To read a crochet symbol chart, check the key, find the starting point, then follow the symbols in the order you will work them. For each symbol, ask two questions: which stitch is this, and where does my hook go? You can learn a chart one row or round at a time.
Start with this pattern’s key
Keep the legend beside the chart. The Craft Yarn Council’s symbol reference is a useful starting point, but the pattern’s own definitions take priority. A symbol can represent a single stitch or a more involved group.
Common symbols include an oval for a chain, a dot for a slip stitch, and an X or plus sign for a US single crochet. A T commonly means US half double crochet; a T with one slash through its stem commonly means US double crochet. Confirm these against the supplied key before starting.
Check the terminology, too. US single crochet is UK double crochet; US half double is UK half treble; US double is UK treble. A familiar abbreviation can therefore mean a different stitch. The Craft Yarn Council’s US/UK comparison helps you translate the written key without changing the intended stitch.
Find the start and follow the numbers
Look for a starting arrow, foundation instructions and row or round numbers. Lion Brand’s chart guide identifies arrows as possible markers for the beginning of a row or round. The foundation may be explained separately, so do not assume the lowest visible symbol tells the whole story.
For a conventional right-handed chart worked in turned rows, you generally move upward through the chart, reading a right-side row from right to left and the return row from left to right. Follow the numbered sequence and any arrows rather than assuming every chart begins with the same row orientation.
Circular motif diagrams generally begin near the center and progress outward. Right-handed, unturned rounds commonly run counterclockwise. A pattern may instead use turned rounds or show only one repeated section. Follow its instructions, especially if you crochet left-handed or use a chart adapted for left-handed work. DROPS explains row, round and partial-circle layouts.
Read the stitch placement
A symbol’s base helps show its destination. Several stitch symbols spreading from one base usually mean several stitches worked into the same stitch or space. Lines meeting at the top indicate stitches completed together. A cluster can share both a base and a joined top; a decrease may span several stitches below. These are different constructions, so read the special-stitch definition.
Also check whether you work into a stitch, around a chain space, through a particular loop or around a post. A diagram may need written instructions to settle that detail. Yarnspirations’ symbol-chart lesson explains how shared bases, joined tops and accompanying text help establish placement.
Treat the picture as a guide to stitch relationships, not a full-size template. A drawn fan suggests how stitches spread, but the printed gap between symbols is not a measurement for your finished fabric. Use the pattern’s gauge and dimensions to check size.
Check turning chains, joins and repeats
Before working an edge, find out whether the beginning chain counts as a stitch. This determines where the first stitch goes and what you work into at the other end. A joining slip stitch usually serves only to close a round; do not automatically count it or work an extra stitch into it. Follow the pattern’s stated convention. Craftsy’s stitch-count lesson explains how these choices can accidentally add stitches.
Brackets or marked boundaries may identify a repeat. Work that section the stated number of times, preserving any separate starting and ending stitches. In a partial-round chart, the repeated section may exclude the beginning chains and closing join, as the DROPS examples demonstrate.
Try a tiny, original example
Imagine a US-terms chart for a row of six single crochets. The next row begins with one chain that does not count, followed by six single-crochet symbols, each above a stitch below.
Turn, chain one, then work one single crochet into each of the six stitches. You should still have six stitches. The chain symbol records an action, but it does not add a seventh counted stitch in this example.
Before continuing, compare your count with the written instructions. If it differs, check the first stitch, last stitch, joins and repeat boundaries. Mark the completed row, then tackle the next one.
Leave a Reply