Free · six shapes · optional lid · working preview

Crochet base generator

Pick the shape, the yarn and the size. You get a wooden base with a ring of holes, the stitch count for round 1 and a file for your laser.

Vector: Pick the yarn and I'll size the holes. Cut: And I'll check the wood between them.

Shape
Yarn

Size
Holes in the ring

Any picks the hole count that best fits the spacing. Choose 2, 3, 4 or 6 if your pattern needs a count that divides evenly.

Leave it empty to choose the holes from the spacing. With a number, the tool uses 1, 2 or 3 stitches per hole to reach it.

Lid (optional)

The files have three layers by colour: red holes, green outer edge, blue triangle. Cut the holes first and the outer edge last, and check the order in your software preview. The small blue triangle points at the first hole, so engrave it or leave it out. Starting values come from bases other makers use, they are not test-cut by us.

How to use it

  1. Pick the yarn you will crochet with. The holes, spacing and edge clearance follow it.
  2. Pick a shape and set the size of the base. For a polygon, set the number of sides. For a square, rectangle, polygon or heart, set the corner or tip radius too.
  3. Leave the hole count on Any, or enter the number of stitches your pattern needs in round 1.
  4. Download the SVG, cut the base from plywood and sand the hole edges so the yarn does not snag.

Putting it together

  • Work the first round through the holes with a hook one or two sizes smaller than the one you use for the rest, so the yarn and hook fit through. Start at the first hole, the one the small triangle points at, in the middle of the top side.
  • Work one stitch per hole, or two if you want a fuller start.
  • Round 1 gives you the stitch count. If your pattern needs a different count, enter it above, or add or remove a stitch in a few places spaced evenly round the base.
  • Cut one base on scrap first. Hole size and spacing are starting values, so adjust them for your yarn and hook.

FAQ

Is the generator free?

Yes. No sign-in, no watermark. Use the files for your own bases and for the products you make.

How are the hole size and spacing chosen?

Each yarn setting starts from the values other makers use on the bases they sell. They are starting points, not tested by us. Change them in Advanced settings if your yarn or hook needs it.

Does the number of holes have to be even?

No. Patterns count the stitches after round 2, and they fix any difference with a few increases or decreases. Even counts and multiples of 3 or 6 just make that easier. If your pattern needs a set number, type it in and the tool picks the holes for it.

How does it pick the number of holes?

It divides the ring by your target spacing and rounds to the count you choose (Any, or a multiple). If the wood between the holes would get too thin, it lowers the count and tells you. If you enter a stitch count, it uses 1, 2 or 3 stitches per hole instead.

What is kerf and should I fill it in?

Kerf is the width of wood the laser burns away. If you know it, enter it and the file is drawn so the holes and the base come out at the size you set. If you do not, leave it at 0.

How are the holes placed on a square or rectangle?

On a line that keeps the same distance from the edge, spaced evenly along it, starting in the middle of the top side. Sharp corners get a small turn in the ring so the holes do not crowd the corner, and the wood at the corner is a little wider than the edge clearance. The tight corners set the bridge width, so that is what the tool checks.

What is the polygon?

A regular shape with 3 to 16 equal sides and a flat side on top. Its size is the width from corner to corner. Each side length is shown under the radius. The holes run along the same kind of path as on a square, starting in the middle of the top side.

What are the lid options?

With holes makes a second base a little bigger, with its own ring of holes, so you can crochet a lid the same way. Plain makes a solid lid with the same shape, a little bigger than the base, and you can add a hole in the middle for a knob. With insert (experimental) adds a smaller solid part to glue under the lid, so the lid sits in the basket and does not slide. It is sized from the base, not from the opening of your finished basket, so measure the opening and adjust the gap before you cut. The overhang and the gap are starting values, so cut a test first. All the parts go into the same file, side by side. Pick one part above the download buttons to save it on its own, for example when the whole set is too big for your sheet.

How is the heart made?

Two round lobes sit on a square turned on its corner, so the tip points down. The size is the width across both lobes, and the height is shown under the radius. The first hole sits under the notch at the top and the opposite hole at the tip, so the layout is symmetric. The tip radius rounds the point at the bottom: 0 is sharp, and the slider ends at a fully rounded tip.

What does the corner radius do?

It rounds the outer corners of the base. 0 gives sharp corners. The slider ends where the corners meet: half of the shorter side on a rectangle, and the distance from the centre to the middle of a side on a polygon, so a square or a polygon becomes a circle. Larger radii make the ring of holes turn more gently, which leaves more wood between the holes.

How are the holes placed on an oval?

The base is a true ellipse. The holes sit on a line that keeps the same distance from the edge all the way round, spaced evenly along it. The tight curves at the two ends set the bridge width, so that is the number the tool checks.

Which files do I get?

SVG, DXF and a LightBurn file. In all of them the holes, the outer edge and the small blue triangle are separate layers (red, green and blue in SVG, HOLES, OUTLINE and MARK in DXF). The LightBurn file also lists them in the order to cut: holes first, outer edge last. In SVG and DXF the order depends on your software, so check it in the preview before you start. The triangle is for engraving.

How do I get the LightBurn file?

Open Advanced settings and enter your own cut speed and power, the ones you got from a material test. The file has three layers: Mark, Holes and Outline. The mark settings are optional: without them the triangle goes to a tool layer that is not burned. In LightBurn use File, Open (not Import).

What does the sheet size check do?

Above the buttons, Cut shows the size of the file, with all parts side by side. Before the first download it asks whether your material or laser bed is at least that big. If you choose your sheet in Advanced settings and the file is bigger, the downloads stop.

Can I change the units?

Yes, with the switch next to Size. Everything on the page follows it, and the files keep their real size. Import them at 100 % and check one dimension in your laser software before cutting.

Is my design sent anywhere?

No. The base is calculated on this page, in your browser. The page counts visits and downloads for statistics (file type, shape, hole count, lid option), nothing else.