How to Read a Knitting Chart for Absolute Beginners

Learn to read a knitting chart with confidence. This step-by-step guide will help you understand the basics so you can start reading and knitting from a simple chart.

We’ll look at examples of knitting charts, show you where to begin reading, review right and wrong sides, explain chart symbols, and tell you when to start repeating patterns.

Examples of Knitting Charts

Knitting charts are tools that show how to knit a stitch pattern. Most patterns, including mine, come with both written instructions and a chart.

For this guide, I’ll show you how to read charts for knit stitch patterns using knit and purl stitches, worked flat on straight needles.

Think of a knitting chart as a visual aid to help you understand your project. The chart is laid out in a grid, like an Excel sheet or graph paper.

Each box in the grid represents one stitch on your needle. The entire chart shows your knitting pattern.

My basic beginner patterns include both written instructions and a chart. You can find them on my website or in my Knit Stitch Pattern Book.

Once you understand the structure of a knitting pattern, you’ll be ready to tackle more complex patterns and textures, like lace eyelets and cable knits. Let’s start with the basics!

Which Direction do you Read a Knitting Chart?

This lesson focuses on reading charts for flat knitting. After casting stitches onto your needle, the first stitch is on the right side of your row. So, you’re starting from the bottom of your work and knitting upward.

When you read a knitting chart, you start at the bottom right corner. It may seem unusual at first, but here’s why it makes sense:

Each square on the knitting chart represents a stitch. The first stitch at the bottom right of your knitted piece matches the bottom right corner of the chart, so you’ll knit from right to left.

After finishing the first row, turn your work to the wrong side for row two. Now, read the chart from left to right. Continue knitting by reading the odd-numbered rows (right side) from right to left and the even-numbered rows (wrong side) from left to right.

Is the First Row of Knitting on the Right Side?

In this example, the first stitch in the chart is at the bottom right, and we’re knitting from the bottom up. When you look at the swatch of this Checkerboard Pattern, you’ll see that it matches the direction of the chart, starting from the right and going up.

We knit the first row and all odd-numbered rows on the right side of the work. The second and all even-numbered rows are knitted on the wrong side.

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What Does Right Side Facing Mean in Knitting?

Basic knitting charts start with the first stitch on the right side of your work, which is the front side. The first stitch in Row 1, at the bottom right, starts the right (or front) side of your work.

When you knit Row 2, you’re working on the wrong (or back) side of your piece. If you’re unfamiliar with these concepts, check out my helpful tutorial on the right and wrong sides of knitting.

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What are the Numbers on the Sides of a Knitting Chart?

• Odd numbers (1, 3, 5, etc.) on the right side of the chart indicate the rows on the right side of your work.
• Even numbers (2, 4, 6, etc.) on the left side of the chart indicate the rows on the wrong side.
• Numbers at the top or bottom of the chart help you keep track of the stitch count.

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Knitting Chart Symbols

Stitch symbols are small drawings that show which knitting technique to use for each stitch in your pattern. In this lesson, we’re focusing on knit and purl patterns, so each box will contain either the symbol for a knit stitch or a purl stitch.

Stitch Symbol Example

Each box in your knitting chart grid has a stitch symbol inside it. These symbols help you know when to knit or purl each stitch on your needle.

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Legend Key for Knitting Charts

The Legend Key lists all the stitch symbols used in a pattern. Before starting a project, scan the Legend Key to see if it’s something you want to tackle. It gives you a quick idea of the pattern’s difficulty.

If the Legend Key only includes knit and purl stitches, it’s a beginner-level project, and you can go for it. But if it includes unfamiliar techniques, you can decide whether to learn them first or skip the pattern if it seems too complex.

Legend Example

Here’s an example of a more complex pattern from my Heart Cables design. The Legend Key shows various stitch techniques. Depending on how familiar you are with these techniques, you can quickly decide if you want to knit this pattern. If it looks too challenging, you’ll know to pass on it.

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What are Knitting Chart Repeats?

A knitting chart shows the entire pattern, and the repeat section is highlighted. I like to include multiple repeats in my charts to help you understand the overall design. The exact repeat area is marked with highlighted lines.

Knitting Chart Repeats Example

In these knit stitch patterns, the repeat portion is outlined with a highlighting box. For example, the Flag Stitch pattern has an 8-row repeat of 8 stitches. The Spiral Rib pattern has an 18-row repeat of 6 stitches. You can see these repeats at a glance.

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Knit Stitch Symbol Switching

This is a good time to check the Legend Key again. Often, symbols for knit and purl stitches change depending on whether you’re on the right or wrong side of your work.

For example, a Knit Stitch might appear as a blank white box on the odd-numbered right sides (RS) of your work. On even-numbered wrong sides (WS), the symbol might switch to a black dot for a Knit Stitch.

At first, this might seem confusing, but it helps you see the textured pattern of your entire chart more clearly.