How to Read a Cross Stitch Chart

A cross stitch pattern is not a drawing to trace; it is a map. Once you know how to read a cross stitch chart, any design becomes a set of plain instructions: this color, this many squares, in this position. The parts of a chart are the same almost everywhere, so learning them once is enough for nearly every pattern you will meet.

One Square Equals One Stitch

A chart is a grid of small squares. Each square stands for one full cross stitch worked over one block of Aida fabric. A square with something in it is a stitch; an empty square is bare fabric.

Nothing on the chart tells you how big the finished piece will be in inches. The chart only fixes the number of stitches. The size depends on the fabric, as the Aida fabric guide explains: divide the stitch count by the fabric count to get inches.

Symbols, Colors and the Key

Every filled square carries a symbol, a color, or both. The key, sometimes called the legend, is the list that translates them into thread.

• Symbol charts use a different mark for each thread color, such as a dot, a slash or a small triangle. They print clearly in black and white.
• Color charts fill each square with a color close to the thread. They are quick to read at a glance, though similar shades can be hard to tell apart.
• Combined charts show a symbol on a colored square, which gives the advantages of both.

The key lists each symbol with the name of its color, and often the number of stitches or the number of strands to use. Read it before threading a needle. Printed chart colors are only an approximation, and two symbols that look alike at first, such as a filled circle and an open one, usually stand for two close shades.

Grid Lines Every Ten Squares

Charts have a heavier line after every tenth square, across and down. These lines divide the design into blocks of 10 x 10 squares, exactly like the bold lines on graph paper.

Their job is to make counting faster and safer. Counting 27 squares one by one invites mistakes; counting two heavy lines and seven more squares does not. Many charts also print numbers along the top and side at each heavy line, so any square can be found by its position, the way a town is found on a map grid.

Center Arrows and Where to Start

Look at the edges of the chart for two small arrows or triangles, one at the top and one at the side. Follow each one straight into the chart. The point where the two lines meet is the center of the design.

Starting at the center is the usual advice because it guarantees the design sits in the middle of the fabric with equal margins all around.

1. Fold the fabric in half, then in half again the other way, and note the point where the folds cross.
2. Find the center of the chart from the arrows.
3. If the center square of the chart is empty, count from the center to the nearest stitched square, then count the same number of blocks on the fabric.
4. Begin stitching there and work outward, one area of color at a time.

Starting at a corner or the top edge is also possible, but then the position of the first stitch has to be measured carefully from the fabric edges. Counting out from the center, and keeping count across gaps, is covered step by step in counting cross stitch.

Other Marks You May See

Full crosses make up most charts, but a few other marks turn up regularly.

What the chart shows	What it means
A symbol or color filling a square	One full cross stitch in that color
An empty square	Bare fabric; no stitch
A solid line along or across squares	Backstitch, worked after the crosses
A symbol filling half a square diagonally	A fractional stitch for a smoother edge
A dot or small circle on a line or corner	A knot stitch or a bead, as the key states
Arrows or triangles at the edges	The center lines of the design

Lines drawn over the grid are the most common of these. They show outlines and fine details and are stitched last, on top of the finished crosses; the method is in backstitch in cross stitch. A chart’s own key always has the final word on what its marks mean.

Following the Chart as You Stitch

The chart shows where stitches go, not the order in which to make them. A few habits keep the work accurate.

• Work one color at a time in one area. Stitch all the nearby squares of a symbol before changing thread.
• Read in rows. Count how many squares of the color sit side by side, stitch that many, then check the row above or below against the stitches just made.
• Use finished stitches as landmarks. It is more reliable to count a short distance from something already stitched than a long distance from the edge.
• Keep the chart the same way up as the fabric. Turning one and not the other is an easy way to stitch a section sideways.

Marking Your Progress

On anything larger than a tiny motif, marking the chart as you go saves a great deal of recounting.

• Use a working copy. Print or copy the chart for your own use and keep the original clean.
• Highlight finished squares. A pale highlighter leaves the symbols readable. Mark each row or block as soon as it is stitched, not at the end of the session.
• Enlarge if needed. A bigger copy is easier on the eyes and leaves room for notes.
• Mark your place. A ruler, a strip of paper or a magnetic board with a guide strip keeps the current row in view.

If something still ends up in the wrong place, it is rarely a disaster. The usual causes and their fixes are collected in common cross stitch mistakes. For a first small chart to practice on, the blossom in how to start cross stitch is only a few rows tall.