Chart Reading

Reading charts for color work or cabling can be intimidating even for experienced knitters. Part of the problem arises from trying to read the chart as we would read a written page (left to right and top to bottom). Knitting charts are read from bottom to top and right to left for right-side rows, left to right for wrong side rows. If you are knitting in the round then all rows are read from right to left.

To assist in knowing which end to read from and to keep you on track with your pattern, number your chart on the side of the row you need to start from for each row – 1 on the right of the bottom row, 2 on the left of the second to the bottom row, 3 on the right of the third to the bottom row, and so forth.

Mobile Knitting Charts

If you are taking your knitting mobile and are using a chart, take a photo of the chart with your mobile phone. Then you can look at it whenever you need the chart without having lots of paper tagging along.

Chart Reading

If you are moving up to the challenge and knitting a complicated lace or fair isle pattern, mark your chart with colored vertical lines between the obvious patterns. Then use corresponding colored embroidery floss or colored markers (or even colored paper clips) in your knitting so you can see at a glance where you are in the pattern.

Decreasing Slants - k2tog or ssk

If you have a hard time remembering when to use a k2tog and when to use a ssk while decreasing when using a chart, here’s a tip for you. The symbols on the chart follow the shape of how you work the stitch so use this guide:
/ follows the curve of the number 2 so you k2tog (knit two stitches together)
\ follows the curve of the letter S so you ssk
(slip 1 stitch knitwise, slip 1 stitch knitwise (or purlwise), then knit both of those stitches together through the back loop)