Yarn Craft Terminology Database

The first comprehensive, open, API-accessible database of yarn craft terminology. Starting from a crochet foundation and expanding across all fiber arts disciplines — knitting, weaving, embroidery, and more.

Key Features

• 265+ Terms: Basic stitches (SC, DC, HDC) to advanced techniques (cables, colorwork, C2C, graphgans), plus US/UK translations and community slang
• Rich Data Structure: Each term includes ID, US/UK names, category, difficulty, description, tags, estimated learning time, and best use cases
• Quiz System: 50+ auto-generated multiple-choice questions with difficulty levels and US vs. UK terminology challenges
• Automated Updates: Data maintained in a master Google Sheets database — community-driven, quality-controlled, and version-tracked

Quick Start

// Fetch all terms
const response = await fetch('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/this4dani/yarn-craft-terminology-database/main/terms.json');
const data = await response.json();
console.log(`Loaded ${data.meta.total_terms} terms!`);

API Endpoints

Endpoint	Description	Size	Use Case
terms.json	All terms (lightweight)	~50KB	General lookups, apps
glossary.json	Complete API with search index	~80KB	Advanced features
categories.json	Terms grouped by category	~60KB	Filtering, menus
quiz.json	Quiz questions & answers	~30KB	Educational apps
api-info.json	API metadata	~2KB	Version info

Base URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/this4dani/yarn-craft-terminology-database/main/

Data Structure

{
  "id": "SC",
  "name_us": "Single Crochet",
  "name_uk": "Double Crochet",
  "category": "Basic Stitches",
  "difficulty": "1",
  "description": "The most basic crochet stitch...",
  "tags": ["basic", "fundamental", "beginner"],
  "time_to_learn": "5 minutes",
  "best_for": "Tight fabric, amigurumi"
}

Use Cases

• Websites: Term tooltips within patterns
• Mobile Apps: Offline-capable glossaries
• Educational Platforms: Quiz questions and learning tools
• WordPress Plugins: Shortcodes for on-demand term definitions
• Quiz & Badge Systems: Categorized challenges (Stitch Master, Global Crocheter, Technique Expert)

Examples

Simple Term Lookup

const terms = await fetch('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/this4dani/yarn-craft-terminology-database/main/terms.json')
  .then(r => r.json());

const singleCrochet = terms.data.find(term => term.id === 'SC');
console.log(singleCrochet.name_us); // "Single Crochet"
console.log(singleCrochet.name_uk); // "Double Crochet"

Category Filtering

const categories = await fetch('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/this4dani/yarn-craft-terminology-database/main/categories.json')
  .then(r => r.json());

const basicStitches = categories.data['Basic Stitches'];

Search Implementation

function searchTerms(query, terms) {
    return terms.filter(term =>
        term.name_us.toLowerCase().includes(query.toLowerCase()) ||
        term.name_uk.toLowerCase().includes(query.toLowerCase()) ||
        term.tags.some(tag => tag.toLowerCase().includes(query.toLowerCase()))
    );
}

API Stats

• 265+ Terms — Most comprehensive free yarn craft terminology API
• Global Coverage — US, UK, and international terminology
• Mobile Ready — Lightweight JSON, CORS enabled
• Fast & Reliable — Served via GitHub CDN with 99.9% uptime

Contributing

We welcome contributions to improve the database!

Data Improvements:

• Submit corrections or suggest new terms
• Report US/UK terminology differences
• Help expand into knitting, weaving, and embroidery terminology

Technical Contributions:

• Improve quiz generation
• Add new data formats
• Enhance API documentation

Who's Using This API

[Add your project here by submitting a PR!]

License

CC BY-SA 4.0 — Free to use, share, and adapt with attribution. Share-alike required for derivative works.