Filet crochet looks intricate, but it is built from just two blocks repeated on a grid. Once you can spot those two blocks, you can read any filet crochet chart — and make your own.
What is filet crochet?
Filet crochet is a grid-based crochet technique. You work a mesh of open squares, then fill some of them in to draw a design: a name, a monogram, a silhouette, a border. The chart is a grid of filled and open squares, and you simply follow it row by row.
Because a chart is just a grid, almost any simple black-and-white image can become a filet crochet pattern.
The two blocks you need
Every filet crochet chart uses only these:
- Open mesh — chain 2, skip 2 stitches, then 1 double crochet. This is the empty square on your chart.
- Filled block — 3 double crochet. This is the solid square on your chart.
When filled blocks sit next to each other they merge into a solid area, which is what makes letters and shapes read clearly.
How to read a filet crochet chart
- Rows are numbered from the bottom of the chart, because that is the row you crochet first.
- Row 1 is worked into the foundation chain.
- Each new row starts with chain 3 (that counts as your first double crochet), then you turn.
- Even-numbered rows are worked right to left; odd rows left to right.
That last point is easy to forget, which is why it helps to work from a chart that shows the direction for every row.
How many chains do you start with?
For a chart that is W squares wide, your foundation chain is:
2 × W + 3 chains
So a 20-square-wide chart starts with 43 chains. The extra 3 chains stand in for the first double crochet of row 1.
Every row then has 2 × W + 1 double-crochet posts, because neighbouring blocks share their edge stitch.
Turning a name into a pattern
The easiest way to start is with a name, because letters are forgiving: a mistake is obvious, and fixing one square usually fixes it.
- Type the name, word or phrase into the filet crochet pattern maker.
- Pick a letter size, spacing and border.
- Click any square to fine-tune the grid by hand.
- Download the chart as a PNG or PDF, and follow the row-by-row guide for stitch counts.
If you would rather work from artwork, you can upload a logo or a high-contrast photo instead and let the tool convert it into a chart.
Practice tips for your first piece
- Start small. A short word at a medium letter size is enough to learn the rhythm.
- Count at the end of every row. Filet crochet drifts quietly; one missing stitch shows up three rows later.
- Block your finished piece. Pinning it square makes the grid read properly and hides small tension wobbles.
- Keep the chart beside you. Print the PDF and mark off rows as you finish them.
Once the two blocks feel automatic, you can read any filet crochet pattern — and design your own in minutes.