Knitting Chart Symbols

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.

How to Work From a Knitting Chart

A knitting chart is a grid where each square is one stitch and each row of squares is one row of knitting. Once you can read one, cables and lace become far easier than their written equivalents, because the chart shows you the shape you are making rather than describing it in abbreviations. The symbol key above covers what each symbol means; this covers how to actually work from one.

The rule that trips everyone up

Chart symbols describe how the stitch looks from the right side, not what your hands do. Working flat, that means on wrong-side rows you work the opposite of what the symbol shows: a blank square (knit on the right side) is purled when you meet it on a wrong-side row.

Most charts state this in a note, and many keys give symbols as "knit on RS, purl on WS." Working in the round, the right side always faces you, so the symbol is always exactly what you work — which is why charts feel so much easier in the round.

Direction of travel

Situation	Read the chart
Flat, right-side rows (usually odd)	Right to left
Flat, wrong-side rows (usually even)	Left to right
In the round	Right to left, every round

Always bottom to top. Row 1 is the bottom row of the chart, which matches the direction your knitting grows. Row numbers on the right mark right-side rows; numbers on the left mark wrong-side rows, and that placement is itself the reminder of which direction to read.

Repeat boxes

The heavy outline or shaded column inside the chart is the repeat. Stitches to the right of it are worked once at the start of the row, the repeat is worked as many times as your stitch count allows, and stitches to the left of it are worked once at the end.

Check the arithmetic before casting on: your stitch count needs to be a multiple of the repeat, plus the edge stitches on either side. Patterns state this as something like "multiple of 8 sts + 3." Getting this wrong is the most common reason a lace pattern refuses to line up.

"No stitch" squares

Greyed-out or blacked-out squares are placeholders, not instructions. They exist because the stitch count changes between rows — a decrease removes a stitch, and the chart has to stay rectangular, so a filler square holds the grid together.

Skip them entirely. Do not knit them, and do not count them as stitches. They are typesetting, not knitting.

Keeping your place

This is most of the practical difficulty, and it's worth solving properly rather than relying on concentration.

Method	Notes
Sticky note or magnetic strip above the working row	Place it above, not below, so completed rows stay visible — you can compare your knitting to the rows you've done and spot errors.
Stitch markers between repeats	Place one at every repeat boundary. If a repeat doesn't come out even, you know within eight stitches instead of eighty.
Row counter	Advance it at the same moment every row — end of row, always — so the habit does the remembering.
Lifelines	Thread waste yarn through a completed row every ten rows or so. If lace goes wrong, you rip back to the lifeline rather than to the cast-on.

Lifelines are the single best habit in lace knitting. Ten seconds every ten rows, and a mistake costs you ten rows instead of an evening.

Checking your work

At the end of each row, count your stitches and compare to what the chart expects for that row. In lace, increases and decreases often don't balance within a single row — a yarn over on row 3 might not be paired with its decrease until row 5 — so the count legitimately changes. The pattern will usually tell you the count for each row; if it doesn't, check at the end of a full repeat where it should return to the starting number.

The other useful check is visual: after a full repeat, your knitting should look like the chart. Hold it up and compare shapes. A misplaced yarn over is much easier to see than to count.

Common problems

Problem	Cause and fix
Pattern is offset or scrambled	Wrong-side row read right to left. Even rows read left to right when working flat.
Purl bumps in the wrong places	Symbols worked literally on wrong-side rows. Reverse them — blank means purl on a WS row.
Stitch count keeps drifting	"No stitch" squares being knitted or counted. Skip them completely.
Repeat doesn't fit the row	Cast-on isn't a multiple of the repeat plus edge stitches. Recount and adjust.
Decreases lean the wrong way	k2tog and ssk swapped. The symbol's diagonal shows the lean — see the key above.
Error discovered many rows later	No lifeline. Start using them; it's the cheapest insurance in knitting.

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