How to Read a Crochet Chart
Learn how to read a crochet graph one row at a time. For a flat single-crochet chart, each square is one stitch. Begin at the bottom and alternate the reading direction as you move up the chart.
Row 1 · Right to left · C × 1, B × 3, A × 2
Let the colors do the counting.
Read consecutive squares of the same color as a group. For example, B × 3 means three stitches in color B. Each letter refers to a color in the legend. Letters make a black-and-white printout usable too.
Keep the overview and detail pages together.
The PDF overview shows your entire chart. Detail pages use larger cells and include row and column coordinates. Coordinates refer to the original chart, so you can join pages without counting a cell twice. Print at actual size.
Questions about this crochet guide
Do I read a crochet chart from the top or the bottom?
For Ovopixel's flat single-crochet charts, start with row one at the bottom and move upward. The first-row setting controls left-to-right or right-to-left reading, and later rows alternate. This reading order is not the same as diagonal C2C or crochet worked in the round.
Do crochet graph symbols represent different stitches?
The letters in these color graphs identify yarn colors, not a catalog of stitch types. A × 3 means three consecutive stitches in color A. Other crochet symbol diagrams can use symbols for chains or stitch techniques; those are a different kind of chart.
Does changing row direction mirror the crochet design?
No. Row direction changes the order in which you read the stitches while the chart stays in a fixed front view. The editor's mirror command changes the grid itself. Choose the reading direction that matches how you work before following the row instructions.