Quick Start
Click New to create a pattern. Choose a stitch type and grid size, pick a color from the palette on the right, then draw on the canvas. Your work auto-saves to your browser's local storage — no account needed.
Tools
- Draw — Paint beads with the selected color. Click or drag.
- Erase — Remove beads (set to empty/white).
- Fill — Flood-fill a contiguous region with the selected color.
- Color Pick — Click a bead to make its color active.
- Line — Click start and end points to draw a straight line.
- Rectangle / Filled Rect — Draw outlined or filled rectangles.
- Select — Click and drag to select a region. Ctrl+C copy, Ctrl+X cut, Ctrl+V paste, Delete clear. Arrow keys nudge the selection.
- Text — Type text onto the canvas in a bead font at sizes 5, 7, or 9 beads tall.
- Pan — Click to pan the canvas once, then auto-returns to your previous tool. Also hold Space + drag with any tool for temporary panning.
Stitch Types
- Loom — Square grid, simplest layout.
- Peyote — Offset rows (odd rows shift right half a bead).
- Brick — Like peyote rotated 90°; offset columns.
- Peyote 2-Drop through 9-Drop — Groups of N rows share the same offset.
- Gourd Stitch — Tubular peyote variant with alternating-row offset.
- Herringbone — Square grid with pair-bracket visual guides.
- RAW (Right Angle Weave) — Square grid with cross-stitch visual guides.
- Square Stitch — Aligned grid identical to Loom; thread passes through beads differently, but the pattern grid is the same.
- Spiral Rope — Each row rotates a quarter bead-width, creating the twisting look of a tubular spiral rope.
- Dutch Spiral — Same twisting offset as Spiral Rope, traditionally worked with two contrasting colors for a two-tone twist.
- Netting — Open, lacy diagonal lattice; rows offset by a third of a bead-width for a net-like, zigzag look.
- Shaped Peyote — Peyote with increase/decrease shaping; diamond boundary guides show where to add or skip beads for shaped pieces.
- Ndebele — Flat herringbone; beads sit in V-shaped pairs, with pair guides and V-connections shown.
- Ladder Stitch — Narrow single-column grid; each bead sits directly above/below the next with no horizontal offset. Best used at width 1.
- Albion Stitch — Decorative combination stitch charted as a repeating 4-row stepped/pyramid unit (offsets of 0, ¼, ½, ¼ bead-width) rather than a one-directional diagonal, echoing its ladder-spine-plus-picot construction.
- Bead Crochet Rope — Diagonal-offset grid for tubular crochet ropes. Width = number of beads around the tube. Each row shifts diagonally to show how beads spiral. Use Tubular Preview (U) to see the 3D result. Presets available for 6-, 8-, and 12-around ropes.
Photo Import
There are several ways to load an image into Krazy Stitcher:
- Drag and drop — Drag any image from Finder, Photos, your Desktop, iCloud Drive, or a shared network drive directly onto the canvas. The Import Photo dialog opens automatically with your image loaded.
- Paste from clipboard — Copy an image or take a screenshot (Cmd+Shift+4 on Mac), then press Cmd+V (Mac) or Ctrl+V (Windows). The image loads straight into the Import Photo dialog.
- Click Import Photo — Opens the Import Photo dialog where you can click "Drop image here or click to browse" to open your system file picker. On Mac, this gives you access to local drives, iCloud Drive, network shares, and any mounted volume.
- Drop into the dialog — If the Import Photo dialog is already open, you can drag an image directly onto the drop zone at the top of the controls panel.
Once loaded, use the controls to adjust max bead width, max colors, quantization method, dithering algorithm, and brightness/contrast/saturation sliders. The side-by-side preview updates live so you can dial in the look before importing.
Tip — Max Colors: The "Max Colors" setting is an upper limit, not a guarantee. The quantization algorithm may produce fewer colors if your image doesn't have enough variation, and mapping to the nearest bead color can further reduce the count. Check the status line below the preview to see the actual color count before importing.
Tip — Cleaning up after import: Photo imports often produce scattered single-color pixels (especially white dots). After importing, click Cleanup to automatically remove isolated beads, then use Recolor to replace any remaining unwanted colors.
Choosing a Dithering Style
Different dithering styles work better on different types of images. There's no single "best" setting — experiment with the sample photo and save your favorites as presets.
- None — No smoothing. Each bead is the closest color match. Good for logos and simple graphics.
- Floyd-Steinberg — Reliable all-rounder. Nice balance of detail and smoothness. Start here if unsure.
- Atkinson — Makes edges pop and increases contrast. Great for landscapes, buildings, and strong lighting.
- Stucki — Smoothest option. Gradients look most natural. Perfect for skies, water, and sunsets.
- Sierra — Falls between smooth and sharp. Versatile choice for most photos.
- Burkes — Similar to Stucki but faster on large patterns.
Blending: Pick a Secondary Dither to blend two styles together. The Blend slider controls the mix. Try Atkinson + Stucki at 50% for crisp subjects with smooth backgrounds.
Presets: Save up to 3 favorite settings. They persist between sessions.
Color Tools
- Recolor — Replace every instance of one color with another. Useful for removing unwanted colors introduced during photo import.
- Merge — Combine two similar colors into one to simplify your palette.
- Cleanup — Remove isolated beads (single beads surrounded by a different color). Run this after photo import to clean up noise.
- Counts — See a sortable table of every color and how many beads you need. Low-count colors are highlighted.
Transform Tools
Mirror flips left-to-right. Flip flips top-to-bottom. Rotate rotates 90° clockwise (swaps width and height). Turn piece also rotates 90° clockwise, but turns the whole piece the way you would turn the real beadwork on the table: the bead holes flip (see Bead Shape), and a peyote piece becomes brick and a brick piece becomes peyote (2-drop and 3-drop too). It works on loom, square, peyote and brick patterns, and Undo puts everything back. Change stitch switches a loom pattern to square stitch or a square stitch pattern to loom: the chart is laid out the same in both, so no bead moves; only the stitch type changes, and with it the thread and time estimates. It asks first, and Undo puts it back. Other stitches have no identical twin, so they are not offered.
Bead Shape
Real beads are rarely square. A Delica, for example, is a little taller than it is wide when it sits in loom work, so a square chart can look squat next to the finished piece. Bead Shape draws every bead on the chart in the shape of the beads you stitch with. Your design and bead counts never change; only the way the chart is drawn.
- Where: Analyze → Bead Shape (next to Size). You can also click the Bead shape label in the status bar at the bottom of the screen; it appears whenever the open pattern is not square.
- Square — the classic chart look. Every pattern starts square unless you choose otherwise.
- Match my beads — pick your bead (Delica, Toho Aiko, rounds, and so on). Holes run is set to Automatic, which picks the right direction for the stitch: loom, square and brick charts draw beads with holes running left to right; peyote and gourd charts draw them with holes running up and down. Stitches such as herringbone and RAW stay square on Automatic; choose a direction yourself if you want a shape there. Round beads always draw square.
- Custom — type your own height-to-width ratio, from 0.5 (twice as wide as tall) to 2 (twice as tall as wide). Above 1 is taller than wide.
- Brand Swap — a pattern set to Match my beads switches to the new brand’s bead when you swap (for example Delica to Toho Round). Square and Custom stay as they are.
- Use this shape for new patterns — tick this to start every new pattern with the same shape. A message tells you each time a new pattern picks it up, so a shape is never carried over by accident.
- Reset to Square — one click puts the open pattern back to square and turns off the new-pattern setting.
- What follows the shape: the canvas, PDF and printed charts, PNG and Hi-Res PNG exports, SVG export, the print layout and B&W chart pages, the 3D preview, the Finished Size calculator, the Brand Swap previews, and Photo Import (with a saved shape, Photo Import takes fewer rows for tall beads, or more for wide ones, so the finished piece keeps the photo’s proportions). Pattern thumbnails in the Saved Patterns list stay square. Bead Shape changes can be undone with Ctrl+Z.
Export Options
- Export PDF — Generates a print-ready PDF with your pattern grid and color legend.
- Export PNG — Saves the pattern as a PNG image file.
- Word Chart — Exports a formatted HTML word chart with color blocks, row-by-row instructions, and bead count summary. Open in any browser and print.
- Export Pattern and Import Pattern — Export your pattern as a .ks JSON file for backup or sharing. Import .ks, .json, or .ksp package files.
- Share — Package your pattern as a .ksp file (zip containing pattern data, PNG preview, PDF, text chart, bead count CSV, and metadata) and share it via your device’s share menu or download it.
- Archive — Downloads a .ksp package of the pattern, then asks you to check that it is in your Downloads folder. Only when you click OK does it remove the pattern from browser storage; Cancel keeps it. Use Import Pattern to restore an archived pattern.
- Batch Export — Export several saved patterns to PDF and/or PNG in one operation, bundled into a single .zip download. Uses your current Print settings (cell size, paper size, orientation, branding text) for every pattern in the batch.
Other Features
- Trace Overlay — Click the Trace button in the toolbar to load a reference image as a semi-transparent overlay. Adjust opacity with the Trace slider or clear it. The trace does not auto-enable on photo import.
- Remap Palette — Convert all colors to the nearest match in a different bead brand (e.g., Miyuki to Toho).
- Difficulty Score — See a 0–100 difficulty rating based on size, color count, stitch complexity, and isolated beads.
- Size Calculator — Click Size to see the finished dimensions of your pattern in real-world units (mm and inches) for various bead sizes.
- Grid / Symbols — Toggle gridlines and color-symbol overlays for readability.
- Thread Estimator — Calculates thread or cord needed per color based on stitch type, with waste margin.
- Grams Converter — Converts bead counts to grams using standard beads-per-gram ratios for each bead size.
- CSV Shopping List — Exports a ready-to-print CSV of all colors, bead counts, gram weights, and finish types.
- Pattern Tiling — Repeat your pattern in a grid (2×2, 3×3, etc.) for seamless repeat designs.
- Fringe Designer — Add decorative fringe strands below brick or loom patterns with adjustable length and color.
- Shaped Templates — Start from triangle, diamond, or hexagon masks instead of a plain rectangle.
- Bead Finish Metadata — Tag colors with finish types (matte, luster, metallic, etc.) — shown in the color legend and CSV export.
- Tubular Preview — Press U to see a 3D cylinder preview of peyote/gourd patterns, with seam alignment scoring and flat seam check.
- Shaping Indicators — Press Shift+I to overlay increase/decrease arrows on shaped patterns, showing where beads are added or removed per row.
- Row/Column Numbers — Toggle row and column numbering on the canvas with the Numbers checkbox or press N. Numbers adapt to zoom level.
- Symmetric Drawing — Press M to cycle through symmetry modes (horizontal, vertical, both). Draw on one side and the mirror side fills automatically.
- Custom Palettes — Save your pattern's colors as a reusable custom palette, or create new palettes from scratch. Manage from the palette panel.
- Pattern Notes — Click Notes to attach construction tips, bead preferences, or reminders to your pattern. Notes are saved automatically and included in .ks exports.
- Gradient Generator — Click Gradient to fill the canvas with a smooth color gradient between two palette colors. Choose horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction. Each step snaps to the nearest color in the active palette.
- Color Reduction Slider — In the photo import dialog, drag the Max Colors slider to reduce the palette in real time. All sliders (colors, brightness, contrast, saturation) auto-update the preview.
- Bead Inventory — Click Inventory to mark which bead colors you own. Owned colors display a green ✓ in the palette and bead count table. Colors not in inventory show ✗ in the bead count table. The CSV shopping list includes an "In Inventory" column when inventory data exists.
- Cost Estimator — Inside the Counts dialog, expand the Cost Estimator section. Set your price per tube and beads per tube. The estimator shows how many tubes each color needs and the total cost. Colors you own (via Inventory) are marked and excluded from the total. Cost data is also included in the CSV export.
- Fullscreen Mode — Click ⛶ Fullscreen in the toolbar (or press F11) to hide all browser chrome and give your pattern the entire screen. Press Esc or click the button again to exit.
- Scroll-Zoom Lock — Click the lock icon (🔒) in the left toolbar below the zoom buttons to prevent accidental zooming when scrolling. Click again to unlock. The icon changes to 🔓 when locked.
- Touch & Pen Support — Draw, erase, fill, and use all tools with a touchscreen or digitizer pen/stylus. Touch input works alongside mouse input.
- B&W Chart Options — Click B&W Chart ▾ in the toolbar to choose: Show as Overlay displays a black-and-white symbol view over your pattern (click B&W ON / Return in the toolbar to switch back to color); Open as Separate Page opens a printable chart in a new tab with a Return button; Save as File downloads it as an HTML file.
- Floating Help Button — The round ? button in the bottom-right corner opens this help panel from anywhere. It is always visible so you never have to search for help.
- Row Work Tracker — Click Tracker to track your beading progress row by row. The panel shows your current row, completion percentage, and a progress bar. Use Next Row / Prev Row to advance. Progress saves with your pattern and persists between sessions. Use Jump to Row to skip ahead.
- Row/Round Progress Counter — The small counter in the corner of the canvas tracks the physical stitching you've actually done, separate from the pattern design. Click + (or press ]) after finishing each row or round; the total is read automatically from the pattern's grid, with an optional manual override in Progress. Progress is saved per pattern and survives closing the app.
- Pattern Search — The search box and type filter above the pattern list let you find patterns by name or stitch type. Type a name to filter instantly, or select a stitch type from the dropdown.
- Realistic Bead Shading — Check the Shading checkbox in the toolbar to see beads rendered as rounded ellipses with highlight and shadow, plus a thread hole at higher zoom levels, in the flat 2D grid. Uncheck to return to flat squares.
- 3D Preview — Click 3D Preview in the toolbar to open a rotatable 3D view of your pattern, with beads placed using the real geometry of the active stitch type (offset rows for peyote/brick, angled pairs for herringbone, an open lattice for RAW, a wrapped tube for gourd and crochet rope). Drag to rotate, scroll to zoom.
- Backup All — Your patterns live only in this browser (see the storage note in Tips below) — nothing is backed up automatically. Click Backup All regularly to export every pattern, custom palette, and inventory item as one .ksbackup file. Click Restore to load a .ksbackup file back in — existing data is kept, and duplicates are overwritten by the backup copy. To back up to the cloud: save the .ksbackup file into a cloud-synced folder — such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive — and it will be copied off-device automatically and available on your other computers.
- Print Layout — Click Print Layout to generate a print-optimized HTML file with a cover page (color legend, symbol key, bead counts, notes), followed by symbol grid pages that split large patterns across multiple printed sheets. Open in any browser and print.
- Print… — Click Print… to choose a cell size, paper size (Letter, Legal, A4, A3, Tabloid), and orientation before exporting a custom PDF sized to fit. Add your name or shop branding to every exported page, and save your settings as a named Preset to reuse next time.
- Pattern Scale — Resize your pattern to any dimensions with nearest-neighbor sampling. Lock aspect ratio to scale proportionally. Keyboard shortcut: Shift+S.
- Color Harmony — Select a base color and see complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary, and tetradic harmony suggestions mapped to your active bead palette.
- Layers — Work on multiple layers with independent visibility, opacity, and lock controls. Add, delete, merge, and rename layers from the Layers panel below the palette.
- Pattern Templates — Stamp built-in alphabet letters (A–Z, 0–9) and shapes (heart, star, flower, diamond, arrow) onto your canvas. Keyboard shortcut: Shift+L.
- Stitch-Along Autoplay — Enhanced guide with auto-play at variable speeds, audio tick, and minimap. Use the Guide button or press G.
- Import External — Import patterns from BeadTool (.bead), CSV grids, or space-separated text files. Auto-detects format and shows a preview before importing.
Keyboard Shortcuts
DDraw tool
EErase tool
FFill tool
IColor picker
LLine tool
RRectangle
Shift+RFilled rectangle
SSelect tool
TText tool
Ctrl+ZUndo
Ctrl+YRedo
Ctrl+CCopy selection
Ctrl+VPaste selection
Ctrl+XCut selection
DeleteDelete selection
Arrow keysMove selection
+Zoom in
-Zoom out
HomeZoom to fit
SpaceHold to pan
Shift+TPattern tiling
UTubular preview
Shift+IShaping indicators
NToggle row/column numbers
MCycle symmetry mode
Shift+SPattern scale
Shift+LPattern templates
]Increment row/round progress
[Decrement row/round progress
Ctrl+Shift+BReport a bug / request a feature
Tips
- Use scroll wheel to zoom in/out on the canvas. Click the lock icon (🔒) to disable scroll zoom if it gets in the way.
- Your patterns are stored only in this browser, on this computer — not in a folder, and not on any server. That means clearing your browser's history/site data, switching browsers, or moving to a new computer will erase them permanently, with no way to recover them. Click Backup All in the toolbar regularly to save a real backup file you control (see above for saving it to the cloud).
- Moving to a new computer: your patterns don't travel on their own. On the old computer, click Backup All in the toolbar — it saves every pattern, custom palette, and inventory item as one
.ksbackup file. Copy that file to the new computer any way you like (USB stick, email it to yourself, or a cloud folder such as OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive), open Krazy Stitcher there, and click Restore. To bring over just one pattern you saved as a .ksp or .ks file, copy that file over and use Import Pattern instead. A password-protected .ksp asks for its password when you open it. Need your license key for the new computer? Open About and click Copy key.
- Where are my .ksp files? Only where you put them. Patterns aren't kept as files — a
.ksp exists only once you create one with Share → Download .ksp File or Archive, and it goes wherever your browser saves downloads (usually your Downloads folder).
- App looks out of date, or no place to enter your license key? Your browser is showing an older saved copy of the app. Add
?v=2 to the end of the web address (for example https://krazystitcher.com/KrazyStitcherStudio.html?v=2) and press Enter. If that doesn't fix it, click Backup All first, then clear this site's data in your browser settings (search “krazystitcher” under Cookies and site data) and reload.
- Krazy Stitcher also keeps an automatic Version History for the pattern you have open (on Save, every 20 minutes, and when you switch patterns) — open it from the toolbar to roll back a mistake without touching your other patterns. On Chrome/Edge you can additionally point it at a real folder on your computer for automatic file backups — see the Version History panel to set it up.
- Use Duplicate in the pattern list to experiment without losing your original.
- After photo import, run Cleanup to remove isolated beads, then Merge to combine similar colors.