How to read a crochet chart

If you’ve never followed a colour-block crochet chart before, the grid can look like a wall of squares with no obvious starting point. The good news: there are only really three things to know.

Charts vs written instructions

A crochet chart is a visual map of every stitch in your project, with each square coloured to show which yarn you use. Written instructions are the same information turned into “row 1: 4 white, 2 red, 4 white...” format. Most pattern-makers (Bobble included) give you both — the chart for visual reference, the written version for actually counting stitches as you go.

Charts are easier to scan; written instructions are easier to follow without losing your place. Most crocheters use both at once: the chart to see where they are in the picture, the written line to count.

Where you start depends on the technique

This is the bit that confuses people most: the “start” of a chart is different for different stitches.

• Single crochet (SC) and tapestry crochet: start at the bottom-left of the chart and read right. That’s row 1. When you turn the work, row 2 is read right-to-left in the chart, but you stitch it the same way (because you’ve flipped the work over). Bobble’s written instructions handle this flip for you.
• Corner-to-corner (C2C): start at one corner — usually the bottom-right — and work diagonally, one block at a time, increasing rows on the way out and decreasing on the way back. The chart looks identical to an SC chart but the path through it is completely different. Our C2C graphghan guide explains this in more detail.
• Mosaic crochet: read bottom-up but each row is two passes (one in each colour). Less common for photo charts.

The grid is one stitch per square

Or one block, in C2C. There’s no clever scaling — what you see is exactly what you make. A 60-square-wide chart is a 60-stitch-wide piece of crochet. The finished size depends entirely on your yarn weight, hook, and tension. Always crochet a small swatch first to check what 10 squares actually look like in your hands.

Keep track of your row

This is where most projects fall apart. You put it down for an evening, come back, and you can’t remember if you’re on row 23 or row 24. A few things help:

1. Use a row counter. Physical (a little click-wheel from any craft shop), an app, or just a tally on a sticky note.
2. Print the chart and tick rows off. Old-school but reliable. A pencil mark at the start of each row you finish.
3. Use a follow-along runner. Bobble has one built in — it highlights the row you’re on, ticks off where you are, remembers your place between sittings, and reads aloud the next stitch sequence on request. The whole point is that you can put your work down for a week and pick up exactly where you left off.

Pick whichever method you’ll actually stick with. The fanciest tool you don’t open beats nothing, and the simplest sticky note you do use beats the fanciest tool.

Common mistakes

• Reading rows in the wrong direction. Easy to do on row 2, when you turn your work. Always read the chart in the direction your hook is moving.
• Skipping border stitches. Most charts include the borders. Don’t add extra unless the pattern says so.
• Counting from the top down instead of bottom up. Always start from the bottom of the chart for SC. Bobble’s written instructions are numbered from row 1 = bottom.
• Trusting your memory. You will lose your place. Plan for it.