Knitting Chart Symbols
Lace and colorwork patterns are usually written as a grid of symbols instead of row by row instructions. Here's what each square in the grid actually means.
Symbol key
| Symbol | Stitch | Abbr. |
|---|---|---|
| Knit (on the right side) | k | |
| Purl (on the right side) | p | |
| Yarn over | yo | |
| Knit 2 together | k2tog | |
| Slip slip knit | ssk | |
| No stitch (placeholder square) | — |
Why the diagonal leans in k2tog and ssk mean something
The slash direction in each decrease symbol matches the direction the finished stitch actually leans on your needles — k2tog's symbol slants the same way the two merged stitches lean to the right, and ssk's mirrors that to the left. That's not decorative: it's the whole point of using two different decrease symbols instead of one generic "decrease" mark, since a chart relies on you being able to tell at a glance which decrease goes on which side of a shape like a raglan or a leaf motif.
Reading a chart bottom to top, and mind the direction per row
Knitting charts are read from the bottom row up, matching the order you actually knit them, which trips up anyone used to reading top-to-bottom text. Within that, right-side rows are read right to left and wrong-side rows are read left to right, alternating every row the same way your knitting itself turns at the end of each row — a chart with only right-side rows shown (common for patterns knit in the round) is read right to left on every single row instead.
"No stitch" squares aren't a stitch to skip while counting
Charts with shaping (increases and decreases happening at different points row by row) often include shaded "no stitch" squares purely to keep the grid rectangular, since the stitch count itself changes row by row but the chart's column count can't. Treat a "no stitch" square as if that square doesn't exist at all — don't work anything for it and don't count it toward your stitch count, which is different from every other symbol in this key, all of which represent an actual stitch to work.