yarn palette, and fix aspect ratio.
Tapestry & mosaic crochet
Read, find, and design colorwork crochet — with aspect-ratio-correct charts and per-color yarn.
- Mosaic Crochet Pattern Generator Use the StitchSums mosaic crochet pattern generator to build valid overlay and inset mosaic charts, track the two-row color rhythm, and estimate yarn per color.
- Tapestry Crochet Pattern Maker A free crochet tapestry pattern maker that draws your chart in true stitch proportions, so circles stay round and your finished design looks exactly as planned.
C2C, graphgan & cross-stitch
Pixel-and-tile generators for blankets, graphgans, and cross-stitch charts.
- C2C Crochet Pattern Maker Turn any grid or image into a ready-to-stitch chart with our free c2c crochet pattern maker, with row-by-row block counts and per-color yarn estimates.
- Cross-Stitch Pattern Maker Turn a photo into a stitchable chart with the StitchSums cross stitch pattern maker: DMC floss matching, symbol charts, fabric sizing, and skein estimates.
- Graphgan Maker Learn how graphgan patterns crochet work, then build your own with the free StitchSums graphgan maker: proportion-correct charts and per-color yarn estimates.