A knitting chart is a grid where each square stands for one stitch, and the colour in that square tells you which yarn to use when you get there. This post covers both sides of it: how to read a chart, whether it's yours or one you bought, and how to build your own in Dreamknit PRO. If you already know how to read a chart and just need to know which technique to use for it, or how to actually knit it, check our guide to colorwork techniques instead.
How to read a knitting chart, row by row 🧶
Find your starting point
Every chart works the same way, whatever the pattern: row 1 sits at the bottom, and you work upward from there, in the order the rows come off your needles. Which corner you start each row in, left or right, depends on how you are knitting, so check the table below before you assume:
| You are working | Read the row |
|---|---|
| Flat, right side row | Right to left |
| Flat, wrong side row | Left to right |
| In the round (every row is the right side) | Right to left, every row |
Row 1 sits at the bottom, and column 1 sits at the right, exactly how our Yarn Addict chart is numbered. Read a right side row from column 1 outward, right to left.
Follow the repeat
The legend in the corner tells you which yarn colour each square stands for. Check it before you cast on, since two designers rarely use the same key. Most charts also repeat rather than covering a whole row on their own. Once you have worked all the way across the chart, start again from the first square on the right. Keep repeating the chart from right to left until you reach the end of the row or round.
Move on to the next row
Once you have worked every stitch in row 1, move on to row 2. Read it the way the table above tells you to: right to left again if you are working in the round, or the opposite direction from the row before if you are knitting flat. Keep working row after row in that order until you reach the top of the chart.
If your chart was built in Dreamknit, switch the project into Read mode and it keeps track of exactly which row you are on for you, so you can look away, answer the door, and find your place again without counting up from the bottom.
Read mode keeps your current row outlined and counts it for you, even 113 rows in.
Reading tells you where each colour goes. How you actually carry the yarn between colours, stranding, intarsia, catching floats, is its own skill with its own techniques, and we cover it separately in our guide to colorwork techniques, videos included.
Build your own color chart, step by step 📏
With Dreamknit PRO, you can build your own color charts from scratch. If all you want is to knit from a chart, your own or someone else's, everything above already gets you there. If you want to draw the motif yourself, here is how.
Open Color Charts
Go to Tools and find Color Charts. Drawing a chart only works on desktop, though reading one you have already built works fine on your phone. Choose between a free-form chart or a project-based chart to get started.
Free-form or project-based
A free-form chart is a blank grid with no constraints, good for testing a motif before you commit it to anything. A project-based chart draws directly onto an actual project, so you build that project in the design tool first. Right now, project-based charts are available for raglan sweaters and mittens, with more garment types on the way.
Draw your motif
Once your chart is open, start drawing in whatever colours you want. Use the predefined elements as a starting point, or build in layers to change colours and rework parts of the design without touching the rest. Layers work much like they do in Photoshop: each one holds its own piece of the motif, so you can hide, reorder or edit one without disturbing what sits underneath.
Each layer keeps its own colours. Tick “Apply to all layers” if a change should carry across every one of them instead.
The chart behind our own Yarn Addict sweater, drawn letter by letter and applied as an Allover Pattern.
Repeat it as an all over pattern
On a project-based chart, you can also set your motif as an Allover Pattern, so it repeats across the whole garment instead of sitting in one spot. Draw it into a square in whatever size you like. Pick a size that divides evenly into the body and the repeat lines up cleanly all the way around. Turn that requirement off if you would rather use a specific size regardless, though that can leave a seam at the side instead.
Allover Pattern applies your chart's repeat to whichever sections you tick, with its own width, height, and shift controls.
Two sections are worth a second thought before you tick them. Ribbing is elastic, and colorwork pulls it in, so stripes or no colorwork at all tend to work better there. Rows right at the neckline opening are also awkward to finish neatly in multiple colours, so a single colour tends to look cleaner.
Check the difficulty
Open Difficulty to see which techniques your chart calls for and how advanced it comes out overall. It is a quick way to check whether a motif is realistic for where you are at before you commit to knitting it.
Update your gauge before you knit
Once your chart is placed, click Update Gauge. This rebuilds the pattern to match what you have drawn, and it can add a few extra rows, since your gauge in height depends partly on which techniques the chart uses. Always click Update Gauge before you open the finished pattern for your project, that is what makes sure the instructions actually match the chart you built.
A quick word on copyright
The chart maker will happily let you draw anything, including someone else's logo or a cartoon character, but that does not make it yours to use. Stick to your own motifs, traditional colorwork patterns, or anything you have permission to knit and sell. If you plan to sell the finished piece or the pattern itself, this matters even more.
FAQ: your color chart questions 🤔
How do I actually knit two colours in the same row?
That is a technique question rather than a reading one, stranded knitting, intarsia, and corrugated ribbing are the three main options, and which one fits depends on the shape of your motif. Our guide to colorwork techniques walks through all three, with video.
What is the difference between a free-form and a project-based chart?
A free-form chart is a blank grid with no constraints, good for testing a motif or saving it to My Charts before you commit it to anything. A project-based chart draws directly onto an actual project, so you build that project in the design tool first. Right now, project-based charts work for raglan sweaters and mittens, with more garment types on the way.
Do I read a chart differently when knitting in the round?
Yes. Flat knitting alternates direction every row: right to left, then left to right. In the round, the right side always faces you, so you read every row the same way, right to left.
Can I edit a chart after I have already started knitting from it?
Depends on the change. Small tweaks, a colour swap or a quick fix to the motif, usually work out fine mid-project. For anything bigger, click Update Gauge afterward so the pattern updates to match, not just the chart.
What yarn weight works best for charted colorwork?
Fingering and sport weight show detail cleanly, because the stitches are small enough to hold a crisp edge. Chunkier yarns can still work; just keep the chart simple, with fewer squares and bolder shapes.
Does the tool tell me how much of each colour to buy?
Yes. The Materials panel tracks metres and grams for every colour in your chart as you draw it, and rolls that into the yardage estimate for the rest of the pattern.
Ready to draw one? Color Charts is part of Dreamknit PRO, with a 14-day money-back guarantee if it turns out not to be for you. Open a design and look for Color Charts under your construction settings, or start from scratch with the pattern generator if you have not built a design yet.
New to designing your own knitwear altogether? Start with our beginner's guide to designing your own pattern, or read up on what actually makes a pattern advanced before you commit to a busy chart. Picking yarn to match your palette? Our favourite yarn combinations is a good place to start, or check yarn substitutes by gauge if you already have yarn on hand and need it to match your chart's gauge.
