The Purlgrid beginner guide
New to knitting or crochet? Start with your questions.
Which yarn should I buy? How many stitches do I need? What does this chart mean? Start here, then try a small project with a clear pattern and counts you can follow.
The short answer
Choose one craft, one smooth yarn and one small project. Learn the basic stitch, make a gauge swatch and read the whole pattern before starting. When a chart or calculation gets confusing, use a tool that explains its assumptions and lets you check the result.
Purlgrid
Our own engine. Counts you can inspect.
Purlgrid develops its own rule-based pattern engine. Our tools turn charts, names and measurements into stitch counts, row instructions and checks. For supported projects, the engine also rebuilds written instructions to compare them with the intended pattern.
Checked numbers are a useful starting point. Your gauge, tension, materials and finishing still determine the result in your hands.
Tools and printable patterns support English, German, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Italian and Japanese. Use the language selector. Uppercase and lowercase Latin letters, extended Latin accents, the Russian alphabet (including Ё), digits, spaces, hyphen, full stop and apostrophe. Arabic and Korean are not supported; use Latin transliteration or draw a chart manually.
Choose your first project
Knitting, crochet, sewing or embroidery: what is the difference?
Knitting and crochet create fabric from yarn: knitting uses needles, while crochet usually uses one hook. Sewing joins existing fabric; embroidery decorates it with stitches. Choose the result you want to make. Purlgrid focuses on knitting, crochet and chart-based crafts, including counted cross stitch; it does not generate dressmaking cutting patterns.
What is a good first knitting or crochet project?
Start with a small flat square, coaster or simple scarf using one stitch and one colour. You can practise even edges and counting without also learning shaping. Read the skill level first: a Fair Isle sweater, a cut-open steek or a large multicolour blanket asks for more skills than a basic swatch.
What supplies do I need to begin?
You need yarn, matching needles or a crochet hook, scissors and a yarn needle for finishing. A tape measure and stitch marker help you check size and keep your place. Smooth, light-coloured yarn makes stitches easier to see. Use the pattern and yarn label to choose a starting tool size, then check your gauge.
How do I choose yarn weight and needle or hook size?
Yarn weight describes thickness, not how many grams are in a ball. Names such as DK and worsted vary across markets, so compare the pattern's gauge and the label as well as the name. The suggested needle or hook is a starting point; the size that gives your required gauge is the useful one.
What is gauge, and do I really need a swatch?
Gauge is the number of stitches and rows over a measured distance, often 10 cm. Make a sample larger than the area you will measure, treat it as you plan to treat the finished item and count the centre. If your gauge differs, the same stitch count makes a different size. It matters especially for fitted projects.
How many stitches should I cast on?
Multiply your target width in centimetres by your stitches per 10 cm, then divide by 10. At 22 stitches per 10 cm, a 50 cm target gives 110 stitches. If the design requires an 8-stitch repeat, 112 is a nearby compatible count and gives about 50.9 cm. Also check ribbing, edges, ease and construction before using that count.
Understand the pattern
How much yarn will I need?
Start with the pattern's estimate for your size and yarn thickness. Stitch type, colour changes, floats, tails and your tension all affect consumption. Weighing a sample of your own work gives a better basis than copying another person's ball count. Purlgrid can estimate from pattern counts or a measured swatch; the result is an estimate, not a promise.
Are US and UK crochet terms the same?
No. US single crochet is UK double crochet, and US double crochet is UK treble crochet. A familiar abbreviation can therefore mean a different stitch. Check which terminology the pattern declares before starting. Purlgrid's English crochet instructions use US terms; match the full stitch name as well as its abbreviation.
How do I read a knitting colourwork chart?
First read the legend, row numbers and direction arrows. In a typical chart worked in the round, each round is read right to left; flat work usually alternates directions. A square may represent a colour or a stitch operation, depending on the chart. Follow that pattern's legend rather than assuming every chart uses identical symbols.
What are floats, and when should I catch them?
A float is the strand carried behind stitches in stranded knitting. Its physical length depends on gauge. Purlgrid converts a 2.5 cm catching guideline and its own 4.5 cm long-float threshold into stitch counts. These are disclosed engine rules, not universal limits; use the checker to see the affected rows and possible changes.
Should I use stranded knitting, intarsia or duplicate stitch?
Stranded knitting suits repeating colourwork with manageable carries. Intarsia uses separate yarn supplies for distinct colour areas, often in flat work. Duplicate stitch adds a design over completed knitting and can suit small names or details. A picture with large colour blocks may be easier in intarsia than with long strands carried behind it.
Can I put a name or initials into a knitting chart?
Uppercase and lowercase Latin letters, extended Latin accents, the Russian alphabet (including Ё), digits, spaces, hyphen, full stop and apostrophe. Arabic and Korean are not supported; use Latin transliteration or draw a chart manually.
Explore the techniques
Can I turn a photo into a crochet, knitting or bead chart?
Yes, but simplify the picture first: a clear subject, strong contrast and fewer colours usually make a more workable chart. The chart editor converts a photo to knitting colours, while the bead tool converts it for supported bead stitches. Review the result square by square. A picture conversion does not measure your body or guarantee that every detail will remain recognisable.
What does C2C crochet mean?
C2C means corner to corner. A common version builds a picture from little blocks worked in diagonal rows, increasing and later decreasing at the edges. One chart square represents a block, not one ordinary single crochet stitch. Learn the block and edge turns on a small sample before starting a picture blanket.
How many bobbins do I need for a C2C picture?
Count separate working colour areas, not just palette colours. Two disconnected areas of the same colour may need separate bobbins in the same row. Purlgrid's C2C tool follows the diagonal rows and plans which bobbin supplies each block, then checks the written plan against the graph. The result depends on the graph and the permitted carry distance.
How can I make a crochet name blanket?
Choose the blanket dimensions and technique, then enter the name and an optional second line. For C2C, measure a block; for tapestry crochet, measure stitch and row gauge. The letters must fit the available grid. Purlgrid lays them out and produces the written rows, but make a small sample before committing to a whole blanket.
What is amigurumi, and how do I keep track of rounds?
Amigurumi is the making of small stuffed figures, commonly with crochet. Count stitches at the end of each round and mark its first stitch; many patterns use continuous spiral rounds. Increases and decreases shape each piece. Purlgrid's toy engine checks the written round counts and planned assembly, while stuffing, tension and sewing still need your judgement.
Can I use a pixel chart for cross stitch or embroidery?
A square pixel chart can become counted cross stitch, with one square representing one cross. Fabric count changes the size: 70 stitches on 14-count Aida span 5 inches, or 12.7 cm. Purlgrid's pixel tools calculate chart dimensions and counts. They do not produce digitised stitch files for an embroidery machine or fabric cutting layouts.
Use the tools with confidence
Does one bead chart work for loom, peyote and brick stitch?
Not automatically. Loom, peyote and brick stitch arrange beads differently; offset rows and bead proportions change how a picture appears. Choose the stitch and actual bead dimensions before converting a design. Purlgrid's bead engine writes the beading steps and simulates those steps to check whether they rebuild the intended bead grid.
What is Purlgrid's own pattern engine?
It is the rule-based software we develop to turn design data into patterns and checks. Depending on the tool, it calculates repeats, stitches, rows, shaping, lettering, colour counts or bobbin plans. The written result comes from those calculations. You can inspect an example in the linked tool and read which checks that particular pattern has passed.
What does an engine-checked pattern guarantee?
It means the stated software checks passed for those inputs, not that every real-world outcome is certified. Supported checks include stitch arithmetic, repeat compatibility and rebuilding written rows. They do not establish your gauge, comfort, drape, knitting skill or product safety. Make a swatch and use a physical sample where the finished result matters.
Are Purlgrid's tools free, and do I need an account?
The browser tools and available pattern downloads are currently free while Purlgrid grows, and you do not need an account to use them. Open a tool, enter your settings and inspect the result before printing or saving. The language of this guide does not change the language or character support of the linked tool.
Where are my photos, names and saved designs stored?
Browser photo tools process pictures on your device. Studio keeps local drafts, but its short share links and PDF QR links send the design, including entered names, to Purlgrid's server. The optional MCP photo tool processes submitted images on the server in memory. These are different workflows: a server share link should not be treated as private local storage.
Can I use Purlgrid with ChatGPT or another AI assistant?
You can open a Purlgrid tool from a link suggested by an assistant and check its inputs and output yourself. Clients that support MCP can also connect to Purlgrid's read-only pattern tools. Connection availability depends on the client; no automatic ChatGPT integration is implied. Give your measured gauge and dimensions rather than asking an assistant to guess them from a photo.
References and how we check
For craft terminology, see the Craft Yarn Council references below. For Purlgrid-specific checks, see our engine explanation and the working tools. The numerical examples in this guide are illustrations, not complete garment patterns.