Filet Crochet

Patterns on a Grid – Inspired by African Textile Design

Filet crochet creates lightweight, airy fabrics by working solid and open blocks on a grid. The name comes from the French word for “net,” but the technique itself—using a hooked tool to form patterned grids—reflects a mathematical logic that has emerged across many cultures independently.

Our patterns are inspired by African textile designs. We draw from the geometric precision of woven traditions, the symbolic language of printed and dyed cloths, and the structural intelligence of indigenous grid-based patterning found across the continent.

While European pattern books have long claimed filet crochet as their own, the act of creating patterned textiles by filling and emptying cells within a grid is universal. Across Africa, weaving, beadwork, and other textile arts have employed similar design principles for centuries—practices that remain under-documented and under-recognized in mainstream craft histories.

We offer these patterns as a way to learn a versatile technique. We also offer them with an acknowledgement: that the mathematical and textile knowledge behind grid-based making belongs to no single culture, and that African innovators deserve their place in this story.

Suitable for: Crochet cotton, fine yarns, and any fiber that gives a light, airy finish.