How to read a crochet chart, or a knitting grid
Published 22 September 2026 · updated 28 September 2026
A chart replaces text with symbols: once you know the key, you see the shape of the piece at a glance, something no list of written rows shows as quickly. You still need to know where to start and which way to go.
What do the symbols in a crochet chart mean?
Every symbol sketches the stitch it stands for, at a smaller scale: an oval or a cross for single crochet, a short “T” for half double crochet, a “T” crossed by one or two bars for double or treble crochet — the number of bars tracking the stitch height. Chain stitches appear as a small oval or a dot, and increases and decreases group or split several symbols at their base. The key always sits alongside the chart; it varies slightly from one publisher to another, so it is worth checking even for someone who has read charts before.
| Symbol | Name | US | UK | French |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | chain | ch | ch | ml |
 | slip stitch | sl st | ss | mc |
 | single crochet (UK double crochet) | sc | dc | ms |
 | half double crochet (UK half treble) | hdc | htr | db |
 | double crochet (UK treble) | dc | tr | br |
 | treble crochet (UK double treble) | tr | dtr | dbr |
 | double treble crochet (UK triple treble) | dtr | trtr | tbr |
 | magic ring | mr | mr | cercle magique |
 | chain space | ch-sp | ch sp | arceau |
 | single crochet increase | sc inc | dc inc | aug ms |
 | double crochet increase | dc inc | tr inc | aug br |
 | single crochet 2 together | sc2tog | dc2tog | dim ms |
 | double crochet 2 together | dc2tog | tr2tog | dim br |
 | double crochet 3 together | dc3tog | tr3tog | dim 3 br |
 | single crochet 3 together | sc3tog | dc3tog | dim 3 ms |
 | picot | picot | picot | picot |
 | front post double crochet | fpdc | fptr | br relief end. |
 | back post double crochet | bpdc | bptr | br relief env. |
 | front post half double crochet | fphdc | fphtr | db relief end. |
 | back post half double crochet | bphdc | bphtr | db relief env. |
 | back loop only | blo | blo | blo |
 | front loop only | flo | flo | flo |
 | cluster | cl | cl | bouquet |
 | 3 half double crochet cluster | hdc cl | htr cl | bouquet db |
 | puff stitch | puff | puff | puff |
 | popcorn stitch | pc | pc | pop-corn |
 | shell | shell | shell | coquille |
 | V-stitch — dc, ch 1, dc in the same stitch | v-st | v-st | point v |
 | 2 crossed double crochets | crossed dc | crossed tr | br croisées |
Which way do you read a chart?
The first row starts at the point the designer marks, usually at the bottom of the chart. For a flat piece, every row switches direction: row 1 reads right to left, row 2 left to right, matching how the hand turns the work between rows. A number at the start of each line marks where it begins, so there is no need to guess the direction each time.
Flat chart or in-the-round chart: what is the difference?
An in-the-round chart starts at the centre and moves outward, round after round, like the concentric circles of a target; it always reads the same way, usually clockwise, and never switches direction between rounds since the work is not turned. A flat chart, on the other hand, stacks from bottom to top like text, with the direction alternating as described above. The type of chart is usually obvious at a glance: a spiral or concentric circles signal work in the round, stacked lines signal flat work.
How do you read a knitting grid (colourwork, cables)?
A knitting grid works on the same principle as a crochet chart, but each square stands for a stitch rather than a drawn symbol: a blank square or a dot for knit, a horizontal dash for purl, arrows or crossed squares for a cable. For colourwork, each square colour matches a yarn colour, and the whole grid forms the finished motif — no need to read a key line by line, the picture speaks for itself. Reading follows the same alternating rule: knit rows right to left, purl rows left to right, unless the grid states otherwise at the top.
The chart and the text disagree: which do you follow?
The text takes precedence when the two disagree: a printing error is more likely to hit an isolated symbol on a dense grid than a line of text, and errata published by designers almost always correct the text first. The chart still gives the best overview: useful for checking the overall shape of the piece and catching a counting mistake before it builds up over several rows.
Do you need a chart if the pattern already gives the text?
The two complement each other more than they replace one another: the text gives the precise stitch-by-stitch instruction, the chart gives the overall shape and lets you spot at a glance where the current row sits in the whole piece. For a repeating motif (a lace pattern, a cable panel), the chart shows in a single image what the text describes across several nested repeat lines — many knitters find it faster to follow than the text once the principle clicks. A chart also crosses languages without translation: a treble crochet symbol reads the same in a Japanese, German or French magazine, which explains its popularity in patterns published internationally.
How do you keep your place in a large chart?
On a dense chart the eye slips from one row to the next, and the mistake only shows up two rows later. Three habits prevent it: cover the finished rows with a magnetic ruler or a plain strip of paper laid just above the current line, so the row you are working stays at the bottom edge of what you can see; photograph the chart and zoom in on a phone, which also lets you follow it with a finger; and place a stitch marker every ten stitches in the work, so a miscount means recounting a short segment instead of the whole row. On a repeating motif, pencilling a box around the base repeat saves rereading the full chart every time.