# How Do You Read a Knitting Chart?

https://rowandround.app/guides/charts-colourwork/how-to-read-a-knitting-chart · Charts and colourwork; published 2026-11-01, updated 2026-11-01 · Kallos Labs

> Start at the bottom right square and work upward. Flat, right side rows read right to left and wrong side rows left to right. In the round, every row reads right to left.

To read a knitting chart, start at the bottom right square and work upward, one row of squares for each row of knitting. Worked flat, you read right side rows from right to left and wrong side rows from left to right. Worked in the round, you read every row from right to left.

That is the whole direction rule. The rest is the key, the repeats and keeping your place. If you are still getting comfortable with written lines, start with [how to read a knitting pattern](https://rowandround.app/guides/reading-patterns/how-to-read-a-knitting-pattern), then come back here. Crocheters who work from charts follow the same idea with rounds instead of rows.

## Where do you start on a knitting chart?

You start at the bottom right corner, with the first stitch of row 1, and work upward. A chart is a grid: each square is one stitch, and each row of squares is one row of knitting. [DMC describes a chart](https://www.dmc.com/technique-knitting-read-chart) as a picture of the fabric drawn as you would see the right side.

That last point trips people up. The chart shows what the stitches look like from the front, not what your hands do on every row. Keep it in mind and most of the odd-looking symbols start to make sense.

## How do you read a chart worked back and forth?

Worked flat, odd-numbered rows are usually right side rows and you read them from right to left. Even-numbered rows are wrong side rows and you read them from left to right. [Knitting for Olive](https://www.knittingforolive.com/pages/how-to-read-charts) states the rule the same way, and the row numbers help: numbers on the right edge of the chart are RS rows, and numbers on the left edge are WS rows.

Because the chart is drawn from the front, a symbol can mean two different stitches. A blank square is a knit on an RS row, and the same square is a purl when you work it from the WS. Stockinette therefore looks like an empty chart, even though every second row is purled.

Check the row numbers before you cast on. Some charts show only the RS rows, numbered 1, 3, 5, 7, and leave the WS rows out. [DMC points out](https://www.dmc.com/technique-knitting-read-chart) that in this case you have to work the WS rows yourself before you move on to the next RS row. The written instructions usually say what to do on them, often "purl all stitches" or "work the stitches as they face you".

## How do you read a chart in the round?

In the round, you read every row from right to left, because every round is a right side round. You never turn the work, so you only use the RS meaning of each symbol. [Yarnspirations](https://www.yarnspirations.com/learn-to-read-knit-charts.html) puts it plainly: every row is read right to left since only the right side is worked.

Row numbers on a round chart usually sit on the right edge only, as there are no WS rows to number on the left. When you finish a round, go back to the right edge and start the next row up. Each new round begins again at stitch 1 of the next row shown.

Quick check: if the numbers run up one side only, it's almost certainly a round chart. If you see odd numbers on the right and even numbers on the left, you are working flat.

## What do the symbols mean? Read the key first

Read the key before you work a single stitch, because chart symbols are not universal. Each designer defines their own, and the key matches every symbol to its meaning and abbreviation. If a symbol is unfamiliar, look it up in the pattern's abbreviations list as well.

These conventions are common, but the key always wins:

| What you see | What it usually means |
| --- | --- |
| Blank square | Knit on an RS row |
| Dot or dash | A stitch worked on either an RS or a WS row, so check the key |
| Slash leaning one way or the other | A decrease, with the lean showing which way it slants |
| Wide symbol covering 2, 3 or 4 squares | One move worked over that many stitches, such as a cable |
| Grey shading or a letter | A yarn colour, in colourwork |

Cable symbols surprise people because they take up several squares. A cable written C4F is worked over four stitches, so the symbol covers four squares in a row. If you want to refresh the basics behind these symbols, [knit and purl](https://rowandround.app/guides/knitting/difference-between-knit-and-purl-stitches) is a good place to look.

## How do repeats and blank squares work?

A chart often shows only one repeat of the stitch pattern, and you work that repeat across the row as many times as it fits. Charts mark the repeat with a heavy line, a box or grey shading. If you have met the written version, it is the same idea as [asterisks and brackets](https://rowandround.app/guides/reading-patterns/asterisks-and-brackets-in-knitting-patterns).

[Knitting for Olive](https://www.knittingforolive.com/pages/how-to-read-charts) gives a clear way to think about it: work the white section at the right edge once, then the grey repeat as many times as your stitch count allows, then the white section at the left edge once. On a 39 stitch row, that can work out as 13, then 12, then 12, then 2. Stitch markers between repeats make it easier to see where you are.

Two more things to know:

- Black squares. On some charts a black square marks a stitch from the row below that no longer exists, usually after a decrease. You skip it and move to the next stitch. Not every designer uses black this way, so confirm in the key.
- Stitch counts. The number at the end of a chart row is often the count after that row is worked, not before. A row with increases can look longer on the chart than the stitches currently on your needles.

## How do you read a colourwork chart?

In a colourwork chart, each square shows the colour of one stitch, and you read it with the same direction rule as any other chart. Flat or in the round, start at the bottom right and follow the colours across. [Yarnspirations notes](https://www.yarnspirations.com/learn-to-read-knit-charts.html) that Fair Isle colour patterns repeat across the chart, so you can spot the rhythm of the motif after a few rows.

Some colourwork charts use symbols or grey shading in place of real colours. Match each one to the colour letter in the key before you start. Working with two colours in a round, you are only reading RS rows, which keeps the direction simple.

## How do you keep your place on a chart?

Mark the row you are on, and move the marker up when the row is done. Slide a sticky note or a ruler under the current row of the chart. [DMC suggests exactly this](https://www.dmc.com/technique-knitting-read-chart).

Track the row you are working, not the one you just finished. If you want other ways to hold your place, there are more ideas in [how to keep track of rows when knitting](https://rowandround.app/guides/counting-rows/how-to-keep-track-of-rows-when-knitting). And when a chart sits inside a repeat, [count repeats and rows at the same time](https://rowandround.app/guides/counting-rows/how-to-count-repeats-and-rows-at-the-same-time) so you know which row of the chart comes next.

## Try it in Row & Round

In Row & Round, the highlighter bar sits on the row you are working and moves with each +1, so you can see your place at a glance. It does the job of the sticky note on a chart. You can read more about the [highlighter bar](https://rowandround.app/features/highlighter-bar). Row & Round is coming soon to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

## Bottom line

Start at the bottom right and work up. Read RS rows right to left, WS rows left to right, and every row right to left in the round. Read the key first, because symbols change from one designer to the next, and mark your row as you go.

## Questions

### Which way do you read a knitting chart?

Start at the bottom right corner and work upward. Worked flat, right side (RS) rows run right to left and wrong side (WS) rows run left to right. Worked in the round, every row runs right to left.

### Why does the chart show a knit stitch when I need to purl?

A chart is drawn as the right side looks. On a WS row the same symbol means the opposite stitch, so a blank square that is a knit on the RS is worked as a purl from the WS. In the round you only use the RS meaning.

### What if the chart only shows odd rows?

Then the WS rows are left out. Check the written instructions for what they say, and work them before you move to the next RS row.

### What does a black or grey square mean?

It depends on the designer, so check the key. Often a black square is a stitch from the row below that no longer exists after a decrease, and a grey section is a repeat. In colourwork, grey shading can stand for a yarn colour.


## Sources

- [DMC: How to Read a Knitting Chart](https://www.dmc.com/technique-knitting-read-chart)
- [Knitting for Olive: How to read charts](https://www.knittingforolive.com/pages/how-to-read-charts)
- [Yarnspirations: How to Read Knitting Stitch Charts](https://www.yarnspirations.com/learn-to-read-knit-charts.html)