Quick Guide

🏞️ It All Starts with an Image…

Okay, so we’re going to load an image, pick a colour out from it, and then find some yarn colour matches. To get started with YarnPixel, simply choose an image from your device, or take a photo.

This could be an image of your favourite character, super hero, computer game mascot, sports team, or even an image of a yarn-based project you’re working on.

Let’s Pick That Colour! 🎨

Next, use one finger to move the image around, and the ‘pinch to zoom’ gesture to manipulate the image you’ve just loaded up. When ready, toggle the ‘Pick Colour’ button (you can see that the button style changes when this is enabled).

With the pick colour button toggled, drag your finger over the image, to locate the colour you want to match. Once you’ve found the right colour (like the gorgeous ‘Dandelion orange’ identified in the image), choose ‘Add’.

You can go ahead and add a few more if needed. Once done, select ‘Match Yarn’. You will then see a list of all of the colour’s you’ve picked. Selecting one of the colours in that list will show you the top yarn matches.

It’s Matching Time 🧶

Once you’ve picked a colour from an image, we can start finding yarn matches. As you can see in the image, YarnPixel will always give you the top 5 matches (scroll down to see the 5th option) it can find – from its database of over 5,500 yarns.

The matches for our ‘Dandelion orange’? It looks like Scheepjes have the best match, but Paintbox Yarns also has some good matches.

Note: All matches as ranked as ‘Good’, ‘Okay’, and ‘Poor’, based on the colour value we have on file for the yarn product, and the colour value you’re looking to match against.

✅ Filtering Results

The YarnPixel app has a global ‘Filter’ function, which can be accessed from the matching screen, and the yarn catalogue screen. To activate this, tap on the filter icon in the top-right hand corner of the screen, and the list of filter options will pop up.

Filtering can be incredibly useful, as it can help you find the best colour match available for a specific brand, product line, yarn weight, fibre content, or needle size.

For example – where we matched ‘Dandelion orange’, Scheepjes has the best colour match, but the match is from a Chunky range – which doesn’t help us if we’re working in Aran or DK.

Save to Wishlist ⭐️

Once you’ve found your preferred match, you can add it to your Wishlist – making it easier for you to find again later.

To add or remove yarn products from your favourites, simply select the yarn product, and tap on the ‘star’ icon in the top-right corner. When the star icon is full, the item is in your list, when it’s an outline-only, it’s not in your Wishlist.

When you add items to your Wishlist, we’ll automatically stamp it with the time and date added, to help you remember which project it was for.

Note: Results are saved in your app, on your device. Deleting the app or wiping the device may remove your saved results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the YarnPixel app?

Match yarn colours to images in seconds. YarnPixel is a free app that helps knitters, crocheters, and crafters find the right yarn for their project.

Users pick colours from an image or photo (such as the colour of their favourite sports team or super hero), and YarnPixel will check thousands of yarn products to find the best colour-matches to your image.

Which Brands Does YarnPixel Compare?

We compare yarn from the following brands:

Scheepjes
Stylecraft
Lion Brand Yarn
Red Heart
King Kole
Bernat
Paintbox Yarns
Sirdar
DMC
James C Brett
Caron
West Yorkshire Spinners
Hobby Lobby
World of Wool
Toft

Which Product Lines Does YarnPixel Compare?

We’ve manually sampled the colours from products of leading brands, detailing product specifics against each sample. Below is a list of all of the different criteria we’ve collected so far.

Scheepjes:

Little Darling
Stone Washed
Cahlista
Catona 100g
Catona 10g
Catona 50g
Chunky Monkey
Colour Crafter
Cotton 8
Glow Up
Scrumptious
Softfun
Sugar Rush
Stone Washed XL
Catona 25g
Metropolis
Organicon
Sunkissed

Stylecraft:

Baby Sparkle DK
Bambino DK
Bellissima Chunky
Bellissima DK
Craft Cotton
Grace
Highland Heathers Aran
Highland Heathers DK
Life Chunky
Life DK
Life Super Chunky
Naturals – Bamboo and Cotton
Naturals Organic Cotton
ReCreate
ReCreate Chunky
ReLove Aran
Soft Pastels Aran
Softie
Special 4 Ply
Special Aran
Special Aran with Wool
Special for Babies 4 Ply
Special for Babies Aran
Special for Babies Chunky
Special for Babies DK
Special Chunky
Special DK
Special XL
Special XL Tweed
Squeeze Me DK
Wondersoft 2 Ply Cashmere Feel
Wondersoft DK Cashmere Feel
Wondersoft 4 Ply Cashmere Feel
Wondersoft 3 Ply Cashmere Feel

Paintbox Yarns:

Cotton DK
Simply Aran
Simply DK
Simply Chunky
Cotton Aran
Chenille
Simply Super Chunky
Baby DK
Cotton 4 ply
Wool Blend Super Chunky
100% Wool Worsted Superwash
Cotton Mix DK
100% Wool Chunky Superwash
Wool Blend Worsted
Recycled Cotton Worsted
Wool Mix Aran
Wool Blend DK
Wool Mix Super Chunky

Sirdar:

Cashmere Merino Silk DK
Cotton DK
Country Classic 4 Ply
Country Classic DK
Happy Chenille
Happy Cotton
Hayfield Bonus Aran
Hayfield Bonus Aran with Wool
Hayfield Bonus Chunky
Hayfield Bonus Super Chunky
Hayfield Bonus DK
Snuggly 4 Ply 50g
Snuggly DK 50g
Snuggly Replay DK
Stories

Caron:

Simply Soft
One Pound Yarn 454G

Bernat:

Softee Baby
Softee Chunky
Velvet
Blanket Extra Thick Yarn

DMC:

Baby Cotton
Natura
Natura Medium
Natura XL
Nova Vita No. 12
Petra 3
Petra 5

Hobby Lobby:

I Love This Yarn

James C Brett:

Aztec Aran
Crafter DK
Croftland Aran
DK with Merino
Happiness DK
Its Pure Cotton
Top Value DK

King Kole:

Bamboo Cotton DK
Big Value Baby DK
Big Value Baby DK 50g
Big Value Chunky
Big Value BIG
Big Value DK 50g
Big Value Super Chunky
Cherished DK
Comfort DK
Cottonsoft DK
Dollymix DK
Giza Cotton 4ply
Luxury Merino DK
Majestic DK
Merino Blend 4 Ply
Merino Blend DK
Pricewise DK

Lion Brand Yarn:

Linen Cone Yarn
Basic Stitch Anti Pilling Yarn
Vanna’s Choice Yarn
Heartland Yarn
Bambu 7 Cone Yarn
24/7 Cotton DK Yarn
24/7 Cotton Yarn
Truboo Yarn
Hue + Me Yarn

Red Heart:

Comfort Yarn
Super Easy Yarn 250g
Super Saver Jumbo Yarn
Soft Baby Steps Yarn
With Love Yarn
Soft Yarn
Super Saver
Classic Crochet Thread 1000 Yards
Classic Crochet Thread
Nylon Crochet Thread
Super Glow Yarn 50g
Scrubby Yarn
Scrubby Sparkle Yarn
Hygge Yarn 227g
Hygge Yarn 141g
Super Saver Yarn 1000g
Comfort Yarn
Super Saver Metallic Yarn

Toft:

DK Colour

West Yorkshire Spinners:

Colour Lab Aran
Elements
Exquisite 4 Ply
Pure DK
Retreat

World of Wool:

Chubbs Merino

Can I Filter Colour-Match Results?

Yes, you can filter colour-match results using the YarnPixel app. Filtering results also filters what you see in the Yarn Catalogue. It doesn’t however filter items from your Favourites list.

You can filter results using the following options:

Brand and Product Line (see: Which Brands and Product Lines Does YarnPixel Compare?)

Yarn Weight

2 Ply
3 Ply
4 Ply
Aran
Worsted
Chunky
DK
Sport / Baby
Super Chunky

Fibre Content

Acrylic
Cotton
Mercerised Cotton
Polyester
Recycled Polyester
Wool
Lurex
Lyocell
Polyamide
Silk
Cashmere
Nylon
Viscose
Bamboo
Rayon from Bamboo
Mohair
Alpaca
Other Fibres
A composite, mix, or blend of materials

Needle Size

1.25mm
1.50mm
2mm
2.25mm
2.5mm
2.75mm
3mm
3.25mm
3.50mm
3.75mm
4mm
4.25mm
4.50mm
4.75mm
5mm
5.25mm
5.50mm
5.75mm
6mm
6.25mm
6.50mm
6.75mm
7mm
7.25mm
7.50mm
7.75mm
8mm
8.25mm
8.50mm
8.75mm
9mm
9.25mm
9.50mm
9.75mm
10mm
10.25mm
10.50mm
10.75mm
11mm
11.25mm
11.50mm
11.75mm
12mm

How Accurate Are the Colour Matches in YarnPixel?

We’ve individually sampled thousands of yarn products to built a comprehensive yarn catalogue, with a unique hex colour reference applied to each yarn item sampled.

The YarnPixel app uses digital colour analysis to get the closest possible matches between the user’s desired colour, and the yarn in the catalogue. The app will then show the top 5 colour matches, with a badging system, which ranks the match. These being:

Good: Any yarn tagged as a ‘Good’ match is a close match to the hex value we sampled from the yarn product. We therefore think that this could be a good match for your project.
Okay: Yarn tagged as ‘Okay’ is a reasonable match with the hex value sampled from the yarn product – but you will likely notice a visual variation (e.g. the match is lighter or darker than the desired colour, or the colour is slightly off)
Poor: If yarn is tagged as ‘Poor’ it is not a good match against your desired colour. As we have an extensive catalogue, most ‘poor’ results are shown when a user changes the filter settings to a specific product line – therefore reducing the matches available. Some product lines only have a handful of products in, and therefore, only including one product line will more likely deliver ‘Poor’ results.

Within this, there are also a number of variables to consider, which include differences in yarn dye lots, yarn with varying colours (e.g. stonewash), screen settings, and lighting may cause slight variations – further details available in our Terms. Always cross-check with physical samples if precision is critical.

Will YarnPixel Add More Yarn Brands in the Future?

We are constantly working to expand our yarn database, and plan to include support for popular brands based on user demand. We will also work to ensure that there are ample brands and product lines available for all geographies for which the app is available.

How do I download the YarnPixel app?

You can download the YarnPixel app on the Apple App Store, here. Alternatively, simply follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open the App Store

Unlock your device and tap the App Store icon on your home screen.

Step 2: Search for YarnPixel

In the App Store, tap the Search tab at the bottom right.
Type “YarnPixel” into the search bar and press Search.

Step 3: Find the App

Look for the YarnPixel app in the search results.
Check that it’s by the correct developer if needed (Hannah Bordoni, YarnPixel).

Step 4: Download the App

Tap the Get button next to the YarnPixel app.
Authenticate the download using Face ID, Touch ID, or your Apple ID password.

Step 5: Open YarnPixel

Once downloaded, tap Open directly from the App Store, or find the YarnPixel app on your home screen and tap it to launch.

Which Countries and Regions is the YarnPixel App Available in?

The YarnPixel app is currently available to download in the following Apple App Store locations:

United Kingdom
United States of America
Canada
Austria
Belgium
Ireland
Cyprus
Spain
Luxembourg
Lithuania
Malta
Poland
Switzerland
Italy
Germany
Argentina
Australia
Venezuela
Mauritius
Uruguay
Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Liberia
Zambia
Cameroon
Seychelles
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Rwanda
Chile
New Zealand
Kenya
Senegal
Honduras
Tanzania
Uganda
Bolivia
Mexico
Netherlands
Panama
Namibia
Botswana
Colombia
Nigeria
Paraguay
Guatemala
Côte d’Ivoire
South Africa
Costa Rica
Zimbabwe
Peru

We are currently working on bringing the app to France and other regions.

What Languages is YarnPixel Available in?

Currently, the YarnPixel app is available in the following languages and localisations:

English (UK)
English (US)
French
German
Italian
Polish
Spanish
Welsh (UK)

We plan to add support for additional languages based on regional releases and user demand.

The YarnPixel website is available in English (UK), and uses Google Translate via the GTranslate plugin to support the following additional languages:

Arabic
Bengali
Bulgarian
Chinese (Simplified)
Croatian
Czech
Danish
Dutch
Estonian
Finnish
French
German
Greek
Hungarian
Irish
Italian
Latvian
Lithuanian
Maltese
Polish
Portugese
Punjabi
Romanian
Scottish Gaelic
Slovak
Slovenian
Spanish
Swedish
Turkish
Urdu
Welsh

Which App Store Platforms is YarnPixel Available in?

YarnPixel is only available in the Apple App Store. At this time, we have no plans to expand to any other app stores, or implement any other distribution models.

Is the YarnPixel App Free?

The YarnPixel app is free to download and use. It contains advertising provided by Google AdMob, which helps support the app and its ongoing development.

Do I need an Account or Subscription?

No account or subscription is required. You can start using YarnPixel right after downloading it from the App Store.

Can I use YarnPixel offline?

Yes, almost all of YarnPixel’s features are available offline. Our yarn database is embedded in to the app, meaning that the app can calculate yarn matches without the need for any kind of internet connection.

However, some features may require an internet connection, especially when accessing online content or updates.

How do I update YarnPixel?

You can update YarnPixel through the App Store like any other app. Make sure you have automatic updates turned on or manually check for updates under the App Store’s “Updates” section.

Does YarnPixel Collect My Personal Information?

YarnPixel respects your privacy. The app only collects minimal data required for app performance and advertising through Google AdMob. For more information about the information we collect, and how we process personal information, check out our Privacy Policy.

How do I contact YarnPixel support?

If you have any questions, suggestions, or technical issues, you can contact our support team via the Contact page on our website.