What stitch is used for a graphgan?
Usually single crochet: a dense, square-ish stitch that shows the picture well. Some use half double crochet or C2C tiles for speed.
Free to design · first pattern free
ベータ版A Graphgan Pattern Maker That Counts Every Row for You
A 150-stitch graph, a ruler under row 87, and a tally of “5 cream, 3 coral” scribbled in the margin until your eyes cross.
Chart the graphgan stitch by stitch, from scratch or from a picture, and get the color changes for every row in the order you work them, plus the yarn each color needs.
Colorwork charts in the chart maker
Graphgans use the colorwork chart type: one square, one stitch, one color. These are real screenshots of a chart made from a photo, with every row already counted and written out.
How to design a graphgan
Size the grid
Stitches across, rows and gauge; the finished size shows in inches and centimeters.
Paint the picture
With named yarn colors, or start from a photo and choose how many colors to keep.
Follow the counts
Each row is written as color runs, like “5 sc Cream, 3 sc Coral”, in the order you work it.
Why it beats a printed graph
A graphgan is an afghan worked from a graph: each square is one stitch in one color. Worked with the unused colors carried inside the stitches it’s tapestry crochet; with bobbins for each block it’s intarsia. Either way, the hard part is counting.
Here the counting is done. Rows alternate direction the way you work them, every color run is counted, and the materials list gives the yarn for each color from its stitch count. Graphgans are one of several styles in the crochet chart maker; prefer diagonal tiles? See the C2C pattern maker.
Planning a graphgan blanket
- Decide the finished size, then work back to stitches: at 14 single crochets per 4 inches, a 50-inch throw is about 175 stitches wide. Check yardage with the crochet yarn calculator.
- Leave room for a border: three or four rounds of solid single crochet frame the picture and hide uneven edges.
- Zoom out and squint. If you can’t tell what it is from across the room, simplify it now, not after 20,000 stitches.
- Change color on the last yarn-over of the stitch before the new color, so it starts clean. More tools are on our crochet tools page.
Tapestry crochet without the headaches
Single crochet leans a little in tapestry work, so columns of color can drift. Working into the back loop, or going up a hook size, keeps them straighter, and the chart maker draws cells at your gauge’s real proportions so the picture you design is the picture you get.
Fewer colors per row means fewer carried strands and a softer, lighter blanket. Before you start, look along each row of the chart: if a row changes color a dozen times for single stitches, simplify the design there. It is a five-minute fix on screen and a five-hour one in yarn.
Frequently asked questions
How wide should a graphgan be?
Many throw-size graphgans are 100 to 150 stitches wide in worsted weight. The chart maker shows the finished size for your gauge.
Should I carry the yarn or use bobbins?
Both work from the same chart. Carrying suits many small color changes; bobbins suit large blocks of color and keep the blanket lighter.
Can I turn a picture into a graphgan?
Yes. Start a colorwork chart from a photo, choose the number of colors, and tidy it in the editor.
How much is a graphgan pattern?
Charting is free. With a free account your first graphgan pattern is on us; after that each one is $5.99, or 5 for $20. Craft Unlimited covers every pattern in every craft.
Make your next crochet pattern yours
Design and preview free. Your first basic crochet pattern is free with a StitchThis account; after that it’s $5.99 a pattern, 5 for $20, or Craft Unlimited ($9.99/month or $99.99/year) for unlimited patterns in every craft. Every craft, unleashed.