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PhotoskeinYour photo to pattern app

Photoskein Photo to Pattern App

Turn any photo into a pattern you can stitch: a cross-stitch chart, a C2C or mosaic crochet graph, a knitting chart and more, with a color key and thread or yarn amounts. It works in your web browser on iPhone, iPad, Android and computers.

AppPhone, tablet + computer12 craftsWorks offline

$19.99 one time, on Etsy

Buy on Etsy · $19.99

35% off on Etsy: code SAVE35

Pay once, no monthly fee
No account and no sign-up
Your photos never leave your device
Free how-to PDF guide included

What Photoskein does

Photo to pattern in 5 steps

Choose a photo, take one, or paste one. Crop it, pick your craft and size, pick your colors, touch it up, and download your pattern PDF.

12 crafts in one app

Cross-stitch, needlepoint and plastic canvas, C2C, mosaic, graphgan, tapestry, filet and Tunisian crochet, knitting colorwork, diamond painting, fuse beads and any grid.

See the finished size first

Set how many stitches across, or type how many inches wide. Pick your fabric count, canvas mesh or your own gauge, and the app shows the finished size before you stitch.

Colors + how much to buy

Choose how many colors the pattern uses and tick Only colors I own to use what's in your stash. The color key shows how much thread or yarn you need per color.

Written rows you can follow

C2C rows from the corner you pick, graphgan and tapestry rows, filet rows in blocks and spaces, Tunisian forward passes and knitting rows. Every row gets a check box.

Touch up anything

Pencil, eraser, fill, lines, boxes and hearts. Half and quarter stitches, backstitch, French knots and beads. Add a name or date in a stitch alphabet.

A print-ready pattern PDF

A cover with the finished look, a shopping list, the color key, a page map and the chart pages, with grid numbers on all 4 sides and every 10th line in bold.

Stitch mode

Follow your pattern on your phone or tablet. Drag across stitches to mark them done, tap a color to highlight just that color, and see what's left per color.

Make your first pattern in 3 steps

Add your photo
Choose a photo, take one, or paste one, then crop it close to what matters.
Pick your craft and colors
Cross-stitch, crochet, knitting and more from the same photo, with as many colors as the picture needs.
Download your pattern
A print-ready pattern PDF with a shopping list, the color key and the chart pages.

Watch the how-to

See how to turn one photo into a cross-stitch pattern in Photoskein, start to finish: photo, craft and size, colors, touch up and the pattern PDF.

Plus the free how-to PDF guide comes with your purchase.

Patterns that are yours to sell

Patterns you make are yours to stitch, give as gifts and sell. Your designer name, logo and copyright line go on the pages, and there's no app watermark.

Pattern PDFColor keyFinished-look picturePNG and SVG chartsSpreadsheetWord documentCSV tablesOXS chart fileSeller ZIP

Cross-stitch and needlepoint also get a separate PDF built to follow the Pattern Keeper app's own chart guidelines (full stitches only)
Letter, A4, A3 or A2, tall or wide. Pick fewer stitches per page for large print

What you get, how you get it and what you need

What you get

Photoskein, a photo to pattern web app you open in your browser and add to your home screen
The free how-to PDF guide with pictures, with your private app link inside
A one-time purchase, no subscription

How you get it

It's a digital download: nothing is shipped. After you buy on Etsy, open Purchases in a web browser and click Download Files. The Etsy phone app can't download files.
Open the guide PDF and tap your private app link.
Add it to your Home Screen and open it from there. Your guide shows how, step by step.

What you need

Your own photo or picture that you have the right to use. Clear, bright photos make the best patterns.
A phone, tablet or computer with a modern web browser: Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox
The internet the first time you open it. After that it works offline.
A printer or a print shop if you want paper copies

What it does NOT do

It doesn't use AI. It turns your own photo into a chart with math; it doesn't draw or invent a picture.
It doesn't come with other people's patterns or characters. Apart from the sample pictures to try it out, you use your own photo or drawing.
It doesn't ship anything: no thread, yarn, fabric, drills, beads or kits.
It doesn't sync between devices by itself. To move a pattern, save the project file and open it on the other device.
Thread and yarn color numbers are the closest match from a color table. Dye lots and screens differ, so check the colors in daylight before you buy.
The Pattern Keeper app reads full cross stitches only: half and quarter stitches, backstitch, French knots and beads won't show there.
It can't promise a finished size or yarn amount: those depend on your own gauge, so make a swatch.
It can't fix a very blurry or dark photo.
Knitting rows are written for flat knitting (back and forth), not for knitting in the round.
Clearing your browser's website data deletes your patterns, so keep a backup file.
It's for your own use. Please don't share your app link.

Reviews

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Questions

Can I make a cross stitch pattern from my own photo?

Yes. Choose a photo, take one or paste one, crop it, pick Cross-stitch and how many stitches across, and Photoskein makes the chart, the color key and the pattern PDF.

Which crafts does it make patterns for?

Cross-stitch, needlepoint and plastic canvas, C2C crochet, mosaic crochet, graphgan and single crochet, tapestry, filet and Tunisian crochet, knitting colorwork (duplicate stitch too), diamond painting, fuse beads and any grid.

Does it tell me how much thread or yarn to buy?

Yes. The color key shows how much thread or yarn you need per color, and the counts of drills or beads. Your own gauge changes the yarn amount, so make a swatch.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes. It works in your web browser on iPhone, iPad, Android and computers, and keeps working offline once it's open.

Does it use AI?

No. It turns your own photo into a chart with math; it doesn't draw or invent a picture.

Can I sell the patterns I make?

Yes. Patterns you make are yours to stitch, give as gifts and sell. Your designer name, logo and copyright line go on the pages, and there's no app watermark.

Are my photos uploaded anywhere?

No. Your photos never leave your device, and there's no account.

Is there a monthly fee?

No. Pay once: no monthly fee and no account.

How do I get it after I buy?

It's a digital download. After you buy on Etsy, open Purchases in a web browser and click Download Files, then open the guide PDF and tap your private app link.