Crochet guide
How to read crochet charts
A crochet chart, also called a symbol diagram, draws a pattern instead of writing it. Each symbol is one stitch, drawn in the place where that stitch is worked. Rows are read from the bottom up, each from the opposite side to the last, and rounds are read from the center out, counter-clockwise.
On this page 7 parts
One symbol is one stitch
A chart shows two things at once: which stitch to make, and where to put it. Each stitch has its own symbol. A taller stitch has a taller symbol, so the chart looks a little like the finished fabric.
Every chart should come with a key that says what its symbols stand for. Read the key first. The symbols use no words, so a chart can be followed whatever language the pattern is written in.
The six basic symbols
The names below are United States names, with the United Kingdom name beside each where it differs.
| Number | Stitch | Abbreviation | Its symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chain | ch | An oval |
| 2 | Slip stitch | sl st | A filled dot |
| 3 | Single crochet (UK double crochet) | sc | A plus sign or an x. Both are in use. |
| 4 | Half double crochet (UK half treble) | hdc | A T: an upright line with a bar across the top |
| 5 | Double crochet (UK treble) | dc | A taller T with one short slash through its stem |
| 6 | Treble crochet (UK double treble) | tr | A still taller T with two slashes |
The chart symbols page has more of them.
How to read a chart in rows
- Start at the bottom. The line of ovals along the bottom is the foundation chain.
- Read row 1 from right to left. That is the way a right-handed maker works across a row.
- Read row 2 from left to right. You have turned the work, so the row runs back the other way.
- Go on up the chart, changing direction with every row.
A symbol that sits directly above a stitch is worked into that stitch.
In this chart the number of each row stands at the end where the row begins, and the arrow points the way to read it. The upright oval at the start of a row is the chain that begins the row. In row 1 it is the seventh chain of the foundation: six lie along the bottom and the seventh stands up at the right. Row 2 is in a second color only to keep the rows apart: many charts color every other row for the same reason.
The same three rows in words:
Foundation: Ch 7.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across (6 sc).
Rows 2 to 3: Ch 1, turn; sc in each st across (6 sc).
How to read a chart in rounds
- Start in the middle, at the ring.
- Work outward, one round at a time.
- Read each round counter-clockwise. That is the way a right-handed maker works around.
In this chart each round begins with one chain (the oval) and ends with a slip stitch (the dot) that joins the round. Round 2 has twelve stitches over the six of round 1: two in each stitch.
The same two rounds in words. In these lines MR is the magic ring:
Foundation: Make a magic ring.
Rnd 1 (RS): Ch 1, 6 sc in MR, sl st in first sc to join (6 sc).
Rnd 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around, sl st in first sc to join (12 sc).
If you are left-handed
Charts are drawn for right-handed makers. A left-handed maker works the other way, so read row 1 from left to right and row 2 from right to left, and read rounds clockwise. The stitches themselves are the same.
Common mistakes
- Reading every row from the same side. Rows worked back and forth change direction each time.
- Skipping the key. A symbol can differ a little from one chart to the next. The key settles it.
- Trusting the chart alone. When a pattern has both a chart and written rows, use both, and check one against the other.
Questions people ask
Is an x a different stitch from a plus sign? No. Both stand for single crochet, and a chart uses one or the other.
Why is part of the chart in another color? Often only to make the rows or rounds easier to tell apart. It can also mean a change of yarn. The key or the pattern's notes say which.
Do I need the written pattern as well? A chart can stand alone, but while you are learning it helps to follow a pattern that has both and to check one against the other.
Next, the chart symbols page lets you look up a symbol, how to read a crochet pattern covers the written rows, and how to read a crochet graph covers charts made of colored squares.