Knitting Chart

編み図 / 19th century– / Style / Notation Systems

The sheet music of handwork, where stitches become symbols laid out on a grid. Japan's JIS stitch symbols compress each operation into one figure, so the pattern is visible before it is read, unlike the written-out instructions relied on in the West.

Knitting Chart — AI-generated interpretation 1
AI-generated interpretation, not a reference work
Knitting Chart — Marie Niedner / Gussi von Reden, knitting symbols from Beyers Handarbeitsbücher 45: Kunst-Stricken I 1921 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Marie Niedner / Gussi von Reden, knitting symbols from Beyers Handarbeitsbücher 45: Kunst-Stricken I 1921 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Knitting Chart — Colourwork chart for a Setesdal sweater — Wikimedia Commons / CC0
Colourwork chart for a Setesdal sweater — Wikimedia Commons / CC0 · CC0

At a glance

Visual cues

  • The grid of stitch symbols
  • One stitch, one symbol
  • Row and stitch coordinates
  • Correspondence to the finished fabric

Best used for

  • Replacing a written stitch procedure with a figure read at a glance
  • Testing a complex motif on paper before any yarn is committed

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Dictionary entry

Type
One symbol per stitch, columns held even where counts change
Composition
One cell per stitch, rows upward, counts numbered at both edges
Material
Knitted fabric is not square, so set cell ratio from gauge
Caution
A chart drawn on square cells misstates the proportion, and the finished motif comes out stretched taller than the drawing promised.
Further study
JIS stitch symbols / Western written patterns / Fair Isle charting culture

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