A crochet pattern maker that checks the maths and shows you the shape
Crochet 3D is a browser-based pattern planner for amigurumi and crochet in the round. You write the pattern the way you would write it on paper — one round per line, in US notation — and the planner counts every round for you and builds the piece as a 3D model while you type. Nothing to install, and the free account needs no card.
How writing a pattern here works
There is no drawing tool and no grid to fill in. You type the rounds; everything else is derived from them.
- 1
Write a round per line
Plain text, in the notation crochet patterns already use: sc, dc, inc, dec, ch, and repeats written as (sc, inc) x6 — or 6x (sc, inc), whichever way round you write them. No menus to hunt through — if you can write the pattern down, you can type it here.
- 2
Watch the count and the shape
Each line gets its running stitch count on the right, and the 3D model rebuilds as you type. A round that does not add up is flagged on the line that caused it, not at the end.
- 3
Turn it, colour it, then make it
Rotate the model to check the silhouette from every side, colour stitches directly on it to plan colourwork, and export the finished text — or the PDF, on the plans that include it.
What a pattern looks like in the planner
The first four rounds of a plain sphere. The number on the right is the stitch count you should end that round with — the planner works it out, and tells you when your line and your count disagree.
- Round 1 8 sc in ring8 sts
- Round 2 inc x816 sts
- Round 3 (sc, inc) x824 sts
- Round 4 (2 sc, inc) x832 sts
Read (sc, inc) x8 as: work one single crochet, then an increase, and repeat that pair eight times. Sixteen stitches in, twenty-four out.
What the planner checks so you do not have to
Most amigurumi patterns fail on arithmetic, not on technique. These are the checks that run on every keystroke.
Stitch counts that follow from the round before
Every round is counted against the one above it. If a round claims 42 stitches but the instructions produce 40, the line is marked — before you have crocheted it twice.
Repeats that actually fit
(sc, inc) x6 over a round of 20 does not divide. The planner expands the repeat and says so, rather than quietly rounding.
Increases and decreases that are physically possible
A round cannot decrease more stitches than it has. Impossible shaping is caught at the line, with the number it would need.
The shape you did not mean
The maths can be perfect and the piece still wrong. Increasing too fast gives you a frill; too slow gives you a cone. That is what the 3D preview is for — you see it before the yarn does.
Crochet abbreviations: US, UK and Hungarian
Patterns here are written in US terminology, because that is what the notation is built on. This is the full key, with the UK and Hungarian equivalents beside it — the same table the planner's stitch library uses. Worth bookmarking whether or not you ever open the editor.
| In a pattern | US | UK | Hungarian |
|---|---|---|---|
| ch | chChain st | same | lszLáncszem |
| sl | sl stSlip stitch | ssSlip stitch | kszKúszószem |
| sc | scSingle crochet | dcDouble crochet | rpRövidpálca |
| hdc | hdcHalf double crochet | htrHalf treble | fpFélpálca |
| dc | dcDouble crochet | trTreble crochet | erpEgyráhajtásos pálca |
| tr | trTreble crochet | dtrDouble treble | krpKétráhajtásos pálca |
| dtr | dtrDouble treble | ttrTriple treble | hrpHáromráhajtásos pálca |
| inc | incIncrease | same | szapSzaporítás |
| inc3 | inc3Triple increase | same | szap3Hármas szaporítás |
| dec | decDecrease | dec2togDecrease | CS2rpFogyasztás |
| dec3 | dec3Triple decrease | dec3togTriple decrease | CS3rpHármas fogyasztás |
| sk | skSkip | missMiss | skKihagyás |
| bobble | boBobble | same | BOBogyó öltés |
| bobble4 | bo-4dcBobble (4 dc) | bo-4trBobble (4 tr) | BO4Bogyó(4) öltés |
| bobble3 | bo-3dcSmall bobble (3 dc) | bo-3trSmall bobble (3 tr) | BO3Bogyó(3) öltés |
| bobble2 | bo-2dcTiny bobble (2 dc) | bo-2trTiny bobble (2 tr) | BO2Bogyó(2) öltés |
| puff | puffPuff stitch | same | puffPuff öltés |
| popcorn | pcPopcorn | same | pcPopcorn öltés |
| shell | shellShell | same | kagylóKagyló öltés |
| join | sl stJoin | ssJoin | hpHamispálca |
| fasten_off | FOFasten off | same | elvElvarrás |
The trap is that US and UK use the same words for different stitches: a UK "double crochet" is a US single crochet. Anywhere the two collide, our pattern pages print both.
Questions people ask before signing up
- Do I need an account to use the pattern planner?
- Yes, and it is free. A free account saves up to 3 patterns, has no time limit and does not ask for a card. The planner itself is account-only so your work has somewhere to live.
- Does it use US or UK crochet terms?
- You write in US terminology — sc, dc, inc, dec. The stitch library shows the UK and Hungarian names beside every stitch, and pattern pages print the UK equivalent wherever the two terminologies collide.
- Can it turn a photo into a crochet pattern?
- No. You write the rounds and the planner renders and checks them — it does not generate a pattern from an image. Generating patterns is a listed but not yet released feature.
- Can I sell the patterns I design here?
- Yes, on the Studio plan, which carries a commercial licence for every pattern you design in the planner. The free account and the lower plans are for designing and making, not for selling.
- Can I export a PDF?
- Text export is available from the first paid plan; PDF export comes with Designer and above, and Studio adds a PDF with the 3D preview, the stitch list and the project details in it.
- Does it work on a phone?
- It runs in any modern browser, and the pattern text and 3D preview both work on a phone. Writing a long pattern is more comfortable on a larger screen, as typing usually is.
Browse the free patterns, each with a 3D preview → · How to write your own crochet pattern, step by step →