Checkered Alphabet - Free Charts

Monogram Pillow: When made with yarn in filet crochet, a single letter will make a nice size for a pillow front with your family initial.

Name Doilies: There are two ways to crochet the piece in filet crochet.
1. If you work the charts sideways (starting at the edge that is the left-side edge when the charts are upright), the starting chain is always the same because all the charts are the same height (I've given that starting chain on the instruction page). So you can start with one chart and then continue with the next chart, also worked sideways, for as many letters as you need to form the name. The example on the right shows three letter charts put together (A - N - N), to form a longer chart that will be worked sideways, to make the name Ann. Because filet crochet is usually worked by starting at the bottom of the chart, it's easiest to turn the chart as shown on the right and then begin with the bottom row and work your way up the chart, row by row. The (Sideways) Ann Chart, Larger

2. The other way is to tape any number of the printed out charts together to form one longer chart, then determine what the starting chain will be for beginning to crochet with the long bottom edge of the chart, with the chart right side up (as shown on the left). On each letter chart page, I've given the starting chain for that letter chart. I always give the turning chain separately, so add together the starting chains for each letter you are using (without the turning chains of chain-3 and chain 2 more), then add 5 chains to your total.

The Ann Chart, Larger (not turned), with starting chain given and an example of the way that the filet crochet starting chain can be figured out for adding up any number of individual letter charts.

ABC Image copyright 2000 plus ANN images copyright 2008 by Sandi Marshall, licensed to About.com, Inc. Per copyright law, do not use (republish) images on another web page, blog page or elsewhere. Instead, you may link to this blog post, to the alphabet index page or to the Ann chart pages.