Filet Crochet Patterns

Filet crochet creates images and text using a grid of open and filled squares. It uses just two stitches — double crochet (dc) and chain (ch) — making it surprisingly simple despite the impressive results. Perfect for wall art, curtains, table runners, and doilies.

How Filet Crochet Works

1. Read the chart — Filet charts are grids. Filled squares = dc stitches. Open squares = ch-2 spaces. Read bottom-up, right-to-left on odd rows, left-to-right on even rows.
2. Foundation chain — chain (3 × columns), plus 3 if Row 1 starts with a block or 5 if it starts with a space (see “Starting your filet” below). Row 1 works straight off the chain — there is no separate turning chain.
3. Open mesh — Dc, ch 2, skip 2, dc. Creates an empty square.
4. Filled mesh — 3 dc (or dc, 2 dc into chain space). Creates a solid square.
5. Work flat — Turn at the end of each row. Ch 3 or ch 5 to start the next row depending on whether the first square is filled or open.

Starting your filet — the foundation chain

Row 1 is worked straight into the starting chain, so there is no separate turning chain — the last few chains ARE your first stitch. How many chains you add depends on whether the row begins with a block or a space:

• Block start: chain (3 × cells) + 3. Work your first dc into the 4th chain from hook — the first 3 chains count as the first dc — then 1 dc in each chain across.
• Space start: chain (3 × cells) + 5. Work your first dc into the 8th chain from hook (3 chains = first dc, 2 chains = first space, skip 2 chains), then continue across the row.

Counting to the correct chain from the hook is the step beginners get wrong most often — count twice before that first dc. From Row 2 on, you DO turn with a ch-3 (block) or ch-5 (space) turning chain.

Tips for Clean Filet Crochet

• Use cotton thread (size 10) for traditional lace, or worsted yarn for wall art.
• Keep consistent tension — filet crochet shows every uneven stitch.
• Block your finished piece — steam or wet blocking makes the grid perfectly square.
• Use a smaller hook than recommended for tighter, more defined squares.

Free Filet Crochet Patterns

Generate free filet crochet patterns with interactive charts and written instructions. Choose a template or design your own in the grid editor.

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