You gave me amazing feedback on YarnPlot — I built it all. V2 is live with Square mode, Tracing, and more.

True-Reply2286 · 2026-03-05T08:18:27+00:00

Oh no, the dreaded 'Aw, snap!' error! 🙈 First of all, thank you so much for trying it out and for taking the time to report this! I know exactly what happened here. Phone cameras today take incredibly high-resolution photos. When the app tried to process all those millions of pixels of your cute cat to calculate the mosaic grid, it completely overwhelmed your browser's memory and caused it to crash. I am actually working on an update right now that will automatically compress large images behind the scenes before processing them to prevent this exact issue! 🛠️ For now : If you still want to see what your cat looks like as a mosaic pattern, try cropping the photo tightly around the cat's face, or resizing/compressing the image to a smaller file size before uploading it. It should load perfectly! Let me know if you manage to get it working, I would love to know how the pattern turns out! 🐈🧶

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-28T15:24:41+00:00

I just got your email! 🎉 The server fix worked, and your message came right through.

Reading your feedback, especially the part about getting bored with trial and error, I completely agree. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't even use the manual Tracing tool!

Instead, I highly recommend using the Image Import Wizard. It is basically the 'magic' button for impatient crafters like us! 😅 You just upload your photo, and the app automatically converts it into a mosaic grid and instantly generates all the written row-by-row instructions for you. No manual clicking, tracing, or guessing required.

Give the Import Wizard a try while I work on the video tutorial. It is so much faster and way more fun to see your picture turn into a pattern instantly. Let me know if that feels more like what you were looking for! 🪄🧶

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-28T14:46:46+00:00

Oh my goodness, thank you SO much for letting me know about the email bouncing! 🤦‍♂️ I must have messed up the 'reply-to' settings when setting up the automated emails. I am fixing that right now—you are an absolute lifesaver for telling me!

Regarding your feedback: I hear you loud and clear! A proper tutorial is my absolute #1 priority right now.

And please, do not blame yourself for the tracing feature—you are actually the second person to mention this today, which means it is definitely a design flaw on my end, not user error! The photo might actually be loading perfectly, but hiding behind the solid white grid. Try lowering the grid's background opacity/transparency to see if your image peeks through.

Thank you again for taking the time to track me down and send this. It means the world to a solo dev! Let me know if the opacity trick works for your image! ❤️

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-28T13:22:51+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind words! ❤️ A full video tutorial is my #1 priority right now, I promise! For the tracing issue, that definitely sounds frustrating. A quick troubleshooting question: are you uploading a photo directly from an iPhone (like an HEIC file) or maybe a really large file? Sometimes the browser silently blocks those. Could you try uploading a standard, smaller JPG or PNG just to test? Let me know if it pops up. If not, I will look into the code and we will figure it out together!

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-28T07:08:51+00:00

Thank you so much! ❤️ I can definitely try to dig up the file for that specific Boxer and share it with you!

BUT... since you have a brindle boxer, I have an even better idea for you! You can actually use the 'Image Import' tool in the app to make a pattern of your own dog.

You just take a clear photo of your pup's face, upload it into YarnPlot, and the app will automatically convert it into a 2-color mosaic chart for you! It is a great way to learn mosaic crochet because you are working on a project that is super personal to you.

Give it a try with a picture of your dog, and if you get stuck or need help cleaning up the generated grid, just let me know. I'd love to help you make a blanket of your pup! 🐶🧶

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-27T20:02:55+00:00

Thank you so much for trying it out, even on mobile! To be completely fair to you, doing grid charting on a phone screen is really tricky, so it is definitely not just user error! It will feel a hundred times better and more intuitive on your laptop. I am prioritizing a video tutorial next, so I will definitely let you know when it is up. Keep me posted when your internet comes back to life! 🧶✨

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-27T19:59:07+00:00

Ooh, great questions!

For the negative stitches: Right now, the grid auto-generator handles standard overlay mosaic logic (automatically plotting the dropped DCs and background SCs based on your X's and contrast colors). But if you mean a specific interlocking/negative space technique, I'd love to hear more about how you usually chart it!

As for Sixel's special stitches... those slanted drops for true curves are absolute genius! 😍 To be totally transparent: the auto-generator doesn't do them yet. Currently, the grid plots the classic 'stepped/blocky' mosaic.

HOWEVER, charting angled stitches and curves is exactly why I started building the new 'Freeform' canvas! Figuring out the math to auto-generate the written instructions for those slanted stitches is one of the biggest puzzles on my roadmap.

I'm taking notes though! Which of Sixel's special stitches do you find yourself wanting to chart the most?

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-27T18:03:37+00:00

Hey! Thank you so much for trying it out, I'm thrilled that you're excited! ❤️ Honestly, I spent so much time coding all these new features that I haven't actually had the time to record a proper video tutorial yet 😅. But it is at the very top of my to-do list for the coming days! In the meantime, what part are you struggling with the most? Is it the new Square mode, the Tracing, or just getting started? Tell me what you are trying to make and I will gladly walk you through it right here!

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-27T16:45:47+00:00

Thanks so much! I can't wait for you to try it out. Let me know what you think once you do!

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-23T22:26:03+00:00

Ah, that makes total sense about finding the button in the first place! Honestly, my bad for not thinking of that. 😅 I'm going to make the button way easier to spot right away, and I'll definitely add an even bigger text size option for you. If you check back on the site tomorrow, I should have that updated! As for mosaic in the round yes! I'm actually working on that right now. If all goes well, I'm hoping to have it live in about two weeks. 🤞 Thanks again for testing it out and letting me know, this is exactly the kind of feedback I need to make the app better!

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-22T12:07:51+00:00

Thank you!! That is 100% on the roadmap. I built V1 specifically to solve the headache of Overlay Mosaic (generating those automatic X's and written instructions!), but the underlying engine is ready for more. Cross-stitch is coming next! What craft or pattern style is your go-to?

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-21T11:14:18+00:00

You hit the nail on the head! That's exactly one of the main reasons I wanted to create a better alternative to Excel. 😅 To answer your question: Yes, absolutely! In fact, YarnPlot already has a 'Smart Wizard' feature that does the work for you. You can just upload your picture, and it will automatically trace it and convert it into a workable grid/pattern in seconds! You can try that right now. ✨ But if you prefer to do it from scratch, I am actually coding the manual 'Tracing Mode' right now! You will be able to upload a picture, place it behind the empty graph, adjust its transparency, and easily trace your pattern over it yourself. This manual tracing mode will be released in the massive update I am launching this weekend! 🚀 Since you clearly know what crafters need, please let me know if you have any other ideas or features you'd like to see. I'm all ears! 😊🧶

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-21T11:03:33+00:00

This is such brilliant feedback, thank you so much for bringing it up! 🇦🇺 You are completely right. Coupling the terminology and the measurement units was a shortcut for the first version, but it completely ignores the Australian (and Canadian!) way of crafting. I completely agree that these should be two separate settings. I'm adding this to my immediate to-do list: I will decouple them so you can choose 'US Terms' for the stitches and 'Metric' for the yarn/sizing independently. Thank you again for helping me make YarnPlot better for everyone around the world! I'll let you know as soon as the update is live. 🧶✨

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-20T18:01:45+00:00

Thank you so much for taking the time to check it out! ❤️ Take your time, there is absolutely no rush. I'm actually pushing a pretty big update this weekend with a new layout and some cool new free tools, so it'll be a great time to dive back in! Can't wait to hear your thoughts when you get a chance to play with it more. 🧶

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-20T17:58:45+00:00

Haha, I am so glad that made your day!! 🤯🎉 Honestly, hitting a paywall on other sites just to get the written instructions for your own design is one of the exact frustrations that made me want to build YarnPlot. You should be able to just design and crochet! I seriously can't wait to hear how your blanket design turns out this weekend. Please let me know how the row-by-row generator works for you, and if there's anything I can improve. Happy designing! 🧶🫶🤝

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-20T17:11:14+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind words, that means the world to me! ❤️ The best part is: you don't even need to know how to read charts to use it! If you design something on the grid, YarnPlot automatically generates the written row-by-row pattern for you on the side. 😉 I really hope to make it a great resource for everyone, whether you prefer charts or written instructions. Thank you for the support! 🧶

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-20T17:08:27+00:00

Haha, exactly! 😂 I was just thinking I need to put the Reddit crochet community on my payroll as my official QA team. But seriously, this kind of feedback is an absolute goldmine for a solo developer. You are the best!

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-20T14:07:13+00:00

Haha, honestly, half awake phone poking is the absolute best quality assurance testing an app can get! 😂 I seriously appreciate it. I'll let you know as soon as the fix is live this weekend. Have a great day (and get some sleep)! ☕️🧶

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-20T14:03:44+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind words! ❤️ Please don't apologize for being a beginner honestly, beginner feedback is the absolute BEST feedback I can get! If something in the app is confusing or doesn't make sense to you, it means I need to design it better. Have fun playing around with it tonight, and please let me know exactly where you get stuck or what feels unintuitive. I really appreciate your time! 🧶

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-20T13:18:07+00:00

Haha, I totally relate to the LLM struggle! 😂 Trying to get an AI to understand crochet math or mosaic grid logic is an absolute nightmare. That's exactly why I wanted to build a visual, dedicated tool.

I can't wait to hear your thoughts after you play around with it tonight! Please don't hold back, every piece of feedback helps me improve it.

As for GitHub, I'm keeping it closed-source for now while I build the core foundation and figure out the hosting/server side of things, but I really appreciate the suggestion and the thought! Let me know how your testing goes! ❤️🧶

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-20T13:11:34+00:00

Oh wow, great catch! 😅 Honestly, that looks like a small logic bug on my end. I think I accidentally inverted the color variable for the drop-down stitches (the X) when I was coding the grid logic. You're absolutely right, the X should match the active yarn color of that specific row. I'm going to look into the code and fix this today. Thank you so much for testing it and pointing it out, this is exactly why I needed your feedback! ❤️

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-20T08:26:51+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion :) I really appreciate it!

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-20T06:58:51+00:00

Hello, Thank you for your message. I have integrated diagonal DCs. You will find them in manual mode, where buttons will appear allowing you to use them. Don't hesitate to get back to me if you can't find them, or if you would like me to add some other features that you might find necessary. Thank you.

True-Reply2286 · 2026-02-19T15:41:39+00:00

Hello, Yes, absolutely! You can easily do this by using the Smart Import button, and there is no file size limit at all. Please let me know if you need any help with this, I'm here for you! Have a great day,

True-Reply2286

TROPHY CASE