Purlgrid editorial team
Knitting Pattern Maker: Chart or Full Pattern?
Searching for a knitting pattern maker can lead to two different tools: a grid for drawing a design, or a designer that produces instructions for a particular project. Choose according to what you still need to decide: which colour goes where, or how to make the item from beginning to end.
The short answer
Use a colourwork chart maker to plan a motif; use a complete knitting pattern when you need instructions for the whole item, including its construction and shaping. A chart can be part of that pattern. Turning its colours into written rows does not supply the missing garment instructions.
What a chart tells you
A colourwork chart maps colours onto stitches and rows. It helps you place a motif, see how repeats meet and follow colour changes. If you already have a suitable project pattern, the chart can supply the decorative section while the pattern supplies the construction.
Knitting charts also cover lace, cables and other stitch patterns. Those use symbols whose meanings come from the accompanying key. Purlgrid’s colourwork editor is a colour grid: use it for colour placement, rather than expecting it to write cable crossings or lace shaping.
What to look for in a complete pattern
Before choosing a pattern, look for the intended size, finished measurements, yarn, needles and required gauge. Then check that the instructions take you through casting on, the main fabric, any shaping, and finishing. Read the whole document before buying materials; a motif sheet may look substantial without covering those steps.
For a sweater, locate the body, sleeves, neckline and assembly instructions. For socks, locate the heel and toe construction. Charts and written directions can appear together in either project. The useful distinction is how much of the project the instructions cover, rather than whether the pages contain pictures or words.
Use the chart maker for the decorative section
On Purlgrid’s Knitting chart maker page, choose “Open the chart maker” to enter the web editor. Under “Size and gauge,” set “Stitches” and “Rows” for your motif, then use the adjacent “× repeats” fields to preview repetition. Draw a simple stripe or geometric motif within the area your project pattern allows.
Open “Download another format” and choose “Written instructions (TXT)” for colour counts in working order, or “Chart table (CSV)” for a spreadsheet table. The TXT export includes the chart dimensions, gauge, technique, colour key and row sequences. When repeats are set, it describes one repeat and states how often to repeat it. It does not add a cast-on method, neckline or sleeve instructions.
A repeat calculation is only part of the pattern
Suppose your existing pattern has an unshaped section with 96 working stitches available for colourwork. You draw a repeat 12 stitches wide and 8 rows tall. The calculation is 96 ÷ 12 = 8 repeats across, with no stitches left over. Repeating its height 3 times gives 8 × 3 = 24 charted rows. These are calculated example inputs, not a generated sweater size.
In the editor, that means “Stitches” = 12 and “Rows” = 8, with repeats set to 8 across and 3 vertically. You have planned the colour sequence for that section. Your project pattern must still tell you where the section begins, what happens before and after it, and whether the surrounding construction can accommodate it.
Choose a project designer for a whole item
For a supported full project on Purlgrid’s website, start with the Christmas sweater or Christmas stocking designer listed in the sources below. The sweater designer produces a PDF with measurements, yarn per colour, written instructions, charts and a schematic. Its construction options belong to that sweater design; drawing an arbitrary sweater outline in the colourwork editor does not create an equivalent pattern.
The Christmas stocking designer combines its supported size, cuff, bands, foot, heel and toe into a project pattern. It is a decorative Christmas stocking, so use a separate wearable sock pattern if that is what you intend to make. Choose the construction first, then customize within the designer’s supported options.
Check the chart and keep the construction notes
Use the Knitting & crochet chart checker when you already have a colourwork grid to assess. It checks issues such as long floats, colours per row and repeat fit for the selected technique. A passing chart check does not establish that a sweater fits, that a heel is complete or that your finishing instructions are present.
Keep the project pattern, your chart and the placement notes together. Record which pattern section uses the chart and which version you exported. Purlgrid’s “My projects” page stores projects in the current browser on the current device; use “Export backup” to keep a separate copy. There is no automatic account sync.
Before you continue
- Decide whether you need a decorative motif or instructions for the entire item.
- Find the construction, sizing and finishing information before committing to a project.
- Confirm the working stitch count and the chart’s exact placement in the pattern.
- Review chart warnings, repeat notes and the final exported file.
- Keep a backup with the project pattern and your placement notes.
More questions, answered
Does a knitting pattern have to include a chart?
No. Instructions can describe a stitch pattern in words, show it in a chart, or provide both. Check the key and the surrounding directions to understand what each part covers.
Can I turn a photo into a complete sweater pattern?
Purlgrid’s chart maker can turn a photo into a colourwork chart. That conversion supplies a grid of colours; it does not calculate a sweater’s body, sleeves or neckline from the photograph.
Can I replace a motif in a pattern I already own?
Check whether the replacement fits the same working stitches and available rows, and whether it suits the specified technique. If the original section includes shaping, a rectangular replacement chart alone does not explain how to maintain that shaping.
Can I use the knitted preview instead of a swatch?
Use the preview to judge the drawn design and colour placement. Make a physical swatch to check your fabric and gauge before relying on the project’s dimensions. The screen image cannot measure your knitting.