02 Independent project · 2026
Crochet Visualiser
Paste a crochet pattern and see it built stitch by stitch in 3D, so you know what you're making before you pick up a hook.
The live viewer: a pasted pattern becomes a 3D model you can rotate, replay round by round and click to inspect each stitch.
How it works
A written pattern becomes a 3D model you can inspect stitch by stitch.
Paste a pattern
Type a written pattern in US terms, or upload a simple chart.
WebsiteCheck the maths
Confirms every round's stitch count adds up before drawing anything.
PythonBuild the stitches
Works out each individual stitch and where it connects.
PythonSee it in 3D
Shows it as yarn you can rotate, replay and click.
Three.jsWritten patterns and simple charts all end up in the same viewer. The 3D model is a close approximation, not an exact simulation of real yarn.
01 Problem
Why this exists
When I started learning crochet, my book showed each pattern next to a picture of the finished piece, and that made the instructions far easier to follow. Online patterns often don't, so I built the picture myself.
The visualiser is live: paste a pattern written in standard US terms, or upload a simple chart, and it builds a 3D model. The site runs on free hosting, so the first pattern after a quiet spell can take up to a minute to load.
02 My part
What I built
Built an engine that reads a pattern and checks that the stitch counts add up before anything is drawn.
Turned each pattern into individual stitches and placed them in 3D.
Built a viewer that looks like real yarn, where you can rotate the model, cut it open, replay it and click any stitch.
Redesigned the viewer so first-time visitors understand it straight away.
Put it online so anyone can try it.
03 Approach
How I approached it
The pattern is the truth
Every stitch you see can be traced back to a line in the pattern. Nothing is invented for looks.
Refuse bad patterns
If the numbers don't add up, it shows you what's wrong instead of drawing something misleading.
Be honest about testing
Automated tests prove the software is consistent. They don't replace crocheting the result with real yarn.
04 Result
Where it is now
A live tool that turns written crochet patterns and simple charts into an interactive 3D model, backed by hundreds of automated tests.
It hasn't been tested yet by crocheting the generated patterns with real yarn. The 3D shape is an approximation, and photos of finished pieces can't be read.
Next: Crochet a set of test pieces with real yarn and use the results to improve the shapes it supports.