How to Read a Cross Stitch Pattern

The short version

1. Read the key firstMatch each symbol to its floss number, name and strand count, and gather those colors before you start stitching.
2. Find the centerFollow the arrows on the chart edges to the middle square, then match it to the folded center of your fabric.
3. Count by tensUse the bold grid lines every ten squares to count, stitch one color at a time and mark off areas as you finish them.

The grid: one square, one stitch

Every square on a counted cross stitch chart represents one full cross stitch on the fabric. On aida that is one block of the weave; on evenweave or linen it is usually two threads by two threads. Empty squares are left unstitched, so the fabric shows through.

Charts draw a heavier line every ten squares. Those lines are the most useful thing on the page: rather than counting 27 squares one by one, you count two tens and seven. Arrows or small triangles on the outer edges point to the center row and column, so you can begin in the middle of the fabric and the design ends up centered.

Large patterns are split across pages. Good charts repeat a few rows or columns from the neighboring page, so you can line them up, and include a small page map showing which part of the design each page holds.

A chart's size is usually printed near the title in stitches, for example 98 by 140. That number tells you how big the piece will be on your fabric and how much cloth to cut, so check it before buying supplies.

Orientation matters on larger charts. The page map, usually on the first page or the cover, shows how the pages tile together; number the printed pages in that order and tape the overlapping rows together if you prefer working from one large sheet.

The key, also called the legend

The key lists every symbol with its thread. A typical row shows the symbol, the floss brand and number, the color name, the number of strands, and often how many stitches of that color appear and how many skeins to buy. Read it before anything else, because it also tells you whether the designer used one, two or three strands, and whether some colors are blended.

Symbols are arbitrary. A heart does not mean red and a dot does not mean white; they are just shapes chosen to be easy to tell apart. Black and white charts rely on symbols alone, while color charts shade each square and print the symbol on top. Many stitchers prefer the color version for spotting areas, and the black and white one for counting.

Some keys also list two numbers for a single symbol, such as 3865 plus 822. That means a blended needle: one strand of each color together. Others show separate columns for different stitch types, so read the column headings carefully; the same floss number may appear in the cross stitch, backstitch and French knot lists with different strand counts.

Fractional stitches and two symbols in one square

Smooth curves and fine outlines often need partial stitches. A half stitch is just the first diagonal leg. A quarter stitch goes from a corner to the center of the square. A three-quarter stitch combines one full diagonal with a quarter, and on charts it appears as a triangle filling half the square.

When a square is split diagonally with a different symbol in each half, the square holds two three-quarter or quarter stitches in different colors, meeting along the diagonal. On aida you pierce the center of the block with the needle; on evenweave there is already a hole in the middle, which is one reason fractional work is easier there.

Not every designer uses fractional stitches. Many photo-based charts stick to full crosses only, which makes them simpler to read and stitch. Hand-designed charts with fine curves, lettering and small faces use them more often.

Backstitch and other lines

Lines drawn over the grid are backstitch. They follow the edges of squares, or cut diagonally across them, and each line color corresponds to an entry in a separate backstitch section of the key, usually with one strand. Backstitch goes in last, after all the crosses around it, so it sits on top.

Some charts also show long stitches, couching or beads with their own marks. If a mark is unfamiliar, it will be in the key or the instruction page; designers usually explain anything beyond basic crosses.

Backstitch lines can make a chart look busy, especially in black and white. If the lines obscure the symbols beneath, stitch the crosses first using the color version, then switch to a page showing only the lines, if the designer supplied one.

A practical way to work through a chart

Print the chart, or open it in a PDF app you can annotate, and keep a highlighter beside you. Begin at the center. Choose one color, stitch every square of it within a ten by ten block, then highlight those squares on the chart. Move to the next color in the same block, and only then to the next block. This approach, often called parking or block-by-block stitching, keeps counting errors confined to a small area.

Count twice, stitch once. A misplaced stitch is easy to fix immediately and miserable to discover fifty stitches later. If you are new to the stitch itself, start with how to cross stitch for beginners and come back here when you have your first chart.

Many stitchers grid their fabric with a thin contrasting thread or a washable fabric pen, marking every tenth line to match the chart. It takes an hour on a large piece and saves many more by preventing counting errors. Remove the gridding thread as you go, or wash out the pen marks when finished.

Charts made with StitchJam

PDF charts from the cross stitch pattern maker follow these conventions: a distinct symbol per color, bold lines every 10 stitches, overlapping edges between pages, color chart pages followed by black-and-white symbol pages (or either set alone, if you prefer), and a key with floss number, name, stitch count and skeins. Symbols are real text characters, which apps that read PDF charts rely on to identify each color.

To read numbers on a key you don't recognize, look them up on the DMC color chart. To practice reading charts on something small, choose a design from the free cross stitch patterns.

When a chart comes as a PDF, print it at actual size if you want each square to stay comfortably large. Enlarging a page on a copier is fine too, since nothing on a cross stitch chart needs to stay true to scale.

Common mistakes when reading charts

Mixing up similar symbols is the classic error, especially in black and white charts where a filled triangle and an outlined one look alike at a glance. Before starting, look at the key and note any pairs that could be confused, then double-check those whenever you meet them.

Counting from the wrong landmark is the other. Always count from a stitch you have already placed, not from the edge of the fabric, and check new areas against the nearest bold line. If something does not line up, stop and recount at once; one wrong stitch is a two-minute fix, a whole block is an evening.