Knitting charts are a vital part of any knitters expertise yet something that many knitters will shy away from. If this is you then you are missing out on a large number of patterns that you could be making. A knitting chart will basically just show you the stitches that need to be worked in the form of a diagram rather than words. Each stitch in your knitting is represented by a symbol on the chart that will be explained on the key to any chart. Although this seems difficult at first once you get used to it then you will open up a whole world of knitting that will be exciting and interesting.
These are used for instructing new knitters how to proceed with knitting colored patterns and laced knits. Usually a knitter starts with the lower bottom of the chart and begins knitting with the odd rows left and the even rows right. As you might have already guessed, doing this is nothing less than trying to make sense of Egyptian hieroglyphs! However, things become easier once you work your way up the complexity level of these charts or the patterns for that matter. We suggest you to start working from the left and work your way to the right, work your way from left to right back and forth until you reach the top of the chart.
Tips on Chart Reading
1. Read all the information about the chart that there is. Some will only show you the RS rows and tell you to work the WS rows as the stitches appear whereas others will show the WS rows. Make sure you read this completely so you know what you are doing before you start.
2. There are some patterns where the number of stitches is not consistent throughout. So you may have 10 stitches at the start and 14 at the end. In this case on the first row you will have 4 stitches that are indicated as No Stitch that you need to skip over. Always do a count to make sure you are working on the right number of stitches.
3. If you have a pattern repetition of a number of stitches then this will be marked on the chart and written in the description of the chart. If you have this then work the stitches and then go back and repeat them again.
4. For the visible side of the knit, read from right to left and for the hidden or wrong part, read from left to right. For orbicular patterns read the chart in one direction only.
5. As stated before every stitch is a different box that has a different symbol in it. Make sure you take each stitch at a time and read your key carefully.
We are sure if you follow these simple steps while reading your lace pattern chart, with a little diligence on your part things will fall in place on its own.
These are used for instructing new knitters how to proceed with knitting colored patterns and laced knits. Usually a knitter starts with the lower bottom of the chart and begins knitting with the odd rows left and the even rows right. As you might have already guessed, doing this is nothing less than trying to make sense of Egyptian hieroglyphs! However, things become easier once you work your way up the complexity level of these charts or the patterns for that matter. We suggest you to start working from the left and work your way to the right, work your way from left to right back and forth until you reach the top of the chart.
Tips on Chart Reading
1. Read all the information about the chart that there is. Some will only show you the RS rows and tell you to work the WS rows as the stitches appear whereas others will show the WS rows. Make sure you read this completely so you know what you are doing before you start.
2. There are some patterns where the number of stitches is not consistent throughout. So you may have 10 stitches at the start and 14 at the end. In this case on the first row you will have 4 stitches that are indicated as No Stitch that you need to skip over. Always do a count to make sure you are working on the right number of stitches.
3. If you have a pattern repetition of a number of stitches then this will be marked on the chart and written in the description of the chart. If you have this then work the stitches and then go back and repeat them again.
4. For the visible side of the knit, read from right to left and for the hidden or wrong part, read from left to right. For orbicular patterns read the chart in one direction only.
5. As stated before every stitch is a different box that has a different symbol in it. Make sure you take each stitch at a time and read your key carefully.
We are sure if you follow these simple steps while reading your lace pattern chart, with a little diligence on your part things will fall in place on its own.
About the Author:
This article has been supplied by Mercedes Aspland for the Knitting Shop where you can buy knitting wool.
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